Digging Deeper: Demonstrate Your Love
1 One day David asked, “Is anyone in Saul’s family still alive—anyone to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 He summoned a man named Ziba, who had been one of Saul’s servants. “Are you Ziba?” the king asked. “Yes sir, I am,” Ziba replied. 3 The king then asked him, “Is anyone still alive from Saul’s family? If so, I want to show God’s kindness to them.” Ziba replied, “Yes, one of Jonathan’s sons is still alive. He is crippled in both feet.” 4 “Where is he?” the king asked. “In Lo-debar,” Ziba told him, “at the home of Makir son of Ammiel.” 5 So David sent for him and brought him from Makir’s home. 6 His name was Mephibosheth; he was Jonathan’s son and Saul’s grandson. When he came to David, he bowed low to the ground in deep respect. David said, “Greetings, Mephibosheth.” Mephibosheth replied, “I am your servant.” 7 “Don’t be afraid!” David said. “I intend to show kindness to you because of my promise to your father, Jonathan. I will give you all the property that once belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will eat here with me at the king’s table!”
2 Samuel 9:1-7 (NLT)
DEMONSTRATE YOUR LOVE
In our message this past Sunday, we learned that King David demonstrated love to Mephibosheth by restoring to him the lands that belonged to his grandfather, and by giving him a seat at the King’s table. The act of loving kindness is significant because Mephibosheth does not have the means to repay the gift-giver.
Giving gifts can be a unique thing, based on who you are giving it to. I learned early in my relationship with Deanna what kind of gifts she likes, and I also learned if you get her a gift she doesn’t like, she has no problem telling you! Christmas is not for the faint of heart in the Wilson house.
I got her a necklace from a jewelry store while we were dating. It was a nice necklace, considering what I had available to spend at the time, and I hoped she would like it. When I bought it, the jewelry store included this random photo album to go with it. I didn’t know what to do with it, but I decided to fill it with pictures of us and include it with the necklace.
When Christmas came, the necklace was a side note, and the photo album induced joyful tears. To this day, over 15 years later, I have no idea where that necklace is, but I can show you the photo album right now, as we still have it. It was a reflection of what is the most meaningful gift for her – quality time. The picture and memories associated with them made Deanna happy, and that influenced every gift I have gotten her since.
Meaningful gifts can have a profound impact on us because it is a reflection of the heart of the person giving the gift. We learn something about David based on the way he treats Mephibosheth – it is revealing of his character and his heart.
Romans 5:8 says that God demonstrates his love for us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (ESV). This incredible atoning sacrifice brings us as believers into eternity in the presence of the Lord, the ultimate source of our hope and joy. This is the very bedrock of what we believe as Christians.
John was so humbled by the sacrifice of our savior that he writes, “Beloved, what manner of love is this that we should be called the children of God?” (1 John 3:1). To be counted among the righteous in the presence of God is a humbling thought indeed, and one that can reveal to us the character and nature of the God we serve, for in his love we have been given a gift impossible to repay.
This notion of God’s love was captured by Pastor and Author John Macarthur in a message he gave on God’s Love:
“Scripture does give us reason to proclaim that God is a God of love. In fact, in 2 Corinthians 13:11 He is called the God of love. And in 1 John 4:8 the Bible says God is love. There’s no question but that this is truly an attribute of God. This is part of the fabric of His spiritual essence, His being. And it is a much celebrated attribute, because along with it comes goodness and kindness and mercy. Those are the evidences and those are the elements of expression that find their origin in love.”
May we soak in these words and in the incredible gift of God’s love.
Lee Wilson and his wife, Deanna, have been NorthStar Church members since 2010. They are parents to Everett, Henry and Roselyn. Lee is passionate about sports (Go Braves, Go Dawgs) and has the pleasure to serve on the worship team as a bassist.