2-28-06 2 Samuel 9:7

2 Samuel 9:7 (KJ21)
And David said unto him, "Fear not; for I will surely show thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually."

2 Samuel 9:7 (NAS)
And David said to him, "Do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul; and you shall eat at my table regularly."

2 Samuel 9:7 (NIVUS)
"Don’t be afraid," David said to him, "for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table."

2 Samuel 9:7 (NLT)
But David said, "Don’t be afraid! I’ve asked you to come so that I can be kind to you because of my vow to your father, Jonathan. I will give you all the land that once belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you may live here with me at the palace!"

In the American society, people have little concept of what the word covenant means. Some ancient societies and even some from today were and are built on covenants. When two people, two tribes, or two nations enter into a covenant, they are making a contract with each other, in which they vow to always take care of their covenant partners. Through the shedding of blood--either their own or the sacrifice of an animal--these partners commit everything they have to each other and to their future generations. In essence, each contracting party says "What is mine is yours."

In ancient Israel, King David made a covenant with Jonathan, King Saul's son. Even though Saul and David were bitter enemies, David loved Jonathan like a brother, a blood brother. David and Jonathan were in covenant together. After Jonathan and Saul were killed in battle and after David became King, David remembered his covenant with Jonathan. He wanted to bless Jonathan's descendants, so he searched and found one son who was still alive. David, therefore, brought the young man into his home and his family to live as his son.

Jesus, the King of kings, has ratified a covenant with His own blood, a covenant in which He longs for you to participate. He desires to bring you into His house, so that He can take care of you. He does not want you to be afraid to be with Him. He wants to pour out His kindness, favor, and mercy on you. He never wants to reproach nor put you to shame. Even though you are inferior to Almighty God, He wants to bend down to be gracious to you,

Perhaps you have desired a fresh start. Through the shed blood of Yeshua, the Messiah, you can have a new beginning. The Lord God will build you up again; He will feed you abundantly and make you rejoice. He will relieve you of the pressure of sin; you will be refreshed and restored. And God will reward you with a land of your own.

You need never fear going hungry, for the Lord your God will provide enough for you to freely eat. However, He wants you to dine on your bread and meat at His table, which is spread with plenty. You will have a constant and regular supply. All that you need to do is to agree to the covenant that Adonai has already established through His Son. When you do this, you will be continually