David's Grace to Mephibosheth

INTRO

In 2 Samuel 7, we looked at the Davidic Covenant and God’s promise that the house of David would reign forever through his descendant (Psalm 78:70–72). In Luke 1, that descendant is identified as Jesus, the Messiah. In 2 Samuel 8, God gave David victory over the Philistines, the Moabites, the Arameans, and the Edomites.

TEACHING

Wiersbe divides this chapter into three actions for David: “Finding Mephibosheth” (vv. 1–4); “Calling Mephibosheth” (vv. 5–8); and “Enriching Mephibosheth” (vv. 9–13).”¹

2 Samuel 9:1–4: Jonathan and David had made a covenant in which David promised to care for Jonathan’s family when he became king. After David became king, he asked if there were any surviving family members connected to his beloved friend, Jonathan (v. 1). This is another picture of David’s integrity as a man of his word—he didn’t wait for family members to come find him. Ziba, Saul’s “estate manager,”²was summoned and David inquired who was left that he could show kindness to. Ziba shared that Jonathan’s son who was injured in both feet had survived (vv. 2–3). Ziba gave the king instructions for how he could find Jonathan’s son in Lo-debar (v. 4).

2 Samuel 9:5–8: David had Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth brought to him (v. 5). Mephibosheth bowed down before David (v. 6). David had asked for any family member of Saul, and he found the son of Jonathan. Mephibosheth was five years old when his father was killed in battle, and he wasn’t born crippled. But, in a rush to flee after hearing of Jonathan’s death, his nurse dropped him, and he was crippled (2 Samuel 4:4). Scholars estimate that Mephibosheth was about 20 years old when he was brought to David, and had a son named Mica (v. 12). Mephibosheth pledged himself as a servant of David, because “it was usual in the Middle East for founders of new dynasties to kill the children of former rulers to keep them from trying to regain the throne in the name of their families.”³told Mephibosheth not to be afraid because he was going to restore all of Saul’s lands to Mephibosheth (v. 7a). Plus, David would treat Mephibosheth as family at his table (v. 7b). Mephibosheth wondered why David would show such generosity to “a dead dog” like him (v. 8). Dogs “were regarded as unclean scavengers, and were generally viewed with contempt,” so using the expression shows Mephibosheth’s “low self-image and his astonishment at the grace being shown him.”⁴(Proverbs 26:11). Mephibosheth saw himself as worthless

2 Samuel 9:9–13: David summoned Ziba and explained all he had restored to Mephibosheth (v. 9). David also told Ziba that he along with his fifteen sons, and his twenty servants would now work for Mephibosheth by tending the crops. Mephibosheth would be made part of David’s family and would eat at David’s table (vv. 10–11). The Gospel of Luke explains the importance of having a seat at the table (Luke 13:29–30; 14:12–24; 22:29–30). God has made a place for all people at His table. Verse 13 concludes the chapter with the statement that Mephibosheth ate all his meals at the king’s table, so his inheritance went to his son.

CLOSING

Chuck Swindoll wrote, “It is, in my personal opinion, the greatest illustration of grace in all the Old Testament.”5 Think how Mephibosheth was raised. He had been lame for years, “was hiding in a place of barrenness, and was fearful of the king. . .” David took the initiative to seek out Mephibosheth in spite of his unloveliness, bring him into his house and presence, and adopted him as his own son.”⁶(Psalm 23:6). Likewise, believers are truly blessed for nothing we have done ourselves. All of us are in a state of “Lo-debar” and can do nothing to help ourselves out. We are in a state of barrenness that can only be made whole through Christ.

5 Charles R. Swindoll, David: A Man of Passion and Destiny. Great Lives from God’s Word series. (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1997), p. 169; quoted in Thomas Constable, Constable’s Expos- itory Bible Study Notes: 2 Samuel, p. 72, available online at http://planobiblechapel.org/tcon/notes/pdf/2samuel.pdf.

No other religion can make this claim because each one demands the follower’s good outweigh the bad. That is not the case with Christ, who is calling us to Him:

• Romans 9:16: “So then it does not depend on human will or effort but on God who shows mercy.” It’s not about our own efforts.

Galatians 5:2: “Take note! I, Paul, tell you that if you get yourselves circumcised, Christ will not benefit you at all.” It’s not about our works.

Acts 13:39: “And everyone who believes in Him is justified from everything that you could not be justified from through the law of Moses.” It’s not about following all the laws.

Galatians 2:16: "Know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ. And we have believed in Christ Jesus so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no human being will be justified.” You don’t find your worth in what you do.

2 Timothy 1:9: “He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.” It’s not about our works.

Titus 3:4–5: “But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” It is all from the Lord and not from ourselves.

Mephibosheth received from David what we have received through Jesus Christ, “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). For us, though, it is an eternal gift. We have been given a seat at the table, “for we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

Mephibosheth became the adopted son of King David, and he never knew want or loneliness again. Romans 8:15 says, “For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’”