Mephibosheth
The Story of Mephibosheth
Read 2 Sam 4.4; 2 Samuel 9; 2 Sam 19.24-30 and 2 Sam 21.1-7
The story of Mephibosheth is found in four passages in the Old Testament. The 1st passage in 2 Sam 4.4 explains how he became lame. He was not born lame, but he became lame when his nurse dropped him as a child of five years of age. It must have been a great fall, because he became crippled in both legs.
His name Mephibosheth means ‘one who destroys shame’ or ‘one who has overcome shame’. The appellation is prophetic about the man. He is one who overcame shame; his description by the Holy Spirit in 2 Samuel 19.24 shows one who mourns over the humiliation of his king, and his words in 2 Sam 19.30 express the satisfaction of one who sees the king restored to glory . He shuns earthly riches, for his heart brims with gratitude over the great grace shown by David towards him. He is the picture of a true spiritual believer, as opposed to the false, carnal and fleshly believers of our times. Their gospel is ‘Believe in Jesus and you will enjoy both heavenly and earthly blessings’. Their gospel is ‘Peace with God and prosperity on earth’. Mephibosheth, as one truly thankful for all the mercies shown to him by David, has a heart loyal to his king.
The mercies shown by David are spelt out in the 2nd passage found in 2 Samuel chapter 9. David seeks to show the ‘kindness of God’ [9.3] to the house of Saul – for Jonathan’s sake. We remember how David and Jonathan thrice bound themselves to a covenant, in which Jonathan made David swear that ‘he would not cut off his loving-kindness from the house of Jonathan, even when the Lord cuts off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth’. [1 Sam 20.15]. So the two of them made a covenant ‘before the Lord’, 1 Sam 23.18. This is a covenant under which David binds himself to show the ‘kindness of God’ to the house of Jonathan [or the house of Saul, since Jonathan was the son of Saul].
Thrice we find the word ‘kindness’ appearing in this short chapter, 2 Samuel 9. It speaks of covenant-kindness, or rather, divine mercy and grace. So David was merciful to the house of his enemy, Saul. Even so, God is merciful to us, while we were still His enemies. That mercy is seen in the Cross – we see the ‘Calvary love’ of God demonstrated in the sacrifice of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Five-fold Kindness
There is a five-fold kindness revealed in this passage. Mephibosheth is lame in both his feet. He has to be carried and brought to David. He calls himself a ‘dead dog’, and later in 2 Sam19.28 refers to himself as a ‘dead man’. Before God, as sinners, we are ‘dead in trespasses and sins’. The wrath of God burns against us. We are as good as dead -- if only once we realized that terrible and appalling wrath. Today’s gospel does not picture the wrath of God, nor does it elaborate the law that demands the death of every sinner, nor does it emphasize the unapproachable holiness of God. It is an emasculated gospel, watered down to suit human fancies and delusions.
Mephibosheth is a helpless man, lame in both feet, invalid like the paralytic in Mark 2, helpless like the man lying in the porch of Bethesda. Romans 5.6 says ‘While we were yet helpless…Christ died for [us], the ungodly’. None of us can take a decision for Christ; it is His Spirit that moves us, brings us to His feet and reveals to us the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. It is not that we loved Him, but that He first loved us and sent His Son to die as a propitiation for our sins. For God so loved the world... It is God who takes and has taken the initiative. There is nothing in which we can boast. May we have the humility of Mephibosheth!
Mephibosheth is lying forgotten, far away in the wilderness of Lo-debar, way beyond the Jordan. The news comes that the king wants to see him. The king wants to show him the kindness of God. Mephibosheth is brought to David and falls prostrate at his feet. ‘I am your servant,’ he says. ‘What is your servant, that you should regard a dead dog like me?’
Any other king, having come to the throne, would have slain all his enemies. David too would have slain him, but for the covenant with Jonathan. David speaks graciously to him. This is the ‘saving grace’ of God.
There is a second blessing. Not just saving grace, but grace that restores all that is lost. In three verses, we have the thought of what is lost being restored. ‘I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul.’ David tells Ziba, the imposing servant of Saul, ‘All that belonged to Saul and his house I have given to your master’s grandson.’ I wonder how Ziba felt; Ziba had misappropriated the property of Saul. David goes beyond; he says, ‘You, Ziba, and your sons and your servants shall cultivate the land and bring in the harvest so that your master’s grandson will always have food.’ As David provided for Mephibosheth, so God makes provision for us. My God shall supply all your needs, according to the glorious riches of grace in Christ Jesus.
Mephibosheth had lost everything. He was living in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel in Lo-debar. Machir was a good and kind man, a rich and hospitable host. Mephibosheth was an orphan, sheltered in his house, dependent on his charity and benevolence. Now he hears the words of the king: ‘I will restore to you all the land.’ Ziba had been feeding himself and his 15 sons and 20 servants off that land. Now Ziba is made to serve Mephibosheth - by royal command. So too does God restore to us all that is lost. He compensates for the years the locusts have eaten, the years wasted by sin. Like David once in a hopeless situation, God enables us to ‘recover all’, 1 Sam 30.18,19. David had to fight to recover, but Mephibosheth is sitting there in the presence of the king and receives the good news that his property is restored and provision has been made for a lifetime.
This brings us to the third blessing. Four times we are told that Mephibosheth shall eat at the king’s table. And the word ‘regularly’ is repeated thrice. Mephibosheth will not leave the presence of the king. He will not dine elsewhere in Jerusalem, but will feed of the variety and abundance of the king’s table. The spiritual connection is obvious. The table reflects the table of the Lord – royal food, spiritual nourishment, heavenly manna. In three ways, as believers, we enjoy this ‘table of grace’. As we read the word of God - as the word speaks to us as a living word, tasting of milk and honey - we are nourished and strengthened. We meditate on the word and enjoy strong meat or ‘solid food’, which is for the mature, Heb 5.14. In times of difficulty we cry out to the Lord in urgent prayer, and He answers immediately, dispensing grace from His heavenly throne. How often we have enjoyed timely deliverance, tasted special love, received appropriate help from Him ‘who is able to make all grace abound towards us, so that we will have all sufficiency in everything and an abundance for every good deed.’ [2 Cor 9.8]. Then, apart from the word of God and prayer, we enjoy the comfort of the Holy Spirit in the fellowship of the saints. The more we come together as believers, the more we are strengthened. It is difficult to explain, but easily experienced.
Look at the ‘tables’ in the Bible. We have the table of Joseph in Gen 43.34, from which Benjamin received five times more than his brothers. That ‘five’ speaks of ‘grace’. Benjamin the overcomer [and Mephibosheth, as also the apostle Paul, was from the tribe of Benjamin], speaks of the one who overcomes by sheer, abounding grace of God. This is not only sustaining grace, but grace that enables us to overcome. It is not by might, nor by power, but by His grace – His Spirit of grace. Solomon’s table in 1 Kings 4 speaks of the riches of God’s grace, a lavish feast that left the Queen of Sheba ‘breathless’. May God open our eyes to see that God’s food, the riches of His grace, is not some tasteless manna falling from heaven - but it is the satisfaction that we derive from the unsearchable riches of Christ.
The fourth blessing is that Mephibosheth is elevated to the status of a king’s son. So the verse says, ‘Mephibosheth ate at David’s table as one of the king’s sons.’ He, the grandson of an enemy, has become the son of a king. Not only is he brought from beyond the Jordan to the heart of Jerusalem, but he is stationed in Zion, the king’s palace, and sits in the presence of David like one of the king’s sons. This is not only saving grace, restoring grace, sustaining grace, but elevating grace. We have become sons and daughters of the Most High. We are royal children, the children of a King.
The fifth blessing is not seen in chapter 9. It is found later in chapter 21. That is the story of the broken covenant; of Saul’s slaughter of the Gibeonites, which violated the treaty that Joshua had with the Gibeonites in Joshua 9.15. God being truthful and One who honours His word demands that we too be truthful and honourable. A covenant is not just a promise, not a mere oath - it is a [written] word of honour. Divine justice is outraged at Saul’s bloody violation, and famine scourges the land. David inquires of the Lord and learns the truth. How can David make atonement to remove the curse of famine from the land? [2 Sam 21] The Gibeonites demand retribution. It is a lawful demand. Hear the words of the Gibeonites: ‘Let seven men from the sons of Saul be given to us, and we will hang them before the Lord in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the Lord.’ Hanging speaks of ‘curse’. It was a binding, permanent and irreversible covenant that Joshua had with the Gibeonites. Joshua, a man of honour, did not go back on his word; but Saul did. The seven sons [or grandsons] of Saul are to be hung ‘before the Lord’. The Gibeonites speak, ironically, of Saul as ‘the chosen of the Lord’. The Lord’s name has been blasphemed among the Gentiles. How important is this covenant before God! It is no small thing. Seven souls are sacrificed to make atonement, to wipe out the curse, to appease [propitiate] the wrath of God. This is holy wrath, demanding that divine retribution fall upon the house of Saul. Nevertheless, David ‘spared Mephibosheth’. What a great deliverance!
There are the demands of the law which we can’t escape. But, because of that famous three-fold covenant between David and Jonathan, Mephibosheth was spared. Out of all the kindnesses shown by the king, this is perhaps the greatest kindness. The law is inflexible. Its demands are relentless. There is no escape for us. And yet, we have a way of escape, a way of deliverance, a ‘new and living way’, through the everlasting covenant, the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
We have been meditating on the five-fold kindness shown by David to Mephibosheth. Truly it is a great kindness. It speaks of God’s grace to us sinners. Saving grace, restoring grace, sustaining grace, elevating grace and grace that keeps us eternally secure. It is a deliverance from sin, Satan and death; and even more so, a deliverance from the law, the world, and the self. If we continue to meditate on the story of Mephibosheth, we will find, as we read the portion in 2 Sam 19.24-30, one who is truly grateful and one who faithfully loves and honours his king. Would that we too were truly thankful for this ‘so great salvation’ that we have in Jesus Christ our Lord, and that we too would long to see Him enthroned here on earth as King.
30th January 2005
Read 2 Sam 4.4; 2 Samuel 9; 2 Sam 19.24-30 and 2 Sam 21.1-7
The story of Mephibosheth is found in four passages in the Old Testament. The 1st passage in 2 Sam 4.4 explains how he became lame. He was not born lame, but he became lame when his nurse dropped him as a child of five years of age. It must have been a great fall, because he became crippled in both legs.
His name Mephibosheth means ‘one who destroys shame’ or ‘one who has overcome shame’. The appellation is prophetic about the man. He is one who overcame shame; his description by the Holy Spirit in 2 Samuel 19.24 shows one who mourns over the humiliation of his king, and his words in 2 Sam 19.30 express the satisfaction of one who sees the king restored to glory . He shuns earthly riches, for his heart brims with gratitude over the great grace shown by David towards him. He is the picture of a true spiritual believer, as opposed to the false, carnal and fleshly believers of our times. Their gospel is ‘Believe in Jesus and you will enjoy both heavenly and earthly blessings’. Their gospel is ‘Peace with God and prosperity on earth’. Mephibosheth, as one truly thankful for all the mercies shown to him by David, has a heart loyal to his king.
The mercies shown by David are spelt out in the 2nd passage found in 2 Samuel chapter 9. David seeks to show the ‘kindness of God’ [9.3] to the house of Saul – for Jonathan’s sake. We remember how David and Jonathan thrice bound themselves to a covenant, in which Jonathan made David swear that ‘he would not cut off his loving-kindness from the house of Jonathan, even when the Lord cuts off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth’. [1 Sam 20.15]. So the two of them made a covenant ‘before the Lord’, 1 Sam 23.18. This is a covenant under which David binds himself to show the ‘kindness of God’ to the house of Jonathan [or the house of Saul, since Jonathan was the son of Saul].
Thrice we find the word ‘kindness’ appearing in this short chapter, 2 Samuel 9. It speaks of covenant-kindness, or rather, divine mercy and grace. So David was merciful to the house of his enemy, Saul. Even so, God is merciful to us, while we were still His enemies. That mercy is seen in the Cross – we see the ‘Calvary love’ of God demonstrated in the sacrifice of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Five-fold Kindness
There is a five-fold kindness revealed in this passage. Mephibosheth is lame in both his feet. He has to be carried and brought to David. He calls himself a ‘dead dog’, and later in 2 Sam19.28 refers to himself as a ‘dead man’. Before God, as sinners, we are ‘dead in trespasses and sins’. The wrath of God burns against us. We are as good as dead -- if only once we realized that terrible and appalling wrath. Today’s gospel does not picture the wrath of God, nor does it elaborate the law that demands the death of every sinner, nor does it emphasize the unapproachable holiness of God. It is an emasculated gospel, watered down to suit human fancies and delusions.
Mephibosheth is a helpless man, lame in both feet, invalid like the paralytic in Mark 2, helpless like the man lying in the porch of Bethesda. Romans 5.6 says ‘While we were yet helpless…Christ died for [us], the ungodly’. None of us can take a decision for Christ; it is His Spirit that moves us, brings us to His feet and reveals to us the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. It is not that we loved Him, but that He first loved us and sent His Son to die as a propitiation for our sins. For God so loved the world... It is God who takes and has taken the initiative. There is nothing in which we can boast. May we have the humility of Mephibosheth!
Mephibosheth is lying forgotten, far away in the wilderness of Lo-debar, way beyond the Jordan. The news comes that the king wants to see him. The king wants to show him the kindness of God. Mephibosheth is brought to David and falls prostrate at his feet. ‘I am your servant,’ he says. ‘What is your servant, that you should regard a dead dog like me?’
Any other king, having come to the throne, would have slain all his enemies. David too would have slain him, but for the covenant with Jonathan. David speaks graciously to him. This is the ‘saving grace’ of God.
There is a second blessing. Not just saving grace, but grace that restores all that is lost. In three verses, we have the thought of what is lost being restored. ‘I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul.’ David tells Ziba, the imposing servant of Saul, ‘All that belonged to Saul and his house I have given to your master’s grandson.’ I wonder how Ziba felt; Ziba had misappropriated the property of Saul. David goes beyond; he says, ‘You, Ziba, and your sons and your servants shall cultivate the land and bring in the harvest so that your master’s grandson will always have food.’ As David provided for Mephibosheth, so God makes provision for us. My God shall supply all your needs, according to the glorious riches of grace in Christ Jesus.
Mephibosheth had lost everything. He was living in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel in Lo-debar. Machir was a good and kind man, a rich and hospitable host. Mephibosheth was an orphan, sheltered in his house, dependent on his charity and benevolence. Now he hears the words of the king: ‘I will restore to you all the land.’ Ziba had been feeding himself and his 15 sons and 20 servants off that land. Now Ziba is made to serve Mephibosheth - by royal command. So too does God restore to us all that is lost. He compensates for the years the locusts have eaten, the years wasted by sin. Like David once in a hopeless situation, God enables us to ‘recover all’, 1 Sam 30.18,19. David had to fight to recover, but Mephibosheth is sitting there in the presence of the king and receives the good news that his property is restored and provision has been made for a lifetime.
This brings us to the third blessing. Four times we are told that Mephibosheth shall eat at the king’s table. And the word ‘regularly’ is repeated thrice. Mephibosheth will not leave the presence of the king. He will not dine elsewhere in Jerusalem, but will feed of the variety and abundance of the king’s table. The spiritual connection is obvious. The table reflects the table of the Lord – royal food, spiritual nourishment, heavenly manna. In three ways, as believers, we enjoy this ‘table of grace’. As we read the word of God - as the word speaks to us as a living word, tasting of milk and honey - we are nourished and strengthened. We meditate on the word and enjoy strong meat or ‘solid food’, which is for the mature, Heb 5.14. In times of difficulty we cry out to the Lord in urgent prayer, and He answers immediately, dispensing grace from His heavenly throne. How often we have enjoyed timely deliverance, tasted special love, received appropriate help from Him ‘who is able to make all grace abound towards us, so that we will have all sufficiency in everything and an abundance for every good deed.’ [2 Cor 9.8]. Then, apart from the word of God and prayer, we enjoy the comfort of the Holy Spirit in the fellowship of the saints. The more we come together as believers, the more we are strengthened. It is difficult to explain, but easily experienced.
Look at the ‘tables’ in the Bible. We have the table of Joseph in Gen 43.34, from which Benjamin received five times more than his brothers. That ‘five’ speaks of ‘grace’. Benjamin the overcomer [and Mephibosheth, as also the apostle Paul, was from the tribe of Benjamin], speaks of the one who overcomes by sheer, abounding grace of God. This is not only sustaining grace, but grace that enables us to overcome. It is not by might, nor by power, but by His grace – His Spirit of grace. Solomon’s table in 1 Kings 4 speaks of the riches of God’s grace, a lavish feast that left the Queen of Sheba ‘breathless’. May God open our eyes to see that God’s food, the riches of His grace, is not some tasteless manna falling from heaven - but it is the satisfaction that we derive from the unsearchable riches of Christ.
The fourth blessing is that Mephibosheth is elevated to the status of a king’s son. So the verse says, ‘Mephibosheth ate at David’s table as one of the king’s sons.’ He, the grandson of an enemy, has become the son of a king. Not only is he brought from beyond the Jordan to the heart of Jerusalem, but he is stationed in Zion, the king’s palace, and sits in the presence of David like one of the king’s sons. This is not only saving grace, restoring grace, sustaining grace, but elevating grace. We have become sons and daughters of the Most High. We are royal children, the children of a King.
The fifth blessing is not seen in chapter 9. It is found later in chapter 21. That is the story of the broken covenant; of Saul’s slaughter of the Gibeonites, which violated the treaty that Joshua had with the Gibeonites in Joshua 9.15. God being truthful and One who honours His word demands that we too be truthful and honourable. A covenant is not just a promise, not a mere oath - it is a [written] word of honour. Divine justice is outraged at Saul’s bloody violation, and famine scourges the land. David inquires of the Lord and learns the truth. How can David make atonement to remove the curse of famine from the land? [2 Sam 21] The Gibeonites demand retribution. It is a lawful demand. Hear the words of the Gibeonites: ‘Let seven men from the sons of Saul be given to us, and we will hang them before the Lord in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the Lord.’ Hanging speaks of ‘curse’. It was a binding, permanent and irreversible covenant that Joshua had with the Gibeonites. Joshua, a man of honour, did not go back on his word; but Saul did. The seven sons [or grandsons] of Saul are to be hung ‘before the Lord’. The Gibeonites speak, ironically, of Saul as ‘the chosen of the Lord’. The Lord’s name has been blasphemed among the Gentiles. How important is this covenant before God! It is no small thing. Seven souls are sacrificed to make atonement, to wipe out the curse, to appease [propitiate] the wrath of God. This is holy wrath, demanding that divine retribution fall upon the house of Saul. Nevertheless, David ‘spared Mephibosheth’. What a great deliverance!
There are the demands of the law which we can’t escape. But, because of that famous three-fold covenant between David and Jonathan, Mephibosheth was spared. Out of all the kindnesses shown by the king, this is perhaps the greatest kindness. The law is inflexible. Its demands are relentless. There is no escape for us. And yet, we have a way of escape, a way of deliverance, a ‘new and living way’, through the everlasting covenant, the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
We have been meditating on the five-fold kindness shown by David to Mephibosheth. Truly it is a great kindness. It speaks of God’s grace to us sinners. Saving grace, restoring grace, sustaining grace, elevating grace and grace that keeps us eternally secure. It is a deliverance from sin, Satan and death; and even more so, a deliverance from the law, the world, and the self. If we continue to meditate on the story of Mephibosheth, we will find, as we read the portion in 2 Sam 19.24-30, one who is truly grateful and one who faithfully loves and honours his king. Would that we too were truly thankful for this ‘so great salvation’ that we have in Jesus Christ our Lord, and that we too would long to see Him enthroned here on earth as King.
30th January 2005
posted by prolix at 8:29 AM
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