Chosen By The King Series

CHOSEN BY THE KING

II Samuel 9:1-13

(Antioch Baptist Church: Sunday, March 8th, 2026)

When a person works an eight-hour day and receives a fair day’s pay for his time, that is a wage. When a person competes with an opponent and receives a trophy for his performance, that is a prize. When a person receives appropriate recognition for his long service or high achievements, that is an award. But when a person is not capable of earning a wage, can win no prize, and deserves no award—yet receives such a gift anyway, that is grace. (Source: Clip-Art Features for Church Newsletters, G.W. Knight, p. 53)

A simple definition of grace is “something given that is not earned or deserved”. In the Bible, grace is defined as “the unmerited favor of God”. Through Christ, our Heavenly Father has bestowed upon us His favor, love, and innumerable blessings.

Our selected text records one of the greatest examples of grace in the entire Bible. King David seeks out a man named Mephibosheth and presents him with a life changing opportunity. Those of us who are “in Christ” have been sought out by the King of kings. He has extended grace to us and changed our lives. Even greater than that is the reality that He has changed us eternally.

Some of you have yet to experience this immediate and eternal transformation; it is possible that today could be the day that the King comes calling. I would like to look at the story of David and Mephibosheth and preach on the subject, “Chosen By The King”.

Israel’s King Saul had a son named Jonathan. Jonathan and David were brothers-in-law and the closest of friends. 1 Samuel 18:1 says, “the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.”

As a result of sin and rebellion, the Lord declared that He would remove Saul’s kingdom from him and give it to another. Samuel said to Saul, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you.” David was the man whom the Lord chose to eventually succeed Saul as King. As Saul’s son, Jonathan recognized David’s divine appointment to the throne. However, he sacrificed his own claim to the kingdom in order to protect David against his father's jealousy.

Jonathan and David entered into a covenant together. In the ancient Near East, when a new king came to power, he would annihilate the family of the preceding monarch in order to cut off anyone who might be a threat to his rule. David’s covenant promise assured Jonathan that his family would not be annihilated when David replaced Saul as king.

By the time of 2 Samuel chapter nine, King Saul and his son Jonathan have died in an intense battle with the Philistines. God’s chosen servant, David has ascended the throne. Several years have passed and the King sought to honor the covenant that he had made with Jonathan. He asked his attendants, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” (v1). In turn, they called “a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba” (v2). David asked Ziba, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?” (v3a).

Ziba replied that “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.” (v3b). It is possible that Ziba mentioned the fact that Mephibosheth was cripped to indicate that he was unable to lead an army into battle and therefore he was not a credible threat to David’s rule.

2 Samuel 4:4 describes the heartbreaking chain of events that led to Mephibosheth being crippled. Saul and Jonathan were engaged in a fierce battle with the Philistines. Jonathan's precious 5-year-old son, Mephibosheth was in the care of his nanny. A messenger came from Jezreel with the news that Mephibosheth's father and grandfather had both been killed in battle. Fearing for his life, the nanny grabbed the young boy and began to flee the area. In her haste she tripped and dropped Mephibosheth breaking both of his feet; tragically, he would be lame for the remainder of his life.

After learning about Mephibosheth, the king asked Ziba, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.” Mephibosheth was dwelling in the house of a man named “Machir”. Machir was a rich and influential person whose home would have been of ample size to accommodate Saul’s likely destitute grandson. They lived in place east of the Jordan, in Gilead, called “Lo-debar”. Lo-debar literally means “no pasture”; this was a dry barren land.