David is such a Godly man, just
look at 2 Sam 7:18-29 from yesterday.
David’s prayer of gratitude, gives all glory and honour straight back to
the Lord. It’s easy to see why David is
so often called a man after God’s heart.
2 Sam 8 gives a great account of David’s mighty success under God in
battle and tells of how generous the Lord is with the spoils. Nevertheless, David made a name for himself
(8:13) whilst the Lord gave David his victories (8:14).
What an encouragement to see how
David ruled, justly and with equity (8:15)!
He even restores the patriarchal lands of Saul to Mephibosheth
(ch9). And notice why he does this. For the sake of Jonathan (9:1) and the
covenant they had made back in 1 Samuel 18.
Despite the way David had been treated by Saul and despite the
expectation that a new king would wipe out the old line, David still honoured
his covenant with the late Jonathan by showing kindness to Mephibosheth (9:7).
David’s bond with Jonathan seems
to have been stronger even than that of two brothers, as when they met they
became one in spirit (1 Sam 18:1).
Despite the strength of bond, David’s example here is still a real
challenge, he strives to be honourable way past the call of duty.
When you make a commitment, how
deep does it go? We can all learn a lot
from this example of covenant — commitment after God’s own heart!
(lay member of staff)