Faithful to a friend

The story of David and Mephibosheth, son of Jonathan, is a remarkable testimony to the power of friendship and the value of a promise. In a day and age where a new king would be expected to stamp out the entire family of the previous regime, David would prove to be quite different. By seeking out and killing Mephibosheth, David could have continued to consolidate his power as he had since the death of Saul. Instead of doing this, though, David chose to honor the memory of his best friend. David had promised Jonathan back in 1 Samuel 20 to never cut off his kindness from Jonathan's family, and by looking after Mephibosheth, he was fulfilling his promise. David's fulfillment of this promise, one no one could force him to fulfill or blame him for recanting, speaks volumes about David's character.