by Max Lucado
Excerpted from Seeking After the Heart of God for 52 Weeks: A Bible Study on the Life of David
King David’s life couldn’t be better. Just crowned. His throne room smells like fresh paint, and his city architect is laying out new neighborhoods. God’s ark indwells the tabernacle;
gold and silver overflow the king’s coffers; Israel’s enemies maintain their distance. The days of ducking Saul are a distant memory. But something stirs one of them.
In the midst of his new life, David remembers a promise from his old one. “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” (2 Samuel 9:1 NKJV). Confusion furrows the faces of David’s court. Why bother with the children of Saul? This is a new era, a new administration. Who cares about the old guard?
David does.
He does because he remembers the covenant he made with Jonathan. When Saul threatened to kill him, Jonathan sought to save him. Jonathan succeeded and made this request: “If I make it through this alive, continue to be my covenant friend. And if I die, keep the covenant friendship with my family— forever” (1 Samuel 20:14–15 MSG).
Jonathan does die. But David’s covenant does not. No one would have thought twice had he let it. But to David, a covenant was no small matter. Finding a descendant of Jonathan wasn’t easy. No one in David’s circle knew one. Advisers summoned Ziba, a former servant of Saul. Did he know of a surviving member of Saul’s household? Look at Ziba’s answer: “Yes, one of Jonathan’s sons is still alive. He is crippled in both feet” (2 Samuel 9:3 NLT).
The person in question is Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan. When the boy was five, his father and grandfather died at the hands of the Philistines. Knowing their brutality, the family of Saul headed for the hills. Mephibosheth’s nurse snatched him up and ran, then tripped and dropped the boy, breaking both his ankles, leaving him incurably lame. Servants carried him across the Jordan River to an inhospitable village called Lo
Debar. The name means “without pasture.” Mephibosheth hid there, first for fear of the Philistines, then for fear of David.
Servants are soon driving a stretch limousine across the Jordan River and knocking on the door of the shack. They explain their business, load Mephibosheth into the car, and carry him into the palace. The boy assumes the worst. But David calls in Ziba and tells him, “Everything that belonged to Saul and his family, I’ve handed over to your master’s grandson … from now on [he] will take all his meals at my table” (2 Samuel 9:8–10 MSG). Faster than you can say Mephibosheth twice, he gets promoted from Lo Debar to the king’s table.
Why is David so loyal? How is he so loyal? Were you able to ask David how he fulfilled his promise, he would take you from his story to God’s story. God sets the standard for covenant keeping. He makes—and never breaks—his promises. David was a walking parable of God’s loyalty. You are called to do the same. Illustrate stubborn love. Incarnate fidelity. God is giving you a Mephibosheth-sized chance to show your children and your neighbors what real love does. So embrace it. And who knows? Maybe someone one day will tell your story of loyalty to illustrate the loyalty of God.
About this Bible study
In Seeking After the Heart of God for 52 Weeks, Max Lucado invites you on a year-long journey through David’s remarkable story. Walk with David through seasons of triumph and times of brokenness. Discover how his courage in crisis, his prayerful and worshipful dependence, his honesty, his repentance after failure, and his steadfast obedience shaped a heart that continually sought God above all else.
About the author
Since entering the ministry in 1978, Max Lucado has served churches in Miami, Florida; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and San Antonio, Texas. He currently serves as the teaching minister of Oak Hills Church in San Antonio. He is the recipient of the 2021 ECPA Pinnacle Award for his outstanding contribution to the publishing industry and society at large. He is America's bestselling inspirational author with more than 150 million products in print.