MEPHIBOSHETH: A Life Changing Lesson on the Power of Blood Covenant
(One of the meanings of "Mephibosheth" is “dispeller of shame” (2 Sam. 4:4) (2 Samuel 9:1-13)
The story of Mephibosheth teaches us some very powerful lessons about Biblical Blood Covenants that should transform & empower our Christian lives to love & serve King Jesus more than ever! Mephibosheth has been understood as a type of all those whose walk is imperfect & their way of life is crooked. One day they are called to meet their King. They humbly bow down before Him, receive forgiveness, and are invited to feast at the Kings table as one of his own sons! Their devastated self-esteem is healed by the king’s grace & mercy.
THE BACKGROUND HISTORY OF MEPHIBOSHETH:
Mephibosheth’s father was Jonathan, the great friend of King David. Jonathan was a very brave man (I Sam. 13:3) but he disrespected his father Saul (I Sam. 14:29-30) & liked to do his own thing without considering the impact on others (I Sam. 14:1, 3). His grandfather was King Saul. Saul started out a very humble young man with lots of potential (I Samuel 9:2, 15-16, 21; 15:17). But he began to disobey the LORD (I Sam. 13:11-14; 15:11, 23) and became dangerously irrational (I Sam. 14:24, 28, 43; 16:3; 18:11-12, 15, 29; 19:10). The LORD rejected Saul as Israel’s King (I Sam. 15:26-28) & chose David to replace him (I Sam. 16:7, 13).
Saul’s son Jonathan loved David after observing his courage & love for God when he killed Goliath (I Sam. 17:32-51; 18:1). So Jonathan & David made a blood covenant because of the love & respect they had for each other as valiant soldiers (I Sam. 18:3-4; 20:8; the curse & blessing of the covenant – I Sam. 20:12-17; the LORD is the 3rd party to the covenant – I Sam. 20:23, 42; 23:18). This blood covenant was the cause of David saving Mephibosheth’s life & exalting him to sit at the king’s table as one of his own sons (I Sam. 20:15-17).
There are two reasons Why Mephibosheth’s life was in danger from King David?
1. Because as a member of the house of Saul he would be considered an enemy worthy of death (2 Sam.
19:28). Saul’s followers had tried to make Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, King (2 Sam. 2:8-11) and there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David (2 Sam. 3:1). Jonathan would have been the King following Saul, as his eldest son, if God had not rejected Saul and chosen David to replace him.
2. A great famine of 3 years came upon Israel because of “Saul’s bloody house, because he slew the
Gibeonites” (2 Sam. 21:1-2). This was a great sin because the Gibeonites had made a covenant with Israel about 400 yrs. earlier! (Josh. 9:3-27). There are serious consequences for violating a blood covenant where the LORD is the 3rd party involved. Seven sons of Saul had to suffer capital punishment for the murders they had committed (2 Sam. 21:4-6, 14). [In light of Deuteronomy 24:16 it is probable that the 7 sons executed were directly implicated in the attack upon the Gibeonites]. But Mephibosheth was saved from certain death because of the blood covenant oath that David had made with Jonathan about 20 years earlier (2 Sam. 21:7)!
The entire story of Mephibosheth is a perfect picture of N.T. truth of a sinner saved by a King’s grace through a blood covenant. This is known as a Prophetic Type or similitude (Hosea 12:10). We point out 7 of the supernatural parallels between Mephibosheth & us as lost sinners that are so clear its supernatural design by the Holy Spirit can’t be missed (2Tim. 3:16-7).
1.) Mephibosheth was made a cripple by a fall (2 Sam. 4:4). We were crippled in our humanity by the fall of Adam for we were in his loins when he fell (see this principle of the unity of the human race in Hebrews 7:9-10).
Major Problem: broken humanity!
a. His nurse fled with Mephibosheth because she feared for his life. And while she
saved his life, he suffered a crippling fall. We are all crippled in some way.
We can either be thankful God kept us alive or be bitter that we were injured.
b. His self-esteem was so shattered he considered himself a “dead dog” (I Sam. 9:8)
2.) He lives in fear for his life, hiding from God’s chosen King (Heb. 2:14-15)
a. He is given refuge by “Machir” (2 Sam. 9:4-5) who is a kind and very generous man according to 2 Sam. 17:27-29. His basic needs are met so he stays in “Lo-debar” which in Hebrew means “not a word.” What is the Holy Spirit trying to tell us here? (Lk. 15:17-19). Mephibosheth had not heard a word about the covenant His Father had made with the King. If he had he would not have been living in fear for his life. He thought he would be put to death for the rebellion his ancestors led against King David. His grandfather Saul tried to kill David on several occasions (I Sam. 19:1).
3.) Saving, reconciling, exalting grace is extended to Mephibosheth because of David’s
blood covenant with Jonathan: (I Sam. 18:1-4; 20:8, 15-17, 23). The King takes the
initiative to find Mephibosheth (2 Sam. 9:1-7). Just like King Jesus took the initiative to
seek us (Luke 19:10; Col. 2:13-14). We all are given a second chance at life by Jesus!
a. He is saved from death by of a blood covenant made by another (2 Sam. 21:6-7).
The one who made the covenant on his behalf was of his own flesh and blood.
Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of this prophetic type (Heb. 2:11, 14-17).
b. He Is reconciled to the King because of the Blood Covenant made by someone else
(2 Sam. 9:1, 7). Jesus reconciles us to God (Rom. 5:10; 2 Cor. 5:18; Col. 1:21).
c. He is exalted next to the King’s throne & made like one of the King’s own sons!
Because of the Blood Covenant! (2 Sam. 9:11, 13) (I John 3:1; Rom. 8:7).
d. He surrenders to the King as His servant (2Sam. 9:6) with humility (9:8; Jam. 4:6)
4.) He is given an abundant earthly heritage (2 Sam. 9:9). Jesus gives us Eph. 1:3; 2 Pet. 1:3
a. King David tells him “Fear not” (2 Sam. 9:7) Grace removes our fear (I John 4:18)
b. It doesn’t matter how much you were crippled before you met Jesus Christ;
Christians prosper when they surrender everything to God. Whether they use their
prosperity to lay up treasures on earth or in heaven is their choice. (Matt. 6:19-20)
He moves to Jerusalem! (Just as Christians will - Rev. 21) & sits as the Kings table
(9:7,10-13)! God’s grace brings us into fellowship with our King & his children!
5.) Mephibosheth leads a life of “self-denial” during the king’s absence (2 Sam. 19:24)
a. Matthew 16:24-25: “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after
me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will
save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.”
Knowing his purpose in life strengthens him to persevere through trials
6.) He was persecuted, deceived, cheated, & slandered by a materialistic self seeking world
(2Sam 16:1-4; 19:26-7; Matt. 5:10-12)
a. Grace keeps us faithful even in the absence of our King (Matt. 24:45-51; 25:1-13).
7.) He rejoiced at the return of his King. His relationship to the King was more important to
him than his material possessions (2 Sam. 19:29-30) Jesus warned us in Lk. 12:15-21!
a. Experiencing genuine grace creates a heartfelt love toward the one who has been
graceful toward you (2 Sam. 19:28) (I John 4:7-10)
i. Are you looking forward for the return of King Jesus? (I Pet. 1:6-7, 13-16)
In 1981, California police staged an intensive search for a stolen car & its driver. They placed announcements on radio attempting to contact the thief. Why? In the car sat a box of crackers that, unknown to the thief, were laced with poison. The car owner intended to use them as rat killer. But now the police & car owner were more interested in saving the thief from a horrible death than to recover the car. Like that thief, many of us run from God, thinking He is after us for our sins. But God is after us to save us from a horrible eternal death!
