Friday - August 12, 2016

Woodlawn Family Bible Study
FRIDAY

BIBLE READING:  2 Samuel 9

 Now that David was king over Israel, he must have been reminiscing about all of the good times he had with his friend, Jonathan. “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” (2 Samuel 9:1). When a new king would take the throne, his first order of business was usually to kill all of the family of the previous king so that no one could make a claim to the throne. David must have thought all of Saul's family was gone, until one servant brought up a man.

 Ziba had taken one of the sons of Jonathan and fled from the palace. In the process of fleeing he dropped the young boy causing him to become lame (2 Samuel 4:4). His name was Mephibosheth. David has him brought immediately to him and has him eat at his table and promises to restore all of the land that Saul had possessed to him. He must have told him stories of how he and Jonathan had been friends and the promise he had made to him before he fled. Upon David’s restoring of Mephibosheth to his place, he fell on his face and said, “What is  your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?” (2 Samuel 9:8). How sad! How sad that this young man saw himself as nothing more than a dead dog. What happened to him as a boy was certainly unfortunate, but it could only define who he was if he allowed it. Just think for a moment. It was feasible for him to have been in line for the throne. Even if he wasn’t, he was destined to live out the rest of his life in the luxury of the palace of the king, that is until his unfortunate event. Now, due to the grace and generosity of David, Mephibosheth will once again live out his days in the king’s palace. 

 Truly one small act of kindness can change a person's whole outlook on life. 

 APPLICATION: Whose outlook are you going to change today?

 Prayer Request

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