Shabbat: A Kingdom Torn by Conflict: The Deeper Backdrop

Saul, Israel’s first king, had grown increasingly unstable in his reign, tormented by jealousy and fear. When David was still a young man—faithful, victorious in battle, and beloved by the people—Saul turned on him. For years, David lived as a fugitive, hunted like an animal through caves and wilderness. He had every reason to see Saul’s house as his enemy.

And yet, amid this hostility, David formed a covenant of deep love and loyalty with Saul’s son Jonathan. "Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul." (1 Samuel 18:3) Jonathan had every reason to claim the throne, but instead, he vowed to protect David, even from his father. Their bond was holy and sealed before God.

When Saul and Jonathan died in battle on Mount Gilboa, it marked the collapse of Saul’s dynasty—but not its memory. Saul still had supporters. His general, Abner, attempted to install Saul’s surviving son, Ish-Bosheth, as king, triggering a civil war with David’s camp. Blood was spilled, loyalties tested, and old hatreds hardened.

Finally, when David took the throne in Jerusalem, he had the upper hand. And now—at long last—he had the power to wipe out the remnants of Saul’s house, to cleanse the throne from any claimants. No one would blame him.

But David did something no king would typically do.

The Crippled Heir

Mephibosheth was only five years old when his father, Jonathan, and grandfather, Saul, died. When the news reached his home, his nurse panicked and fled, dropping the child in haste, leaving him permanently disabled in both feet (2 Samuel 4:4). He would grow up in hiding, broken and vulnerable, bearing the name of a fallen dynasty.

Imagine what fear filled his heart when the king summoned him. He likely expected execution. But instead...

David said: “Do not be afraid. I will surely show you kindness (chesed) for the sake of your father Jonathan.”(2 Samuel 9:7)

Love Instead of Vengeance

This is where chesed shines: when we choose mercy in the very place where revenge would be justified.

David could have destroyed a rival. Instead, he remembered a promise of love. He could have silenced a threat. Instead, he set a place at his table. He could have closed the book on Saul’s line. Instead, he opened a door to restoration.

In doing so, David reflects the very character of God, who again and again chooses mercy over wrath, remembrance over revenge, and covenant over conquest.

Let us permit Chesed to rewrite the story.

On this Shabbat, where might we choose chesed over vengeance?

Who do we see as “other” or “enemy” whom God might be calling us to bless?

Let David’s story remind us: chesed is not softness—it is strength restrained by love. It is the power to reshape history not by force, but by faithfulness.

As it is written: “Let not the wise boast in their wisdom… but let the one who boasts boast in this: that they understand and know Me, that I am the LORD, who practices chesed, justice, and righteousness in the earth—for in these I delight.” (Jeremiah 9:23–24)

Shabbat Shalom, beloved soul.May the King’s table always have a place for you, and may your heart carry the sacred courage to offer chesed where it is least expected—and most divine.