I am Mephibosheth

How like Mephibosheth we all are. As a reminder:

^“1 Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”

² And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” He said, “At your service!”

³ Then the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God?” And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet.” ⁴ So the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “Indeed he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar.” ⁵ Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar.

⁶ Now when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, “Mephibosheth?” And he answered, “Here is your servant!”
⁷ So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.” ⁸ Then he bowed himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?”

⁹ And the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “I have given to your master’s son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. ¹⁰ You therefore, and your sons and your servants, shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in the harvest, that your master’s son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s son shall eat bread at my table always.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.

¹¹ Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do.” “As for Mephibosheth,” said the king, “he shall eat at my table like one of the king’s sons.”

¹² Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Micha. And all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth. ¹³ So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king’s table. And he was lame in both his feet.” (2 Sam 9)

Once again we see in the Old Testament, an outward example of inward truth. We can draw a spiritual lesson from a physical situation.  Let’s assume God would be represented by King David, Jonathan represents Christ, and Mephibosheth you and I.

We would read it similar to this (similar, but I’m not trying to make doctrine here):

And God said, “Is there anyone left to whom I may show kindness for the sake of my Son?”

“There is still  _____ (fill in your name), a sinner who could not walk in your precepts without stumbling.” And God asks, “Where is she?”  (Such a tender question.)

 “(Cindy)? She is living in Sin, outside of the Kingdom, stuck in a pit of despair and destruction.”

And God sent and brought her out.

Now when (Cindy) came before God, she fell on her face and prostrated herself. Then God said, “Cindy?”
And she answered, “Here is your servant!”

So God said to her, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jesus’ sake, and will restore to you the inheritance that satan has stolen; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.”

Then she bowed herself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon me who am dead in my sin?”

Whereupon, He blessed her with an inheritance which she did not deserve.  Then, He proclaimed that she was to eat at His table, as one of His dearly loved sons!  So Cindy dwelt in the New Jerusalem, for she ate continually at the king’s table. And she was a lame sinner who found it hard to walk in His Way and not stumble.”

Through King David, we see the kindness and generosity of a loving God. Through Jonathan we see a picture of Christ. This type is seen in other stories of Jonathan as well. And through Mephibosheth we see a picture of man; entirely undeserving outcasts to whom the Lord shows His undeserved grace and mercy and loving-kindness.

However, may the comparison end there as later in the book of 2 Samuel, Mephibosheth believes he should be entitled to the entire kingdom during a battle from which he believes David will not return. Instead of being content with the restoration of his inheritance, he covets the entire kingdom.

As Beth Moore points out in “A Heart Like His,” we see several virtues of God through King David in this section of scripture:

·         His loving-kindness – He was looking for someone to whom he could show kindness.

·         His initiation of the relationship – He first pursues us.

·         His complete acceptance – He even loves the stumbling sinner.

·         His calming spirit – “Do not fear…”

·         His delight in restoration – He removed Mephibosheth’s shame of living in exile and poverty.

·         His desire for another son – although he already had many sons at his table he was willing to accept another.

May we always remember that it is God who pursued Mephibosheth (us), God who restored Mephibosheth, and God who satisfied the hunger and thirst of Mephibosheth.  He does this because of who He is.