Extending Grace Ever So Gently

Message Summary:

In this message focusing on the fruit of the Spirit known as gentleness (or meekness), Chuck Swindoll explores the profound strength found in kindness using the Old Testament story of King David and Mephibosheth. Swindoll begins by dispelling the myth that gentleness equates to weakness. Defining the biblical term prautes (meekness), he illustrates it not as passivity, but as “strength under control,” likening it to a powerful stallion that has been tamed to obey its rider [1, 7–8].

Swindoll contrasts the cold, clinical detachment of a childhood doctor who treated him like a “spare tire” with the warmth of King David in 2 Samuel 9. Though David had reached the zenith of power, he sought out a survivor from the house of Saul to show him “kindness” (chesed). He finds Mephibosheth, the crippled son of his best friend Jonathan, hiding in a desolate place called Lo-debar. Rather than executing this potential rival, as was the custom of the day, David restores his grandfather’s land and gives him a permanent seat at the King’s table [5–6, 12–16, 20].

The message concludes by drawing a powerful parallel between Mephibosheth and the believer. Just as Mephibosheth was “crippled” by a fall and living in fear, humanity was crippled by the Fall in Eden and lives separated from God. Swindoll explains that God, like David, pursues the lost not to punish them, but to adopt them. He imagines the King’s tablecloth covering Mephibosheth’s feet, symbolizing how God’s grace covers human brokenness, inviting listeners to accept their own adoption into God’s family [21–23].

Message Key Facts:

• Meekness Defined: Swindoll explains that the Greek word prautes (gentleness/meekness) refers to a beast that has been tamed. It implies power that is now under the control of a master, much like a wild horse broken by a rider. It is “strength under control” [7–8].
• The “Yes” Face: Swindoll distinguishes between a “negativistic personality” (whose face says “no”) and a positive personality (whose face says “yes”). He shares a story about Thomas Jefferson, whom a stranger asked for a ride across a river simply because the President had a “Yes face.” Swindoll challenges believers to have a countenance that invites others in rather than pushing them away [17–19].
• David’s Empathy: Swindoll speculates that David’s capacity for gentleness may have stemmed from his own childhood. Citing Psalm 51:5, Swindoll wonders if David was born out of wedlock or treated as an outsider by his family, which explains why he was left in the sheepfolds when Samuel came to anoint a king. This background gave him a heart for the forgotten [9–10].
• Lo-debar: Mephibosheth was hiding in a place called Lo-debar. Swindoll breaks down the Hebrew: Lo (no) and debar (pasture). It was a place of “unimaginable desolation,” symbolizing the spiritual state of humanity before being found by God [13–14].
• Meaning of Kindness (Chesed): The word David uses when asking if there is anyone left in Saul’s house is chesed. Swindoll defines this as “loving-kindness” or grace—a deep, covenantal love.
• The Tablecloth of Grace: Swindoll suggests that when Mephibosheth sat at the King’s table, the tablecloth covered his crippled feet. He sat as an equal with David’s handsome sons (Absalom, Solomon) and military leaders. This illustrates how grace covers a believer’s disabilities and sins, granting them equal standing in God’s family.
• The Gospel Parallel: Swindoll outlines the allegory:
  • The Fall: Just as Mephibosheth was dropped and crippled, humanity fell in Adam (Romans 5:12) and became spiritually disabled.
  • The Fear: Just as Mephibosheth feared the King would kill him, sinners often fear God’s judgment.
  • The Adoption: Just as David sought out Mephibosheth to give him an inheritance he didn’t earn, God seeks out sinners to give them eternal life [21–22].

Message References:

• 2 Samuel 9: The primary narrative regarding David’s kindness to Mephibosheth [1–3].
• Galatians 5:22–23: The list of the Fruit of the Spirit, including gentleness.
• Matthew 11:29: Jesus’ invitation: “Come to me… for I am gentle and humble in heart”.
• Matthew 5:5: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth”.
• Psalm 78:70–72: Describes God choosing David from the sheepfolds and his “integrity of heart”.
• Psalm 51:5: “In sin my mother conceived me,” referenced regarding David’s origins.
• Romans 5:12: “Through one man sin entered into the world,” referenced to compare Mephibosheth’s fall to the spiritual Fall of man.

Message Speaker:

Pastor Chuck Swindoll