Using the story of David and Mephibosheth from 2 Samuel 9:1-13, this past Sunday we talked about developing a mission statement for your family. Four values emerge from this story about the mission of King David’s family that I developed into a mission statement that could become a sample statement for your own family’s mission.
- The House of David keeps its word to others.
The keeping of our promises shows love and respect. Keeping our word honors the Lord. Deuteronomy 23:21-23 (NIV) 21 If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the LORD your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin. 22 But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty. 23 Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the LORD your God with your own mouth.God takes our word very seriously, and so should we.
- The House of David shows kindness to others.
While Mephibosheth did have a physical disability, that wasn’t the reason for David’s kindness toward him. David extended kindness to Mephibosheth “for the sake of his father Jonathan.” It was out of respect for his relationship with Jonathan and a covenant they had made that David would assist Mephibosheth. The emphasis in this verse isn’t on Mephibosheth’s need for assistance. The emphasis is on the fact that David had made a vow and had determined to be kind to Jonathan’s descendants. David didn’t decide to be kind because Mephibosheth was unable to walk. David had simply decided to be kind.Kindness was a way of life for David in his relationship to Mephibosheth. He took him in as part of his own family. He ate meals with the royal family. Verse 8 tells us that Mephibosheth didn’t think very highly of himself. He called himself a “dead dog.” I’m guessing he was a real fun guy at parties! Sometimes we distance ourselves from
Debby Downers and Franky Frowners because they can suck the life out of us. They can be difficult to spend time with. David could have given him a wing in the palace and sent servants to care for him without personally interacting with him and investing time in him, but in kindness, he reached out and drew Mephibosheth in. - The House of David assists others with support and restoration.
David told Mephibosheth in verse 7 that he would restore to him the land that had once been his grandfather’s. He would also give him servants to work the land and to produce a harvest. Why would Mephibosheth need the land? He was going to live in the King’s palace. Why would he need the food from the land? He was going to eat at the King’s table. It had already been established that he would be taken care of. Look at verse 12: Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica.Isn’t it every parent’s dream to be able to leave a legacy, to leave an inheritance, to pass something on to their children? In ancient times, it was all about land. Land was your inheritance. In this story, we see David helping to bring restoration to Mephibosheth’s life so that he would have something to pass on to his young son, so that his son would be able to have a life and care for himself one day. Isn’t that awesome?
When you reach out in kindness to others, know that it has the potential to go beyond that one individual and can impact future generations.
- The House of David provides a safe place for others.
Back in ancient times when a new king took over, he would often have the family members of the previous king killed to ensure none of them would rise up and try to take the throne. David, however, took the previous king’s descendant in and care for him. Mephibosheth would live in safety for the rest of his life.Yes, we are to keep our word. Yes, we are to show people kindness. Yes, need to reach out to support other people as they seek a better life for themselves and their families, but listen, ultimately, our job as believers, is to help people get to the King’s Table! Why? Because once people are brought to the King they will live with the hope they need to face all of life’s challenges. Physical safety is important, but spiritual safety is paramount.
If I were to write a mission statement for King David’s family based on this story, it would read something like this: The King David family exists to live out our word before God and others, to show kindness to all people as a way of life, to support others as we are able, using our resources and networks with others, to enable them to recover from life’s trials and be established in life in an effort to help people find hope and healing in the person of Jesus Christ.
If someone was to write a mission statement for your family based on the current way in which you live, what would it say? What would you like for it to say?
Start thinking about your family’s mission and writing down your family’s values today!
