Let’s set the stage. A king had died in battle, along with his sons. A new king came to rule the nation of Israel. Years have passed, and now, this throne seeks
any survivors of the former king.
If you were Mephibosheth, what would be
your thoughts? After your father died,
officers that once had pledged allegiance to your royal grandfather, had then sought
out the death of any survivors of his family, so as to not challenge the new
king on the throne. You even lost the
ability to walk after a nurse ran hurriedly with you in her arms, in an effort
to save you (2 Samuel 4:4). Your legs
bear the memorial of the age-old tradition that a new king must clean the slate
of the former dynasty.
I would be scared completely. If I was Mephibosheth, and the new King David
asked me to come before him, I probably would seek an excuse…long enough by
which to find an escape from the murderous reach of the king. Mephibosheth was much braver than me. He had good reason to fear David. According to Middle Eastern tradition, when a
new king came to power, the remaining family members would be killed so that
old family members would not attempt to retake the throne. On the battlefield, if two kings were at war, the conquered king would be forced to his knees, awaiting execution. Before the execution, the victorious king
would first place his foot on the other king’s neck; a physical representation
that he had indeed defeated his enemy. A
declaration for anyone who doubted who won the war.
King David had every right to kill Mephibosheth. And according to tradition, he should have. Mephibosheth was the grandson of King Saul. Nevertheless, he did not. He extended mercy. Furthermore, he gave grace to a paralyzed man…all because, he was the son of David’s best friend, Jonathon.
King David had every right to kill Mephibosheth. And according to tradition, he should have. Mephibosheth was the grandson of King Saul. Nevertheless, he did not. He extended mercy. Furthermore, he gave grace to a paralyzed man…all because, he was the son of David’s best friend, Jonathon.
I’ve read this story before, and it
happens to be one of my favorite stories in the Old Testament. I think I liked it because, it shows
forgiveness. It shows how a friendship
doesn’t die, even if one of the friends has.
(I love that David honored his friend, Jonathon; a man he much
considered a brother, even after he died.)
On a personal note, I enjoy seeing that David showed hospitality to a
man who had been disabled. However, when
I read this story again, recently, I realized something new. This isn’t just a story of an allegiance to a
friendship. Rather it is an allegory of
a heavenly reconciliation.
Set the stage: Mephibosheth, despite everything in his gut
and the whispers inside his head telling him to flee the country, he comes
before the king who replaced his grandfather, after he had died. Perhaps he reminded himself how his dad,
Jonathon, used to hang out with King David.
“Maybe he’ll remember? I hope...” The king sees the young man from a distance,
and asked if he the one he sent for.
Mind you, David is not a young man anymore. A significant amount of years have passed,
because Mephibosheth is a father to a son of his own. The king raises from his seat, and
Mephibosheth lays prostrate on the ground, humbly he declares, “Here is your
servant! (9:6).” Perhaps if became a
servant, this would spare him his life. He’s just looking for mercy. But King
David is not interested in that at all.
The king looks on the man lying on the ground; a man who cannot
walk. He states that he will restore
Mephibosheth the honor and land of his grandfather due to him. He would feast at the king’s table for the
rest of his life.
“What is your servant, that you should
look upon such a dead dog as I (9:8)?”
I wonder if at this point, David thought
to himself, “How can I convince you that I mean you absolutely NO harm? You really don’t get it, do you?” Mephibosheth was ever mindful who his
grandfather was. He was Saul; the first
king of Israel. By all tradition and
rights in the world, King David was supposed to place his foot upon
Mephibosheth’s neck. However, that isn’t
what played out. David was offering his
home to him. Not because of his
grandfather. By that account; indeed,
Mephibosheth should have died. David
showed grace, because of Mephibosheth’s
relationship to Jonathon, not
Saul. The young man was Jonathon’s son;
and because of that friendship, Mephibosheth’s life was redeemed.
In reading this story, I took it
surprisingly how Mephibosheth remembered so quickly that he was a grandson of
Saul; and how quickly he forgot that he was Jonathon’s son. Soon after, it hit me…how often do we
remember our old heritage in sin and forget God’s love and grace toward us, due
to our relationship with Jesus? Run with
me, here. The analogy: being a grandchild of Saul = sin, being a son
of Jonathon = relationship with Jesus Christ, Mephibosheth = humanity/the individual, and King
David = God. The nature of tradition and
how Mephibosheth conducted himself compared to how King David received him all
depended on how Mephibosheth related himself, and furthermore, who he related himself to.
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All have sinned. We all have this fallen short of the glory of
God (Romans 3:23). And the Bible says
that the wages of sin is death. We’re human. But that doesn’t escape the reality that
there is a holy God, and our countenance and righteousness are piles of filth,
according to the standards of God (Isaiah 64:6). Sure, no one is perfect. Try to brag it up.
I know I probably could. I grew up a goodie-two-shoes. I’m a virgin, never got drunk, never partied, got good grades, never did drugs. But I have lied; I have cheated; I have hated (which Jesus calls murder). I have dishonored my parents, and I have withheld forgiveness before. Seriously, I have probably broken about eight to nine of the 10 Commandments. I can proclaim what a goodie-two-shoes I was, but the truth is, under the all-or-none rule of sin (James 2:10), I am just as hell-bound as the recent terrorists who killed 12 German citizens in Berlin. Because, when it comes to holiness and righteousness, one must be purely holy. That is what holy means…to be complete. I could try to show how clean the rest of me is. But God doesn’t compare sin; we are the ones who suggest differential treatment. His question is if we have done it or not. And if there is even ONE stain, I am no longer blameless. I am guilty. I cannot redeem myself of my heritage of Saul. There is a holy King, and by mandate, I deserve death. The King has every right to make me kneel, put His foot upon my neck, and say, “Have no part of Me.”
I know I probably could. I grew up a goodie-two-shoes. I’m a virgin, never got drunk, never partied, got good grades, never did drugs. But I have lied; I have cheated; I have hated (which Jesus calls murder). I have dishonored my parents, and I have withheld forgiveness before. Seriously, I have probably broken about eight to nine of the 10 Commandments. I can proclaim what a goodie-two-shoes I was, but the truth is, under the all-or-none rule of sin (James 2:10), I am just as hell-bound as the recent terrorists who killed 12 German citizens in Berlin. Because, when it comes to holiness and righteousness, one must be purely holy. That is what holy means…to be complete. I could try to show how clean the rest of me is. But God doesn’t compare sin; we are the ones who suggest differential treatment. His question is if we have done it or not. And if there is even ONE stain, I am no longer blameless. I am guilty. I cannot redeem myself of my heritage of Saul. There is a holy King, and by mandate, I deserve death. The King has every right to make me kneel, put His foot upon my neck, and say, “Have no part of Me.”
What is interesting in the original story
of David, and the upfront lessons learned in 1 and 2 Samuel, is that while
David was the newly anointed, perhaps rightful king of Israel, God had been
developing His heart in him. Many would have cheered David on if he had
killed Saul. Maybe even some
Christians. After all, Saul walked away
from God and feared peoples’ opinions rather than his Lord’s. Yet…God told David to not touch Saul. Rather David was to honor him, and his
family. When Saul had died, David became
furious when he found that a couple of his soldiers killed surviving sons of
Saul to ensure David’s throne (2 Samuel 4: 5-12). Here’s where I’m going with this. Though it was rightful to take the throne,
and let the heritage of Saul be killed off, God’s heart was
reconciliation. And in the situation of
Mephibosheth, redemption was the aim.
We all have sinned, and the wages of sin
is death. But God does not celebrate any
one to perish in their sin (Ezekiel
18:23, 32). (Side rant here: even with terrorists or despised dictators,
God longs that they would repent and turn to Him. It disgusts me and breaks my heart that
Christians will celebrate the death of any criminal, commenting how much they
are relieved that he (or she) is burning in hell. Hell was NEVER meant for us; and it is NOT
God’s heart that any should go there! Rant over.) However, what can any of us do? We all have sinned, and it’s not like we can
suddenly become pure again (on our own account).
In steps, Jesus. In our allegorical illustration: being the
son of Jonathon.
Jesus: God in man’s skin. One who had been tempted in every way all of
us have, yet, He passed with inspection every one of the 10 Commandments
(Hebrews 4:15). What’s amazing is that
while we were still sinners, God decided a way of redemption, so that the heritage
of Saul would no longer reign.
Nevertheless, his descendants (Mephibosheth) could be extended
mercy. Jesus died to save us. Death was required as the payment, and God
paid it Himself (look at Romans 5). There
is a way for reconciliation with the King, and it is by believing on Jesus as
your Lord and Savior. That’s it. There’s nothing to do; there’s nothing you
can do. Just invite Him into your life,
and the old heritage and tradition falls away.
Mercy is given. And with that,
all of heaven rejoices (Luke 15:10)!
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Mephibosheth received mercy the moment
King David decided that he did not want the ransom deaths of Saul’s descendants. However, that was not the entire extent that
David went to secure reconciliation. He
desired to show kindness for Jonathon’s
sake. He could have just written a
pardon and presented it to Mephibosheth.
Rather, he invited the man to live with him, and dine at his table for
the rest of his life. Because of God’s
heart in David, mercy was shown. Because
of his relationship with Jonathon,
grace was given. And favor was received.
What struck me is how Mephibosheth related
himself to being a dog, because he remembered his heritage of Saul. He was worthy of death, according to that standard. Yet, he forgot that he held a relationship
with Jonathon, which ensured mercy and
grace to be given to him. I wonder how
often, for those who call Jesus their Savior and Lord, are we reminded of our
old pasts, and we lay our heads low, as dogs?
We are reminded that because of our sin, we deserve death. And indeed we do! But Jesus paid it all. And all to Him we owe. Satan loves to mock that our reflections
haven’t transformed. But that isn’t the
truth, and we are not to live with our heads in the sands, defeated, because of
who we once were. Grace enfolds a double meaning. One, it means favor. A special relationship restored. Mephibosheth eating with David, as if he was
the king’s son. Secondly, it means an
empowerment to walk as we have been reestablished.
It would be interesting to find out if
Mephibosheth went on to become an advisor to King David; the position Jonathon
may have held if he had not died (1 Samuel 23:17). This is speculation, of course. A bit of idealism or imagination, but it
would be interesting to see how Mephibosheth served King David. Grace as empowerment meant that Mephibosheth
did not have to live in hiding, nor call the grave his home. It meant that he was able to serve the king
to the fullest extent asked of him. And
he could do it well.
We, as Christians no longer have to live
defeated! We have been shown mercy; but
additionally, we have received redemption and grace. Grace is not due to our merit; it is a gift of
God. And because we are saved, we have
been made new (2 Corinthians 5:17), and now hold the righteousness of God within
us. We can walk in that, and it is
important that we do walk in that
relationship of Christ. In Ephesians
2:8-10, it states, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that
not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should
boast. For we are His workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we
should walk in them.” Clearly, we cannot brag of ourselves and our
righteousness due to our past. Conversely,
when we believe and worship Jesus, the question is not if we have been saved
(of course, we have!), but will we live like we have been saved?! Yes, there is an old heritage (and by
heritage, I mean personal sins, but I also will include generational curses);
yes, if we look at where we have come from, there is guilt and shame. The devil would love to whisper in your ear
that nothing has changed. Nevertheless, there
is a new heritage found in God. Things have changed. Because of Jesus, we become children of
God (Romans 8:15-17, 28-30, 37-39; 1 John 3:1), and we can walk as such. So, the last question is, do you see yourself
as a dog, or will you see yourself as a son?
I hope the latter, and that you are empowered to live as the
latter.
