DAY 129: 2 Samuel 8–9; 1 Chronicles 18

Welcome to 5 Minute Bible, your daily guide for your daily reading. Today is May 9th and we'll be in 2

Samuel 8 -9 and 1 Chronicles 18. Yesterday the

Psalms taught us to live humbly beneath the sovereign majesty of God and today we see the sovereignty unfolding visibly in the

Kingdom of David. 2 Samuel 8 -9 and 1 Chronicles 18 show the Kingdom expanding in power, stability, justice and covenant faithfulness.

The enemies of David and Israel are being subdued, the throne is being strengthened and the promises of God continue to advance through the people.

But right in the middle of the conquest, the story suddenly slows down to focus on one crippled man who sits at the

King's table and that contrast reveals the very heart of the Kingdom. In 2

Samuel 8 and 1 Chronicles 18, David defeats Israel's surrounding enemies including the

Philistines, the Moabites, the Arameans, the Edomites and more. And the borders of the

Kingdom expand and then tribute begins flowing into Israel and David's throne becomes firmly established.

Again and again we see the text repeating the same phrase, the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.

And these weren't merely political successes, God was establishing the Kingdom that he promised through the man that he anointed.

And David also dedicates the spoils of the war to the Lord, recognizing that these victories belonged ultimately to God and not to himself.

And then chapter 9 shifts dramatically. After all of the conquests and warfare, David asks a startling question, is there anyone left from the house of Saul that I may show kindness to him for the sake of Jonathan?

And in the ancient world, the normal way of doing things would be the elimination of your rivals, the killing of anyone left from the house so that there would be no rival claim.

But instead, David pursues kindness and mercy. And he discovers only one heir,

Mephibosheth, Jonathan's crippled son, living in obscurity, fear and weakness, afraid for his life, afraid that maybe one day

David will come and kill him to eliminate the threat. Mephibosheth assumes that judgment is coming, but instead,

David restores Saul's land to him and gives him a permanent place at the king's table, treating him as if he were one of his own sons.

So as you read today, I want you to ask the following question. What kind of kingdom does

God establish through his anointed king? These chapters show us that God's kingdom advances both righteous with victory, but also covenantally with mercy.

And the central pattern in these chapters is the union of both strength and kindness.

David isn't weak. He defeats his enemies. He's establishing justice. His kingdom expands and secures peace all through the land.

God reigns through David and his reign is advancing through the overthrowing of opposition and the establishment of a righteous order.

But the kingdom is also not merely defined by conquest.

Right in the middle of the military triumph, the story narrows onto a crippled, defenseless descendant of Saul hiding in the shadows and in fear.

And that placement of that way is not unintentional. The kingdom of God does not merely crush the enemies who are out in the open, but it also restores the helpless who are hiding.

David could have viewed Mephibosheth as a threat, a remnant of a former dynasty, a political potential rival claim to the throne, like ancient kings often did in those days, exterminating entire bloodlines for far less.

But instead, David remembers the covenant love that God has shown to him. Because of his covenant with David, grace flows towards someone who could not repay it, could not earn it, or strengthen the kingdom in any physical way at all.

And this reveals the heart of the righteous God. True kingdom power is not cruelty disguised as strength, and it's also not softness disguised as compassion.

It is the strength governed by covenant faithfulness. And this process leads directly into our lives as well, because human kingdoms often divide over power instead of mercy.

Some are strong, but they're often merciless. Others speak endlessly about compassion and virtue signaling, while they actually lack true justice, order, and righteousness.

But God's kingdom unites both perfectly. His reign defeats evil, but while also extending mercy to the undeserving.

And all of this points forward perfectly to Jesus Christ, the true son of David. Because like David, Christ establishes his kingdom through victory.

He is going to conquest, he is going to bring dominion, he is going to bring the entire world under his feet, and he's going to do so beyond mere earthly warfare tactics.

He's going to triumph over sin, death, and Satan, and every power that's opposed to the reign of God is going to be placed under his feet.

And yet, like Mephibosheth, we are the ones who come to the king crippled. We are the ones who come helpless.

We are the ones who come unable to stand in our own righteousness, coming out of the kingdom of darkness and having nothing whatsoever that we could add to the kingdom of light.

And yet, in the same way that Mephibosheth contributes nothing to David's kingdom, he arrives empty handed and fearful.

And yet the king seeks him out, and yet the king restores his inheritance, and yet the king seats him perfectly and permanently at the royal table because of his covenant love.

This is an example of what Jesus has done for us. The table of Mephibosheth becomes a shadow of a greater messianic feast that you and I are invited to every week where we get to dine with Jesus at the

Lord's table, feasting upon his bread and wine at the Lord's supper. He is the greater

David, and we are the redeemed Mephibosheth feasting at the king's table permanently and forever, brought into his family as if we were his own children himself.

And unlike David's earthly kingdom, Christ's kingdom is never going to weaken, never going to fracture and never going to end, which means our place at the table is secure forever.

His reign continues expanding throughout the earth until every enemy is subdued and his people dwell securely in everlasting covenantal peace.

So as you read the chapters today, 2 Samuel 8 and 9 and 1 Chronicles 18, I want you to notice how the kingdom advances both through victory and also covenant mercy.

And tomorrow we're going to return to the Psalms and hear worship rise in the response to God's justice, sovereignty, and his righteous reign over all the earth.

And with that, read your Bible carefully, devotionally, and joyfully, and may the

Lord use his word to sanctify you completely, and we will continue our journey tomorrow.