David's Covenant Kindness to Mephibosheth
9 1 David asked, "Is there anyone still left from Saul's family that I can show kindness to, for Jonathan's sake?"
2 Now there was a servant of Saul's household named Ziba, and they summoned him to David. "Are you Ziba?" the king asked. "At your service," he replied.
3 The king asked, "Is there no one still left of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of our Father?" Ziba answered the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in both feet." 1 1 v3 David longs to show Mephibosheth the same covenant kindness our Father shows — unearned love poured out on the helpless and the outcast.
4 "Where is he?" the king asked. Ziba answered, "He is at the house of Machir son of Ammiel, in Lo-debar."
5 So King David sent for him and brought him from the home of Machir son of Ammiel in Lo-debar. 6 When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he fell facedown and bowed low. David said, "Mephibosheth!" "I am your servant," he replied.
7 "Do not be afraid," David said to him, "for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table."
8 Mephibosheth bowed down and said, "Who is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?"
9 Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, "I have given your master's grandson everything that belonged to Saul and to his entire household." 10 You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the harvest, so that your master's grandson will have enough to live on. But Mephibosheth, your master's grandson, will always eat at my table." Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
11 Then Ziba said to the king, "I will do whatever you command, my lord the king." So Mephibosheth ate at David's table like one of the king's sons.
12 Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica, and all who lived in Ziba's household were servants of Mephibosheth. 13 So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king's table; and he was lame in both feet.