The
Book of second Samuel
Chapter 9
[1] And David said, Is there yet any that is left of
the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan's sake?
1)
Question (Vs 1)
In II Sam 7 David asks “What can I do for God?” NOW David
asks “What can I do for others?”
This question shows great love as the king of a new
dynasty would kill all from previous dynasty
This question shows David as a man of his word. David
had promised Jonathon I Sam 20:14-16
[2] And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba. And when
they had called him unto David, the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he
said, Thy servant is he.
[3] And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may
shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath
yet a son, which is lame on his feet.
[4] And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king,
Behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lo-debar.
[5] Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son
of Ammiel, from Lo-debar.
2)
Quest (Vs
2-5)
A servant from the house of Saul was still living and his
name was Ziba
David enquires from Ziba about his desire to shew the kindness
of God to the House of Saul
Ziba testified that Jonathon had a lame son that is alive
(II Sam 4:4)
Ths son, named Mephibosheth, has a right to the throne as
a descendant of Saul
David enquires where this young man is at
Ziba says Mephibosheth is living in the house of Machir “sold”
Mephib had no house of his own
Ziba says Mephibosheth is dwelling in Lodebar - meaning “no
pasture, no bread”“land of want”
Mephibosheth is living in exile, hiding from the new king
David is happy to hear this news and sends for the young
man. The quest, the search is on
Mephibosheth is found and fetched (brought back as is)
(How David must’ve rejoiced)
Mephibosheth is surely terrified as he is no longer
hidden and is quaking all over
[6] Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son
of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David
said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant!
[7] And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for
Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy
father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.
[8] And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest
look upon such a dead dog as I am?
3)
Quelled (Vs 6-8)
Mephibosheth, with his unfounded fears, falls upon his
face before King David
David calls his name and Mephibosheth responds “behold
thy servant”
David says “Fear not.” David is making good on a promise
he made to Jonathon
David will save and spare Mephibosheth’s life......................................................future
David will give Mephibosheth all the land that was
his.........................................fulfilment
David will allow Mephibosheth to eat at the kings table
continually.....................family
Lk 22:30—Jesus is and will do the same for us Lk 24:30
Mephibosheth bows and acknowledges his unworthiness of
such generosity
Mephibosheth considers himself a dead dog meaning he is
worthless and insignificant
Yet, David will shew the kindness of God, the grace of
God to Mephibosheth for Jonathons sake
Surely God has shown us His grace for Jesus’ sake
All of Mephibosheths fears are
quenched and quieted– dispelled, silenced, peace has come to the fearful
[9] Then the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said unto him, I have
given unto thy master's son all that pertained to Saul and to all his house.
[10] Thou therefore, and thy sons, and thy servants, shall till the land for
him, and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master's son may have food to
eat: but Mephibosheth thy master's son shall eat bread alway at my table. Now
Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
[11] Then said Ziba unto the king, According to all that my lord the king hath
commanded his servant, so shall thy servant do. As for Mephibosheth, said the
king, he shall eat at my table, as one of the king's sons.
[12] And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Micha. And all that dwelt
in the house of Ziba were servants unto Mephibosheth.
4)
Queued (Vs 9-12)
King David calls Ziba and tells him what the king has
given and done for Mephibosheth
Ziba is charged to be a servant unto Mephibosheth
Ziba and his 15 sons and his 20 servants will work the
land and bring in fruits to bless Mephib.
King David will see that Ziba has what he needs to help
Mephiboseth
[13] So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat
continually at the king's table; and was lame on both his feet.
5) Questionable Quickened (Vs 13)
Mephibosheth now dwells in Jerusalem, no longer hiding or
in exile BUT openly w/ people of God
Mephibosheth no longer dwelt in poverty estranged from
the king BUT w/ privilege & provision of king
Yet, Mephibosheth with all these blessings is still lame
on his feet. (Saved yet w/ a sin nature)
The weakness of Mephibosheth was still present BUT his
life is not what it used to be
What did Mephibosheth do to earn this position of sitting
at the kings table
He knew nothing of royal forks,regal spoons &
glittering cups.
Yet
the Majestic Tablecloth of Grace Covered Him
(Read
Eph 2)
A. Picture
Mephibosheth, once considered as a dead man
has been saved and made to live
We were dead in trespasses and sin.
Undeserving, lame, poor, weak, hiding and in exile
Yet, the King, God Himself sought us out,
Saved us, Changed&Gave us a New Life w/ Blessings
Servants the angels, the Holy Spirit to help
us bear fruit
Are you showing up for dinner at the kings
table? Are you eating somewhere less?
In our service to the
king and ministry we should bless others showing them the kindness of God
A story is told about Fiorello LaGuardia, who, when he was mayor of New
York City during the worst days of the Great Depression and all of WWII, was
called by adoring New Yorkers 'the Little Flower' because he was only five foot
four and always wore a carnation in his lapel. He was a colorful character who
used to ride the New York City fire trucks, raid speakeasies with the police
department, take entire orphanages to baseball games, and whenever the New York
newspapers were on strike, he would go on the radio and read the Sunday funnies
to the kids. One bitterly cold night in January of 1935, the mayor turned up at
a night court that served the poorest ward of the city. LaGuardia dismissed the
judge for the evening and took over the bench himself.
Within
a few minutes, a tattered old woman was brought before him, charged with
stealing a loaf of bread. She told LaGuardia that her daughter's husband had
deserted her, her daughter was sick, and her two grandchildren were starving.
But the shopkeeper, from whom the bread was stolen, refused to drop the
charges. "It's a real bad neighborhood, your Honor." the man told the
mayor. "She's got to be punished to teach other people around here a
lesson." LaGuardia sighed. He turned to the woman and said "I've got
to punish you. The law makes no exceptions--ten dollars or ten days in
jail." But even as he pronounced sentence, the mayor was already reaching
into his pocket. He extracted a bill and tossed it into his famous sombrero
saying: "Here is the ten dollar fine which I now remit; and furthermore I
am going to fine everyone in this courtroom fifty cents for living in a town
where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat. Mr.
Baliff, collect the fines and give them to the defendant."
So
the following day the New York City newspapers reported that $47.50 was turned
over to a bewildered old lady who had stolen a loaf of bread to feed her
starving grandchildren, fifty cents of that amount being contributed by the
red-faced grocery store owner, while some seventy petty criminals, people with
traffic violations, and New York City policemen, each of whom had just paid
fifty cents for the privilege of doing so, gave the mayor a standing ovation
My
friends that is the essence of grace! It recognizes our wretched condition; it
pays our debt and it gives us more then we could ever have imagined