Surprising ("Hesed") Love (1 Samuel 9:1-13)

Benjamin Warfield (1851-1921) was professor of theology at Princeton Seminary from 1887-1921. Before that he was pursuing studies in Leipzing, Germany, in 1876-77. This time also doubled as his honeymoon with his wife Annie. They were on a walking tour in the Harz Mountains when they were caught in a terrific thunderstorm. The experience was such a shock to Annie that she never fully recovered, becoming more or less an invalid for life. Warfiedl only left her for seminary duties, but never for more than 2 hours at a time. His world was almost entirely limited to Princeton and to the care of his wife. For 39 years. One of his students noted that when he saw the Warfields out walking together "the gentleness of his manner was striking proof of the loving care with which he surrounded her." For 39 years.

Love that truly loves is willing to bind itself, is willing to promise, willing and gladly obligates itself, so that the other may stand securely in that love.

2 Sam 9:1-13 is all about love. It is about David's love for Mephibosheth. The Hebrew word, which appears 3 times in 2 Sam 9:1,3,7, is hesed. Its meaning is rooted in the character of God. It is so rich that so single English word can fully do it justice: stedfast love, loving kindness, covenant friendship, loyal love, and justi ce are a few of the ways we translate hesed. Notice 3 things about hesed in David's example:

1. It is a priority.
2. It is surprising.
3. It is promise-driven.

I. Top Priority

What is the priority David gives to hesed? When David was finally established king of Israel in Jerusalem, what was the very 1st thing he does? He sought for a way to show kindness (2 Sam 9:1). The search goes on until Saul's crippled grandson is found (2 Sam 9:2-6). David is like this because God is like this (Lk 19:10; Jn 4:23).

How aggressive is hour love for people? Like David, and like God, are you on the lookout for people to love?Are you on the lookout to find ways to love people who can't pay you back, who are weak, who might even have been your enemies? This is what hesed does.

II. Surprising Generosity

A 2nd thing about hesed is that it is "over-the-top" generous. Mephibosheth was the surviving grandson of King Saul--the deeply troubled ruler who hated David and sought repeatedly to kill him. Mephibosheth's father was Jonathan, David's dearest friend despite Saul's hatred, now dead along with his father. Years before, knowing that David would one day rise to power, Jonathan asked David not to cut off his love (hesed) from his family (1 Sam 20:14-15). It meant, "please don't do to me and my family what is customary in regime changes...please don't kill us." David refuses this narrow meaning. His application of the promise is expansive (2 Sam 9:7). David will show him a "kindness"--a Hebrew idiom for intensity of expression, something like "Upon my life I guarantee that I will look after you!

God's hesed love is like this. He is not content simply to see us taken care of. He wants us with him--he wants to honor us as his children. What makes this love doubly amazing is that we are proven enemies, not just potential ones. What is most astonishing about this love is what it cost: our elevation to the king's table cost God much more than some territory that he might have kept for himself. It cost him his life (Rom 5:6).

Is our love like this? Is it over-the-top, surprising in its generousity? Does it think through and address the particulars? Is it directed toward the "lame"--those who are in no position to reciprocate? Does it find special joy in conferring honor upon others? Is it fearless, reaching out to those who might turn out to be our enemies? Is it costly?

III. Promise Driven Commitment

David's hesed arises from faithfulness to pledges earlier made (2 Sam 9:1,7). What drove David's kindness was not human pressure. No one expected it. No one knew about his promise except Jonathan, who was dead. It wasn't to save face (lame beggar begging at his gate). It wasn't a deadline (20 years). It wasn't political safety (which would dictate his death). It wasn't convenient (easier to ignore him). What drove David's kindness was his word.

David shows us what our God is like. God would rather die than break a promise. In fact he did. Having promised in ancient times to rescue us from bondage to sin and death (Gen 3:15), he followed through, submitting to the horrors of humiliation, crucifixion, and death in order to bear away our sin and death. God swore to his own hurt (Ps 15:4).

Our words tend to be so much cheaper than God's. We make our marital promises that at least 50% of us formally break, and the rest of us break in our adulterous imaginations. We make vows, commitments and pledges lightly, not willing to pay the price to keep them. But God's love is a love that loves to honor--a love that pays a price. It is a love that keeps its word. So here we have God's standard, displayed movingly in David's 1st act as king:

• a love that takes the initiative,
• a love that is over-the-top generous,
• a love that is costly,
• a love that is thoughtful and particular,
• a love that never wanders from promises that have been made.
  

We are to love this way because we are made in God's image and God loves this way.

IV. The Source of Costly Commitment

How do we do this? Where do we find the power to love this way? The standard is beyond us.

We find the power to love this way in the same place where David found it--in the hesed that God bears toward us. David could love Mephibosheth as he did because he had tasted God's faithful and practical love through 2 stormy decades. Though life was not easy, he had been fed, sheltered, delivered, loved, and finally vindicated by God (Ps 27:1). Similarly for us (1 Jn 4:19).How do I know that I have God's hesed? That I am safe and beloved? How can I be sure when I am so lame and crippled in both feet (2 Sam 9:8,13)? Because God's hesed toward me is not grounded in my performance. It is grounded in the performance of someone else. It is at the heart of this story and it is very important to understand.

Why was Mephibosheth so safe with David? Not because of Mephibosheth. Not because of anything he had done. Not because he had drawn out David's compassion. Not because he had done something to merit David's concern. His good fortune had nothing to do with him. It had everything to do with Jonathan (2 Sam 9:1,7). Jonathan swore undying loyalty to David, surrendered his crown to him, loved David unconditionally to the bitter end. Not Mephibosheth, but Jonathan was the reason for the pouring out of the king's love upon Mephibosheth.

Why are you and I so safe with God? Not because of us. But because of Jesus--the one who gave his crown to the Father, the one who pledged his love and stayed loyal to his Father to the very end--even though that end meant crucifixion and hell, in obedience to the Father's wishes.

Jesus is the one and only man in history who has fully and fairly won the full outporuing of God's abundant lovingkindness (Mt 17:5). Yet he lost it all on the cross (Ps 22:1; Mt 27:46; Mk 15:34) on our behalf. Thus, God's hesed on Jesus is given freely to us (1 Jn 3:1-2; Rom 8:32).

Jesus is our true David who loved us more than Mephibosheth. Jesus is our true Jonathan because of whom we are so loved.

This is a rough transcription of a sermon by Charles D. Drew, Heralds of the King, 103-116.