The challenge of treating a potential rival as a friend (2 Samuel 9)

A church known to me had quite a power struggle over electing a pastor. The man eventually chosen was a charismatic personality, a great preacher with a conservative evangelical theology and a strong leader. Given the earlier laissez-faire approach in leadership, many were jubilant that the new pastor was going to lead them decisively and in a godly manner. However, he soon became embittered over ongoing opposition to his person and blamed his supporters for not being there for him. He also seemed to resent the self-starter spirit in the church that led to many great initiatives, perhaps because he did not feel entirely in control of it. Whatever the reason, he soon began to alienate and drive out his supporters, many of whom were leading thriving ministries in the church. Power can twist leaders into seeing friends as enemies if they seem to threaten a leader’s authority.

Honouring a commitment

David’s attitude shows a marked contrast to the above. Although a descendant of Saul is a potential enemy and contender for the throne, David wants to honour his covenant with Jonathan (Saul’s son) not to destroy his family (1 Sam 20:15-17; 2 Sam 9:1).[1] While Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, turns out to be a cripple (2 Sam 9:3 cf. 2 Sam 4:4) and therefore less of a threat to the king, David could not have known this in advance. On the other hand, Mephibosheth has a son (2 Sam 9:12) who could become a future rallying point for Saul’s supporters. That David is not aware of Mephibosheth’s existence is not a surprise. For one thing, the man has been staying in the Transjordan (2 Sam 9:5), far removed from the Jerusalem court, and for another, Saul’s followers would have wanted to shield him from the current king’s potential revenge and keep him hidden.

Generosity over and beyond

David could have fulfilled his commitment to Jonathan by allowing Mephibosheth to continue living, but his actions go well beyond this. The invitation for him to come to court and eat at the king’s table (2 Sam 9:7), i.e. become the king’s pensioner, is a generous gesture although those cynical of David point out that this may be an attempt to have a potential pretender under David’s eye. However, such a move could backfire because being in the centre of power would also allow contacts for such a man. In any case, David’s other stipulation to restore Saul’s lands to Mephibosheth (v.7) indicates his goodwill, since this provides the latter with means independent of David (2 Sam 9:10). It is likely that, as the former king, Saul’s lands would have been substantial and this is further confirmed by the number of people involved in cultivating  it for Mephibosheth (Ziba, Saul’s servant, commissioned to do so had fifteen sons and twenty servants under him, v.10).

The challenge for us

David, then, shows genuine covenant loyalty and love (ḥesed, NASB ‘kindness’; 2 Sam 9:1) in a situation that could have been to his disadvantage and goes above and beyond what the terms of that commitment would require of him. Once again, he shows himself generous, which will cast his later sin of betrayal with Bathsheba into sharp relief. Although the story does not explain why David could act like this, it is probably to do with the king’s confidence in the Lord. In the narrative so far, he has always treated power as a gift from God bestowed for the service of others. While David’s relationship to power is worked out in the political sphere, it has an application for all of us. Being in a position of authority (in a church or workplace), being recognised and appreciated can be threatened by others who will potentially do better than us. This can apply to a pastor instructing a young and talented apprentice, one employee showing the ropes to a new colleague who may outshine them if given too much help, a student explaining a difficult problem to a fellow student and giving them an advantage. The situations in which our support of others may diminish our position are plentiful, but David’s example challenges us to be generous.

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[1] Although we have no date as to when the events in this chapter happened, we know from 2 Samuel 4:4 that Mephibosheth was only five when his father died, and his nurse fled with him. Since he is now an adult with a young son (2 Sam 9:12), this must be at least 10-15 years after Saul’s death. Why David remembers this commitment only now is not clear, though it should be noted that some months must have elapsed before he was made king of Judah and then another seven and a half years before he came to rule over all Israel (2 Sam 5:5). In any case, the narrative makes nothing of the delay, so it is not a point to focus on.

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