A Perfect Picture of Grace
Sunday, July 26, 2009
By Pastor Jim May
2 Samuel Chapter 9
This chapter in 2 Samuel contains one of the most outstanding stories of grace found in the Old Testament. It is the story of two people; one named Mephibosheth, the child of grace; and Ziba, the self-righteous man. When we look at Mephibosheth we will quickly see that he represents all who are in a sinful condition and without hope.
2 Samuel 4:4 says that Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan, who was the son of King Saul and the best and most loyal friend that David ever had. But now both Saul and Jonathan were dead. At the end of the battle when both his father and grandfather were killed, his nurse grabbed up the infant baby named Mephibosheth and carried him away to safety. In the process of trying to flee from the enemy she somehow dropped the baby and Mephibosheth never fully recovered from the injuries he suffered that day. He was lame in both legs his entire life.
Mephibosheth lived a place called “Lo-debar” which means a place without pasture. Since King Saul had done his best to kill David, Mephibosheth fully assumed that David would be his sworn enemy. For this reason he hid in obscurity, hoping to escape the notice of David. He figured he was better off poor and cripple than to be a political prisoner in the prison system of Israel.
Does this remind you of the condition of fallen man? He sins against God his Father and immediately begins to hide in the trees, trying to make sure that God didn’t find him. Now we don’t see people run to the trees and hide. We see them run to the bar room or the night club. We see them run to the places where they can enjoy worldly pleasures. In the last day the Bible says that they will even be crying out to the rocks and mountains to fall on them, so that God won’t notice them. But there is no escaping the eyes of God.
Revelation 6:15-17, "And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?"
What makes a man afraid of a loving God? It isn’t God’s love that is frightening to a sinner; it’s His holiness and righteous judgment! Surely we have all sinned. We all have a certain amount of fear to face God in all of his power, glory and holiness. But we must remember that God gave his only Son so that we would not have to fear Him.
1 John 1:7, "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."
Let’s look at the story of Mephibosheth again in 2 Samuel. 2 Samuel 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?" I believe that, in essence, this is the same question that God is asking today? As the Holy Spirit moves throughout the sea of humanity, there is but one question that He asks, “Is there yet a fallen son or daughter of Adam to whom I may show kindness?” It doesn’t matter to Him that we are lame, even lame-brained; or that we are trying to hide from his presence. God still searches out those who will receive Him.
And nothing of this world in which the sinner hides will keep God from seeing him as he is. Men chase the things of this world, forgetting God days without number, yet nothing ever fulfills man’s empty heart. There is nothing but disappointment and despair in this world. Nothing satisfies for long. Jesus will never disappoint you. Run to Him!
David called for the servant of his house, a man by the name of Ziba, whose name meant “self-righteous”. Ziba came to David and then we read what happened next in 2 Samuel 9:4-5, "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 Lodebar. Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lodebar."
Here we see true grace at work. Mephibosheth had done nothing to deserve David’s kindness. He was lame and couldn’t do anything to better himself. But David sent and brought him home to the palace. Mankind will love to help those who deserve it, but God helps us when we don’t deserve it. God has to make the first move, for we cannot come to Him otherwise. Mephibosheth would have languished in pain and poverty forever had it not been for the kindness of the King who he thought was his enemy.
John 6:37, "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."
John 6:44, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day."
If it were not for the grace of God, reaching out to “fetch” us home, where would we be? We would still be trying to hide from his face in some worldly place like a cockroach who hides from the light for fear that he will be found and killed. Sinners love to live in darkness and so their deeds in darkness for they hate the light that will reveal their sin. But rest assured my friend, that your sin will be found out and it will displayed in the courts of God if you aren’t cleansed by the Blood of Jesus first.
So Mephibosheth was brought before King David, the most powerful man in Israel; a man who held the power of life and death over all who came before him. Mephibosheth didn’t know what to expect. He was afraid for his very life. He dreaded being brought into the court of the king, fully expecting to be sentenced to death. All he could do was go in and fall on the mercy of the court, for he knew that he deserved nothing good.
2 Samuel 9:6, "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!"
Isn’t that like a sinner, trembling in fear, as he comes before Almighty God at the altar? He carries the load of guilt, sin, and shame with him; feeling as though the weight of the whole world was upon his shoulders. A sinner does not understand the grace of God or the mercy of God. All he expects is rejection from the holiness of God’s presence.
If you’ve ever gone back and seen the faces of the children of a loved one who passed on, what kind of feelings does that give you? We were talking just yesterday about my wife’s sister Beverly, who passed away about 13 years ago, leaving behind two small grandchildren who are now orphans living with their maternal grandparents, at least that’s the last news we had of them. We’ve had no contact at all, but what would it be like to see those kids today, grown into teenagers and to know that they never knew the love that they missed from their family. What love; what tenderness; what emotions would you feel?
David could only whisper the name, Mephibosheth. This was the only son of David’s dearest friend. Mephibosheth answered by saying, “Behold your servant”.
Isn’t that what we all think when we come face-to-face with God in our lives? Most sinners can only think of being a servant to God, never a son or daughter. How could God accept me as I am? The human heart searches for a way to earn a chance for acceptance through a lifetime so sacrifice and service, but salvation cannot be earned. It is a gift of grace and mercy!
David extended grace and mercy to Mephibosheth just as God will extend grace and mercy to a lost sinner. He accepts you just as you are, doubting, fearful, lame and filled with shame and guilt. God’s grace goes past all of that to bring you his blessings.
Ephesians 2:4-7, "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus."
Mankind would try to say that before you can come to Jesus, you must get your feet right, get the lameness out of your legs, then come to Jesus. I’ve heard people in our PCG churches say that they didn’t want any sinners coming to their church. They only wanted Holy Ghost filled people. How do you get Holy Ghost filled, born again Children of God into the church without allowing sinners to come in and get saved?
Sinners must hear the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ before they can begin to come to Christ. The Holy Ghost must convict them of sin and then draw them, or they can never come. Then they must believe on Jesus and repent of their sin before the grace of God can be extended to them. That’s the pattern that God set forth and there is no other way.
David showed great grace to Mephibosheth but he couldn’t grasp the idea of grace yet. 2 Samuel 9:8, "And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?" Is this not a picture of what happens when a man comes to Jesus? One look into the wondrous, majesty, power and glory of our Holy God and a man must fall in repentance before Him. That’s when we hear those words, just as Mephibosheth did, “Fear not, I will surely show you kindness.”
What about Ziba? What do we see in him compared to Mephibosheth? Ziba remained as a servant to David, but Mephibosheth became as a son to the king, a price in the kingdom.
Ziba lived in the palace as David’s servant. He was a loyal servant and always carried out his orders but he never thought of himself as a son.
What picture does Ziba give to us today? Ziba represents those of the church who will always think of themselves as nothing more than a servant, bound by religion to try to do the will of God that they might be accepted by Him. Today there a vast numbers of people who do not know or understand their position in Christ. They think of themselves as servants, but never as Sons of God.
What we must realize is that God no longer calls us his servants, but His Sons and Daughters. If you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, then you have been adopted into the very family of God; no longer a servant in your Father’s house, but a Son on Equal grounds with Jesus Christ. We have become joint-heirs with Jesus!
John 1:12, "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:"
Romans 8:16-17, "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together."
What is the difference between being a servant and a son? A servant is bound by law, but doesn’t live in the house forever. There comes a day when he is outcast from the family. But the son is forever a part of the house and is never an outcast. A servant is bound always by the Law and is never truly free, but a son is forever free and saved by Grace, no longer concerned with fulfilling the Law for Jesus has fulfilled it for us.
The Grace of David the King brought Mephibosheth from a place of hiding in fear and living in shame to a place of great privilege and sonship with no conditions attached. He was always welcomed at David’s table. He was still lame in his legs but he was a part of the family.
Sinners carry with them all of the wounds and hurts of life when they come to Jesus. While Jesus accepts them as they are, he does lift the burden of sin from their shoulders. Yet in their body, in their flesh or in their lives they still bear the marks of the life they once lived. Sometimes we cry out for God to take it all away. Sometimes the thoughts of past sins is almost more than we can bear. Sometimes we continue to pay a price in the body until the day we die. Yet all is forgiven in Jesus. Poor, wretched, lame, full of past defeats, we are still welcomed at God’s royal table. We can never be good enough, perfect enough or build up enough equity through service to God to take away any part of this. But thank God, Grace is extended; mercy is given and the free plan of God for the salvation of all men is given to each of us through the Blood of Jesus.
God’s grace is sufficient! His mercy is everlasting! His love is forever and without condition! Do you know Jesus today? Are you still hiding in the darkness?
Come to the Jesus this day and then hold your head up high. God wants to give you His grace today. He wants to lift you up and make you a child of his own family. God’s grace is here. His mercy is reaching out to you. The Holy Spirit is drawing you. Will you come to Jesus and be free?
