The
fruit of the Spirit is…
kindness – 2 Samuel 9
Kindness is
something we all appreciate. A helping hand when we need it, an understanding
ear, a willingness on the part of others to put
themselves out for us, touches us deeply. Kindness is doing something we don’t
have to in order to benefit another; something which might prove costly to us. Kindness
is an attribute of God: Jesus said that God is kind and that those who follow
him should be kind also (Lk 6:35) and Paul talks of
God’s kindness leading us to repentance (Rom 2:4) and being our constant
experience as we walk with him (Rom 11:22; see also Eph 2:7 and Titus 3:4).
Finally Jesus says his yoke is kind (the word is usually rendered ‘easy’ Mt
11:30), of which more in a moment.
In 2 Samuel 9 we
read of David’s kindness to Jonathan’s disabled son. And in many ways it is a
picture of God’s kindness to us and an example for us to follow.
1) Loyalty to covenant;
keeping a promise
The Hebrew word
translated ‘kindness’ is hesed,
a word which means kindness, goodness, covenant loyalty and faithfulness,
steadfast love. It is a word rich with meaning.
1) God’s kindness to us. God showed his covenant-keeping kindness by
rescuing Isaac from Abraham (Gen 22:12-14), the people of
2) David’s kindness to Mephibosheth: 2 Sam 9:1. Out of loyalty to Jonathan,
David showed kindness to any members of his family left alive despite the fact
that they were potential rivals.
3) Our kindness to each other as members of the covenant community, we do good to each other because our promise to serve God is also
a promise to serve his people (Gal 6:10; 1 Thess
5:15).
2) Careless of personal
reputation or safety
1) Jesus’ example: Christ by associating with prostitutes, tax
collectors and other sinners, got himself an appalling
reputation. But he was prepared to be written off by the religious as a ‘friend
of sinners’ in order to bring God’s kindness to us in our need (see Lk 15).
2) David’s example: David took a risk for Mephibosheth.
He was Saul’s grandson and thus could become the focus for a plot against David
by Saul’s followers as indeed David believed he had done during Absolom’s revolt (see 2 Sam 16:1-4). But
David was prepared to take the risk in order to show kindness to this person –
and it paid off (2 Sam 19:24-30).
3) Following their lead: We too must be willing to risk our
reputations to show kindness to people; we need to risk loss and sometimes even
hurt or injury if we are to be kind like Jesus was kind (see Lk 6:27-36)
3) To the weak
We were powerless
to do anything about our condition, but God showed kindness to us in our
weakness: Rom 6:6-10; Titus 2:3-7. Likewise, David showed kindness to a disabled
man who had no resources to look after himself: he showered provision and
privilege on him by giving him lands (and hence an income) and a place at the
King’s table. We also ought to pay attention to the needs of the weak, the
marginalized, the mentally ill, the outcast: see Mt
25:31-46; Acts 4:9.
4) Kindness shows itself in
generosity
God’s generosity to
us is incredible:
ü
Lk
11:13; 2 Cor 8:9: life, salvation, the Holy Spirit,
etc.
ü
Gentle
demands: Mt 11:30. Jesus’ yoke is kind, not demanding and heavy. Here he
contrasts his demands with those of the Pharisees. The Pharisees piled on the
rules and regulations, insisting on legalistic perfection. Jesus asks for
humble trust and promises the resources to do whatever he asks.
David gave Mephibosheth lands, servants – and hence prosperity in
perpetuity – and the privilege of eating every day at the King’s table – a favour bestowed only on those closest to him and trusted by
him – this was a gift of inclusion, David treated him as his equal.
Our kindness should
show itself in generosity towards others: Prov 12:25;
14:21, 31; 19:17; Mt 7:12; Lk 6:27-36; 1 Tim 6:18;
Titus 3:14. The fruit of the Spirit is kindness, seen in David who was a man
after God’s own heart. As we grow in kindness so we are more like God in our
attitudes and actions.
Possible areas for discussion
·
What is
kindness? How do we feel when people are kind to us?
·
Do we feel
that God is being kind to us in all that he does for us and gives to us or do
we feel that we deserve it?
·
Do we
always feel that God is kind to us? Or do we sometimes feel that God is mean
and withholds his blessing?
(Sometimes our
experience of God is not of his kindness but of his heavy hand and discipline.
That feels bad, almost like cruelty – though, of course, ultimately it works
for our good and is an expression of God’s kindness. But how do we feel about
all this? The writer to the Hebrews says that times aren’t pleasant but produce
fruit (Heb 12:5-11). Paul says that God brings good out of bad events (Rom
8:28)).
·
How
have we experienced God’s kindness?
·
How can
we show kindness to one another in the church?
·
How can
we show kindness to those in our neighbourhood and
the wider world?
·
Do we
tend to show kindness only to people who are like us or do we show kindness to
the outcast, the marginalized, the squatter, the gypsy, the disabled, the
mentally ill, the homeless? How can we show kindness
to these people?
·
Do we
worry about our reputation and therefore avoid certain kinds of people who need
our kindness?
·
What do
we like people to do for us? How can we do to others what we’d like them to do
for us (as in Mt 7:12)?
·
Are
there any limits to our generosity? How do we apply them?
·
Jesus
said his yoke is kind: How do we experience his kindness in terms of the
demands he makes on us? How does this compare with the demands we make on
ourselves? And on each other?