Living Theology | 2 Samuel 9

Living Theology is a blog series that draws out the theological principles of each week's sermon text and thinks through how we can apply them to our personal lives. In other words, this series asks how we can live out the theology of Scripture each day.

Sermon Text: 2 Samuel 9

You can watch Pastor Brian's sermon on 2 Samuel 9 here:

In this week's sermon, Pastor Brian described the various ways that David's kindness toward the family of his friend Jonathan parallels God's kindness toward those who belong to him. In 2 Samuel 9, King David keeps the promise he made to Jonathan in 1 Samuel 20:14-17 that he would continually show loyalty to Jonathan's family. Having defeated the enemies of Israel (2 Samuel 8), David immediately asks if there is anyone left of Jonathan's family so that he can fulfill the promise he made.

Pastor Brian pointed out that David showed kindness toward Jonathan's son, Mephibosheth, in three ways: by offering a possession, by offering protection, and by offering provision. David's extension of kind loyalty toward the grandson of his enemy reminds us of God's loyalty to us when we were his enemies (Romans 5:8). Like David, God does not wait for us to find him. He takes the initiative. He searches us out, and he loves us even when we run from him.

Can you think of a specific example when you experienced God's loyalty?

God has also promised his people a possession, an eternal possession. This is one reason why Scripture calls believers "heirs." We inherit the promises of God. And this is the beauty of God's promise to Abraham. God accepted Abraham on the basis of Abraham's trust in God. And the Apostle Paul proclaimed that we who trust in God like Abraham did are heirs to God's promises to Abraham.

God has promised his people protection, not from pain and suffering, but from the power of sin and death. The author of Hebrews writes, "In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence" (Hebrews 5:7, ESV). What does it mean that "he was heard"? Jesus did die after all. How do we know, then, that the one "who was able to save him from death" heard him? In what way was Jesus saved from death? In this way: God did not abandon Jesus to the grave. God raised him on the third day. When God promises us protection, it does not mean that we will never suffer or that we will never get sick or even that we will never die. It means that he will not abandon us in our suffering, in our illness, or even in our death. He will save us. He will restore us. And he will raise us again.

Finally, God has promised his people provision. Again, this doesn't mean that we will never be hungry, or thirsty, or in need. But it does mean that when we prioritize his will and his glory he will meet the needs that we have. Jesus taught his disciples to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread." That word "daily" is important. We are to depend on God to meet our needs every day--not just when we're hungry, not just when we lose our job, not just when we get a bad diagnosis. We are to trust God to meet our needs every day. This is why Jesus said,

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." (Matthew 6:25-34, ESV)

Our faith in God is the guarantee of God's loyalty. God will never abandon those who trust in him. If he has shown us kindness while we were still enemies, how much more will he show us kindness as his children!

What are some specific things that have caused you to doubt God's loyalty to you personally?