THE PROMISE OF GRACE, THE
COVENANT OF LOVE
In a consumer culture surrounded by materialism, we have
learned to measure value by what we get for ourselves. We should not be surprised that people have a
hard time understanding the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ when we tell
them that they do not deserve His love and can do nothing to earn it.
Our world is all about getting what we
think we deserve or figuring out what we have to do to earn what we want. People are shocked when the Bible tells them
that what matters the most cannot be earned and no one deserves what is most
valuable.
THESIS: For the sake of His own name, Jesus Christ
invites us to come to Him and receive all that He has to give us…and to realize
He does all this because of His great love.
I. A COVENANT INITIATED OUT OF LOYALTY
--Years
before, David had developed a deep friendship with Saul’s son Jonathan…one
which led them to make a covenant promise to support and demonstrate kindness
to each other and to their families, regardless of what happened.
1 Sam. 20:14-16 “And if I am still alive, will you not show me
the lovingkindness of the LORD, that I may not
die? 15 “And you shall not
cut off your lovingkindness from my house forever,
not even when the LORD cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face
of the earth.” 16 So Jonathan
made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD require it at the hands
of David’s enemies.”
1 Sam. 23:16, 18 And Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to
David at Horesh, and encouraged him in God… 18 So the two of them made a
covenant before the LORD
--Now, years later, Jonathan has been killed and David has finally
come to the throne but his loyalty to his friend and his faithfulness to a
covenant promise prompt him to find a way to honor his word.
II. A KINDNESS BORN OUT
OF HUMILITY
2 Sam. 9:1 Then David said, “Is there yet anyone left of the house of Saul,
that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
A. THE PINNACLE OF HIS SUCCESS
--David
had reached the mid-point of his reign having been king now for around twenty
years.
--He
was enjoying success on every side and clearly was at the top of his career.
1. He Was Renowned for His Name and Glory
2 Sam. 8:13 So David made a name for himself…
2.
He Was Triumphant over His Antagonists and Challengers
2 Sam. 8:14 …And the LORD helped David wherever he went.
3. He Was Successful in His Administration and
Rule
2 Sam. 8:15 So David reigned over all
--In
every way, David found himself at the top of his career, successful in all he
did and prosperous beyond measure!
--If
ever anyone had a right to cultivate a big ego and stand above the crowd as one
without peer, David’s outward circumstances could have pushed lesser men to
assert that.
B. THE MEEKNESS OF HIS HEART
--Instead
of letting all of these things go to his head, David demonstrated a meekness
and humility of heart that marked him as a man who walked with integrity before
the Lord.
--We
have already noted that of all the wealth that came his way from his victories,
he dedicated it to the Lord instead of keeping it for himself (2 Samuel 8:11).
--But
in this chapter, he gives practical evidence that he has kept a godly
perspective and knows his proper place is one of meekness before God and man.
1. Respect for Saul’s Lineage
2 Sam. 9:1 Then David said, “Is there yet anyone left of the house of Saul…”
--All
along, even when pressed into exile, David had maintained a healthy respect for
Saul’s place in God’s design and was determined to show proper respect for what
God had ordained.
--Even
the way he commended the men of Jabesh-Gilead for
taking the bodies of Saul and his sons for proper burial shows the respect he
had for the ones God had chosen (2 Samuel 2:5-6).
--Any
expectation that he would have been vindictive and spiteful toward all of Saul’s house was removed by the way he sought to show
respect for the former king.
2. Kindness for Jonathan’s Sake
2 Sam. 9:1 Then David said, “Is there yet anyone left of the house of Saul,
that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
--Yet
as much respect as David had for Saul, he really loved Jonathan and wanted to
show kindness to anyone he could find who remained from his tragic family.
His wife, Michal, Jonathan’s
sister, had removed herself from any such kindness because of her hardness of
heart toward David and her harsh judgments of his passion for the Lord…she
would not enjoy his favor! Even though
she would have been the aunt of Jonathan’s children, there is no indication she
had any concern for their well-being, even their existence!
--The
kindness David intended to show was specifically for the sake of his
relationship with Jonathan, to honor his memory and to keep their covenant
promises to each other.
--No
one who was to benefit from David’s kindness had any right to expect such
treatment, but it was offered to them for Jonathan’s sake.
3. Sensitivity to Mephibosheth’s
Fears
--Word
comes back to David that a former servant in Saul’s house, Ziba,
knew of someone still alive from Saul’s house…it was Jonathan’s own son, Mephibosheth.
2 Sam. 9:3 And the king said, “Is there not yet anyone 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 crippled in both
feet.”
When word reached Jonathan and Saul’s house that they had
been killed in battle, a nurse took Jonathan’s five year old son, Mephibosheth, and ran for their lives, assuming that this
logical heir to the throne would be murdered.
In her haste to get away, he fell so that both feet were injured so
badly that he was lame the rest of his life (2 Samuel 4:4).
Now, word comes to Mephibosheth that his years in hiding under the care of Machir in Lo-debar (a name which meant a “place of
barrenness” and empty dissatisfaction).
Probably all his life he had been warned that a day could come when he
was discovered and his life would be in grave danger.
2Sam. 9:5-6 Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from
Lo-debar. 6 And Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, came to
David and fell on his face and prostrated himself. And David said, “Mephibosheth.” And he said, “Here is your servant!”
--Can
you imagine how frightened he must have been, how filled with dread that this
most feared moment had arrived?
--But
David immediately allayed those fears with words that were too wonderful to be
true!
2Sam. 9:7 And David said to him, “Do not fear, for
I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan…
4. Generosity with God’s Blessings
2Sam. 9:7 …and will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul;
and you shall eat at my table regularly.”
--How
could such a moment be possible? Not
only to escape certain death, but to be given a greater inheritance than he
would have ever received even if his own father and grandfather had survived!
--David
defined for all time the meaning of the words “to show kindness” when he poured
out a full measure of abundance on a man who had done nothing to deserve such
generosity.
--Mephibosheth was treated with such dignity and generosity
not for his own sake, but for the sake of his father, Jonathan.
Never
had David been more like the Son of David, the Messiah, than he was at this
moment. He treated this man from a barren place of
emptiness, a man who had been hiding from him and dreading being found out—he
treated him with grace, that unmerited favor he could never have deserved!
Are we not all like Mephibosheth in some way? Before Jesus Christ found us, we were running
and hiding, dreading the possibility that we would ever have to face Him,
living in either denial or fear!
But then he found us after seeking
us like a shepherd going after lost sheep!
What could we say or do to avoid the inevitable condemnation we deserve?
Instead of that condemnation, He gave
us life…but not just any life, He gave us life filled
with abundance, a place in His own house, a seat at His own table!
III. A BETRAYAL OUT OF
SELFISHNESS
--Before
we miss another aspect of this account, let me take a quick moment to point out
that there is one in this story who tries to take what he can get instead of
receiving what he is given.
A. MANIPULATION BY A CALCULATING OPPORTUNIST
--Ziba had served Saul and kept tabs on where Mephibosheth was, but instead of watching out for him, was
busy feathering his own nest…he had fifteen sons and twenty servants—not bad
for a servant himself!
--In
all probability, he was profiting from land that once belonged to Saul and was
sharing nothing with Mephibosheth—building his own
estate while neglecting his master’s grandson.
B. DECEPTION BY AN AMBITIOUS TRAITOR
--Later
on we see the true nature of this selfish man as he tries to turn David against
Mephibosheth by lying to him, telling David that he
is staying back in
--Suffice
it to say here, Ziba was not an honorable man and he
tried to destroy the heritage David was trying to reinstate for Mephibosheth…and almost succeeded!
--But
in all this, for all his plots and intrigue, grace prevailed and we find David
demonstrating the character of Christ and Mephibosheth
proving to be a man who knew what he deserved and was overwhelmed with
gratitude for what he received instead.
IV. A RESPONSE
MOTIVATED BY LOVE
--David
has been the primary focus of our attention, but let’s look
in closing to the response of Mephibosheth as a model
for how we should respond to the initiatives of Christ.
A. INITIAL FEAR
--Having
spent most of his life running and hiding from David, how awful it must have
been for him to be sent for and brought to stand before him.
--His
response at first was nothing short of terror:
2
Sam 9:6 And Mephibosheth, the
son of Jonathan the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and
prostrated himself. And David said, “Mephibosheth.” And he said, “Here is your servant!”
--Many
folks have spent most of their lives running from the Lord and some have yet to
realize that one day each of us will be “sent for” and be called into the
presence of the One who represents all that we fear may happen to us.
B. LOWLY REGARD
--David
assured him immediately that he had nothing to fear because he had been brought
in not for his own sake, but for the sake of his father, Jonathan.
--In
other words, had it not been for David’s love and regard for Jonathan, Mephibosheth would never have been allowed to come before
him.
--But
Mephibosheth grasped the situation at once and with
his face to the floor he replied,
2 Sam 9:8 Again he prostrated himself and said, “What is your servant, that
you should regard a dead dog like me?”
Isaac Watts—“My richest gain I
count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.”
C. UNTHINKABLE WEALTH
--What
had David said to produce such a dramatic reaction in Mephibosheth?
--He
had simply told him that he was now to be a wealthy man all because of the love
David had for his father.
2 Sam 9:7 And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show
kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you
all the land of your grandfather Saul; and you shall eat at my table
regularly.”
--When
Jesus Christ calls us into His presence, He does not leave us as He found
us—destitute, barren, empty and hopeless!
--When
we come to Him, we come without any claim to anything that belongs to
Him…without even a claim to have the right to be with Him.
--But
because of His grace poured out upon us, we who deserve nothing receive
everything in His name!
Eph. 1:3; 2:4-7 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly
places in Christ, …4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His
great love with which He loved us, 5
even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with
Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6
and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the ages to
come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in
Christ Jesus.
--When
Christ calls us, He indeed shows us the “great love with which He loved us.”
D. SHARED SUFFERING
--So
Mephibosheth came to eat regularly at David’s table,
his grandfather’s servant worked his land for him and all was wonderful as long
as David remained on the throne.
--In
the next weeks we will see David’s fall from the pinnacle to the pits,
eventually being chased into exile by his own son Absalom.
--Contrary
to the lies told by Ziba to David, Mephibosheth remained a loyal friend left behind in
--But
all the time David was away, he mourned his absence and refused to care for
himself at all as he made a strong statement with his life that as long as his
king suffered, so would he!
2 Sam. 19:24 Then Mephibosheth the son of Saul came
down to meet the king; and he had neither cared for his feet, nor trimmed his
mustache, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day
he came home in peace.
--Loyalty
to the king…that means we share in His suffering in order that we may share in
His glory!
Rom. 8:16-17 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are
children of God, 17 and if
children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we
suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.
--After
all that David had done for Mephibosheth, he was
determined to share in his suffering…just as we who see what Christ has done
for us will gladly suffer for His sake!
1Pet. 4:13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep
on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with
exultation.
E. ONE DESIRE
--When
David sees Mephibosheth, he realizes that he has done
a serious injustice in believing Ziba’s lies about
his disloyalty and asks what happened:
2
Sam 19:25 …Why did you not go with me…?
--Mephibosheth told David of the deception of Ziba and without any other way to follow,
he had been forced to wait it out in
--David
realized that this man’s heart was pure and honest and promises to reinstate half
of what he had given away to Ziba (19:29).
--Then
Mephibosheth says the words that show that he was a
man with only one desire:
“My Lord the king, I don’t care
about the land, about the possessions, even about the blessings of a place to
dine on the bounty of your table…all I want is you! Now that you are back, that is all I ever
wanted! Ziba
can keep the land…all I want is you!”
--When
we have once seen the beauty of the Lord, tasted of the waters that satisfy our
thirst, and feasted on the Bread of life, what use do we have for gifts…we have
the Giver!
The King requires your company as He calls you into His
presence. He offers you release from the
barren places that have left you empty and instead sets a place for you at His
feast. He promises that from now on you
will dine with Him.
Others will try to come along and rob you
of your place. They will try to convince
themselves that they should have what God has freely given you and try to take
it.
But you know that you did nothing to
deserve your place, your calling or your new freedom. You are there because of the kindness of the
Father offered to you for the sake of His Son, Jesus Christ!
February 20, 2005
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