The Persistence of Grace (2 Samuel 9:1-3)
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Today’s reading is a short one, 2 Samuel 9:1-3
Then David said, “Is there yet anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him lovingkindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
2 Samuel 9:1
Reflect ❤️
When you think of God’s grace, do you think of it as active, or passive? Does it seek us, or do we seek it? Can it be obstructed, or does it surpass every obstruction?
We see the nature of grace in today’s passage. David is seeking someone from the house of Saul to whom he can show lovingkindness. In 1 Samuel 20:12–18, David and Jonathan made a covenant before the Lord. Jonathan asked David not to cut off his lovingkindness from his household. Now, at the height of his power, will David remember his promise? Will he, like the Lord, honour his covenant?
After asking the question the first time, David summons Ziba, a servant from the house of Saul, and asks the question again. The similarity is key: David persists. He wants to know if there is anyone left to whom he can show lovingkindness. But there is also a significant difference. In verse 1, David asks to show lovingkindness “for Jonathan’s sake.” In verse 3, he asks if there is anyone to whom he can show “the kindness of God.”
In 2 Samuel 4:4, we are briefly told about Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, after an accident left him lame in both feet. Yet this is the man David is seeking: a vulnerable son of Jonathan from the house of Saul, with nothing to offer David in return.
Lovingkindness reflects God’s covenantal commitment, His provision for genuine need, and His sovereign freedom in giving it. It is not kindness simply in the sense that we know it; it is kindness rooted in promise, freely given and expressed in action.
In the New Testament, its equivalent is both grace and love - we see this fully revealed in Christ. Jesus Himself is described as “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14), and in Him we receive God’s “glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves” (Ephesians 1:6).
So we can see; Grace is active. Grace pursues. Grace overcomes.
God’s grace and love, however, are not just something we receive. We are ourselves called to love others because He first loved us (1 John 4:19), and to use the grace we have received to serve one another (1 Peter 4:10). Like David seeking Mephibosheth, we too must be willing to seek opportunities to reflect God’s grace to someone else.
Pray 🙏
Lord, thank You for Your grace and love, which You have so freely poured out. You bless us with forgiveness and restoration. May we experience the fullness of Your grace, not just for our own sake, but so that we may extend it to others. May this be for Your honour and our love for Your Son. Amen.