Mephibosheth
What does it mean when it says the Bible is a bunch of little stories, but it is also one large story? What does foreshadowing mean? Last week we had an example about drinking the water and I told you about my son-in-law‘s take on it. Jeremy said yup. Got that wrong, Jesus hadn’t even been born yet. That made me think that we should talk about this topic quickly. And this story is unbelievable to demonstrate this tonight.
Quick history:
This is where we are in Israel’s history: Saul was the first king of Israel. When he started, he followed God, but over the course of his reign, he drifted further and further away from God. David was the person that God will be choosing for a king Saul knows this, so he is constantly jealous of David and tries to kill him many times. Saul has a son named Jonathan who is David’s best friend. And throughout Israel, there are the Saul people and the David people.
Saul and Jonathan at this time we’re fighting in a war against the philistines. Both of them get killed in the same battle. When word got back that they were both killed, there was a nurse who is taking care of the five-year-old son of Jonathan. The nurse was so afraid thinking that Davids side would come after them that she grabbed the five-year-old son of Jonathan and tried to flea. In the process, she dropped him, and he became crippled in the legs for life. His name, the son of Jonathan, David’s best friend, is Mephibosheth.
2 Samuel 4:4 – NIV
- (Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was lame in both feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she hurried to leave, he fell and became disabled. His name was Mephibosheth.)
Why did the nurse assume David would hunt her down? I see this as projection. She is in the environment of treachery, so she assumes that everyone else is too.
But this is what David does…
Saul has a son named Ish-Bosheth, which is Mephibosheths uncle. Israel is divided up into tribes. All the tribes have Sauls family as their king except for one, the tribe of Judah. They had already crowned David as their king.
For two years, there’s political chaos in Israel. One night assassins break into Ish-Bosheth’s house and stab him to death. They cut off his head and bring it to King David. They think that they did him a great favor, but David has them executed for their wickedness.
You can see the difference between David and Saul and his family. so now Mephibosheth father, grandfather, and uncle are all gone. Mephibosheth, at one time was a prince in line to be King, now he is crippled and has to live off the charity of others.
David and Jonathan remember were best friends. Before Jonathan died, David had made him a promise that he would take care of his family. And this is where we find our story today, with David thinking back to that promise.
Read 2 Samuel:
2 Samuel 9:1 – NIV
- David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
This is a great example of a “world” worldview versus biblical worldview. In this time in history, it is common that a new king would slaughter everybody from the old kingdom. This would be expected in a secular worldview at that time. But David, who has a biblical worldview, does the exact opposite. he asks what can I do for my enemy?
David is remembering a promise that he made to his best friend Jonathan. Saul had made David is enemy, but David did not do the same.
2 Samuel 9:2-4 – NIV
- Now there was a servant of Saul’s household named Ziba. They summoned him to appear before David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” “At your service,” he replied. 3. The king asked, “Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?” Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet.” 4. “Where is he?” the king asked. Ziba answered, “He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.”
What does it say that David had to ask this question? What does it mean that he did not know about Mephibosheth?
Because David could only learn that there was a descendent of Saul through this servant Ziba, it meant that Mephibosheth was in hiding. If he’s in hiding, it means he’s afraid of David.
When David learns that Mephibosheth is the son of Jonathan, from a worldly view, he would see him as an enemy, because he would have a political right to the throne.
The fact that he was in another man’s house shows his low station in life. He didn’t have his own home. He was once a prince, but now is in hiding.
2 Samuel 9:5-6 – NIV
- So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel. 6. When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor. David said, “Mephibosheth!” “At your service,” he replied.
Mephibosheth must have been terrified when messengers from David knocked at his door and demanded that he come with them to see the king. In the back of his mind, he anticipated the day when David would do as other kings did and massacre every potential rival to his throne.
2 Samuel 9:7-8 – NIV
- “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.” 8. Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?”
The first thing David says to him is, don’t be afraid. Then he says I will show you kindness because of your father. Then he says I will give you back. What is yours. Then he goes above and beyond and gives him a place at the table.
What is this a model of?
God/Jesus/Mercy/Grace
What does Mephibosheth statement show about him?
He is humble before David, showing us to be humble before God.
2 Samuel 9:9-12 – NIV
- Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul’s steward, and said to him, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. 10. You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master’s grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.) 11. Then Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table like one of the king’s sons. 12. Mephibosheth had a young son named Mika, and all the members of Ziba’s household were servants of Mephibosheth.
So David restores everything to Mephibosheth. What do you think Ziba is thinking at this time? Saul has been dead and Ziba has been running the old kings palace basically. Now David comes in and says you are going to serve Mephibosheth instead.
Why do you think it says Ziba had 15 sons and 20 servants?
2 Samuel 9:13 – NIV
- And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table; he was lame in both feet.
Three quick facts to end, chapter 9. He lived in Jerusalem, he ate at the king table, he was lame in both feet. What does that mean?
He was no longer in hiding (sin), he enjoyed relationship with David (God), he still had a weakness.
i. David’s grace to Mephibosheth is a wonderful picture of God’s grace to us. We are Mephibosheth.
· We are hiding, poor, weak, lame, and fearful before our King comes to us.
· We are separated from our King because of our wicked ancestors.
· We are separated from our King because of our deliberate actions.
· We separated ourselves from the King because we didn’t know Him or His love for us.
· Our King sought us out before we sought Him.
· The King’s kindness is extended to us for the sake of another.
· The King’s kindness is based on covenant.
· We must receive the King’s kindness in humility.
· The King returns to us what we lost in hiding from Him.
· The King returns to us more than what we lost in hiding from Him.
· We have the privilege of provision at the King’s table.
· We are received as sons at the King’s table, with access to the King and fellowship with Him.
· We receive servants from the King.
· The King’s honor does not immediately take away all our weakness and lameness, but it gives us a favor and standing that overcomes its sting and changes the way we think about ourselves.
ii. David’s grace to Mephibosheth is also a pattern for us in serving and ministering to others. We are David.
· We should seek out our enemies and seek to bless them.
· We should look for the poor, weak, lame, and hidden to bless them.
· We should bless others when they don’t deserve it, and bless them more than they deserve.
· We should bless others for the sake of someone else.
· We must show the kindness of God to others.
The story continues: Remember, the question I asked about what Ziba must think of the new arrangement?
2 Samuel 16:1-4 – NIV
- When David had gone a short distance beyond the summit, there was Ziba, the steward of Mephibosheth, waiting to meet him. He had a string of donkeys saddled and loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred cakes of raisins, a hundred cakes of figs and a skin of wine. 2. The king asked Ziba, “Why have you brought these?” Ziba answered, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride on, the bread and fruit are for the men to eat, and the wine is to refresh those who become exhausted in the wilderness.” 3. The king then asked, “Where is your master’s grandson?” Ziba said to him, “He is staying in Jerusalem, because he thinks, ‘Today the Israelites will restore to me my grandfather’s kingdom.’ ” 4. Then the king said to Ziba, “All that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours.” “I humbly bow,” Ziba said. “May I find favor in your eyes, my lord the king.”
After several years, Absalom, one of David’s sons, led a rebellion against him. As David fled Jerusalem, he was surprised to see Ziba approaching on horseback. Following him were “a string of donkeys, saddled and loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred cakes of raisins, a hundred cakes of figs and a skin of wine.”
Surprised by the offering, David asked Ziba about his master. “Where’s Mephibosheth?”
“He’s back in Jerusalem,” Ziba reported, “waiting for your kingdom to fall and for Absalom to come to power. Mephibosheth believes that today the house of Israel will give him back his grandfather’s kingdom.”
“However, I’m still loyal to you,” Ziba could have added. Now his gift seemed more like a bribe.
David was furious at the news of how Mephibosheth had repaid his kindness. “All that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours,” he told Ziba.
2 Samuel 19:24-30 – NIV
- Mephibosheth, Saul’s grandson, also went down to meet the king. He had not taken care of his feet or trimmed his mustache or washed his clothes from the day the king left until the day he returned safely. 25. When he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, the king asked him, “Why didn’t you go with me, Mephibosheth?” 26. He said, “My lord the king, since I your servant am lame, I said, ‘I will have my donkey saddled and will ride on it, so I can go with the king.’ But Ziba my servant betrayed me. 27. And he has slandered your servant to my lord the king. My lord the king is like an angel of God; so do whatever you wish. 28. All my grandfather’s descendants deserved nothing but death from my lord the king, but you gave your servant a place among those who eat at your table. So what right do I have to make any more appeals to the king?” 29. The king said to him, “Why say more? I order you and Ziba to divide the land.” 30. Mephibosheth said to the king, “Let him take everything, now that my lord the king has returned home safely.”
After a while, David’s men defeated Absalom and the king returned to the city. This time he was met by Mephibosheth. David hardly recognized the disheveled man who stood before him.
Mephibosheth pleaded with David, telling him that his servant Ziba had lied about his betraying the king. Surely his appearance was proof of his loyalty. For he had been so disturbed by David’s absence during Absalom’s revolt that he expressed his grief by refusing to bathe, cut his hair, or trim his nails. He begged David to believe the evidence of his own eyes.
Not knowing whom to believe, David recanted his earlier decision to strip Mephibosheth of his land and ordered Mephibosheth and Ziba to “divide the fields” equally.
“Let Ziba take everything,” Mephibosheth protested, “now that my lord the king has arrived home safely.”
But, as David had ordered, the land was divided between Ziba and Mephibosheth.
Making good one final time on his promise to “show kindness to Jonathan’s family,” David spared Mephibosheth’s life and gave him more than he deserved.
In many ways, Mephibosheth is such a pitiful figure—fatherless from an early age, crippled and unable to provide for himself, his future in jeopardy because of his familial ties. And yet he experienced a profound reversal of fortune because of one man’s mercy. Though none of us like to admit it, we are not so different from this unfortunate man. Crippled by sin, cut off from the family of God, at one time our future was even bleaker than his. But if we now belong to God, we too have experienced the profound reversal that has resulted from one man’s mercy—Jesus Christ, the great king who continues to surprise us by building his kingdom through the power of his mercy.
Spangler, Ann; Wolgemuth, Robert. Men of the Bible (pp. 177-178). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
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