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Apr 26, 2021 18:00pm

Kindness: Handicaps, Forgiveness, and Compassion

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There are three segments to our Legacy Lesson:

1. Icebreaker

2. Legacy Lesson–Bible point: Kindness and Compassion to everyone

3. Wrap-up: Apply the message to our own lives; work on memory verse

I. Icebreaker: Handicaps

Our focus this month is KINDNESS. Kindness is the act of enjoying doing good things for others. Honestly, we just feel stinkin’ good after an act of kindness…which is a blessing in itself. Compassion is the desire to help someone in need. Both kindness and compassion are expressions of love. Last week’s memory verse was this:

The more we love the Lord, the kinder we become (because honestly, kindness doesn’t come naturally to everyone!). The more we say “yes” to those nudges in our heart to help others, the more God can use us to bless others. It’s a win-win for us either way!

Discussion Questions to get your people thinking about today’s topic:

●Have you ever seen someone who looks different than you do?

●How do you react when you see someone who has a handicap of some sort?

Sometimes, we look away quickly so that it doesn’t look like we are staring. But have you ever tried to smile at him or her instead? To take it a step further, have you ever tried to be kind to someone with a disability? Today, our lesson is about showing kindness and compassion to people with handicaps.

2. Transition over to Legacy Lesson:

You will need a Bible to read our focus story. Feel free to modify for your sphere of influence. Add, revise, or delete sections that would help keep attention for 30 minutes or less. (For younger audiences, I would aim for 10-15 minutes!)

Today’s story is about King David honoring a man who had a handicap. Before we jump into the story, let’s learn a little more about King David and this man he is going to honor.

Here is some back story going into this lesson. You don’t have to talk about it…but it definitely gives perspective into our story!

👀 Read 2 Samuel 9: 1-5. (The ICB would be a great translation to use because it uses the word “kindness” several times.)

Questions to ask:

After peace finally came to King David and his kingdom, he had an idea that “popped” into his head. (I like to call this a nudge, a tug on his heart prompted by God.) What did King David ask the servants in his house?

“Is there anyone I can show kindness to for Jonathan’s sake?”

Why do you think he asked this?

First of all, he made a covenant, a binding agreement, with Jonathan to always show kindness and favor to Jonathan’s family. Second, this is just my speculation, perhaps he was missing his best friend, and this caused him to remember his promise to Jonathan.

What does this show about David?

He is kind! (Especially to King Saul and his family! Remember, King Saul spent years trying to kill David out of jealousy!) Despite King Saul’s murderous attempts, David still wanted to honor his promise to King Saul’s son, Jonathan.

What was the name of King Saul’s servant who knew where Mephibosheth was hidden? Ziba

What did this servant say about Jonathan?

Johnathan’s son, Mephibosheth, is living, but he is crippled in both feet.

How did David react to this news?

He asked the servant, Ziba, to bring Mephibosheth to him.

⭐ Discussion Questions:

👀 Read 2 Samuel 9: 6-11:

Questions to ask:

How did Mephibosheth come before King David?

Face down! He was very humble before a King who could potentially kill him for being King Saul’s living relative.

To Mephibosheth’s surprise, David gave him two blessings. What were they?

1—He will give back all of King Saul’s land to Mephibosheth. 2—Mephibosheth would always eat at the king’s table.

How did Mephibosheth react?

He said, “You are being very kind to me….” Mephibosheth considered himself no better than a dead dog and couldn’t believe such royal treatment he was getting! This makes me think he wasn’t used to people being kind to him.

What did King David command that Ziba do for Mephibosheth?

Ziba and his family would be servants for Mephibosheth—tending to King Saul’s farmland and harvesting the crops from the farmland; he was in charge of making sure Mephibosheth was taken care of.

Let’s read the last few verses of the story together. Go back to 2 Samuel 9: 11-13 (ICB).

Let’s read the last sentence out loud again. How was King David compassionate to Mephibosheth?

Wow!!! Not only could Mephibosheth stop hiding out, but he also could eat at the king’s table every day!! Now, that is a beautiful act of compassion and kindness!!

3. Wrapping-Up: Applying it to our lives

Mephibosheth, a man who was lame by running from the king would end up eating dinner with the king for the rest of his life. This all happened because David, a man after God’s own heart, responded to that “nudge” given to him at the beginning of our story. When David followed through with that tug on his heart to reach out to Jonathan’s family, one man’s life was forever changed.

What I especially love about this story is the power of forgiveness. King David forgave King Saul of his murderous attempts. Not only did he forgive him, he blessed King Saul’s family.

Is there someone you are having trouble forgiving right now? Our memory verse certainly puts things in perspective:

Has Jesus forgiven you of your sins? (This is a rhetorical question…he paid the price for your sins at the cross!) Jesus forgives us when we earnestly ask for his forgiveness…because of this, we ought to extend the same grace to others by forgiving them. Is this easy? NO WAY. But this is one of those areas that Jesus wants us to model his behavior, not the world’s behavior.

Something interesting you may want to note:

Lastly, the manner in which King David treated Mephibosheth is a picture of how Jesus treats us:

1—He extends kindness to us, even when we have done nothing to earn it.

2—He is compassionate to us. We are all “handicapped” in our own ways. Some people’s handicaps are more visible, while others keep theirs more hidden, but make no mistake: we all have weaknesses!! Jesus reaches out to us in our weakness in such a compassionate way, it should keep us on our knees in thankfulness for the rest of our lives! *Don’t you know that every time Mephibosheth ate at the king’s table, he was brimming with thankfulness?

3—Make no mistake in this: Jesus Christ loves you beyond what any human words could convey. He loves us in our brokenness. He loves us enough to not stop trying to reach out and help change our lives. He loves us beyond what we deserve. No one else could ever offer the agape love that Jesus does. NO ONE.