by leaps and bounds

Now David said, “Is there anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” He said, “At your service!” Then the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God?” And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet.” So the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “Indeed he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar.” Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo Debar. Now when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, “Mephibosheth?” And he answered him, “Here is your servant!” So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.” (II Samuel 9:1-7)

First, let’s clarify who the characters are in these verses. David was the reigning king. Saul was the former king- who had actually tried to kill David several times. Jonathan was Saul’s son- who had become close friends with David. Mephibosheth was Jonathan’s son and Saul’s grandson.

Mephibosheth was crippled because, as a small child, he had been dropped by a servant who was fleeing as David took over the kingdom. The name Mephibosheth actually means “shamed.” He was alone- the last of his family. He could not take care of himself. He was in Lo Debar- a very desolate place. Many of us can relate:

We have been dropped by people who were supposed to care for us.
We have been alone.
We have been in desolate places in life where it seemed things would never get any better.

When Mephibosheth was called to see the King, he probably figured his life was over. What a relief it must have been to find out that the King wanted to help him- not harm him.

Why was David doing this? He was showing the kindness of God for Jonathan- the son’s- sake. He was spared because of Jonathan.

God does the same for us. Jesus gave His life for us. All that God does for us is done because of God’s Son- for His sake.

Saul’s land was restored to Mephibosheth. David said, “You will eat at my table from now on. Pull up a chair.” Just imagine God saying to us: “I am restoring all you have lost for my Son’s sake. I will take care of you from now on- you will never be alone again. By the way- PULL UP A CHAIR!”

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Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.

Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children  — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter  — Breanna. 

Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 

Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.