Kindness is a way of being that includes loving care, understanding, friendliness, patience, gentleness, and goodness. It is shown in how a person speaks and acts. Kindness is more about choosing to act in a certain way than about feeling emotions.
The Bible has many stories about kindness:
Joseph asked Pharaoh's servant to kindly remember him to Pharaoh (Genesis 40:14).
Rahab asked for kind treatment from Israel because she protected two spies in her home (Joshua 2:12).
Before he attacked Amalek, Saul asked the Kenites to leave the Amalekite territory. He did not want to kill them along with the Amalekites because of the kindness they had shown Israel when Israel came up from Egypt (1 Samuel 15:6).
David praised the men of Jabesh-gilead for burying Saul's body (2 Samuel 2:5).
Jonathan requested “unfailing kindness” of David so that he would not be killed (1 Samuel 20:14–15).
David was kind to Jonathan's son, letting him eat at the king's table (2 Samuel 9:1–7).
It is very wrong to return evil for kindness:
Abimelech wanted Abraham to swear that he would return kindness for kindness to his offspring (Genesis 21:23).
Abner showed kindness to Ishbosheth by not delivering him over to David, but Ishbosheth charged Abner with wrongdoing regarding Saul’s concubine, Rizpah (2 Samuel 3:8).
David sent kind words when his father died, but Hanun humiliated David’s messengers, thereby bringing on war between the two nations (2 Samuel 10:2–19).
Absalom rebuked Hushai, David’s friend, for supposedly leaving David’s side when he needed him. Absalom asked Hushai if that was the way he was repaying David’s friendship (2 Samuel 16:17; see also 2 Chronicles 24:22).
God's actions are the best examples of kindness in the Bible. The Levites praised God for being forgiving, gracious, compassionate, and very kind (Nehemiah 9:17–31). They said God was kind even when Israel was not faithful to Him.
God did not leave his people, even when they worshipped a golden calf a golden calf.
God gave them his Spirit to teach them.
God gave them manna to eat and water to drink for 40 years in the wilderness.
God gave them the land of Canaan to live in.
The greatest example of God's kindness was giving salvation to sinners, not because of their good deeds but because of His mercy (Titus 3:4; see also Ephesians 2:7).
Because God has been so kind to them, Christians (as God's chosen people) are told to be compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, and patient (Colossians 3:12). The apostle Peter told Christians to add “brotherly kindness” to their faith, along with other good qualities (2 Peter 1:7).