1 Chronicles 17

In these four chapters we see King David involved in four important activities: accepting God’s will (chap. 7), fighting God’s battles (chap. 8), sharing God’s kindness (chap. 9), and defending God’s honor (chap. 10). However, these activities were nothing new to David, for even before he was crowned king of all Israel he had served the Lord and the people in these ways. Wearing a crown and sitting on a throne didn’t change David, for in his character and conduct he had lived like a king all his young life. How tragic that from chapter 11 on, we see David disobeying the Lord and suffering the painful consequences of his sins. Andrew Bonar was correct when he said, “We must be as watchful after the victory as before the battle.”

“The kindness of God” is the one of two themes in this chapter (vv. 1, 3, 7), and it means the mercy and favor of the Lord to undeserving people. Paul saw the kindness of God in the coming of Jesus Christ and His work on the cross (Titus 3:1–7 [3:4]; Eph. 2:1–9 [2:7]), and we see in David’s dealings with Mephibosheth a picture of God’s kindness to lost sinners. David had promised both Saul and Jonathan that he would not exterminate their descendants when he became king (1 Sam. 20:12–17, 42; 24:21), and in the case of Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth, David not only kept his promise but went above and beyond the call of duty.

The second major theme is the kingship of David. The name “David” is used by itself six times in the chapter: six times he’s called “the king,” and once the two are united in “King David” (v. 5). Nobody in all Israel except David could have shown this kindness to Mephibosheth because David was the king. He had inherited all that had belonged to King Saul (12:8) and could dispose of it as he saw fit. Surely we have here a picture of the Son of David, Jesus Christ, who through His death, resurrection, and ascension has been glorified on the throne of heaven and can now dispense His spiritual riches to needy sinners. The name “David” means “beloved,” and Jesus is God’s beloved Son (Matt. 3:17; 17:5), sent to earth to save lost sinners.

Finding Mephibosheth (vv. 1–4). It’s important to note that David’s motivation for seeking Mephibosheth was not the sad plight of the crippled man but David’s desire to honor Jonathan, the father. He did what he did “for Jonathan’s sake” (1 Sam. 20:11–17). Mephibosheth was five years old when his father died in battle (4:4), so he was now about twentyone years old and had a young son of his own (v. 12). David couldn’t show any love or kindness to Jonathan, so he looked for one of Jonathan’s relatives to whom he could express his affection. So it is with God’s children: they are called and saved, not because they deserve anything from God, but for the sake of God’s Son, Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:6; 4:32). God in His grace gives us what we don’t deserve, and in His mercy doesn’t give us what we do deserve.

David found out where Mephibosheth was living by asking Ziba, who served as an “estate manager” for Saul. Ziba answered David’s questions about Mephibosheth, but he turned out to be very deceitful and lied to the king about Mephibosheth when David fled from Absalom (16:1–4) and when David returned to Jerusalem (19:17, 24–30). The combination of David’s impulsiveness and Ziba’s deceit cost Mephibosheth half his property.

Calling Mephibosheth (vv. 5–8). What were the lame prince’s thoughts when the summons came to appear before the king? If he believed what his grandfather had said about David, he would have feared for his life, but if he had listened to what his father told him about David, he would have rejoiced. Someone had to help the young man to the palace, where he fell before David—something difficult for a person with crippled legs—and acknowledged his own unworthiness. The king spoke his name and immediately assured him that there was nothing to fear. David then unofficially “adopted” Mephibosheth by restoring to him the land that his father, Jonathan, would have inherited from Saul, and then by inviting him to live at the palace and eat at the king’s table. David had eaten at Saul’s table and it had nearly cost him his life, but Mephibosheth would eat at David’s table and his life would be protected.

The fact that David made the first move to rescue Mephibosheth reminds us that it was God who reached out to us and not we who sought Him. We were estranged from God and enemies of God, yet He loved us and sent His Son to die for us. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5: nkjv). For David to rescue and restore Mephibosheth cost him only the land of Saul, which he had never paid for to begin with, but for God to restore us and bring us into His family, Jesus had to sacrifice His life. Our inheritance is much more than a piece of real estate on earth: it’s an eternal home in heaven!

Enriching Mephibosheth (vv. 9–13). David took him into his own family, provided for him, protected him, and let him eat at his own table. It wouldn’t be easy to care for a grown man who was lame in both feet, but David promised to do so. Whereas previously Mephibosheth had Ziba and his fifteen sons and twenty servants working for him (v. 10), now all the resources and authority of the king of Israel were at his disposal! Ziba and his sons and servants would still work the land for Mephibosheth and give him the profits, but those profits would be insignificant compared with the king’s wealth. David’s words “eat at my table” are found four times in the passage (vv. 7, 10, 11, 13) and indicate that Jonathan’s son would be treated like David’s son.

Mephibosheth looked upon himself as a “dead dog” (v. 8), and we were “dead” in our trespasses and sins when Jesus called us and gave us new life (Eph. 2:1–6). We have a higher position than that which David gave Mephibosheth, for we sit on the throne with Jesus Christ and reign in life through Him (Rom. 5:17). God gives us the riches of His mercy and grace (Eph. 2:4–7) and “unsearchable riches” in Christ (Eph. 3:8). God supplies all our needs, not out of an earthly king’s treasury, but according to “his riches in glory” (Phil. 4:19). Mephibosheth lived the rest of his life in the earthly Jerusalem (v. 13), but God’s children today are already citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem, where they will dwell forever with the Lord (Heb. 12:22–24).

This touching event in the life of David not only illustrates the believer’s spiritual experience in Christ, but it also reveals to us that David was indeed a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22). He was a shepherd who had a special concern for the lame sheep in the flock.

One last fact should be noted: when some of Saul’s descendants were chosen to be slain, David protected Mephibosheth from death (21:1–11, especially v. 7). There was another descendant named Mephibosheth (v. 8), but David knew the difference between the two! The spiritual application to believers today is obvious: “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8: nkjv). “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5: nkjv). “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3: nkjv).

Mephibosheth is a difficult name to remember and pronounce, but he reminds us of some wonderful truths about “the kindness of God” shown to us through Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.

Egypt on the south, to the Euphrates River on the north, and on the east he conquered Edom, Moab, and Ammon, and on the north defeated the Arameans and the Syrians, including Hamath. Because of God’s gifts and help, David undoubtedly became Israel’s greatest king and greatest military genius. He was blessed with courageous men like Joab and Abishai, plus his “mighty men” (2 Sam. 23; 1 Chron. 11:10–47).

In the ancient world, what did kings do when they had no wars to fight? Nebuchadnezzar surveyed his city and boasted, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built?” (Dan. 4:30). Solomon collected wealth and wives, entertained foreign guests, and wrote books, while Hezekiah seems to have supervised scholars who copied and preserved the Scriptures (Prov. 25:1). But it appears from 2 Samuel 7:1–3 that in David’s leisure hours, the king thought about the Lord and conferred with his chaplain Nathan about improving the spiritual condition of the kingdom of Israel. David wasn’t simply a ruler; he was a shepherd with a heart concern for his people. In rest, he thought of work he could do, and in success he thought of God and His goodness to him.

In this chapter, the Lord revealed to Nathan and David what is usually called the Davidic covenant. This declaration not only had great meaning for David in his day, but it has significance today for Israel, the church, and the world at large.

What the covenant meant to David (vv. 1–9). That David wanted to build a house for the Lord doesn’t surprise us, because David was a man after God’s own heart and longed to honor the Lord in every possible way. During his years of exile, David had vowed to the Lord that he would build Him a temple (Ps. 132:1–5), and his bringing the ark to Jerusalem was surely the first step toward fulfilling that vow. Now it troubled David that he was living in a comfortable stone house with cedar paneling while God’s throne was in a tent, and he shared his burden with Nathan.

This is the first appearance of Nathan in Scripture. Gad had been David’s prophet during his exile (1 Sam. 22:5), and after David’s coronation, Gad didn’t pass from the scene (2 Sam. 24:1–18). In fact, he and Nathan worked together keeping the official records (1 Chron. 29:25, 29) and organizing the worship (2 Chron. 29:25), but Nathan seems to have been the prophetic voice of God to David during his reign. It was Nathan who confronted David about his sin (chap. 12) and also who saw to it that Solomon was crowned king (1 Kings 1:11ff.). David had four sons by Bathsheba and named one of them Nathan (1 Chron. 3:1–5). When Nathan told David to do what was in his heart, he wasn’t affirming that David’s desires were actually God’s will. Rather, he was encouraging the king to pursue his desires and see what the Lord wanted him to do. God answered by giving Nathan a special message for the king, and Nathan faithfully delivered it.

In the first part of the message, God reminded David that at no time had He ever asked any tribe or tribal leader to build Him a house. God had commanded Moses to make a tabernacle for His dwelling, and He had been satisfied to travel with His pilgrim people and dwell with them wherever they camped. Now that Israel was in the land and had peace, they needed a caring leader, not a temple, and that’s why God called David to shepherd the people of Israel. God had been with David to protect his life and prosper his service and had made David’s name great. In spite of his desires and his oath, David would not build the temple. The best thing he could do for the Lord was to continue shepherding the people and setting a godly example.

This announcement must have disappointed David, but he accepted it graciously and gave the Lord thanks for all His goodness to him. When Solomon dedicated the temple, he explained that God accepted David’s desire for the deed: “Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well that it was in your heart” (1 Kings 8: nkjv; see 2 Cor. 8:12). God’s servants must learn to accept the disappointments of life, for as A. T. Pierson used to say, “Disappointments are His appointments.”

What the covenant means to Israel (vv. 10–15). The foundation for God’s purposes and dealings with the people of Israel is His covenant with Abraham (Gen. 12:1–3; 15:1–15). God chose Abraham by His grace and promised him a land, a great name, multiplied descendants, and His blessing and protection. He also promised that the whole world would be blessed through Abraham’s seed, and this refers to Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:1–16). God called Israel to be the human channel through which His Son and His Word would come to the world. God’s covenant with David builds on this covenant with Abraham, for it speaks about the nation, the land, and the Messiah.

The Lord began with the subject of Israel’s land (v. 10) and promised “rest” to His people. The word “rest” is an important word in the prophetic vocabulary and refers to a number of blessings in the plan of God for His people. The concept of “rest” began with God’s rest when He completed creation (Gen. 2:1–3), and this was a basis for Israel’s observance of the Sabbath (Ex. 20:8–11). After God delivered Israel from Egypt, He promised them “rest” in their own land (Ex. 33:14; Deut. 25:19; Josh. 1:13, 15). David was so busy fighting wars that he couldn’t build the temple (1 Kings 5:17), but when God gave rest to Israel, Solomon built the temple using the plans and materials that God gave his father David (1 Kings 5:1–4; 8:56; Ps. 89:19–23).

The concept of “rest” goes beyond any of these matters because it speaks also of the spiritual rest that believers have in Christ (Matt. 11:28–30; Heb. 2:10–18; 4:14–16). The concept also looks ahead to Israel’s future kingdom and the rest that God’s people will then enjoy when Jesus Christ sits upon David’s throne (Isa. 11:1–12; 65:17–25; Jer. 31:1–14; 50:34).

Then the Lord turned from promises concerning the land and the nation to promises concerning David’s throne and family (vv. 11–16). Every king is concerned about the future of his kingdom, and the Lord promised David something above and beyond anything he could have imagined. David wanted to build God a house (the temple), but God promised to build David a house—a dynasty forever! The word “house” is used fifteen times in this chapter and refers to David’s palace (vv. 1–2), the temple (vv. 5–7, 13), and David’s dynasty, culminating in Messiah, Jesus Christ (vv. 11, 13, 16, 18–29).

God’s first announcement of the coming of the Savior was given in Genesis 3:15, informing us that the Savior would be a human being and not an angel. Genesis 12: tells us that He would be a Jew who would bless the whole world, and Genesis 49: that He would come through the tribe of Judah. In this covenant, God announced to David that Messiah would come through his family, and Micah 5: prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem, the City of David (see Matt. 2:6). No wonder the king was so elated when he learned that Messiah would be known as “the Son of David” (Matt. 1:1)!

In this section, the Lord speaks about Solomon as well as about the Savior, who is “greater than Solomon” (Matt. 12:42). Solomon would build the temple David longed to build, but his reign would end; however, the reign of Messiah would go on forever. David would have a house forever (vv. 25, 29), a kingdom forever (v. 16), and a throne forever (vv. 13, 16), and would glorify God’s name forever (v. 26).

All of this is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the Son of David (Ps. 89:34–37; Luke 1:32–33, 69; Acts 2:29–36; 13:22–23; 2 Tim. 2:8) and will be manifested when He returns, establishes the promised kingdom, and sits on David’s throne. The spiritual blessings God offered to David are today offered in Jesus Christ to all who will trust Him (Isa. 55:1–3; Acts 13:32–39). They will be fulfilled literally by Jesus Chirst in the future kingdom promised to Israel (Isa. 9:1–7; 11:1–16; 16:5; Jer. 33:15–26; Ezek. 34:23–24; 37:24–25; Hos. 3:5; Zech. 12:7–8). The throne of David ended in 586 BC with Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, but the line of David continued and brought Jesus Christ the Son of God into the world (Matt. 1:12–25; Luke 1:26–38, 54–55, David expands the borders (8:1— 68–79). 10:19)

Humanly speaking, the nation of Israel would have perished quickly had not God been faithful to His covenant with David, who was “the light [lamp] of Israel” (21:17). No matter to what depths the kings and people descended, the Lord preserved a lamp for David and for Israel (1 Kings 11:36; 15:4; 2 Kings 8:19; 2 Chron. 21:7; Ps. 132:17). Whether they recognized it or not, the Jewish people were heavily indebted to David for their temple, the instruments and songs used in the temple, the organization of the temple ministry, and the protection the nation had from the enemy nations. We today are indebted to David for keeping the light shining so that the Savior could come into the world. In spite of the nation’s sins, God chastened His people, but He did not break His covenant or take His mercy away (v. 15; 22:51; 1 Kings 3:6; 2 Chron. 6:42; Ps. 89:28, 33, 49).

What the covenant means to believers today (vv. 18–29). We have already noted that there is a church today because God used David’s family to bring the Savior into the world, and there is a future for Israel because God gave David a throne forever. The way that David responded to this great Word from God is a good example for us to follow today. He humbled himself before the Lord and at least ten times called himself the servant of God. Servants usually stand at attention and wait for orders, but David sat before the Lord. The covenant God gave David was unconditional; all David had to do was accept it and let God work. Like a little child speaking to a loving parent, the king called himself “David” (v. 20), and he poured out his heart to the Lord.

First he focused on the present as he gave praise for the mercies God bestowed on him (vv. 18–21). It was God’s grace that had brought David this far—from the sheepfolds to the throne—and now God had spoken about his descendants far into the future. In verses 18–20 and 28–29, David addressed God as “Lord God,” which in Hebrew is “Jehovah Adonai, the Sovereign Lord.” (In vv. 22 and 25, it’s “Jehovah Elohim,” the God of power.) Only a God of sovereign grace would give such a covenant, and only a God with sovereign power could fulfill it. “Do you deal with everyone this way, O Sovereign Lord?” (v. 19 nlt). In one sense, the answer is no, because God chose the house of David to bring His Son into the world; but in another sense, the answer is yes, because any sinner can trust Jesus Christ and be saved and enter into the family of God. David saw the promises of this covenant as a “great thing” (v. 21) because of the dependability of God’s Word and God’s love.

In verses 22–24, David looked at the past and God’s amazing grace toward Israel. The Lord chose Israel instead of the other nations on the earth, and He revealed Himself to Israel by giving the law at Mount Sinai and speaking the Word through His prophets. The Jews were to remember the uniqueness of the Lord and not bow before the idols of the other nations. (See Deut. 4:34; 7:6–8; 9:4–5; Neh. 9:10.) God is the Lord of all nations but He did great things for Israel, His chosen people. David recognized the wonderful truth that God had chosen Israel to be His people forever!

The third part of David’s prayer and praise (vv. 25–29) looked to the future as revealed in the covenant just delivered to the king. God gave the Word, David believed it, and David asked God to fulfill that Word for His people. He wanted Israel to continue as a nation and the Lord to be magnified through Israel. He asked that his house be built just as the Lord had promised (v. 27), even though it was disappointing to David that he wasn’t permitted to build a house for the Lord. “Thy kingdom come” is the thrust of verse 27, and “Thy will be done” the thrust of verse 28. It was enough for David simply to hear the promises and believe them; he also prayed to the Lord to fulfill them.

In his humility, faith, and submission to God’s will, David is a good example for us to follow.