2 Samuel 9:1 And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?
Ah Friends, that word, kindness, seems to have disappeared from our vocabulary and our culture. Today I read this quote, attributed to Lao Tzu, ‘Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates LOVE.’ This just got me to thinking about kindness as a theme for Today’s Bit, so I went searching for a suitable scripture. And wonder of wonders (smile) the scripture that most emphasizes kindness in actual action and not just talk, is Bruh David’s de facto adoption of Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth. Why did he do that? In the first place, cause he’d made a covenant with Jonathan, Saul’s son. The day Bruh David killed Goliath, Saul took him into his own house and wouldn’t let him go back to his father Jesse’s. And, as the Lord would have it, Jonathan and him became kindred spirits. The Good Book says; ‘the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.’ (1 Sam.18:1) Their lives became intertwined, as is wont between young men that share the same headspace. ‘Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.’ (1 Sam.18:3-4) Yes friends, Jonathan gave Bruh David his royal attire. In those days a pledge was sacred; a person’s word meant something, unlike now, when it’s used mainly to get something we want and then forgotten. And that’s where the bond began, that grew and remained in Bruh David’s heart ever after. Bruh David became one of Saul’s right hand men. He did whatever Saul wanted, ‘behaved himself wisely’ and was accepted by all and sundry. But in the Lord’s mysterious movements, as Bruh David’s military success increased, and the women began singing, ‘Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands,’ jealousy and resentment raised their ugly heads in Saul’s spirit and he embarked on a crusade to kill Bruh David. But Saul forgot that Bruh David was the Lord’s anointed, and try as he could, all his efforts failed. Even his daughter Michal, Bruh David’s wife, who truly loved him, helped, and so did Jonathan, several times. Read 1 Samuel Chaps.18-31, and you’ll see the horrors Bruh David underwent at Saul’s hands and how Jonathan helped him. Jonathan even took his father’s abuse, when he told him that he, Jonathan would never be king once Bruh David was alive, and when he asked why his father insisted on killing his friend, Saul threw a javelin at him, just like he’d done at Bruh David. They realized then that Bruh David had to leave. At their final parting, after they cried and hugged each other, ‘Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, the Lord be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed forever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went unto the city.’ (1 Sam.20:42) That’s why after Saul and his family’s sad demise and Bruh David became king, he looked for any of Saul’s descendents so he could show them kindness for Jonathan’s sake. Even though Saul made his life a living hell, Jonathan was kind to him, saved him several times from his father’s wrath, and they’d also made a bond to support each other’s family, as we’d say, ‘come hell or high water.’ How much of that happens today eh Friends? Certainly not enough. And when Bruh David discovered one of Jonathan’s son’s was still alive, I’m sure his heart must have flooded with joy, for it meant that he could keep his covenant with his soul mate and repay some of the kindness he’d shown him. Unfortunately, Mephibosheth was lame in both legs and living in relative poverty, and when he came before Bruh David, he fell on his face and did reverence. But Bruh David kindly reassured him. ‘Fear not: for I will surely show thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the lands of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. And he bowed himself and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am.’ (2 Sam.9:7-8) Oh Friends, notice Mephibosheth’s poor self image. The grandson of one of Israel’s great kings, lame, living in poverty and likening himself to a dead dog. That’s not good. But yuh know what! Judging from that quote of Lao Tzu, I’m sure that Bruh David’s words of kindness, created self confidence in the young man. The kindness in his thinking certainly created a profoundness, a depth, an insight into life also. His attitude, the way he saw the world, his circumstances, everything, must have inspired a sense of self worth and restored his faith in mankind. And Bruh David’s kindness in giving, restoring all his father’s possessions to him, having him eat at his table continually, and obviously taking a great interest in his welfare, must have created a strong sense of LOVE in his soul. Oh Friends, our world is suffering from a terrible lack of kindness, of good deeds, of LOVE, and won’t improve until things like greed, envy and resentment are substantially lessened. So let’s go out there and find somebody to be kind to nuh. It doesn’t take much; a smile, a kind word, a few cents. We already have a covenant with the Lord which we’re obviously not keeping, else our world wouldn’t be in such sad shape. And if, as Lao says, kindness creates all these good things, and leads to LOVE, which we claim is the raison d’être of our God, then we need to give in kindness to create it, else we’re breaking our covenant with the Most High. And we don’t want to do that now, do we? Much LOVE!…to walk in His will…is to show kindness…to all His children…
Ah Friends, that word, kindness, seems to have disappeared from our vocabulary and our culture. Today I read this quote, attributed to Lao Tzu, ‘Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates LOVE.’ This just got me to thinking about kindness as a theme for Today’s Bit, so I went searching for a suitable scripture. And wonder of wonders (smile) the scripture that most emphasizes kindness in actual action and not just talk, is Bruh David’s de facto adoption of Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth. Why did he do that? In the first place, cause he’d made a covenant with Jonathan, Saul’s son. The day Bruh David killed Goliath, Saul took him into his own house and wouldn’t let him go back to his father Jesse’s. And, as the Lord would have it, Jonathan and him became kindred spirits. The Good Book says; ‘the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.’ (1 Sam.18:1) Their lives became intertwined, as is wont between young men that share the same headspace. ‘Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.’ (1 Sam.18:3-4) Yes friends, Jonathan gave Bruh David his royal attire. In those days a pledge was sacred; a person’s word meant something, unlike now, when it’s used mainly to get something we want and then forgotten. And that’s where the bond began, that grew and remained in Bruh David’s heart ever after. Bruh David became one of Saul’s right hand men. He did whatever Saul wanted, ‘behaved himself wisely’ and was accepted by all and sundry. But in the Lord’s mysterious movements, as Bruh David’s military success increased, and the women began singing, ‘Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands,’ jealousy and resentment raised their ugly heads in Saul’s spirit and he embarked on a crusade to kill Bruh David. But Saul forgot that Bruh David was the Lord’s anointed, and try as he could, all his efforts failed. Even his daughter Michal, Bruh David’s wife, who truly loved him, helped, and so did Jonathan, several times. Read 1 Samuel Chaps.18-31, and you’ll see the horrors Bruh David underwent at Saul’s hands and how Jonathan helped him. Jonathan even took his father’s abuse, when he told him that he, Jonathan would never be king once Bruh David was alive, and when he asked why his father insisted on killing his friend, Saul threw a javelin at him, just like he’d done at Bruh David. They realized then that Bruh David had to leave. At their final parting, after they cried and hugged each other, ‘Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, the Lord be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed forever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went unto the city.’ (1 Sam.20:42) That’s why after Saul and his family’s sad demise and Bruh David became king, he looked for any of Saul’s descendents so he could show them kindness for Jonathan’s sake. Even though Saul made his life a living hell, Jonathan was kind to him, saved him several times from his father’s wrath, and they’d also made a bond to support each other’s family, as we’d say, ‘come hell or high water.’ How much of that happens today eh Friends? Certainly not enough. And when Bruh David discovered one of Jonathan’s son’s was still alive, I’m sure his heart must have flooded with joy, for it meant that he could keep his covenant with his soul mate and repay some of the kindness he’d shown him. Unfortunately, Mephibosheth was lame in both legs and living in relative poverty, and when he came before Bruh David, he fell on his face and did reverence. But Bruh David kindly reassured him. ‘Fear not: for I will surely show thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the lands of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. And he bowed himself and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am.’ (2 Sam.9:7-8) Oh Friends, notice Mephibosheth’s poor self image. The grandson of one of Israel’s great kings, lame, living in poverty and likening himself to a dead dog. That’s not good. But yuh know what! Judging from that quote of Lao Tzu, I’m sure that Bruh David’s words of kindness, created self confidence in the young man. The kindness in his thinking certainly created a profoundness, a depth, an insight into life also. His attitude, the way he saw the world, his circumstances, everything, must have inspired a sense of self worth and restored his faith in mankind. And Bruh David’s kindness in giving, restoring all his father’s possessions to him, having him eat at his table continually, and obviously taking a great interest in his welfare, must have created a strong sense of LOVE in his soul. Oh Friends, our world is suffering from a terrible lack of kindness, of good deeds, of LOVE, and won’t improve until things like greed, envy and resentment are substantially lessened. So let’s go out there and find somebody to be kind to nuh. It doesn’t take much; a smile, a kind word, a few cents. We already have a covenant with the Lord which we’re obviously not keeping, else our world wouldn’t be in such sad shape. And if, as Lao says, kindness creates all these good things, and leads to LOVE, which we claim is the raison d’être of our God, then we need to give in kindness to create it, else we’re breaking our covenant with the Most High. And we don’t want to do that now, do we? Much LOVE!…to walk in His will…is to show kindness…to all His children…
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