Many of us know the major stories that come out of the life of David, and I pray at least some of the applications that flow out of those stories would help us in our own lives.
When we look at a small portion of Davis’s resume’ we see how
• David was anointing as King.
• We can look back on the story of how David fought against the Giant Goliath of Gad.
• David´s flight from Saul but his refusal to snatch the crown.
• David´s heart for worship, how he expressed it in bringing. the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem and his desire to build the temple.
• David´s sin with Bathsheba and his ultimate repentance and confession.
But amid all of these headlines there is a quieter story that does not scream so loudly for our attention, yet it has a powerful application to us all. It is the story of Mephibosheth.
And according to the biblical narrative in 2nd Samuel 4:4, Mephibosheth was five years old when both his father and grandfather died at the Battle at Mount Gilboa. And after the deaths of Saul and Jonathan, Mephibosheth's nurse took him and fled in panic. In her haste, the child fell, or was dropped while fleeing the scene.
Now please notice that Mephibosheth had royal blood flowing through his veins. He was the Grandson of Saul the King of Israel, and the son of the heir to the throne Jonathan.
He was born in royalty, and was being brought up in a royal splendor at the palace. He had everything that a little boy could want and need. He had the best in clothing; he had the best toys to play with, he ate the best of food that could be prepared. There was never any lack for anything in the palace where Mephibosheth lived. OMG what a future he had. I would imagine that the family talked about Mephibo. When he was born, I can imagine that his family saying what a beautiful child he was, and how that one day he would make a great king.
His future was all laid out for him, he had a fine life, and he had the best of the best! However, all of those things changed while Mephibosheth was only five years old.
Let’s look at the tragic circumstances that would change the future for Mephibosheth.
First of all we see.....THE CROWN
I. The Crown.....That He Would Not Wear.
At five years of age....Mephibosheth is growing fast.....into everything. He has his own Nanny to look after him, and to make sure he doesn’t get into too much trouble. And one day as Mephibo is running and playing in the palace, perhaps aggravating the palace guards. So, in the text we see a chariot approaching from the distance flying through the palace gates, with the bad news that spreads quickly. Mephibo is startled by the people screaming and running through the palace. "You must leave at once" and as this little boy hears this, Mephibosheth is frightened. And the once strategic plan for his life; has now been shattered.
The palace where his dreams were, are now about to become only a memory. The crown will never be placed upon his head! The throne that he was going to occupy is threatened! The awful news is that his grandfather, Saul and his father Jonathan have both been killed.
And now the kingdom was to be ruled by another, the palace will now be occupied by another, and the crown will be worn by another. So what happens is His nanny scoops him quickly up into her arms, and begins to run, because they must get away quickly, they must hide, because He won’t be safe there.
Because the custom of those days was that if someone else took over the kingdom they would destroy all of them which
are of royalty so that they wouldn’t be a threat.
So, as the Nanny runs with Mephibosheth clutched in her arms, with screams all around her, she trips, and Mephibosheth falls from her arms, and both of his legs are crushed in a tragic accident. There is no time for proper medical treatment.
If their lives are to be spared, they must leave at once. Mephibosheth would never walk again. It may have been that the injuries were too serious or perhaps because of the inability to seek proper medical treatment.....but for whatever reason Mephibosheth will never be able to walk again.
What a tragic set of circumstances for a five year old boy to have to endure. His daddy, and grandfather both dead. He has to flee from his home the palace, and now he’s crippled for life! But I’ve got to tell you, that the drop was necessary. Tell your neighbor that the drop was necessary.
So, now as it appears Mephibosheth becomes a castaway, He Had No Worth. They managed to escape. But where do they escape to, where will they go? They are now practically homeless. One moment they are living up in the palace, and in the next moment they are living in exile. And I have a question right here. Is there anybody in this room besides me that has ever been in the situation where everything is going well? All the bills are paid; you finally landed the job that you wanted. You now have the car of your dreams, your knight and shining amour has finally appeared. You are on the top of the world; and you are on cloud nine and feeling fine, and all of a sudden all hell just seems to break loose in your life. I guess the question that I’m asking is. Have you’ve ever felt like you’ve just been dropped. In other words, one minute you are on the top of the world, and the next minute it feels like the world is on top of you, it feels like you have been dropped.
Look at what happened, to Mephilbosheth. Mephibosheth has to be hidden but where can he hide because he’s royalty for God sake?
Well they finally find safe haven in a place called Lo-debar, now Lo-debar is translated as "no pasture" and also "no thing". It is a barren, bleak wilderness area. They go from the beauty of the palace and all the extravagant surroundings to a place where there is not even pasture to feed animals. They go to a place where there is nowhere to grow grass, nowhere to plant flowers, and no place for a harvest, but at least he is safe, and he is provided for.
I don’t know who I’m talking to, but have you ever felt like that you’ve had to leave your palace, leave all of your clothes, and everything that you have accumulated just to end up in Lo-debar, just to be in a safe place. I don’t know who this is for but I need to tell you that the drop was necessary. (Pause)
I wonder how many times.....Mephibo lay upon his bed, and looked down at his crippled legs, and thought about how he used to run through the floors of the palace, a place that was so beautiful and so clean that he could see his face in the floor. I wonder how many times he looked out the window at the bareness surrounding him, and thought about how it might have been, but now he is crippled, and confined. He cannot even return to Jerusalem out of fear!
Well, after many years have passed by now, and it is possible that during these days that Mephibosheth is married and had a son. I wonder how many times he must have told his son the story about how he was once an heir to the throne!
I think that I need to tell somebody right about here that even though you were dropped, even though you were crushed, even though you have been crippled and even though the drop was necessary, you can believe that the Grace of God will be supply your needs. I don’t care how hard the times are, we serve a God that can bring you out.
Look at what has happened, after all that he has been through He now receives an Invited to the Palace. And I don’t know who this is for but I’ve got to tell somebody this morning that the drop was necessary. I hear somebody saying Pastor you just don’t understand how bad it hurts, I may not know, but I do know that the drop was necessary, because after his drop there was an invitation. I can hear somebody saying they hurt me to the core. Yes, but look at you now, now you have it going on.
Pastor my family dropped me, the family had to drop you just so that you could get your invitation to the palace.
The drop was necessary, that had to repossess that old raggedy the car, because there is a new car for you on the lot.
And I know that you’ve been dropped:
You’ve been dropped by that job, it was necessary
You’ve been dropped by the state, it was necessary
You’ve been dropped by those family members that just want to use you. It was necessary.
You’ve been dropped by that man who said that they loved you but married your girlfriend. It was necessary.
Lied on dropped
Cheated on dropped
Abused dropped
Mistreated dropped
Devastated dropped
Neglected dropped
Victimized dropped
Maltreated dropped
Battered dropped, but I need to tell you that the drop was necessary because if you were never dropped then you could never receive the invitation to back to the palace. What I’m trying to tell you is that all that you have been through it was necessary.
What happen is one day while Mephibosheth is sitting in Lo-debar he receives the invitation to the palace and he can see in the distance the dust raised from approaching horses, and chariots, and he fears that they are about to seize him, arrest him. I can hear him thinking is it possible that after all these years they have finally come to get me! It is said that He calls for all of his family to come in the house! And all of a sudden there is a knock at the door and a voice was calling out Mephibosheth and he says, hey I recognize that voice. It’s Ziba! The one who once served my family in the palace. I wonder what he wants after all this time. He says Mephibosheth I have great news. King David wishes to see you at the palace.
Good news......you call that good news. My grandfather hated him, and tried to kill him many times. But I heard Ziba say I know that you were young and you probably don’t remember, but even though your grandfather hated him you’re forgetting something Mephibo....Your father Johnathan, and the King were (BFF’S) the best of friends....and King David wants to keep a promise that he made to your father many years ago.
He wants to be kind, and gracious to you! And He wants us to bring you to the palace now. And so, Mephibosheth is carried to the palace........preparations have been made........festivities are planned for the arrival of Mephibosheth.....and there was a meal fit for a king...
The guards quickly opened the gates, the trumpets began to sound. David arises to see Mephibosheth for the first time, and I can hear him say that he looks so much like his father. Mephibosheth insists upon being lowered to the floor as he drags his legs across the palace floor, as lies prostrate before the King.
He says I am your servant.....My legs don’t work, but I will serve you in any way that I can. David tells him there is no reason to be afraid because I want to show kindness to you like your father Jonathan had showed to me.
This was a day that Mephibosheth dreamed of, but he never thought it would be possible. He is back at home. The property of his grandfather and father are restored to him.
The exile is now over and the king says, "thou shalt eat bread at my table continually." Mephibosheth had found grace at the feet of the King. Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem from that
time on.
And can I tell you that you and I are like Mephibosheth? Some of us we have been crippled spiritually. As he was separated from the King, and the throne, so has sin separated us from God.
But I got good news this morning; we may be like Mephibosheth, dwelling in Lo-debar. Our life feels barren, and our outlook is depressing and we just might feel worthless.
But like Mephibo, we have received an invitation. The King of kings is inviting you to come to the throne.
So you ought to thank God for those who dropped you and tell them look at me now, the King of kings has brought to the table and has made me of the royal priesthood.
How do you know this Pastor? I know this because Psalms 23 and 5 says: “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”
And then verse 6 says: Surely, goodness and his cousin mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. But I have one more drop that was necessary, one Friday evening Jesus dropped his head in the locks of his shoulder and he died, but early Sunday morning he got up with all power in his hands.
