[David sent for Mephibosheth and brought him to his home]. 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.” “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!” Mephibosheth bowed respectfully and exclaimed, “Who is your servant, that you should show such kindness to a dead dog like me?” Then the king summoned Saul’s servant Ziba and said, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. You and your sons and servants are to farm the land for him to produce food for your master’s household. But Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson, will eat here at my table.” (Ziba had 15 sons and 20 servants.) Ziba replied, “Yes, my lord the king; I am your servant, and I will do all that you have commanded.” And from that time on, Mephibosheth ate regularly at David’s table, like one of the king’s own sons. Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica. From then on, all the members of Ziba’s household were Mephibosheth’s servants. And Mephibosheth, who was crippled in both feet, lived in Jerusalem and ate regularly at the king’s table.
2 Samuel 9:5–13, NLT
Dear King David,
I am at a loss for words to express the depth of my gratitude and the overwhelming sense of awe I feel. When I was summoned to your palace, I came in fear, expecting the worst. In the eyes of many, I am nothing more than a forgotten relic of a fallen dynasty. I was living in obscurity, forgotten by the world, crippled in both feet, and yet you sought me out, O King. Not out of obligation, but out of a loving kindness that is beyond comprehension.
You spoke my name, Mephibosheth, and exterminated my shame [1], as if it were a name worth speaking, and you looked upon me as if I were a man worth seeing. You did not see a cripple; you saw a person. You didn’t see an enemy, or even a charity case; you saw a person, worthy of dignity and love. You did not see a problem; you saw an opportunity for kindness to a friend’s son. This is not the way of the world; this is the way of God.
Your kindness didn’t stop there. You restored to me all the land of my forefathers. This generosity is beyond social norms; reflecting a higher law [2] that I can hardly comprehend. But more than that, you have given me a place at your table. I, who was lame and lowly, now dine with the king. I, who was an outcast, am now treated as your own son. In a world where the weak are often forgotten and pushed aside, you have shown me that covenant love seeks out and uplifts.
Your kindness has taught me more about God’s love than any priest ever could. You have shown me that God’s love is not based on what we can give but on what He has promised. It is a love that seeks us out, even when we are hiding in the most desolate of places. You could have easily fulfilled your promise to my father by merely restoring my land, but you chose to do so much more. You’ve given me dignity, a family to belong to, and a newfound purpose in life.
I am forever indebted to you, King David. I will spend the rest of my days seeking to emulate this grace, this undeserved kindness, you have shown me. I will tell of it to my children and my children’s children [2], that they may know of a king who ruled with the very heart of God.
With deepest gratitude,
Mephibosheth
Share with your friends “What are your experiences in receiving and giving undeserved kindness to others? (Tell your story if you can)”
Not all kindness shown would be well received. In the next chapter of 2 Samuel 10, David show kindness to the Ammonite king but it backfired
[1] Mephibosheth in Hebrew means “exterminator of shame”
[2] John 13:34
[3] Joel 1:3, Psalm 102:18
When we experience and give kindness it is a way of passing on God’s love. I remember experiencing this kind of grace at my old job. I was entrusted with keeping personal and company books. It was my job to pay the bills and keep track of different accounts. One time I made a mistake and didn’t rectify the amount correctly. I felt so bad and wanted to pay my boss the amount of my mistake, but he was kind and forgave me without wanting me to pay him back. It was hard for me to accept his grace. I wanted to pay for my mistake. A lot of times this is the same with God’s love and grace for us. We have a hard time embracing it, especially when we know we did something wrong. Rather He wants to fully receive it and be transformed by it.
(from Mikey)
One of the more recent acts of undeserved kindness I received was when I was new at the action alliance house Steve wanted to see me do well and I was on the verge of getting thrown out I had to play catch up and he let me borrow 180 from his gr so I can pay my rent and not get farther behind he invited me to R.P. so I can meet alot of great people that I enjoy being around and I’m grateful to call him my friend
Honestly, when people do nice things to me, I often overlook it. I just realized I can be ungrateful to people who actually care for me. But one instance where I received an act of kindness was when I was at school between my classes, I was hungry cause I didn’t eat anything yet. And I only had like an hour in between. But then my friend who lives in the apartment right next to school texted in the group chat that they had some leftover pasta. So yea I came over and had a great time. It’s the small experiences like this that help me to value the friendships that I have with my friends, especially since they’re also Christian. I pray that God will help me to extend this kindness to other people as well, even in small things.
I think for me experiencing undeserved kindness was obviously Jesus dying on the cross for me and laying down his life for me. But I believe one that really sticks out to me was when I was in highschool I was being stupid and I suggested my teacher to read a pretty mature rated book that had inappropriate things and instead of calling my parents or reporting me to the principal she saw it as a learning lesson. I didn’t know why she did that act of kindness she could’ve easily called me out and got me suspended but it was an act of kindness that I think about often. I think giving to others might be something I recently did which was waking up early to get bao’s van for his film.
Receiving God’s undeserving kindness leads me to forgive when wronged and give generously if I can. It’s hard to fathom what David did for Mephibosheth but he was the king. Interesting part is how Mephibosheth viewed himself “a dead dog” but now by David’s kindness he has regained his dignity dining at the kings table and others like Ziba and his household also reaped David’s kindness. God’s undeserving kindness is meant to be received generation after generation. I pray that as a church our kids and their kids and their grandkids etc can also experience God’s undeserving kindness.
When I receive undeserved kindness, it warms my soul in a refreshing way especially since it’s so uncommon to see. Through these acts, I’m reminded of the kindness God’s shown to me and am newly inspired of my own calling to share that kindness to others knowing how restoring it is to myself and that it could encourage others as well
Every time I encounter the biblical concept of grace, it fills me with gratitude, for I have experienced God’s incredible grace in my own life. Reflecting on my journey, I am often reminded of the words from Hannah’s prayer, where she speaks of God, ‘He raises the poor from the dust, he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with nobles and inherit a seat of honor…’ (1 Samuel 2:8). In those words, I see my own story—a life once marked by poverty and need, now elevated by the God’s goodness. My life is a testament to the abundant blessings that the Lord has bestowed upon me. His goodness is ever-present, and I continually rely on His grace, which He generously provides.
I interpret “undeserved” as in some one who didn’t do anything that would obligate me to do something for them but not in the sense that I would do something even though I don’t think they are deserving of my help. I don’t think I have ever done someone a kindness while believing that they do not “deserved” kindness. However I have done things to help someone I think is deserving not because I need to return a kindness or because I want them to do something for me.
I had a friend in college who worked as a dishwasher at Disneyland and other odd jobs to get enough money to go to school. He also sent money home to his family in VN at the time. One quarter, my friend couldn’t pay his tuition. At the time tuition was $250/quarter. Not a lot now but this was nearly 40 years ago. At the time I was also on student grant and had around 8K a year for school & living expenses. I didn’t have much but I had more than him. I knew he couldn’t get the money and might have to drop out. I paid his tuition for that quarter. I never asked him about it and didn’t expect him to ever pay me back. Years later, after I already moved to Texas for work, my friend went to my aunt’s house to find me. He gave my aunt the money to pay me back.
The funny thing was that many people looked down on him. Thinking he was a gangster or a drug addict because he looked unkempt and super thin and he was smoking a lot in college. My aunt certainly didn’t think much of him and told me to stay away from him fearing he would get me into trouble. But in the end he had pride and integrity.
Now let me tell about another story of another friend who came from a well-to-do family. Well known in the VN community. Highly respected.
One time he needed money to pay off his car and for some reason he didn’t go to his family to ask but came to me. It was a few thousand dollars. I was still on student grant so didn’t have much. But he must have given me a good reason (don’t remember it now) so I gave it to him. To this day he never mentioned it nor pay me back the money. His sister know he owed me and she asked me about it once but she never offered to pay me back on his behalf.
It’s not just about money but time and other things I’ve done for people. Sometime people return the favor but often time they do not. Sometime people take advantage of me but I don’t let that change how I act toward them. I do these things because of how it makes me feel – good – not because I expect anything in return.
But let’s get back to the two friends. Who’s more deserving? How can you tell who would be deserving at the time you needed to help. I’m not God so I can’t know who is or is not deserving. I just do and God will judge.
Do I still consider these people my friends. Yes. I don’t hold any of these things against them. God please forgive the ones who trespass…they know not what they do.
I feel I’ve received kindness from those around me more than giving that kindness to them. Firstly, I’ve received undeserved kindness from God, who sacrificed himself on the cross to pay for our sins. Secondly, I’ve experienced undeserved kindness from my parents, who have made sacrifices and forgiven me for all my wrongdoings.