People of God act to decrease drama – 2 Samuel 9, 13, 14, 15 – Part 2

In some cultures, particularly in the ancient world, kings sometimes purge their nations of any contenders to the throne.  Some even have members of their own extended family killed, just to preserve their lineage.  That kind of purge is the epitome of family drama. 

In 2 Samuel 9, however, David does the opposite. David is extravagantly generous and kind to a person that could be perceived as his enemy.  Enemy?  Yes, Mephibosheth is King Saul’s heir.  If David wanted to, he could have Mephibosheth killed to make sure that there is no claim to the throne. 

Instead David shows kindness and lavish generosity to not only Mephibosheth, but also to Mephibosheth’s servant Ziba and Ziba’s family.  David’s action to give them land and to give Mephibosheth a place at the king’s table is lavish.  Overnight Mephibosheth becomes wealthy and an insider to the powerful. 

Do you see what David is doing?  He is decreasing the drama.  People of God actively decrease drama.  We don’t go looking for drama.  Even if we find drama interesting, we work hard not to start it, fixate on it, gossip about it or pump up the drama.  

David decreases the drama by searching for ways to be kind. David decreases the drama by being sacrificially generous. 

David the warrior king is a man after God’s own heart.  But scan ahead to the next few chapters.  We already studied chapters 10, 11 and 12.  In chapter 10 David battles the Ammonites, then in chapter 11, when he was supposed to be finishing the war with the Ammonites, he was at home lusting after Bathsheba, committing adultery against her, and killing her husband.  Then in chapter 12, God sends the prophet Nathan to confront David.  Look what God says to David in 2 Samuel chapter 12, starting in the middle of verse 7,

“‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’  This is what the Lord says: ‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight. You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.’ ”

Yikes.  Talk about drama.  God is basically saying, “David, I delivered you from massive drama in your life.  Remember how Saul was chasing you to kill you all those years?  I gave you victory, peace and prosperity.  Now you are the source of terrible drama.  You committed adultery, lying, murder.  So much unnecessary, awful drama.  Now there will be drama in your house for the rest of your life, and it will be public to all.” 

God forgives David for his sin, but there will be consequences.  In the next post we turn to 2 Samuel chapter 13. Get ready for the drama. 

Photo by Hermes Rivera on Unsplash