Introduction:
A. What do you think of when I say the word “GRACE”?
1. Many of us probably think of the prayer we offer at mealtimes.
2. The story is told of a family who was inspired to do something after hearing a great sermon on evangelism.
a. So they invited their neighbors to dinner the following Friday night.
b. When they sat down to eat, they wanted to demonstrate to the neighbors that they upheld Christian standards in their home.
c. So the father asked little 5 year old Johnny to say grace.
d. Little Johnny was a bit shy, and said, “I don’t know what to say.”
e. There was an awkward pause, followed by a reassuring smile from the boy’s mother.
f. “Well darling,” she said, “just say what Daddy said at breakfast this morning.”
g. Obediently, the little boy prayed, "Oh God, help us tonight as we’ve got those awful neighbors coming to dinner.”
3. Other things that come to mind when we think of “grace” are the graceful moves of a ballet dancer, or the queen of England carrying herself with grace.
4. Grace can refer to these kinds of things – prayer, coordination of movement and elegance.
5. But more important than any of these uses of grace is its spiritual use.
B. Spiritually speaking, grace means unmerited favor.
1. It means extending favor to someone who doesn’t deserve it, who hasn’t earned it, and can never repay it.
2. That is certainly what God has done for each one of us in Christ Jesus.
3. We are saved by grace – we don’t deserve it, can’t earn it, and can never repay it, and we are not supposed to – grace is a gift.
C. In response to the grace we have received, it is God’s desire that we learn to be graceful people.
1. Every once in a while we witness someone acting gracefully toward someone else, and it is a beautiful thing to behold.
2. We witness one such moment in the life of David.
3. It involves an obscure man with an almost unpronounceable name – Mephibosheth, but it is a beautiful and unforgettable story.
I. The Story
A. In our last sermon about the life of David, several weeks back, we noticed that David was in a period of peace.
1. His life had settled down, and he was in a contemplative mode.
2. David was now approaching the pinnacle of his power in the affairs of the empire.
3. Roughly 20 turbulent years had elapsed since those days when David was Israel’s young hero, the slayer of Goliath, and best friend of King Saul’s son, Jonathan.
4. David gave thought to constructing a temple for the Lord, but God informed him that that was a job for his son.
5. And although that must have been a great disappointment, David accepted God’s will and did a lot of the preparatory work on the temple to make the job easier for his son.
B. As David spent this peaceful time thinking about his past and all the blessings he had received, I’m sure he thought of his friend Jonathan, who had been lost in battle, and of Jonathan’s father, King Saul, who had died in that same battle.
1. While reflecting upon those two men and the impact they’d had on his life, David must have remembered the promise he had made.
2. The Bible says: David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” (2 Sam. 9:1)
C. The word translated “kindness” in this verse carries much more meaning than our English word “kindness” can convey.
1. Like the colors of the rainbow, it can convey kindness, love, steadfast love, covenantal friendship, loyal love, justice and grace.
2. It is a favorite word among the psalmists to convey God’s characteristic relationship with us.
3. It is a favorite word of the prophets to designate our most appropriate relationship with one another – steadfast love and grace.
D. So David asks the question – “Is there anybody left to whom I might show grace for Jonathan’s sake?”
1. After all, David had made a promise.
2. Back in 1 Samuel 20, while David was running for his life from Saul, Jonathan knew that David was destined for the throne, and knew that God would protect David.
a. Jonathan said: “But if my father is inclined to harm you, may the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if I do not let you know and send you away safely. May the LORD be with you as he has been with my father. But show me unfailing kindness like that of the LORD as long as I live, so that I may not be killed…” (1 Sam. 20:13-14)
b. It was the custom of the time that when a new king took over, all the family members of the previous dynasty were eliminated to take away the possibility of a revolt.
c. So Jonathan was saying, “David, when you get to the throne, will you show my family grace? Unlike the custom of other kings, will you preserve our lives? Will you take care of us and protect us?”
d. Without hesitation, David agreed to do so. His love for Jonathan prompted him to enter into a binding covenant with his friend.
3. Then later in 1 Samuel 24, after David had spared Saul’s life in the cave, Saul said to him: “I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hands. Now swear to me by the LORD that you will not cut off my descendants or wipe out my name from my father’s family.” So David gave his oath to Saul. (1 Sam. 24:20-22)
4. So David had made a promise both to Jonathan and to Saul.
E. And so David begins to investigate – “Is there anyone left to whom I might demonstrate grace because of Jonathan?”
1. Did you notice that David asked, “Is there anyone?”
2. He didn’t ask, “Is there anyone qualified?” Or, “Is there anyone worthy?”
3. He simply said, “Is there anyone?”
4. Regardless of who they are, is there anybody still living who can be the recipient of my grace?
F. Well, David discovered, it just so happens that there was someone.
1. The Bible says: Now there was a servant of Saul’s household named Ziba. They called him to appear before David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” “Your servant,” he replied. The king asked, “Is there no one still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?” Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in both feet.” (2 Sam. 9:2-3)
2. David’s response is beautiful. He immediately asks, “Where is he?”
3. David doesn’t ask, “How badly is he crippled?” He doesn’t inquire about how he became crippled.
4. All he wants to know is where is the man located.
5. That’s the way grace is. Grace isn’t picky. Grace doesn’t look to see if it is deserved.
6. Grace is a gift that is one-sided.
G. The Bible gives Ziba’s answer to the king’s question: Ziba answered, “He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.” (2 Sam. 9:4)
1. Take a look at the name of that location.
2. “Lo” in Hebrew means “no,” and “debar” is from the root word meaning “pasture or pastureland.”
3. So where is Jonathan’s son living? In a place where there is no pastureland.
4. He is living in some obscure, desolate place in Palestine.
5. They had hidden him away in some place where no one wanted to live.
I. Now David had not been interested in how Jonathan’s son had become crippled, but maybe you are.
1. The Bible tells the story that gives the answer to that question.
2. In 2 Samuel 4:4, the Bible says: Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was lame in both feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she hurried to leave, he fell and became crippled. His name was Mephibosheth.
3. Certainly this adds an additional emotional element to the story, doesn’t it?
4. The nurse who was in charge of protecting Jonathan’s son was tragically careless when she fled upon hearing the news that Saul and Jonathan were dead.
5. In her hurry, she likely tripped and the boy tumbled out of her arms, and as a result the boy was permanently disabled.
J. So try to imagine being Mephibosheth, the only remaining son of Jonathan, grandson of King Saul, who was accidently made a cripple and who has been hiding in a desolate place ever since.
1. The very last thing you ever want to have happen is for an emissary from King David to knock on your door saying that the king wants to see you.
2. So can you imagine Mephibosheth’s shock when that very thing happens?
3. We don’t know how many years it has been or exactly how old he is, but he has a family of his own now - later in the chapter we are told that he has a son of his own.
4. David’s official representative says, “The king wants to see you.” And I’m sure he must have thought, “Well, this is the end.”
K. Mephibosheth is brought to Jerusalem and escorted into the very presence of the king.
1. The Bible wonderfully describes what happens: When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor. David said, “Mephibosheth!” “Your servant,” he replied. “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.” Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?” (2 Sam. 9:6-8)
2. Can you imagine what Mephibosheth must have been thinking and feeling?
3. David says “Are you Mephibosheth?” “Yes, I am, and I’m your servant,” he replies.
4. Then David utters reassuring words, “Do not be afraid…” “Relax, it’s going to be all right.”
a. This is a common phrase in biblical narrative.
b. It is so frequent because there is much to fear in life.
c. We constantly meet up with people who are more powerful than us and circumstances beyond our control.
d. The phrase, “do not be afraid,” was often on the lips of angels, the messengers of God’s good news.
e. It was often on the lips of Jesus, who regularly brought frightened and bewildered men and women into the very presence of God.
f. Here is it on the lips of David.
5. Mephibosheth has every reason to be deathly afraid of David.
6. He has no reason to think that David is not out to get rid of him, since he is the last vestige of Saul’s family and therefore the last potential rival for the throne.
7. But David dispelled all fear when he declared, “Oh, my friend, you’re going to have a place of honor like you’ve never had before. You will become a member of my family. You will eat regularly at my table.”
8. Wow! Isn’t that amazing? Amazing grace.
L. But that’s not all. There is more!
1. David assigns Saul’s old servant, Ziba, the responsibility of farming the land of Mephibosheth.
2. The outcome of David’s action is that Mephibosheth has secure income of his own, is honored like David’s own sons, and joins the household of David.
3. What a fantastic story of grace.
II. The Application
A. But I need to tell you that the story of David and Mephibosheth is not the Bible’s greatest story of grace, it is indeed a good one, but it is not the greatest one.
1. The Bible’s greatest story of grace is the story of what God has done for us through Jesus.
2. The Bible says: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (Jn 3:16)
3. Romans 3:23, 24 says: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
B. The story of Mephibosheth and David is a true story – it really happened, but it is amazing how well it fits as an allegory of our story – think with me about it…
1. First of all, like Mephibosheth, we were all CRIPPLED BY A FALL.
a. The human race is crippled because of the fall of Adam. Now we have a propensity to sin and we face the consequences of sin.
b. And we are crippled when it comes to pleasing God on the basis of our own deeds.
2. Second, But the good news is that, like Mephibosheth, we were SOUGHT BY THE KING.
a. Mephibosheth did not search for the King; the King searched for him.
b. Fortunately, for Mephibosheth, he sought him out for good not evil.
c. In much the same way, Jesus came into the world seeking those who were not seeking him.
d. Jesus said: “I have come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10)
e. Most people who are spiritually lost, don’t even realize it.
f. They are utterly unconscious of the fact that they have sinned against God.
g. And they don’t know that the first step in coming to Christ is to realize that they are lost sinners who desperately need to be found and need to be saved.
3. Third, Like Mephibosheth --- who was CRIPPLED BY THE FALL, and was SOUGHT BY THE KING --- we have been FOUND IN A FAR COUNTRY.
a. Like Mephibosheth, we are also in a desolate place if we are separated from God.
b. But to that place comes Jesus – He took the initiative to seek and to find.
c. Just like the parable that Jesus told about the lost sheep. The Good Shepherd left 99 healthy sheep back in the safety of the sheep-fold while he scoured the countryside all night, looking for one wayward lost lamb and he found him in a far off place.
d. Our far country of sin makes us so dirty and ugly in God’s sight, but God loves us anyhow.
4. Fourth, Like Mephibosheth, we were SAVED FOR ANOTHER’S SAKE.
a. David loved Mephibosheth from the very beginning…not for his own sake…not for anything Mephibosheth had done to deserve that love…but for Jonathan’s sake.
b. In much the same way, God loves every one of us for His Son’s sake.
c. We don’t have to earn his love…we already have His love.
d. God’s love was given freely…given in the name of His son, Jesus.
e. Ephesians 1:5-6 says, “In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will – to the praise of his glorious grace which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” (In Jesus – for Jesus sake)
5. Finally, we notice that the story of Mephibosheth has a happy ending. (We like stories with happy endings don’t we?) And our story, too, can have a happy ending because…like Mephibosheth…we can some day be RESTORED TO THE KING’S TABLE.
a. Mephibosheth ate at David’s table like one of the king’s sons.
b. Jesus often spoke of the great banquet that is going to take place some day in heaven.
c. Jesus said, “Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the Kingdom of God.” (Lk. 14:15)
d. The church is the bride of Christ, and Jesus, the groom, has set a place for us at HIS banquet table…there is a placemat that has your name on it and one with mine also!
e. How about that for a happy ending?
C. The table has been prepared. We are invited.
1. The question is: How will we respond to the invitation?
2. Will we accept the gracious gift of God’s salvation?
a. If you are not a Christian, what are you waiting for?
b. A better offer? There will be no better offer.
c. Are you waiting until a time when you will be more worthy? None of us will ever be worthy of God’s grace.
d. So why not accept God’s give today?
3. Once we have received God’s grace, then the question becomes: will we extend that grace to others?
4. King David knew that God had been gracious to him, and he was determined to pass that grace on to others.
5. How about us? Do we receive God’s grace and then refuse to pass it on to others? I certainly hope not.
D. Jesus told a powerful story about that in Matthew 18.
1. Jesus said: “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents (several million dollars) was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
“The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii (a few dollars). He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” (Mt. 18:23-35)
E. God is a God of grace. Therefore His children must become people of grace.
1. Paul declared that truth when he wrote: Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Eph. 4:32-5:2)
2. What a high calling we have – we are called to forgive others as we have been forgiven, and to love others as Christ has loved us.
3. That’s what grace is all about.
4. God loves and forgives us because of His grace.
5. We must love and forgive others because of His grace.
F. Paul also wrote: In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. (Eph. 1:7-8)
1. Let’s be sure we don’t miss out on God’s grace lavished on us, and then once we have received it let’s lavish it on others.
G. Keeping promises and extending grace – that’s what David did with Mephibosheth.
1. That’s what God does with us.
2. That’s what we must do with others.
3. May God bless us and help us be like Him!
Resources:
David – A Man of Passion and Destiny, by Charles R. Swindoll, Word Publishing, 1997.
David I, by W. Phillip Keller, Word Books, 1985.
I and II Samuel, David F. Payne, The Daily Study Bible Series, Westminster Press, 1982
First and Second Samuel, J. Carl Laney, Everyman’s Bible Commentary, Moody Bible Institute, 1982.
First and Second Samuel, Eugene Peterson, Westminster Bible Companion, Westminster John Knox Press, 1999.
First and Second Samuel, Walter Brueggemann, Interpretation, John Knox Press, 1990.
