Faithfulness of a Friend

[1 Sam. 18:1] And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
[2 Sam. 4:4] And Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.
The soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David - They were nearly of an age. The prince had taken little interest in David as a minstrel; but his heroism and modest, manly bearing, his piety and high endowments, kindled the flame not of admiration only, but of affection, in the hospitable mind of Jonathan.
The strength of his attachment, his pure disinterestedness, his warm piety, his invocation to G-d (consisting of a prayer and a solemn oath combined), the calm and full expression he gave of his conviction that his own family were, by the divine will, to be disinherited, and David elevated to the possession of the throne, the covenant entered into with David on behalf of his descendants, and the imprecation (20:16) denounced on any of them who should violate his part of the conditions, the reappearance of this covenant on both sides (20:17) to make it indissoluble - all this indicates such a power of mutual affection, such magnetic attractiveness in the character of David, such vulnerability and elevation of feeling in the heart of Jonathan, that this interview for dramatic interest and moral beauty stands unrivalled in the records of human friendship
The story of Mephibosheth is purposely inserted here in order to show the Israelites on the one hand that the seed of Saul is not cut off from the earth, and on the other hand that it is David who cares for the protection and continuation of Saul’s line. His original name was Meribaal, as is attested in 1 Chr. 8:34; 9:40. Meribaal means loved by Baal, and Mephibosheth means he who scatters shame or from the mouth of the shame.
Lame of his feet mentioned as a reason why, according to Oriental notions, he was considered unfit for exercising the duties of sovereignty.
On inquiry, Saul’s land steward Ziba, (2 Sam. 9:1) was found, who gave information that there still survived Mephibosheth, a son of Jonathan who was five years old at his father’s death, and whom David, then wandering in exile, had never seen. Mephibosheth’s lameness (4:4) had prevented him from taking any part in the public contests of the time, that he was lame in both his feet may have been why he always remained in Jerusalem Besides, according to Oriental notions, the younger son of a crowned monarch has a preferable claim to the succession over the son of a mere heir-apparent; and hence his name was never heard of as the rival of his uncle Ish-bosheth. His insignificance had led to his being lost sight of, and it was only through Ziba that David learned of his existence, and the retired life he passed with one of the great families in trans-jordanic Canaan who remained attached to the fallen dynasty in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lo-debar.
David promises to restore to him all the land of Saul (v. 7), meaning Saul’s personal property Mephibosheth was invited to court, and a place at the royal table on public days was assigned him, as is still the custom with Eastern monarchs. Saul’s family estate, which had fallen to David in right of his wife (Numbers 27:8), or been forfeited to the crown by Ish-bosheth’s rebellion (12:8), was provided (9:11; also 19:28), for enabling Mephibosheth to maintain an establishment suitable to his rank, and Ziba appointed steward to manage it, on the condition of receiving one-half of the produce in remuneration for his labor and expense, while the other moiety was to be paid as rent to the owner of the land (19:29). Ziba exploits the disability of his master to his own advantage. In this he becomes the typical model of all those who allow vested interests to come in the way of service. Such interests betray love and loyalty, and engender lack of integrity, exploitation, and misappropriation.
Mephibosheth is given the special privilege of eating at the king’s table as one of his sons, the same privilege which David enjoyed in Saul’s house. It could also be that David wanted to have Mephibosheth under his personal supervision, lest there be any revolt from his side,
Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Micah whether born before or after his residence in Jerusalem, cannot be ascertained. But through him the name and memory of the excellent Jonathan was preserved (see 1 Chronicles 8:34, 35, 9:40, 41). Nothing more is mentioned about Mephibosheth’s son Mica and further shows that the house of Saul continued for several generations through the lineage of Jonathan.
David was a true friend of Jonathan that went pass the grave to the second mile!