(a gentleman I encountered in the Philippines some years ago.. wb)
Key Verse:
2 Samuel 9:1 NKJV
1 Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him [a]kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
Look around. Someone nearby needs…a hand. You are God’s workmanship, created for good works.
Selah
Where to begin?
2 Samuel 4:4 NKJV
4 Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled. And it happened, as she made haste to flee, that he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.
The natural starting point here is the story of the son of Jonathan, Mephibosheth. His was a story of mishap and subsequent misfortune, and as we will see, misappropriation. Heir to the throne of Israel, in one day he lost his grandfather, the king and he lost his father Jonathan, both to the sword. At the news of such a horrific occurrence, he fell (probably from a horse or a horse-drawn carriage and came up lame. Completely lame. At the age of five, he went from riches to rags, from royalty to a nobody, a never-was. At the tender age of five, he had been handed the cruelest of life’s outcomes. He had no hope. Let’s start there.
The Lesson
2 Samuel 9:1 NKJV
1 Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him [a]kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
All of Israel has finally been consolidated under King David’s rule. All enemies have been defeated and God has brought peace to Israel. Immediately, David begins to impress God’s righteous rule upon the kingdom. How so? He accomplishes this by using the weight of his office to establish justice in Israel. Surely there were other affairs of state that could have been addressed under Israel’s new leadership, but David thought to address something closer to home and near to his heart. Was there any kin of Saul that he might show kindness to on behalf of his close friend and mentor, Jonathan?
Jonathan had been David’s closest friend and mentor. On one occasion, he had given David his robe and his sword. In doing so, he was acknowledging what was becoming apparent in all of Israel; that God had removed the scepter from the House of Saul and had given it to the House of David. When David had to flee Israel to escape Saul’s wrath, Jonathan protected David. In exchange, he requested that David remember his family and protect their inheritance. David’s actions, upon taking over the throne of Israel, set an example for how we, today should honor our commitments, and thereby execute justice, one instance at a time.
2 Samuel 9:2 NKJV
2 And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”
He said, “At your service!”
With the deaths of Saul and Jonathan in battle, disgrace had fallen on the house of Saul. Because of this, no one from the house of Saul had stepped up to claim the inheritance of Saul. The remainder of his family had been scattered, some to regions outside of Israel. Subsequently, Ziba, the servant of Saul, occupied the inheritance of Saul, seemingly for himself and his own family. With Saul’s family disgraced, there was no one to dispute his claim. This would have been a similar situation to the situation Abraham found himself in when he had not had children. He was resigned to the thought that all of his wealth would go to Eliazar, his own servant. God had to assure Abraham that he would give him an heir from his own loins. With Saul dead, Ziba stood to gain all of his inheritance.
2 Samuel 9:3 NKJV
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.”
So now we see God’s plan for justice begin to unfold. David has called the servant, Ziba into his presence to inquire of him concerning the House of Saul. Notice that in this request, there are a couple of distinctions. First, that Ziba has been drought before the king indicates that God is bringing accountability to bear. This would have been akin to the casting of lots, or to the casting of the Urim and the Thummim from the ephod of the High Priest.
Secondly, the Bible does not record that David mentioned Jonathan specifically in his questioning of Ziba. One can imply here that David had been made aware of Jonathan’s son during his first inquiry and was now testing Ziba to determine whether he would be completely forthright before God.
Obviously, Ziba understood the dynamics in play and chose the path of prudence. Not only did he confirm the existence of an heir to the house of Saul, but that was also the son of Jonathan. He also offered additional information: that the son of Jonathan was crippled; crippled from a very early age.
2 Samuel 9:4 NKJV
4 So the king said to him, “Where is he?”
And Ziba said to the king, “Indeed he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar.”
Lodebar, a desert place, a plain east of the Jordan river is where Mephibosheth resided, under the care of the house or tribe of Machir, a descendant of Manasseh, the first son of Joseph. Machir had been aligned with Saul during his reign but, had become entirely loyal to David once he became King of Israel. For the son of Jonathan, it was a place of hopelessness. Though he was being cared for, he was separated from what was rightfully his, the inheritance of his grandfather, Saul. Because he was crippled, he would never be in a position to take his rightful place as the head of Saul’s estate, nor reap the fruit of its fields. He was forgotten.
2 Samuel 9:5-6 NKJV
5 Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar.
6 Now when Mephibosheth[b] the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, “Mephibosheth?”
And he answered, “Here is your servant!”
And so the King sent for the son of his friend and mentor, Jonathan. So long had the memory of Jonathan that he did not know, nor could he recognize the child of his once good friend. But, in the time that has passed since David sent for him, David has familiarized himself with his name and his circumstance. Upon meeting him, David gently calls his name, “Mephibosheth?”
Mephibosheth, who has fallen on his face before David, displays the utmost humility before the King of Israel, who had taken over the throne that might have fallen to him. Why had David summoned him? Did David perceive him as a threat? Mephibosheth sought the path of humility and placed himself at David’s mercy. How could he resist? His words reflected his humility before the king, “Here is your servant (my lord).” The content of the parenthesis is mine’s, so as to add emphasis to the moment and the position that Mephibosheth finds himself in and the way in which he surrenders to it and to David.
2 Samuel 9:7 NKJV
7 So 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.”
David senses the trepidation and anxiety that young Mephibosheth must be experiencing and immediately moves to put him at ease. He immediately begins to pour out his heart to this young, crippled stranger, whom he has not known until this very moment. However, his love for his father, Jonathan had been so great that David was motivated to move the heavens on behalf of his long, lost progeny. No, David wasn’t going to give him his throne, but he was going to give him… everything else!
2 Samuel 9:8 NKJV
8 Then he bowed himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?”
So harsh had been Mephibosheth’s life experience that he no longer even identified as an Israelite, but rather, he identified with the gentiles surrounding him. On the eastern side of the Jordan, there were more Caananites than Hebrews. Many more. Despised by God’s people, they were regarded as but dogs in the eyes of the Israelites. Mephibosheth identified more closely with the ‘dogs’ than he did with his own people. And then, is if to punctuate the thought, he added the adjective ‘dead’ to the description of himself. In his own eyes, he was just a crippled, dead, gentile dog: dead to the inheritance promised to his fathers by God, Almighty, disgraced by his family’s sorry legacy, banished from any home he may have known. Just a vagabond living among the jackals in no man’s land. What moved David to such a magnanimous act of loving-kindness? Beloved the question is not what, but who? Or rather, Who? What a loving God we serve. Amen.
2 Samuel 9:9-10b NKJV
9 And the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “I have given to your master’s son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. 10b You, therefore, and your sons and your servants, shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in the harvest, that your master’s son may have food to eat.
But while Mephibosheth kneels in stunned silence and disbelief over what he has just heard from the mouth of the King of God’s people, David turns his attention to Ziba. Christians, please take note of what the righteous execution of justice looks like. It looks so much like grace! In one fell swoop, he restores to Mephibosheth all of his family’s inheritance. All of it: land cattle, horses, servants, maidens,... all. And all without exacting what may have been well-deserved punishment upon Ziba, the servant, and his fifteen sons, and his twenty servants. Yes, Ziba had taken full advantage of the absence of an heir to the house of Saul. He and his family were living large on Saul’s estate and many theologians believe that Ziba fully expected to take it all for his own. King David squashed that very thought. But, in doing so, he gave Ziba and his sons something so much more valuable: their lives. He spared their lives and allowed them to continue to grow and prosper in the House of Saul, but as servants! Beloved, God will prosper you when you are aligned with His place for you in His kingdom. The Psalmist declared that he would rather be a doorkeeper in the House of the Lord than to dwell (live large!) in the tents of wickedness. God looks on the heart Beloved.
2 Samuel 9:10b NKJV
10b But Mephibosheth your master’s son shall eat bread at my table always.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
The second part of David’s edict is even more astounding. Yes, all of Saul’s estate will be returned to Mephibosheth, but Mephibosheth won’t have to live a finger to manage it. David has commanded that from that moment forward, Mephibosheth will eat at the King’s table. He will eat the food of the royals and not put forth any effort to acquire it. Wow! In this way, both the House of Mephibosheth and the family of Ziba would prosper. Look at God! I have more to say concerning this, but I’ll wait a couple of more verses…
2 Samuel 9:11a NKJV
11a Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do.”
First, allow me to applaud Ziba for his wisdom. He read the tea leaves. He took the hint…and ran with it. Surely he knew of David’s temper, which could be as volatile as his heart was tender. Refuse a request of this king and it could very well cost you your life. David was truly a man of war. He had no problem executing vengeance upon those with whom he took offense. Ziba chose wisely. Ziba chose life.
2 Samuel 9:11b NKJV
11b “As for Mephibosheth,” said the king, “he shall eat at [c]my table like one of the king’s sons.”
Wait! What? Full Stop! Re-read David’s final proclamation slowly, “As for Mephibosheth, he shall eat at my table like one of the king’s sons.” Not only, will Mephibosheth eat at the king’s table, but he will eat with David’s family. From this day forward, he will be treated as a son to David. In fact, there is every indication here that David legally adopted Mephibosheth and from that day forward he and his became royalty in Israel.
2 Samuel 9:12 NKJV
12 Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Micha. And all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth.
So, then Mephibosheth and his son had their rightful inheritance re-instated, as heirs to the House of Saul and to the promises of God, according to God’s covenant promise to Abraham. All of his shame, all of his fears, all of his hurts had been vanquished at the king’s behest. Suddenly, for Mephibosheth, life was good.
2 Samuel 9:13 NKJV
13 So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king’s table. And he was lame in both his feet.
Pay attention. So complete was Mephibosheth’s restoration and elevation that his address changed. From that moment forward, he made his home in Jerusalem, in the land of the tribe of Judah, in the city of David. Yes, he was now full owner of the House of Saul, in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin, but from that day forward, Jerusalem was home. He and his family would forever benefit from the kindness and graciousness of his benefactor and now, adoptive father, David. One more thing. Mephibosheth’s physical condition had not changed. He was still crippled, however, when afforded the proper care, he and his family could now grow toward their full potential. So then, that too is just. In this short story about a man rescued by love, David demonstrates that real love benefits your neighbor. And thus, he makes a case for God’s justice; God’s social justice to be visited upon the earth…by His children: His Church! Yes, Beloved, God cares for the least among us. He desires that we care about them as well.
Selah,
wb
Ephesians 2:11-13 NKJV
11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Beloved remember: we too are recipients of God’s grace and, mercy and should always remain merciful, with an eye toward justice. Justice with mercy.
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