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2 Samuel 21:7    The king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath before the LORD between David and Jonathan son of Saul.

David’s love/mercy and faithfulness in caring for and sparing the crippled son of Jonathan (see Chapter 9 – and subsequently, in spite of wicked, lying Ziba’s attempts to malign Mephibosheth – see Chapters 16 and 19) is a beautiful example of the powerful King’s soft shepherd-heart.

But, sadly, it is in the context of the entrenched ‘eye-for-an-eye-tooth-for-a-tooth’ vengeance culture of the times.  David’s caring for Mephibosheth here has the background of his handing over of seven other of Saul’s ‘innocent’ sons (2) and grandsons (5) to be executed as pay-back for Saul’s previous genocidal murder of Gibeonites!  As we read through this chapter from our post-Cross perspective it makes very gut-wrenching reading – especially Rizpah’s mourning for the loss of her sons (verse 10) – and we cannot help but feel deeply for the pain in this mother’s heart.

Equally gut-wrenching is watching the news footage of cruel vengeance-culture killing that is being carried out on a daily basis in the Middle East today.

So what can we learn from this part of God’s revealed truth in all its sin-infested reality?  For me, I see the Lord Jesus Christ being wonderfully foreshadowed in David’s faithful, compassionate rescue of a helpless, disabled individual.  But I also come to appreciate, more and more, Jesus’ teaching in the  Sermon on the Mount: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’  But I tell you, do not resist an evil person.  If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.  And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.  If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.  Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you” (Matthew 5:38-42).

How urgent it is for us, far removed and safely on the other side of the world, to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are desperately trying to point people to the ‘Prince of Peace’, because it is clear that there can be no other solution to the Middle East problem than for people to turn to the Lord Jesus in repentance-and-faith and to claim him as the only Saviour, and then to embrace his life-saving, life-giving, radical counter-cultural teaching.  Let us be much in prayer for them all.

– Bruce Christian