The empty chair sits alone at the end of the table. No one reaches for the plate beside it, yet it becomes the first thing you see when you enter the room.
Almost every home has an empty chair. Sometimes it waits for someone who will return. Sometimes it reminds us of someone who never will. An empty chair expresses something words rarely can. It tells a story before anyone at the table speaks.
One empty chair told a similar story in the house of ancient Israel’s King David. Years after Saul and Jonathan died, David’s kingdom finally rested from war. He united all the tribes of Israel, defeated his enemies, established Jerusalem as its capital, and settled into the work of governing a nation.
Most kings spend peaceful years looking ahead. Unlike others, David looked back.
He asked a question no one expected to hear from a victorious king. “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” (2 Samuel 9:1, NKJV).
Saul was Israel’s first king before David. When David’s popularity grew, Saul’s jealousy turned into hatred. He spent years trying to kill David, forcing him to live as a fugitive who hid in caves and wilderness strongholds.
David had every reason to leave Saul’s family in the past. Peace could have given him every reason to move on, but David never forgot the love he shared with Saul’s son Jonathan.
The answer led David to Lo Debar, where Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth, lived far from the palace and almost forgotten. He didn’t always live in exile. Years earlier, when Saul and Jonathan died in battle, a nurse fled with the young boy. In the panic, she dropped him, leaving him unable to walk for the rest of his life.
David sent for Mephibosheth. A royal summons usually meant danger, not mercy. Ancient kings eliminated surviving members of a former royal family because they viewed them as future threats to the throne.
Instead of judgment, Jonathan’s son found welcome. David spoke his name, calmed his fears, restored his family’s land, and promised, “You shall eat bread at my table continually” (2 Samuel 9:7, NKJV).
David kept his promise. Every day another place was prepared at the king’s table. Seasons passed. Children grew older. Guests came and went. Yet the chair David set aside for Jonathan’s son remained.
That chair became a daily reminder that promises can outlive the people who make them.
An empty chair waits in every home. It may be covered with dust, but someone still belongs there. And David knew that. He made room at his table for his friend’s son.
David could not restore Jonathan to his table. Yet he could welcome someone Jonathan loved.
Real peace rarely waits for an invitation. It looks for an empty chair, then begins setting another place at the table.
About the Author
David Johnson is the co-founder and Director of Ministry at Laurel Mountain Ministries. He is an ordained minister, retired attorney, Bible teacher, and author who enjoys helping people discover God’s truth through practical Bible study. His latest book, PEACEMAKER: A Twelve Session Journey into the Heart of God’s Peace, is available on Amazon.
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