ABOUNDING GRACE – MEPHIBOSHETH ENTERED INTO THE KINDNESS OF GRACE
INTRODUCTION
When you come in from a very brightly lit room where you have been for a few hours, and into a closed room where there is just one candle on a table, all is dull. If you have spent a year in a cave with no light at all, and then you come into the room with the one candle, all is so bright. It is the same candle so what is the difference? The big difference is perspective.
Those deeper in the dark pit appreciate the exit from the pit even more. The greater the delivery from sin, the more that person appreciates the grace of God that underscored it all. The greater the delivery from sin, then the greater that candle will shine. A child who was brought up in a Christian home surrounded by Christians may not appreciate as much the grace of God that saved that child, as much as a wicked man who lived a sinful life and then got saved. Thus it was with John Newton who could write Amazing Grace because he had come from the dark recesses of sin’s cave into a candle-lit room.
Which New Testament writer used the word “grace” so often? We know it was Paul, in every letter. The man who sought out believers, arrested them, and then arranged for them to be put to death, realised his foul life when God saved him, and came to appreciate the grace of God that saved him, more than any of us possibly could. In this, John Newton and Paul shared a common gratitude.
One day David the King was given to reflection, and in his mind was stirring a thought that could only have come from God. David and King Saul’s son, Jonathon, shared a very close friendship and when Jonathon was killed in battle, it really cut David to the quick. As he thought about that many years later, an idea came into his mind (from God of course!). He would search out some relative of Saul (Saul also died in that battle), and show kindness to that one for the sake of the relationship he had had with Jonathon. That will the title of today’s message – “ABOUNDING GRACE – Message on MEPHIBOSHETH”. We are going to read that so can we turn to 2 Samuel chapter 9 – (I am going to put here the whole bible passage)
THE STORY OF MEPHIBOSHETH
2Samuel 9 v 1 Then David said, “Is there yet anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2Sam 9:2 Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” and he said, “I am your servant.” 2Sam 9:3 The king said, “Is there not yet anyone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?” and Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet,” 2Sam 9:4 so the king said to him, “Where is he?” and Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel in Lo-debar.” 2Sam 9:5 Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar, 2Sam 9:6 and Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself and David said, “Mephibosheth.” He said, “Here is your servant.” 2Sam 9:7 David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you shall eat at my table regularly.” 2Sam 9:8 Again he prostrated himself and said, “What is your servant, that you should regard a dead dog like me?”
2Samuel 9:9 Then the king called Saul’s servant Ziba, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson, 2Sam 9:10 and you and your sons and your servants shall cultivate the land for him, and you shall bring in the produce so that your master’s grandson may have food. Nevertheless Mephibosheth your master’s grandson shall eat at my table regularly.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. 2Sam 9:11 Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant so your servant will do,” so Mephibosheth ate at David’s table as one of the king’s sons. 2Sam 9:12 Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica and all who lived in the house of Ziba were servants to Mephibosheth. 2Sam 9:13 Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate at the king’s table regularly. Now he was lame in both feet.
Mephibosheth must have been quaking expecting to be killed when summoned to the king’s presence. It was not uncommon in those days, that when one became king in the place of another, he killed all the survivors of the previous ruling family. That happened all over the world, often with great cruelty, and still does. In politics in so called “enlightened countries” they don’t kill them; they just change the Cabinet and ministries around and sack them. Mephibosheth must have expected something sinister but it did not happen. This is a beautiful story about grace, so let’s see how it plays out here.
We want to look at the transformation that happened to Mephibosheth. What do we know about him?
VERSE 1 – He was to become the recipient of kindness. He had no idea that kindness was waiting for him as he went about living from day to day. Kindness was on his account but he was ignorant of it. What happened for Mephibosheth also happened to us. God had placed kindness on our accounts also but we lived in ignorance of it until the day it was revealed to us. In fact we were nor worthy of kindness, being horrible sinners, and were justifiably condemned to eternal banishment because of our sin. Why did God extend kindness to us when it was not required; nor was it sought; nor was it justified or deserved? There is only one answer – grace!
We also read that this kindness that was to be shown to Mephibosheth was because of Jonathon’s sake. It had nothing to do with Mephibosheth, but because of who he was. For the sake of the bond that existed between David and Jonathon, then this kindness was to flow. Again this has close application to us. Christ loved us and gave Himself for us, the just for the unjust, and by so doing, He opened the door whereby all God’s kindness would flow through. God has shown and given us that kindness for Christ's sake. We received it through Jesus Christ. The grace of God reached out in kindness to us who were undeserving. Paul put it clearly in one of the lovely verses in the bible – {{2Corinthians 8 v 9 “for you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.”}}
Verses 2-3 - We read now of a go-between, one who leads to another, one who introduces one party to another. Ziba was a servant, nothing more. It was he who introduced Mephibosheth to the King. Do you know that was a privilege? To be instrumental in the blessing of another is a privilege, and we don’t usually appreciate how God can use us this way. We are often servants in ways we don’t realise, and the means of blessing to others. Like Ziba, we must be available and willing to be a servant. Of course, even though the account does not mention it, we all must be humble in the position God has given to us. There is no room for self-congratulations or feelings of importance. When I was quite young – yes, there was a time! – I used to get the spelling of Christian wrong. At times I could not recall if it ended in “ian” or “ain”. Then I heard a man say, “In Christ, I Am Nothing”. There you have it Christ – I – A – N. We must all be nothing in Christ, just Ziba-like servants.
CRIPPLES OF SIN
In verse 3, Ziba informs the King of one special aspect. That is, there was a son of Jonathon, and that son of Jonathon was a cripple, crippled in both feet. We know from another passage that this happened because of a fall when Mephibosheth was young and the nurse and he were fleeing and he fell. He would be crippled all his life.
There is a very strong parallel here to us. Before God, we are also crippled, and fully crippled as in both feet, and it is also the result of a fall. It will be for all our lives. Adam, as federal head of creation, fell, and all creation with him, and we have inherited that disability of sin. We are crippled with sin and carry that disability for all our lives. Praise God for the grace that lifted the cripple out of his fallen state, saved him, and given him a glorious inheritance!
There was one occasion when they brought to Jesus a paralytic lying on his mattress - it says “bed” but I don’t think they carried the whole bed. This man could not walk. He was crippled and probably had a lot more wrong with him. We then read – {{“Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, “Take courage, My son. Your sins are forgiven,”}} The Jews accused Him of blasphemy but Jesus did two things for the man. He cured him physically and saved him spiritually. These two things don’t normally go together but in this case they did, in order to demonstrate Jesus’ power thus confirming His divinity. The Jews said He spoke blasphemy because no one but God can forgive sins, and they were correct, for Jesus is God, and this miracle was to confirm that fact. This man had faith and probably convinced his friends to bring Him to Jesus, so his faith made him whole, spiritually and physically.
When we as cripples of sin come to Jesus, then He cleanses us, so spiritually, He can say to us, “Rise, take up your bed and go home,” so, from that point, we then walk in a new life. If we were physically disabled when we came to Jesus, then that disability most likely continues with us until the time of the new body which is perfection. Christian, you belong to Jesus! Rise up and walk! Would you believe there are Christians who are saved but still want to lie on their bed/mattress of inactivity.
LOVELY TEACHING ON THE LOCATION
Verses 4-5 - We are told of Mephibosheth’s location, the place where he is living. It is “in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel in Lo-debar.” David sent and fetched him from that place and brought Mephibosheth to his very presence. There is something here of great importance and it is contained in the meaning of the three words.
Machir means “sold”. Ammiel means “people of God”. Lo-debar means “no pasture”. Now, what do we know of this? Mephibosheth dwelt in a place of barrenness (no pasture), and was sold, and all that was, in association with the people of God. What it means is this. Mephibosheth was sold to a life of barrenness even among the people of God. Then he was taken from that situation and brought into the presence of the King, and made as a son of the King. How does that relate to us? Before we came into the presence of the King, we were sold in sin. We were in slavery to sin. We lived a life of barrenness, no pasture, no goodness, all worthlessness in God’s eyes. We have become the people of God, by being brought out of sin and made to sit at the table in God’s presence, along with the people of God, the sons of the King.
What David did for Mephibosheth, God did for David, and He has done it for us – {{Psalm 23 v 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You have anointed my head with oil. My cup overflows. Psa 23:6 Surely goodness and loving-kindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.}} Sold in sin; brought out of barrenness; made to sit at the King’s table. What has caused that to come about? Just one word – grace.
WHAT IS OUR RESPONSE TO GRACE?
Verses 6-8. This section is all about response. When he came into David’s presence, Mephibosheth fell on his face before David, maybe thinking he was going to die, but what did David do? He called him by name. Remember this is all about grace, and the grace of God calls us by name. Calling by name is a personal thing and God’s grace is dispensed to each of us by name, one by one. This story is a beautiful illustration of this fact.
How did Mephibosheth respond to the invitation? He placed himself where we all must be. It was a place of humility. “Here is your servant”. No one can be before God in a state of pride or in an elevated state, or in some position of superiority. Humility and awe mark out the servant of the Lord. Verse 7 can be called the Grace Verse for it is exactly what grace is. David stated it wholly - {{I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan,}} and you will also see that grace added restoration. Mephibosheth would receive what the family had lost.
THE ELEMENTS OF GRACE EXPLORED AND APPRECIATED
We see the elements of grace in that story.
1. It is kindness from someone, bestowed by someone more powerful.
2. It is based on kindness for the benefit of another.
3. It is given on behalf of the sake of another.
4. It involves restoration.
5. Restoration then means fellowship at David’s table.
*** To repeat what grace has done for us, the recipients of God’s grace. ***
1. God has shown wonderful grace to us because He is all powerful.
2. It is God’s kindness shown to us because He loves us and wants us to share in His love.
3. Grace is made available only because of the reconciliation of Calvary so it is freely given for the sake of Christ.
4. It carries restoration because we have been restored to fellowship with God, that which was lost in the Fall and is now restored in greater measure than Adam could ever had known.
5. Restoration for the Christian means fellowship with Almighty God and with the Lord Jesus Christ. Figuratively it means being seated at God’s Table in full communion. The worldly church at Laodicea had shut Christ outside the door but His appeal to them was this – {{Revelation 3 v 20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me.”}} That church needed to repent and to be restored and only then, could it know fellowship at the table of the great King.
MEPHIBOSHETH’S RESPONSE CONTINUES
You will notice in verse 8 what was Mephibosheth’s response. So overwhelming was the position he was being raised to, that he was just undone in amazement and gratitude and wonder. His statement here – {{“What is your servant, that you should regard a dead dog like me?”}} – is that of a man who knows his proper position before a God of grace and love. Nothing is presumed; nothing is demanded; nothing is what the unregenerate man might expect. We are nothing and all we have is through the overwhelming grace of God. Never be puffed up in pride. Never be puffed up in knowledge. Never be puffed up in position. We are nothing but dead dogs and our position is at the Master’s feet.
I am not doing any more in this story today except comment on the last verse – {{2Samuel 9 v 13 “Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate at the king’s table regularly. Now he was lame in both feet.”}}
This is the summary of what had just happened, but it is not the whole story of Mephibosheth. However we may do that at another time. This verse 13 is not a wasted verse. It covers three items and they are his place of residence, his connection with the king, and the condition of his person.
Jerusalem means peace and after all his trials, Mephibosheth entered into peace in the presence of his king. He ate at the king’s table regularly meaning continued fellowship. He was brought in through grace and lived in the blessings of grace, which is fellowship. It mentioned again he was lame, crippled. Lameness is always a remembrance of what we are and from where we have been plucked. Never forget your origins, for your origins were in sin, for then you appreciate grace abounding to the sinner.
One man who understood the extent of God’s grace was John Bunyan, best known for Pilgrim’s Progress. Another book, “Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners”, is Bunyan’s fervent memoir of his own spiritual regeneration. It was written while Bunyan was serving a lengthy prison sentence for preaching without a license. Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners is both a record of Bunyan's personal experience, the story of his conversion.
The epitaph on John Newton’s grave reads: “John Newton, clerk, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was by the rich mercy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had long laboured to destroy.”
A. W. Tozer wrote “Grace is the good pleasure of God that inclines Him to bestow benefits upon the undeserving. Its use to us sinful men is to save us and make us sit together in heavenly places to demonstrate to the ages, the exceeding riches of God’s kindness to us in Christ Jesus.”
TRANSFORMING A STAIN –
Sir Edwin Landseer was one of the most famous painters of the Victorian era. His talent developed early, and he had the first showing of his work at the Royal Academy when he was just thirteen years old. He was commissioned to do a number of official portraits of the royal family, and even gave private drawing lessons to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. But he was best known for his depictions of the natural settings and life in the Scottish highlands.
One day as he was visiting a family in an old mansion in Scotland, one of the servants spilled a pitcher of soda water, leaving a large stain on the wall. While the family was out for the day, Landseer remained behind. Using charcoal, he incorporated the stain into a beautiful drawing. When the family returned they found a picture of a waterfall surrounded by trees and animals. He used his skill to make something beautiful out of what had been an unsightly mess.
God works in much the same way in our lives. The things that we think of as weaknesses and handicaps, and stains can, through His grace, become our greatest strengths - and the very things He uses the most to bring glory to Himself. God’s grace provides the strength to meet every challenge and overcome every weakness.
AND THE DEFINITION FOR GRACE – UNMERITED FAVOUR AND KINDNESS THAT WE DID NOT DESERVE.
God bless you all
ronaldf@aapt.net.au
