Abounding Grace – Mephibosheth Entered Into The Kindness Of Grace Series

ABOUNDING GRACE – MEPHIBOSHETH ENTERED INTO THE KINDNESS OF GRACE

INTRODUCTION

When you come in from a very brightly lit room where you have been for a few hours, and into a closed room where there is just one candle on a table, all is dull. If you have spent a year in a cave with no light at all, and then you come into the room with the one candle, all is so bright. It is the same candle so what is the difference? The big difference is perspective.

Those deeper in the dark pit appreciate the exit from the pit even more. The greater the delivery from sin, the more that person appreciates the grace of God that underscored it all. The greater the delivery from sin, then the greater that candle will shine. A child who was brought up in a Christian home surrounded by Christians may not appreciate as much the grace of God that saved that child, as much as a wicked man who lived a sinful life and then got saved. Thus it was with John Newton who could write Amazing Grace because he had come from the dark recesses of sin’s cave into a candle-lit room.

Which New Testament writer used the word “grace” so often? We know it was Paul, in every letter. The man who sought out believers, arrested them, and then arranged for them to be put to death, realised his foul life when God saved him, and came to appreciate the grace of God that saved him, more than any of us possibly could. In this, John Newton and Paul shared a common gratitude.

One day David the King was given to reflection, and in his mind was stirring a thought that could only have come from God. David and King Saul’s son, Jonathon, shared a very close friendship and when Jonathon was killed in battle, it really cut David to the quick. As he thought about that many years later, an idea came into his mind (from God of course!). He would search out some relative of Saul (Saul also died in that battle), and show kindness to that one for the sake of the relationship he had had with Jonathon. That will the title of today’s message – “ABOUNDING GRACE – Message on MEPHIBOSHETH”. We are going to read that so can we turn to 2 Samuel chapter 9 – (I am going to put here the whole bible passage)

THE STORY OF MEPHIBOSHETH

2Samuel 9 v 1 Then David said, “Is there yet anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2Sam 9:2 Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” and he said, “I am your servant.” 2Sam 9:3 The king said, “Is there not yet anyone 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 crippled in both feet,” 2Sam 9:4 so the king said to him, “Where is he?” and Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel in Lo-debar.” 2Sam 9:5 Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar, 2Sam 9:6 and Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself and David said, “Mephibosheth.” He said, “Here is your servant.” 2Sam 9:7 David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you shall eat at my table regularly.” 2Sam 9:8 Again he prostrated himself and said, “What is your servant, that you should regard a dead dog like me?”

2Samuel 9:9 Then the king called Saul’s servant Ziba, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson, 2Sam 9:10 and you and your sons and your servants shall cultivate the land for him, and you shall bring in the produce so that your master’s grandson may have food. Nevertheless Mephibosheth your master’s grandson shall eat at my table regularly.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. 2Sam 9:11 Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant so your servant will do,” so Mephibosheth ate at David’s table as one of the king’s sons. 2Sam 9:12 Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica and all who lived in the house of Ziba were servants to Mephibosheth. 2Sam 9:13 Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate at the king’s table regularly. Now he was lame in both feet.