Unless otherwise stated, all citations are taken from the New International Version (NIV).
2 Samuel 8 (David: An Unstoppable War Machine)
Summary: David defeats the Philistines (v.1) and Moabites (v.2). He becomes militarily successful, because God was with him (v.6, 14). He also turned into a faithful and just king (v.15). David had “rest” from his enemies (2 Sam. 7:1), but he continues to fight his enemies in this chapter. This could either mean (1) that God was giving him rest in the midst of the battles he was fighting or (2) chapter 8 is chronologically before chapter 7.[1]
David leads an unstoppable military force
(8:1) David overthrew the capital of the Philistines. The parallel passage explains that he took Gath (1 Chron. 18:1).
(8:2) David overthrew Moab, killing many by military execution. He spared some of them, but he made them take taxes to Israel in perpetuity. A Jewish tradition states that the Moabites killed David’s parents.[2] David was fulfilling the prediction of the Messiah by crushing “through the forehead of Moab” (Num. 24:17). Of course, this will be ultimately fulfilled through Jesus at his Second Coming.
(8:3) David also overthrew Zobah, restoring the boundary lines to the river (Euphrates[3]). The mention of the “measuring line” could refer to the national territory (i.e. marking off the boundaries of the land and killing the population), or it could refer to literally measuring off the men and killing two thirds of them.[4]
(8:4) David maimed a number of these horses (i.e. hamstrung) by “[severing] the large tendon above and behind their hocks to disable them.”[5]
(2 Sam. 8:4) How many horsemen did David capture?
(8:5-6) David overthrew the Arameans, they had to pay taxes to Israel afterward (cf. v.2). He killed 18,000 of these men (v.13).
(8:7-8) David plundered a lot of the precious metals from these nations.
An ally: Toi of Hamath
(8:9) This sounds like a situation where “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Toi goes to make peace with David, because he defeated Hadadezer (v.5).
(8:10) Toi brought even more precious metals to David.
(8:11-12) Unlike other ancient warlords, David didn’t keep these metals for himself. He gave them over to God.
(8:13) See verses 5-6.
(8:14) David also overthrew the Edomites.
(8:15) This chapter shows David’s reign and rule over all of Israel. God was clearly behind him. These boundaries “correspond to those outlined in the divine promise to Abraham” in Genesis 15:18.[6]
(8:16-18) This section describes David’s “cabinet.” It lists the military leaders, the spiritual leaders, and the administrators.
Joab was David’s chief military general.
Jehoshaphat was the recorder. The role of the recorder was “either to have oversight of state records and documents or to serve as a royal herald, equivalent to the Egyptian whm.w (“speaker”), whose role was to make reports to the king and transmit royal decrees.”[7]
Seraiah was the secretary—a position that “was as much that of a secretary of state as it was that of a royal scribe.”[8]
Zadok and Ahimelech were the high priests.
Benaiah later becomes Solomon’s hitman (1 Kings 2:25, 34, 46), and he later becomes the chief general over Israel’s army (1 Kings 4:4).
2 Samuel 9 (Mephibosheth)
Summary: David wanted to show kindness on the descendants of Saul for the sake of Jonathan (v.1). He brings Mephibosheth—the son of Jonathan—to him (v.6). Mephibosheth is physically disabled in both legs (v.3). David adopts him into his family in order to keep his promise to Jonathan and to show him God’s “kindness” (v.11).
(9:1) David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
“Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul…?” Ancient kings would usually ask this question to wipe them out so that they wouldn’t try to take over the throne. Davis writes, “When [David] came to power he would preserve both Jonathan’s life and that of his descendants (see 2 Sam. 9). But according to the wisdom of the age such promises would be regarded as the height or depth of folly. When a new regime or dynasty came to power, the name of the game was purge. You needn’t go wandering into the ancient Near East to confirm this. You can stay within the pages of biblical history and watch Baasha (1 Kings 15:27-30) or Zimri (1 Kings 16:8-13) or Jehu (2 Kings 10:1-11) to find out what happens to the remnants of a previous regime. The new king always needed to solidify his position. It was conventional political policy: solidification by liquidation. Everybody knew it; everybody believed it; everybody practiced it.”[9]
But why does David ask this question? His motives couldn’t be any different…
“To whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” David wants to show kindness to Saul’s descendants for Jonathan’s sake. Up until this point, David had been busy with warfare, but now he is the “undisputed king” of Israel and can afford to show kindness.[10] Now he reflects on how he can take care of Jonathan’s descendants, according to the promise they made together (1 Sam. 20:14-15). Earlier in his life, David told Jonathan, “Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘The LORD is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever’” (1 Sam. 20:42).
Because of the cultural landscape, anyone from Saul’s line would be living in abject fear and would live in hiding. So, David needs to do some investigation to find any descendants of Saul…
(9:2-3) Now there was a servant of Saul’s household named Ziba. They summoned him to appear before David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”
“At your service,” he replied.
3 The king asked, “Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?” Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet.”
David seeks out one of Saul’s old servants: Ziba. Technically, Ziba works for Mephibosheth (v.9, 12). However, later we discover that Ziba must’ve used Mephibosheth’s land to get rich, having 15 sons and 20 servants (v.10).
“Lame in both feet.” Mephibosheth suffered a terrible accident as a young boy that permanently disabled him (2 Sam. 4:4). When news spread that Abner had died, everyone in Israel panicked—especially Saul’s descendants. They thought that David was going to slaughter all of them in order to avoid facing a future usurper of the throne. In fact, two rogue soldiers killed Ish-Bosheth merely to get a reward (2 Sam. 4:7).
It was during this time that Mephibosheth received a life-changing injury. As they fled, his nurse dropped him on the ground, and he was permanently injured in both feet. Earlier, we read, “[Mephibosheth] was lame in both feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she hurried to leave, he fell and became crippled” (2 Sam. 4:4).
(9:4) “Where is he?” the king asked.
Ziba answered, “He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.”
Makir later turns out to be a loyalist to David (2 Sam. 17:27-29).
Lo Debar is difficult to translate, but it might literally mean “no place.”[11] There was surely nothing going on in this little village. Mephibosheth was trying to lie low. Indeed, the location is even difficult to identify. Today, scholars commonly locate it in “modern Umm ed-Dabar ten miles south-southeast of the Sea of Galilee.”[12]
(9:5-6) So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel. 6 When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor.
David said, “Mephibosheth!”
“At your service,” he replied.
How do you think Mephibosheth felt when he heard that David wanted to see him? Terror must’ve filled his soul as he heard the knock on the door. He was young when his father, Jonathan, had died. So, he probably never heard about the covenant that David made with Jonathan. He must’ve expected to face death.
What are the very next words out of David’s mouth?
(9:7) “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.”
“Don’t be afraid.” Mephibosheth’s heart must’ve been pounding out of his chest. This is why David assures him by telling him not to fear. Men had killed Mephibosheth’s uncle Ish-Bosheth (2 Sam. 4:5-8), and he was probably afraid of getting the same treatment.
(9:8) Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?”
“Dead dog like me.” This language must’ve been a common saying at this time (1 Sam. 17:43; 24:14). It “reflects what would now be regarded as a morbid self-image, induced perhaps by his disability.”[13] In the ancient Near East, people with disabilities of any kind were destitute. No programs existed for people like this, and they lived off of the mercy of others. Furthermore, many religious people thought that those with disabilities were under God’s curse for sin in their lives (Jn. 9:1-3; Lk. 13:1-5). So, Mephibosheth would’ve been accustomed to being treated like garbage. Now, he is being summoned to meet the King.
Mephibosheth must’ve developed this self-image and self-talk all the way from age five (2 Sam. 4:4). Even Mephibosheth’s name means “from the mouth of shame” or “one who scatters shame.”[14]
(9:9-10) Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul’s steward, and said to him, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. 10 You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master’s grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)
“Farm the land… bring in the crops… your master’s grandson may be provided for.” David tells Ziba that he will work for Mephibosheth, and take care of his financial needs.
“Mephibosheth will always eat at my table.” David didn’t just financially provide for Mephibosheth. He also welcomed him into his palace, providing him with food and fellowship from his table.
(9:11-13) Then Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table like one of the king’s sons. 12 Mephibosheth had a young son named Mika, and all the members of Ziba’s household were servants of Mephibosheth. 13 And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table; he was lame in both feet.
In this culture, being physically handicapped would’ve made you marginalized in society. But David picked up this man and treated him like one of his own sons.
What do we learn about ‘God’s kindness’ (ḥesed) from Mephibosheth?
The lesson is not that David was simply a nice guy. Such an interpretation fundamentally misreads the text. David could be sinful and even brutal. Instead, we see that David had been moved by a foreign motivation: It was “God’s kindness” (ḥesed) that led David to move toward Mephibosheth (v.3).
“God’s kindness” (ḥesed) occurs several hundred times through the OT. This term can better be defined as “loyal love” or “steadfast love” or “lovingkindness.” Harris states, “It is a kind of love, including mercy, ḥannûn, when the object is in a pitiful state.”[15] Essential to this term is the concept that the person shows this love freely—not out of compulsion (2 Sam. 2:5; 1 Kin. 20:31). This is the sort of love that goes above and beyond what is obligatory or considered to be the status quo.
This term is used throughout the OT to describe God’s love for humans, and it is the OT equivalent of “grace” and “mercy” in the NT. Therefore, when we read this text, we see deep into the heart of God’s love. Furthermore, since David is a type of Christ, we also see the love of Jesus through this text in several ways:
Mephibosheth didn’t get what he expected. God’s “kindness” (ḥesed) surprised Mephibosheth in a number of ways:
- He thought he deserved “nothing but death” (2 Sam. 19:28). But he ended up getting a seat at David’s table.
- He thought he would live in destitution and poverty for the rest of his life. But he ended up with a full inheritance (v.7, 9) and servants to take care of him because of his disability (v.10).
- He thought he would live like an orphan for the rest of his life after his father died in battle (1 Sam. 31:2). But he ended up being adopted as the son of King David “like one of the king’s sons” (v.11).
Mephibosheth completely misread David’s motives. In fact, the reason he was disabled was because his nurse ran from David when he was just a boy. As he grew up, Mephibosheth lived in perpetual fear of David, hiding in a no name village. Mephibosheth was running from David that whole time, but in reality, David just wanted to take care of him and love him like a son.
What do we learn about ‘God’s kindness’ (ḥesed) from David’s actions?
David initiated with Mephibosheth. He didn’t wait for Mephibosheth to come to him. Instead, David searched for Mephibosheth and brought him to the palace to sit at his table. Mephibosheth lacked the physical ability and emotional constitution to come to David on his own. Indeed, he needed to be carried to David.
David placed no conditions on Mephibosheth. David didn’t love him based on his lovability; he loved him based on a promise. The basis of David’s kindness was the promise he made with Jonathan. David had experienced this sort of “kindness” (ḥesed) in his relationship with Jonathan (1 Sam. 20:8, 14-15). Consequently, sight unseen, David was ready to accept Mephibosheth. Even when Ziba mentioned his disability (v.3), David didn’t ask, “Well, just how disfigured is he…?” Instead, David couldn’t wait to fulfill his promise to Jonathan by taking care of his son.
How does this apply to our lives today?
We are far worse off than Mephibosheth (Eph. 2:1-3), and we received a far greater kindness from a far greater King! (Eph. 1:7)
Is Mephibosheth a “type” for Christians?
G. Campbell Morgan considers Mephibosheth to be a “type” or foreshadowing of Christians. He stated, “My brethren, we see here tonight, first, the doctrine of human depravity—Mephibosheth was lame. Second, the doctrine of total depravity—he was lame on both his feet. Thirdly, the doctrine of justification—he dwelt in Jerusalem. Fourthly, the doctrine of adoption—he sat at the king’s table. Fifthly, the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints—he did eat at the king’s table continually.”[16]
These points are devotionally powerful, but they are exegetically sloppy. We cannot import “types” whenever we see similarities between the old and new covenants. Instead, we can only claim that something is a type when God makes this clear in his word—usually through a NT author. At most, we can say that David is a type of Christ, and this is made quite clear in Scripture. Yet, we exaggerate when saying that Mephibosheth is a type for all Christians in the New Covenant.
Did David have ulterior motives in being kind to Mephibosheth?
Some commentators understand this as referring to both kindness and political expediency, because eating with the king is understood by him to be a “metaphor referring to house arrest.”[17] Frankly, this is complete and utter nonsense. We see no evidence from the text that would suggest this. Indeed, just the opposite:
- David was showing God’s lovingkindness to Mephibosheth (v.1, 3). David tells us his motivations: “God’s kindness” (v.3).
- David was fulfilling his vow to Jonathan (v.7).
- David went out of his way to lavish gifts on Mephibosheth. He restored all of Saul’s land to him, and he made Ziba and his servants work the land (v.7, 10).
- David treated Mephibosheth as an adopted son (v.11).
None of this sounds like political expediency or “house arrest.” Can we really believe David would go to such magnanimous lengths in order to simply protect himself from this physically disabled man?
[1] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 902.
[2] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 903.
[3] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 905.
[4] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 903.
[5] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 905.
[6] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 908.
[7] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 910.
[8] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 911.
[9] Emphasis mine. Dale Ralph Davis, 1 Samuel: Looking on the Heart (Scotland: Christian Focus Publications, 2000), 1 Samuel 20:14-16 in loc.
[10] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 916.
[11] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 917.
[12] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 917.
[13] Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 243.
[14] See footnote. Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 355.
[15] R. Laird Harris, “698 חסד,” ed. R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), 307.
[16] Quoted in Sinclair Ferguson, “Exegetical Exemplar,” Tabletalk (1999): 52.
[17] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 918.