2 Samuel 9:1 “And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”

In 2 Samuel 9, David has been established as king of Israel. He’s won all the battles, his victory is complete, and his reign supreme. Remind you of anyone? And remind you of what God has promised will be the case in the end?

At the start of the chapter, as a result of his triumph, king David wants to seek out “any” to show kindness to. God’s grace has always been in this world, but boy, today we are totally without excuse as God is even delaying inevitable due judgment because he’s seeking out any who are willing to come back to him!

David asks “Is there yet any…” … did you know the gospel is for “any”? It’s for me, it changed my life, he changed my life. But it’s for you also.

And David is going to seek out a man called “Mephibosheth”. A funny little name isn’t it.

Mephibosheth in this chapter is going to be saved from death and a wasted life by David keeping his promise to a man called Jonathan… a promise that directly affects him. And it’s going to show us what our salvation is based upon… God keeping his promises to Jesus Christ his Son… a promise that includes us! Amen!

Jesus didn’t begin to exist at his human incarnation, but his human incarnation “God was manifest in the flesh” is a vital part of the redemption story, because he’s the “relative” that gets us all out of the peril and predicament of sin. Connections matter in this world to get ahead… don’t miss this connection!

It is through a promise God made to Jesus that we are saved “Behold I and the children which God hath given me.” We get to share in grace, hope and glory that we do not deserve! Such grace! I hope your story can be as wondrous as Mephibosheth’s was, because he is going to end this story sitting as the king’s table as one of the king’s sons “Mephibosheth… shall eat bread alway at my table”.

This is the second installment on “Mephibosheth”. The last time writing, we talked about Mephibosheth’s backstory that explained the condition and state he was in before David seeks to bring him back. It’s important to get foundational facts right!

And we find out he had a fall that had damaging consequences, he was a cripple lame on both his feet. And not just that, but he ended up in land far away, with lost identity, lost purpose, lost hope…

And we’ve seen that Mephibosheth is a picture of what sin has done to us, the sorry and pitiful state it’s left us in… but also it doesn’t leave us there! … because before his story and to conclude his story, we see his life wrapped up in the grace of God from both ends! Jesus is the Alpha and Omega… the A and the Z of your life!

Because we found even more backstory! … before the bad happened, even further before that, David had already made a promise to Jonathan his father, which was a promise of love and goodness to Jonathan and all his seed after him. Our actions can leave a legacy for others! Who knows if you aren’t reading this just because God is honouring the prayers of someone gone ahead long before you!

And so now as we enter chapter 9, this chapter is all about David honouring that promise made and confirmed previously… and we know that the gospel itself is God honouring the promises he made, and by his own choice an oath that he bound himself to… he is that ram caught by his own horns in Genesis 22, he is the fish caught with no bait on the hook in Matthew 17!

If you want to learn anything from this chapter, learn this most basic but glorious and fundamental and stabilizing and assuring truth… that God keeps his word! God preserves his promises! And the preservation of our lives and souls is based on the preservation of his word! He is the covenant keeping God. I wouldn’t serve him if he wasn’t and didn’t. We stand on the promises of God! Amen!

And so we know that when we meet David in this chapter, David is like Jesus Christ after his resurrection. Jesus Christ has won the war, and now as a result, he wants us to share in that. Jesus Christ’s victory wasn’t just for himself, it was for us.

And the first thing on Jesus Christ’s heart, what makes him rejoice, is our salvation… us benefiting from his victory! “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross”. It gave David joy to show this kindness to Mephibosheth. Please note: David didn’t forget Jonathan! And he won’t forget you. Maybe you feel forgotten, but you are not, and never will be.

Then David goes to great lengths to seek Mephibosheth out and bring him back, because Mephibosheth is lost, and God has gone to great lengths to draw you back in cords of love. My goodness, like him, we can get ourselves such a long way from our created intention in Genesis 2!… but thank God for restoration through Christ “he restoreth my soul”.

We are going to learn so many crucial things about God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit in this story, and we will just glean from this story, after I hope, you have read it thoroughly for yourself so you know what I’m talking about!

Here are some other glorious truths to consider from this story…

Firstly, you have to realize that salvation is God finding you “Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.” It’s God reaching out, and you taking his hand by faith “Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save” … which means that when his hand is extended to you… don’t knock him back! Because if he withdrew his hand, there is no way you could ever save yourself. Maybe you think you can haul yourself back or overhaul yourself… good luck with that!

Secondly, you have to realize that salvation is not about flattering you. We are as sorry a sight as Mephibosheth was when he was brought in to see David. And until you realize your state, and that salvation is entirely about how good God is, you’ll never truly see anything. The fact he can and does save us is not evidence of how good I am, but how good God is. Salvation is not an entitlement, it’s a free gift.

Thirdly as already noted, salvation is “for Jesus’s sake” in much the same way that David sought and showed kindness to Mephibosheth “for Jonathan’s sake” … did you know the Bible says in 1 John “I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.” We are forgiven for Christ’s sake! We are saved by God because he rewards his Son’s sacrifice. It’s not that there’s something so amazing about us and like God cannot do without us. Guess what, before you were born he was just as much God and complete in himself.

Fourth, when David says “is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul…” before you get saved, you have to have a good look at what sin has left of you, because it makes an awful ruin of our lives and others. Just be honest about it, this world is cooked! Think of how drugs, adultery, fornication, alcohol, bitterness, lust, pride, greed, envy, hatred, murder, theft has ruined our lives… there’s just about nothing left of us… is there!?… when God finds us “nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling”

Finally, thank God for that word “sent” in this story. For God so loved the world that he “SENT” his only begotten Son… as David sent Ziba for Mephibosheth. Thank God for God sent preachers. Thank God for sending the Spirit of his Son into this world to come to where we are at, but then to take us from where we are and bring us to Christ! If you ever come to Jesus you will never be the same again! There will be a before and after!

But will you come when you are called? When David sent Ziba (a key character in this story who we will talk about next time) after Mephibosheth… Mephibosheth answered the call of the king. … and that was good for him, but what will you do when the king calls you? Has he sent for you? Will you answer the call? Or are you happy serving sin and Satan and being lost in this world? Are you happy with your lame crippled spiritual state?

The king bids come, come home lost sinner, God can fetch you from anywhere you are at, no matter how sorry and sad a state you are in… after all, that’s exactly who the gospel is for! “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

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