The Mephibosheth Blessing
By Rev. James May
Throughout the books of 1st and 2nd Samuel we can read of the great conflict between King Saul and the man who would one day replace him as king of Israel whose name was David.
It all begins with David killing the giant Goliath when the Philistines had invaded Israel. As Saul and his army sat in fear, hiding from Goliath, David comes into the camp as a teenager, but David had faith in God and was willing to face the giant and trust God for the victory. Of course, when David won the battle, it made King Saul look more like a coward than a king and from day on Saul became more and more belligerent toward David until the time came that Saul led his army in an effort to find David and kill him, along with every man who had chosen to give their allegiance to David.
In all of this time, as King Saul hated David, mistreated him, and even tried to kill him, David had a friend in Saul’s own house. That friend was Saul’s son, Jonathan. Jonathan loved David as a brother and would often try to help David in every way he could, but in the end Jonathan’s allegiance was to his father.
After losing favor with God through his idol worship and consorting with the Witch of Endor, King Saul led his army into a place called Mount Gilboa to once again engage the Philistines in battle. This time there was no David to rescue him and the Philistines defeated Israel. In this battle, Saul and his sons Abinadab, Melchishua and Jonathan, David’s friend, were all killed.
Any family members of King Saul and his sons were now fair game for the Philistines and they knew that their only chance for survival was to run as far and as fast as they could and find a safe hiding place. The Philistines would surely seek revenge and kill every single one of them to keep the family of Saul from coming forth to claim the throne of Israel ever again.
Not only were they running from the Philistines, but they also feared the power of David who would certainly become the new King of Israel. The people of Israel were already proclaiming that David should be king in place of Saul before Saul was killed. As you can imagine the household of Saul would be considered a danger to any king that would rise to Saul’s throne, and when any new king would be appointed, it often meant that revenge would be taken out on the former king, especially one as evil as Saul. It wasn’t unusual to see entire families wiped out because of the revenge of a new king, even in Israel.
And so we find that Saul’s remaining family would simply disappear. They would vanish from the public eye, going into hiding for the rest of their lives, living in fear and perhaps even trying to change their identity in an attempt to survive the coming of the new king. They would live in obscure places, in caves, deep in the wilderness, or even in foreign lands.
In effect, they became prisoners of fear, always looking over their shoulders and on the run from danger and certain imprisonment or even death, all because of something that someone else had started.
Now, I want us to think of this today as though we were children of the king because that’s what man was created to be in the first place. We were all meant to be children of the King of Heaven, made in his image and in his likeness, created to live as sons and daughters in the family of God.
But there came that terrible day when the enemy came into the Garden and began to challenge Adam and Eve. On that day, Adam allowed the enemy to bring him down in defeat. He lost his place in God’s house, and suddenly found himself as an outcast and an enemy of God. He had aligned himself, and all of mankind who would be born into the earth, with the enemy of God, Satan.
On that day fear came into the heart of man, for with the knowledge of good and evil that came with the rebellious act against God’s law, man suddenly realized that righteousness and justice of a Holy God would require payment for their sin.
Just like the family of Saul, Adam and Eve, and every man since that time, has tried to find a hiding place, a safe haven of some sort, where they thought that God could not find them. Mankind is still on the run from God to this day.
Even to very end of time man is going to be on the run from God, desiring to hide from his face because they will know that his vengeance is coming for those who are still opposing him, or who of the household of Satan.
In Revelation 6:16 – 17, those who are opposed to Jesus will cry out! “And [say] 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?”
And where are you and I in this picture of the coming of the Lord? At one time we all were among that number who had much to fear from the coming of the King of Heaven. We were of the household of Satan, living in rebellion against the King! If Christ had come in those days, where would your eternal soul be today?
Maybe there are some of you here today that still live in fear of the coming of the King! You might be like I was when I was unsure of my salvation. Let me tell you that if you are not sure of your salvation, then you had better make sure of it right now, this very day, before you leave this church, for you have no promise of tomorrow.
I’m certain that just a week ago, our brother in Christ and friend, Floyd, never thought that he would not live to see another Sunday. Oh, he sensed that his time was growing shorter. He knew that his physical heart was growing weaker and that his days on earth were numbered. That’s why he would come to the altar and try make things right and seek God’s help. I hope that all of us would do the same for we don’t know when the Lord will call our name and our days will be over on this earth.
Now I want to say that it really matters whether you believe what I’m saying or not because your eternal soul hangs in the balance. Where you will spend eternity will be determined by what you do about Jesus. Will you believe and accept God’s plan of salvation through the blood of Jesus, or will you not.
The fact is that the only one who can choose that for you is you! You alone will answer for your own life and no one else. And whether you accept Jesus or reject him is your choice, but either way, your choice will not change the reality of the fact that Jesus is coming again and he will seek vengeance on those who reject him, and he will bless those who accept him.
If you aren’t serving the Lord and your soul is still in danger of God’s wrath, I hope that the Spirit of God will put into your heart the same thoughts that he put into mine when was yet wandering in sin.
When I was unsure of my salvation, I would look to the sky in morning and see the rising of the sun and wonder if that might just be the Son of God rising, coming to take revenge upon evil men, instead of the natural sun. I would look up and see a split in the clouds and wonder if perhaps that wasn’t the sky rolling back to reveal the coming king! I would wonder if this is the day that the King will come again to take away those who are his loyal children, and then seek vengeance upon his enemies? Sometimes even a loud noise would remind me that one day a trumpet is going to sound and the dead in Christ shall rise, and living Christians will rise, but will I rise with them or be left behind to face God’s wrath and vengeance?
That day is surely coming! I still think on those things from time to time, but now I think on them with joy and hope and peace because I know that I’m ready to meet the Lord. I no longer think in fear or dread, but I look forward to the coming of the king with faith and great anticipation of the wonderful things that God has prepared for me in Heaven.
Most of mankind will cower in fear at the coming of the King! Men make shake their fists in the face of God right now. They may claim that God doesn’t care, that he is dead, or that he never even existed for now! It’s easy to be rebellious when everyone else around you is doing the same thing, and it gives you a false sense of security because everybody is doing it.
But the Bible tells us in Philippians 2:10-11, That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Some will bow their knee and confess that Jesus is Lord through fear, knowing that they are destined to face his terrible vengeance for their sin. Others will bow their knee and confess that Jesus is Lord in love and pure worship for they have been Born Again and are heirs with him as God’s own children and nothing to fear! What makes the difference is the decision we make to accept Jesus now, or not!
But how can we get in right relationship with God? How can we possible turn the wrath and vengeance of the King into something wonderful that brings peace and joy? What could possibly change that for you?
Let’s look back at our story of David and the family of Saul. There’s a story that will show the path to getting right with God and avoiding his wrath!
As I said, all of Saul’s family had disappeared. David had risen to the throne of Israel as the new king. But what we have to see is that David had a different heart than most kings who rose to power. He was a man after God’s own heart!
David, in this story, is representing the heart that God has toward all men, even those who would be considered as his enemies. He was not out for revenge. David had no plans to seek vengeance on Saul’s family. David’s heart was filled with compassion, mercy and grace that he wanted to extend to Saul’s family because he remembered the love that he had for Jonathan and knew that he wanted to bless the house of Saul for Jonathan’s sake.
As an example of God’s mercy reaching out to those who are lost, David began to search for someone in Saul’s family that he might bless them. In the same fashion, the King of Glory comes searching for those who are on the run, in hiding and lost in sin today. Jesus is looking for you. You might be running, but you can’t hide because God knows where you are and he will never give up trying to get you to choose to come to him.
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?
One of the former servants in the palace of Saul named Ziba was standing near and he was called forth to answer David’s question.
2 Samuel 9:3 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.
2 Samuel 9:4 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 Lodebar.
2 Samuel 9:5 Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lodebar
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Now I’ve researched the names of these people and places and the scene we are given through their interpretation is nothing short of amazing. What a wise and wonderful God we serve. He places such great teaching, hiding them in names alone for those who seek out the true meaning as it relates to all men.
Here are the meanings of the word and names in this verse:
Fetched – picked up, brought forth, carried out
Machir – a salesman, a barterer or trader
Ammiel – my kinsman is God
Lodebar – A place without pasture; a place with no Word, no enlightenment; ignorant; stupid
Let me read to you that verse 9 with the meanings in place of the names.
“Then king David sent, and carried him out, delivered him out of the house of a salesman where he had been traded or bartered, even though he was a kinsman of God; from a place without pasture, where there was no word and he lacked enlightenment and was ignorant or being stupid.”
Wow! Did you catch that? David the king, representing to us the Lord Jesus Christ in his great mercy and grace, came to the house of the salesman who had bartered with God’s child and had him now living in a place of ignorance and darkness, then picked him up, brought him out and carried him back to the palace of the king. WHAT A WONDERFUL PICTURE OF SALVATION!
And remember, it was David who went looking for this lost member of the house of Saul, the son of Jonathan that David loved. It was David’s love that started the whole process.
So when you were in hiding from the King of Heaven, cowering in fear of his vengeance, worried about being found out, He came looking for you because he loved you. You were meant to be a child of God, but were stolen by the salesmanship and deceitfulness of that old salesman, the devil. You sold your soul in sin and lost your place with God. In that life of sin you were living without the peace and green pastures like David describes in the 23rd Psalms. Instead you were in a place where there was no true Word of God in your heart, where you were in the dark concerning God and his ways, where you dwelled in ignorance and behaved as though you were stupid. Still God loved you and came looking for you so that he could carry you out, bring you to his house and bless you!
In verse 6 of 2nd Samuel chapter 9 we find that the son of Jonathan who David brought forth was named Mephibosheth and he was a crippled in both feet.
What does that say to you and me? It says that while we were lost in sin, we could not walk right before God no matter how hard we tried. To do right was not in us, and even when we did think we were walking right, we weren’t, because even the best that we can do as sinners is unacceptable to the Lord.
I wonder what Mephibosheth might have thought when the king’s men showed up at his doorstep? I wonder if he might have thought, “Well, it’s over now. I’m dead! The king has found me and now I’ll face his wrath for sure.”
I think that’s what so many people who God is calling to come to him think. Can God really care? Does he really want to bless me, or is all this worth giving up what I have? My live is over as I know it, and now there’s nothing but questions.
Until we learn the power of God’s Love and experience his great Grace, there are questions. But once we know the true nature of God, how wonderful and marvelous is his grace and how great is his name and how magnificent is his love for us. All it takes is for the Light of God to shine on us and let us see the truth of who God is and our lives are forever changed!
Mephibosheth thought of himself as so unworthy of David’s blessings, and so are we unworthy of God’s blessings. But it was David’s choice to give them. All Mephibosheth had to do was accept them and live in David’s house as though he was a son of the king for the rest of his days.
David said to Mephibosheth that he would show him nothing but kindness for the sake of Jonathan; that he would restore all to him that had been lost; that he would eat at the king’s table every day; that everything Mephibosheth did would be for him to prosper by.
But the one thing that Mephibosheth had to endure was that he would be forever cripped in his feet and unable to walk perfectly, even in the king’s palace.
Can you see yourself now in the place of Mephibosheth? Jesus loved you, came down and brought you out of that miry pit of clay and set your feet on a Rock in the very house of the King of Heaven. He brings us forth to inherit all of the goodness of God and the glory of Heaven with himself. He provides all of our need according to the riches of his kingdom.
Jesus has said to every one of us, “Come and dine at my Father’s house and eat at his table all the days of your life. He prepares before us a table in presence of our enemies and we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” What a blessing and privilege!
But never forget that you’re never going to be perfect in this life! Your feet are still crippled and you’ll sometimes walk in the way that you shouldn’t. But the love of God and his grace will keep you if you just keep going back to the king’s table and stay in his house!
This story of David and Mephibosheth is there for our understanding of God’s ways and his great love and mercy.
Have you taken advantage of God’s invitation to dwell with him?
Have you given your heart to Jesus?
Has he carried you out, or are you still living in darkness?
Give your heart to Jesus; walk with the Lord; let me carry you and your burdens!
Jesus is looking for you; and in Love he is reaching out to you right now.
Come and experience the Mephibosheth Blessing and feast at your Father’s table forever! That’s what the Love of God wants for you!
