He acts in grace also
towards the humble remnant of Saul's house; and if
Mephibosheth is not associated with the glory of his
kingdom, he enjoys the privilege of the king's table, who
shews him kindness; although Mephibosheth belongs to the
family of his enemy and persecutor, but at the same time
to that little remnant which favoured the king whom God
had chosen (being itself, on that account, hated by those
in power). He enjoys also the whole of his family's
inheritance.
This touching and
beautiful testimony to David's kindness and faithfulness
through grace, appears to me to give us a picture of
Christ's relations to the remnant of Israel, or at least
that of the spirit of these relations. It was "the
kindness of God" which sought out the family of Saul,
the enemy of David's crown—and which rests upon the
representative of Jonathan, whose history we have read,
and who typifies those that will attach themselves to
Christ in prospect of the kingdom, to which their
thoughts are limited. The remnant enjoys the effect of
the establishment of the kingdom, but does not rank among
those that surround the throne after having shared the
sufferings of the despised and rejected king.
2 Samuel 9 Bible Commentary
John Darby’s Synopsis
He acts in grace also towards the humble remnant of Saul's house; and if Mephibosheth is not associated with the glory of his kingdom, he enjoys the privilege of the king's table, who shews him kindness; although Mephibosheth belongs to the family of his enemy and persecutor, but at the same time to that little remnant which favoured the king whom God had chosen (being itself, on that account, hated by those in power). He enjoys also the whole of his family's inheritance.
This touching and beautiful testimony to David's kindness and faithfulness through grace, appears to me to give us a picture of Christ's relations to the remnant of Israel, or at least that of the spirit of these relations. It was "the kindness of God" which sought out the family of Saul, the enemy of David's crown—and which rests upon the representative of Jonathan, whose history we have read, and who typifies those that will attach themselves to Christ in prospect of the kingdom, to which their thoughts are limited. The remnant enjoys the effect of the establishment of the kingdom, but does not rank among those that surround the throne after having shared the sufferings of the despised and rejected king.