RESTORED BY A KING
The example of Mephibosheth
II Samuel 9
INTRODUCTION:
Today I want to examine another story from the Old Testament, and --- as I love to do --- I have found another obscure character most people don’t know much about and rarely hear preached about in a sermon. We will look at the life of a young man named Mephibosheth. How many of you remember who he was? He was the son of Jonathan and grandson of King Saul.
Now, I’m sure EVERYONE remembers King David. He’s the same David who killed Goliath, then grew up to be the 2nd King of Israel. It was while the 1st King --- Saul --- was still in power, that the Prophet Samuel anointed David as God’s chosen King. Needless to say, this did not make David popular with King Saul. In fact, trouble developed to the point that David and Saul were on different sides of a civil war.
To complicate matters, Saul’s son, Jonathan was David’s dearest friend. In fact, Jonathan and David were so loyal to each other that they made a covenant together. They promised that no matter what happened they would always look after each other’s families. The civil war continued until finally both Saul and Jonathan died in a battle at Jezreel.
In the chaotic days that followed, all the descendants of Saul were killed. (This was typical in the regime changes of those days.) But in this case, there was one lone survivor: A young boy named Mephibosheth, who was a son of Jonathan.
We’re going to look at the story of Mephibosheth, because this obscure Old Testament Character gives us a picture of God’s grace to sinners. II Samuel chapter 4 tells us that after David was firmly established on his Throne, he remembered his promise to Jonathan. He found young Mephibosheth --- the only surviving son of Jonathan --- the grandson of his old enemy Saul --- and he restored Mephibosheth to the Palace of the King.
As we look at the restoration of Mephibosheth, we’ll see that his story represents what God has done for each of us. First of all, like Mephibosheth, we were all CRIPPLED BY A FALL:
1. Crippled by a fall II Samuel 4:4
Now, Jonathan, Saul’s son had a son crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the report of Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled. And it happened that in her hurry to flee, he fell and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth. II Samuel 4:4
Mephibosheth started out at a distinct disadvantage. His well-meaning nurse panicked and --- in her haste to get the boy away from danger --- she dropped him. Because of that, Mephibosheth grew up crippled in both feet. This child would, for the rest of his days, need the help of others in order to get by. He was pretty much at the mercy of anyone who came looking for him.
And in much the same way, the human race is crippled because of the fall of Adam: We are also at a distinct disadvantage because of our propensity to sin.
· Morally speaking – we cannot live up to the perfect standards of God
· Physically speaking we all face pain and sickness and death.
· Spiritually speaking we cannot make ourselves righteous enough to approach God.
We have the same basic problem Mephibosheth had. He was crippled in both feet. We are crippled when it comes to pleasing God on the basis of our own deeds. Like Mephibosheth, we were all crippled by a fall.
But the good news is that, like Mephibosheth, we were SOUGHT BY THE KING.
2. Sought by the King II Samuel 9:1,3
Then the king said, “Is there not still someone 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 lame in his feet” II Samuel 9:3
Mephibosheth did not search for the King. The King searched for him. He was only 5 years old when he fled the palace. Chances are, he didn’t even know David. But David made himself known to Mephibosheth … just like God has revealed Himself to us.
And King David went out of his way to seek out this lost son. (Fortunately, for Mephibosheth, he sought him out for good.) In very much the same way, Jesus came into the world seeking those who were not seeking him.
John 1:10 says He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.”
Jesus said: “I have come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10
As a general rule, people do not seek after God … mainly because they don’t know WHO He is or HOW he can be found. We may know there IS a God. But we don’t really KNOW Him until he makes Himself known to us. God is not lost, we are!
It is said that when Henry David Thoreau, the naturalist, was near death, he was visited by a pious aunt who asked him, “Henry, have you made your peace with God?”
His reply to her was, “I didn’t know that we had ever quarreled.”
That answer revealed profound spiritual ignorance. Too many people are like him. They are utterly unconscious of the fact that they have sinned against God. They have no idea that they are, in reality, lost and separated from Him. They don’t know that the first step in coming to Christ is to realize that they are lost sinners who desperately need to be found and saved.
At least Mephibosheth knew he was officially an enemy of the King. He knew there was nothing he could do to make things right. Unless the King came and sought him out, he was doomed to hide all his life. And like Mephibosheth --- who was SOUGHT BY THE KING --- we have been FOUND IN A FAR COUNTRY.
3. Found in a far country II Samuel 9:4
David asked a servant named Ziba where he could find Mephibosheth. She explained he was hiding out in a country called Lo Debar.
Lo Debar was a city east of the Jordan River. The whole area is a barren wasteland. The literal meaning of Lo Debar is “the place of no bread.” Mephibosheth was hiding out in a desolate place. David did not wait for Jonathan’s son to come out of that desolate place; he went there to track the boy down.
Like him, we are also in a desolate place if we are separated from God: a place of no bread. But to that place comes Jesus --- who is the bread of life. He came into our desolate place so that we could have nourishment and life.
God takes the initiative to seek and to find. Remember the parable of the lost sheep. The Good Shepherd left 99 healthy sheep back in the safety of the sheep-fold while he scoured the countryside all night, looking for one wayward lost lamb.
That’s how God looks for any lost sinner. And that’s how David looked for Mephibosheth. Like Mephibosheth, we were actually SAVED FOR ANOTHER’S SAKE.
4. Saved for another’s sake II Samuel 9:1,7
David said to him, “Do not fear for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.” II Samuel 9:7
David loved Mephibosheth from the very beginning … not for his own sake … not for anything Mephibosheth had done to deserve that love … but for Jonathan’s sake. His love for Jonathan extended through the generations to Jonathan’s descendants.
I can understand that because … as a grandfather … my love for my daughters extends to their husbands, their children (my grandchildren) … and, if I live long enough, to their children as well. I love everything connected to my daughters. And --- (though I do have the best looking grandchildren in the world) --- I would love them no matter how they looked or what they did.
In much the same way, God loves every one of us for His Son’s sake. We don’t have to earn his love … we already have His love. God’s love was given freely … given in the name of His son, Jesus.
It reminds me of one of my favorite verses, in Ephesians 1:6. The apostle Paul says that we are accepted “In the beloved.” We are fully acceptable to God purely because we belong to His Son, Jesus Christ.
Now the story of Mephibosheth has a happy ending. And our story, too, can have a happy ending because --- like Mephibosheth --- we can some day be RESTORED TO THE KING’S TABLE.
5. Restored to the King’s table II Samuel 9:10-13
“As for Mephibosheth,” said the king, “he shall eat at my table like one of the king’s sons.” II Samuel 9:11
We ended the REVELATION series a few weeks back looking at the great banquet when the bride and the Lamb will be united in Heaven. The church and Jesus Christ will be together at that eternal feast.
How good and important it is to know that the groom will bring the bride to the feast. She will be adorned in white spotless garments provided by the groom. Everything the bride enjoys comes at the expense of the groom.
Friends, we are the bride of Christ. Jesus has set a place at HIS banquet table … and the place mat has your name on it! Your place at the banquet table was secured at the cost of the blood of the lamb who was slain. He has provided for each of us a place at his table for all eternity.
CONCLUSION:
As you think about the story of Mephibosheth, think of it this way: Before we could do anything about it, the devil grabbed us humans and ran off into a far country. In the process, we fell and became permanently crippled.
But, thank God, it is also true that the King has come. He has gone out of his way to seek us out. He has found us in the far country. He wants to adopt us into His family so we can sit at His table forever.
The story of Mephibosheth is a reminder of how God actively seeks those who are lost and brings them home to his table. That kind of love for the lost sinner deserves a response. In love and gratitude we need to reach back to the one who has already reached out to us.
The Shepherd
by Thelma McDougall
The shepherd has left the ninety and nine
And gone down after the one,
Into the darkness of the pit,
Away from the light of the sun.
Into the tangled wilds of sin,
Into the chill of despair,
Into the storms of unbelief
Into the night time of care.
Give praise, my soul, for his patience rare,
Give thanks for his love divine!
For I … who was once the hundredth sheep,
Am back with the ninety and nine!
