Introduction

Good day, everyone. Let's delve into the ninth chapter of 2 Samuel. Although brief, the issues it raises are profoundly incisive. Indeed, the entire book of Samuel, both chapters, revolves around several pivotal figures. The first is old Eli, whose character forms a stark contrast with Samuel. The second is the contrast between Saul and David.

The theme of this chapter: David is a man of gratitude! Why gratitude, and not simply benefaction? Jonathan protected David, yet David did not merely utter, Thank God! and remain idle. Instead, he remembered this very dear friend. They were close comrades; some suggest a homosexual or multi-sexual relationship, but this is mere conjecture. What we know is that these two shared an extraordinary bond. In Northeast China, particularly close male friends might bathe together, scrubbing each other's backs and chatting. This might be unusual or unacceptable in the South, but it's a custom in the Northeast. My point is that David and Jonathan were like close brothers, intimate and inseparable.

David Did Not Forget His Good Brother Jonathan

David and Jonathan were kindred spirits! Their relationship transcends our imagination. To what extent? Jonathan could have inherited his father's throne, yet he did not covet it. He knew that God had anointed David. Their relationship surpassed friendship and self-interest, to one where they would defend each other with their lives.

If you were David, encountering a good brother like Jonathan would be a stroke of incredible fortune! However, after Jonathan's death, would you still remember him? After David became king, he became preoccupied with matters of state. Yet even then, he did not forget his good brother Jonathan. Unlike some who become mere lawyers and are swamped with work. Or accountants, similarly overburdened. Or small business owners, even more so. Consumed by their own affairs, they have little time for good friends, brothers, or God. These priorities are cast aside!

David's earlier life was fraught with hardship, and constant warfare. Only now had he achieved stability. Yet he did not forget his good friend Jonathan. David's initial concern was: when he reigned in Hebron, he was constantly at war with Saul's house. Ishbosheth was Jonathan's brother, and uncle to Mephibosheth. Ishbosheth and Abner warred against David for seven or eight years. How could he possibly care for Jonathan's son? Ishbosheth, being Jonathan's brother, at least ensured he would be provided for.

After a time, the other tribes of Israel submitted to David. Merging the two entities proved complex. The accounts alone kept them occupied. Integrating leadership, appointing ministers of finance, governors, and assigning provinces was intricate work, causing much distraction. Once he had settled down somewhat, he had the Ark of God transported to Jerusalem, and drove out the Jebusites. During the transportation of the Ark, Uzzah was struck dead by God, leaving David in a state of turmoil. David's life had been difficult, but after all this, began to settle down, and he started to think about the temple of God.

As soon as he settled down, he thought of his good friend Jonathan, and he wanted to know the situation of Mephibosheth. As a result, Ziba, Saul's servant, was called in. Ziba was a shrewd individual, devouring Saul's estate. Because he had fifteen sons to feed. The Bible does not say how many wives he had, but he had fifteen sons. We know Jacob had four wives and only had twelve sons. It's hard to calculate how many wives Ziba had, but at least about five, I have those numbers pretty clear. Ziba was summoned, and David asked if there were any others of Saul's lineage. In truth, David only cared about his good friend Jonathan's son. Ziba, quick to understand, replied:

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 crippled in both feet. (2 Samuel 9:3)

Ziba knew that King David and Jonathan were very good friends, so he said directly: There is also a son of Jonathan, who is crippled, and was crippled because he fell. Ziba spoke extremely cleverly, he would not talk about the other descendants of Saul, otherwise how could he have gained so much property? He has money and supports 20 servants. If you have 20 maids at home, can you afford it? Can not afford it. According to the current standard of living, it costs 10,000 to hire a housekeepers in Shanghai and Beijing, and 20 people have to pay 200,000 a month. Even if it is 5,000, you still have to pay 100,000 per month. Ziba is very powerful, he is very smart:

The king asked him, Where is he? Ziba answered, He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar. (2 Samuel 9:4)

Does it sound strange? Ziba was a servant of Saul's house, so how did he bring Mephibosheth to someone else's house? It may also be that Ziba occupied Saul's land and sent his grandson to someone else's house. Fortunately, he still knew he was at Makir's house, or it may have been arranged by Ziba himself for Mephibosheth to retire there. David was very powerful and actually didn't need to ask Ziba, his intelligence agency had already figured out the situation. In fact, David asked Ziba just as a formality.

This proves one thing, David is very grateful and has not forgotten that Jonathan gave him half his life. Of course, it may have been arranged by God, who helped him through Jonathan, and Jonathan became his benefactor. Jonathan was not only his good friend, but also his benefactor. Jonathan once said to David: You promised me that you would treat my descendants well in the future. David swore to God and promised him. David kept his word, and becoming an ungrateful person would have made him an ungrateful person. Brothers and sisters must know that ungrateful people are hated by God. A grateful person is pleasing to God, but it is rare to meet a grateful person now.

I tell you what I think inside, every leader among us is loyal. The church was very desolate at that time, maybe the visions and dreams I released were too beautiful, and the cake was drawn too beautifully. In that situation, they are willing to walk with me to this day. Over the past eight or nine years, I am very grateful. Although my temper was a little bigger when I served them, I am very grateful and serve them as if I were serving God. Grateful and loyal people are hard to find. Why did the author write about David doing an insignificant thing here in 2 Samuel? Is it really insignificant?

This highlights David's basic style of dealing with people, which is gratitude. Gratitude is a quality that God likes very much. Some people are not very old, but their ungrateful hearts are very big. I tell you: God not only hates ungrateful people, but also hates disloyal people. You and I must also hate this kind of thing, it is difficult to change. When did you see an ungrateful person become a grateful person? Cant change it. I shared with my colleagues: a dog can never stop eating shit. Don’t think that it hasn’t eaten it during this period. It doesn’t really eat it. It’s just that it has nothing to eat and it’s all washed away by the toilet, not that it’s changed.

So let us not be ungrateful people. It is very difficult for people with this kind of character and attribute to live. Looking around, I am grateful every time I see the brothers and sisters among us, because you are all grateful people. It doesn’t matter whether you do things well or badly, what matters is that you all have the quality of gratitude.

So I serve you as I serve God. But you must be careful and pay special attention to those who are ungrateful among the people you shepherd, as well as those who are not filial to their parents. I don’t call it filial piety, I call it filial respect, because filial piety is a bit troublesome. Just obedience makes people forget to edify. Those are ungrateful people. Think about it. If he is ungrateful to his parents, can he be ungrateful to me? I encourage everyone to be a filial person, because honoring parents is the fifth commandment in the Ten Commandments, which is very important. So David brought Mephibosheth over and made the best arrangements for him.

David's Arrangement for Jonathan's Son

So King David had him brought from the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar. Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, prostrated himself to pay him honor. David said, Mephibosheth! Your servant, he replied. 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. (2 Samuel 9:5-7)

Why did David give Jonathan's son such an arrangement? It was out of kindness and grace to him because of Jonathan. Because Jonathan has such grace for David, David is grateful. What arrangements did David make for Jonathan's son? First: All the land of Saul's family belonged to Mephibosheth. But Mephibosheth was a cripple and someone had to farm the land for him. So Ziba, Saul's servant, was arranged, but this man was a bit corrupt and made himself very rich. When David saw that Mephibosheth's management skills were a bit weak, he told him: Come and eat with me. Let Ziba and his sons manage Mephibosheth's property.

David's arrangement for Jonathan's son, allowing him to eat with the king, was a great grace. Like when a head of state comes, it is treated with a state banquet and they have to eat together. This is extraordinary. Eating with the king, you can use a word anytime, anywhere to solve all his problems. I think David's way of being grateful is particularly good.

Mephibosheth, Jonathan's Son

Jonathan's son came to know one thing: Why did King David arrange for him to dine with him? Was it over some trivial family matter? No! What, then, was the purpose of dining together? It was, in fact, for Mephibosheth to learn David's shrewdness. For David was the most remarkable and rare managerial talent in history. Every meal was, in essence, a learning experience. Because every meal David had must have involved arranging public affairs, and Mephibosheth, sitting nearby, could not just sit idly by; even if he were sitting on a small stool, he had to listen attentively. Because David was hosting kings, and he arranged for Mephibosheth to accompany him.

During these meals, they might say to David: Hey, why are you having a cripple dine with us? David would say: This is the son of my good friend Jonathan, and I want to show him kindness. Just as Jonathan treated me with kindness, so I must repay him. After saying this, he would continue to discuss important matters with them. In fact, the matters discussed during meals are very important. Chinese people basically discuss matters over meals. Chinese people are very similar to Israelites; a meal together, followed by a glass of wine, and matters can be quickly settled. So, Mephibosheth had to know what kind of person Ziba, his family's servant, really was. He should have frequently consulted David on how to manage Ziba. Because Ziba was smarter than Mephibosheth, and if a servant is smarter than the king, as recorded in Ecclesiastes:

I have seen servants on horses, while princes walk on the ground like servants. (Ecclesiastes 10:7)

If you have a very clever subordinate, but you are a dull superior, it will certainly cause you trouble, because you cannot manage them. So, you must slowly ponder this matter: What kind of people can you actually manage? If you cannot manage such people, then do not manage them. Later, Ziba, in managing Mephibosheth's property, hollowed out Mephibosheth's household. Although this chapter does not explicitly state it, the next chapter reveals that Mephibosheth was undermined and manipulated by Ziba, who betrayed his master when David was in exile.

So, you must ask yourself, are we actually intelligent people? If you are with David every day but remain unintelligent, will that not be a tragedy? Even if you were to say to David, I do not know; please teach me, David's household has plenty of teachers! So, I am moved! If you are a master but not intelligent, you cannot be one; if you manage a business but are not intelligent, you cannot manage it. You think you can manage it, but can you really? Why should people work diligently for you? It would be good if they did not deceive you; if you are deceived, is it not your own fault? Because you are not intelligent. Later, Mephibosheth was undermined. But Mephibosheth's reaction in David's presence was intelligent:

Mephibosheth bowed down and said, 'What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog like me?' (2 Samuel 9:8)

Actually, this statement is problematic. He has to know where David's kindness towards him comes from. The source is that Jonathan and David were good friends; it is not due to Mephibosheth's own merit. Whether you are a dead dog or not is irrelevant. If you are a grateful, intelligent, and loyal person, and David were to say, I show kindness to Mephibosheth because of Mephibosheth, then you could say, I am but a dead dog. But at this moment, you should say, I am fortunate to be my father's son. I am truly grateful that I have such a father, and my father had a life-and-death relationship with you. Now, I am your son!

Whether you are a dead dog or not is not important; what is important is that you commemorate my father and show kindness to me, and now I am your son before you! This is the correct response. Never say, I am a dead dog; I am so stupid. At this moment, drawing closer to the relationship is most important. Mephibosheth could say, This is my father's grace! O King, that you would accept me as your son is such great grace! Are we not all children accepted by God? When we come before God, do not say that we are dead dogs. Does God care if you are a dead dog? What God cares about is that we, these people, be grateful and loyal before Him.

From now on, you must train your mouth to speak correctly, removing the garbage from your thoughts and mind. People cannot speak well because the things in their heads are dirty. If the things in your head are foolish, how can you utter intelligent words? I want to tell you my heart. For many years, I have hoped that our brothers and sisters can all become intelligent people. You must know that loving God and being grateful are intelligent decisions, because God is pleased.

How wonderful it is when God is pleased! Why must you provoke God's anger? As long as you come among us, I hope that you will become increasingly intelligent, increasingly valuable, and live more prosperously! Do you all feel that Mephibosheth's response was problematic? He should have said, Ah, I am fortunate to be my father's son. Although my father is dead, the relationship between you has allowed me to receive such grace. I must learn from my father!

Ziba, Servant of Saul's House

This matter is very interesting. Ziba, the servant of Saul's house, was a wealthy man. Ziba seemed to be the steward of Saul's house, and as he managed it, he eventually transferred the ownership of Saul's property to his own name. Was he loyal? No, he was not loyal. Later, he raised fifteen sons and twenty servants. Where did the money come from? All from Saul's house. Saul was not very intelligent back then and did not manage this servant well.

We do not know if Jonathan dealt with this matter, but by the time of Mephibosheth, Mephibosheth had fled to the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, where he was taken in and raised. What exactly happened? Saul's property was privatized by Ziba. The current term is privatization. The procedures were not even completed, and it was done. This proves that Ziba lacked gratitude and loyalty. From a human perspective, Ziba is a very clever person; but from God's perspective, this is a cursed person. He coveted the property of others, which is a deadly matter in the Ten Commandments.

Ziba coveted the property of others, but now David says, Return all the property of Saul's house to Mephibosheth. You managed this affair before, and now you will continue to manage it, but on behalf of Mephibosheth. At this time, do you think an arm can twist a thigh? If he were to flaunt himself again before King David, King David could crush him like an ant: You rascal, you are neither grateful nor loyal. Now I am assigning you a job; you better do it well. Your job and the job of your twenty servants is to serve Mephibosheth. This is a powerful move! You better do it well! As for Mephibosheth, he will dine with me here. You must be careful; if Mephibosheth reports you, it will be enough to cause you trouble.

However, this Mephibosheth was not quite up to par. Mephibosheth did not manage it well. Could Ziba's heart be balanced? No, it could not be balanced. He was constantly thinking about how to get revenge, causing him anxiety. He was doing it with inner turmoil. When he worked in the fields, he was cursing people as he hoed the ground. His feelings were very bad. He used to think he had finally risen to the upper class, but now he was a servant again. Where could he go to scheme? How could he scheme? He thought he had become rich, a nouveau riche, but now he was back to square one, back to before liberation. Will natural disloyalty and ingratitude become loyalty in the future? It was just not the right time; later, he betrayed his master again.

Our brothers and sisters must be careful! What must you be careful about? Be careful about the people you are shepherding. As for the people I shepherd, I will immediately know what kind of bird they are. Anyway, in my case, there are not many pleasant words. Do you know why? I will tell you a secret: Ingratitude is the norm for people; grateful people are rare treasures. Five grams of gold can be extracted from a ton of sand; those five grams of gold are treasures, and the ton of sand is the norm. No matter what, you must always be careful; grab a handful, how much gold is in it? There is not much gold. For example, if you raise three children, how many are gold? I have seen many parents whose children cause them anxiety! The children are always thinking about their parents' property; where is the time to support and honor their parents? I am moved! You think that is clever? That is not clever; that is foolish.

Whether it is children or strangers on the street, this kind of ungrateful person is the norm. We must extract the rare treasures, not only being a grateful person like David, but also being a person who is loyal to God. Our church has only grown to this point, and a small half of it is still being slowly sifted. Anyway, I have figured it out; I do not want to gather too many.

In the Book of Judges, Gideon gathered 30,000 people to go to war. God said: No! Gathering a bunch of rubbish. Not to mention anything else, as long as there is a slight disturbance, these people will run away first. Once they run, everyone will follow, attracting all the demons. Later, they were sifted down to 20,000, 20,000 to 10,000, and 10,000 yielded 300 people. As a result, these 300 people were invincible! If you ask me, do I want 30,000 people or 300 people? Of course, 30,000 people contribute more, but 300 people have more loyalty. What do I need contributions for? I only need loyalty.

Brothers and sisters must know that loyalty and gratitude are a kind of shrewdness; those who are not shrewd cannot do it. Of course, if you are a carpenter and a little clumsy, that is not important. But gratitude and loyalty are a kind of intelligence. Before God, this is not the same level of intelligence as that of a carpenter; it is not the same thing at all. Because what God delights in are those who are loyal and know how to be grateful.

We must use this person Ziba to begin to re-recognize how many people in this world are like this? They shout loyalty with their mouths, but they are not loyal in their bones. In fact, loyalty in the bones is a treasure. If you ask me what I am doing, I am sifting this. Sometimes speaking a little harshly, is that not normal? After speaking, seeing this and that reaction. All the pastors, big and small, among us, must learn. First be a grateful person, and then learn whether you can identify grateful people. David is a grateful person. He does not forget when he is busy, but even if he is busy, he will not forget, because that is what we have promised.

May God bless everyone!