"Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul
to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan's sake?"
2 Samuel 9:1 NIV
Saul was anything but kind to David. Israel's first king was the jealous type and tried to kill the young man who would be Israel's second king. Saul grew to hate David although David had been of great help and comfort to him. And David was Saul's son's best friend. David and Jonathan were like brothers.
David had sworn to be kind to Jonathan's family in spite of Saul's actions. Saul and Jonathan died in battle then David became king of Israel. Jonathan had a five year old son at the time of his death. Years later, after David had waged war against his enemies, the king remembered his oath to his friend. Jonathan's son was old enough now to have a son of his own but the passing of time did not diminish David's love for Jonathan.
Remembering his oath, David looks for someone from Saul's family to whom he can show kindness. A couple of interesting aspects are here. First, we should remember and keep our promises. David may have forgotten the promise along the way but he finally came around to remembering it. In his commentary, Matthew Henry suggests that this is because David was a good man who sought to please God. "Good men should seek opportunities of doing good." David was a man after God's own heart and that led him to keep his promise and be kind to Saul's family.
The second interesting thing about David's actions was that he did not hold a grudge. The oath was with Jonathan and certainly it was Jonathan's son to whom David would show kindness. But I believe had there been another member of Saul's family living at that time that David would have been kind to him, too. David asked if anyone was left from Saul's house, not Jonathan's house.
Forgetting commitments you've made or neglecting to keep them because of ill feelings is not godly. Pray that God will help you keep your promises.
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