Life is full of twists and turns
We think we have a handle on things, we think we have a grip and we think we have things pretty much under control
AND THEN along comes a situation or some circumstances - that we have no answers for. Now, sometimes we just don’t get answers until we reach our final destination! But often times, when we look back, we have to admit that there is more to this thing called life than we were aware of.
Some times we get hurt along the way
But there’s something about the bad times, about the times that we have been hurt, that you need to understand
Sometimes it’s the wounds themselves that bring us life.
2 Samuel 4:4 KJV And Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.
2 Samuel 9:1-10 KJV 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? And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba. And when they had called him unto David, the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he said, Thy servant is he.
And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet. And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lodebar. Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lodebar.
Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant! And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?
Then the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said unto him, I have given unto thy master's son all that pertained to Saul and to all his house. Thou therefore, and thy sons, and thy servants, shall till the land for him, and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master's son may have food to eat: but Mephibosheth thy master's son shall eat bread alway at my table. Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
THERE IS MORE TO LIFE THAN WE CAN SEE OR KNOW
I think that that Bible passage is one the most outstanding stories found in all of Scripture. There are very few other places where we see such a demonstration of overwhelming grace and kindness.
BUT, to really understand the significance of what’s going on we need to go back and look at the life of David well before we reach the time of this story. We need to understand that the motive for what David did in 2 Sam 9 stems from a decision he had made about 18 years earlier.
In 1 Samuel 20 there’s an account of an agreement. Actually, its more than an agreement or even a promise. It was a covenant that David made with one of his closest friends - a guy called Jonathon Then In 1 Samuel 24 David made another promise: this time it was to one of his worst enemies, a man called Saul
David had given Saul his word that once he came to the throne he would spare Saul’s family. So what was the big deal here? Well, in those days, the usual thing for a new king to do was to hunt down and kill all of his predecessors family. He had to do that to preserve his own life by removing any threat of retaliation. But here’s the thing: David had made a covenant with Jonathon that he would spare him and his family. And David was going to get the opportunity to live up to the promise he made with Jonathon.
Now, every time you make a promise before God, you will have the opportunity to either make good on that promise. And get blessed for it. Or to renege on that promise – and suffer the consequential curse All too often, we promise God one thing, then because things don’t quite work out , we start to backslide and go back on our word.
Now watch this: the covenant David made with Jonathan wouldn’t have any impact on Jonathon - because Jonathan was dead. Jonathan had died on the battlefield with his father, Saul. No one would know – and even if they did no one would ever have bothered to call David on his promise..
But, as we read, David found out that Jonathan had a son called Mephibosheth And David knew that he had to make good on his word, to stand on his integrity and to fulfill his promise.
So, lets recap the events Leading Up to 2 Sam. 9
At the end of 1st Samuel, we find out what happened to Saul and Jonathon. They had been defeated in battle by the Philistines. Saul, David’s greatest enemy, had finally died on his own sword. Then several other things had happened which you can read in 2 Sam 1-4. If you read those chapters, you’ll find some of the most intriguing plots that you will ever read recorded there. The nation had split after Saul’s death (2 Samuel 2:8). David ruled the southern kingdom and a guy called Ish-bosheth ruled in the north (2 Samuel 2:4; 2:8). Abner, Saul’s greatest general, gets murdered by Joab, David’s great general, at Hebron
Now all of this stuff went down before we get to Mephibosheth – the son of Jonathon. The Bible makes it clear that Mephibosheth was lame in both of his feet. Lets look at what happened in 2 Samuel 4.
The woman who was taking care of Jonathon’s little boy had been monitoring the situation at hand. She knew that Saul and Jonathon were in a battle with the Philistines. Once she got word that both had been killed, the bible says something seized her.
Now we have no specifics – but I can just image the scene: simultaneously, she gets hit with a mixture of Fear, panic, and grief and this storm of emotions sent her spiraling out of control. The adrenaline starts pumping, she rushes around the house and grabs a few clothes and maybe some food. She looks around once more at her home for the last 5yrs. Then she grabs the boy and runs for the hills.
Now the kid as no clue as to what’s going on. Maybe they cover a mile or so. Little Mephibosheth knows that something’s really wrong but he can’t even begin to process what’s going down. The nurse is running from what she perceives as a threat. She’s panicking. Her bags seem to weigh a ton and now she’s having to carry the boy as well as the bags. She turns and begins to run down the path. She stumbles on the rocks, and down she falls. . . . . .She loses the child and he goes flying beyond her and lands awkwardly. He is screaming in pain . And this one single event changes his little life forever.
She knows that the boy needs her so she gets to her feet and runs to the boy. Instantly, she can see that this is more than just a bump and bruise. She sees the pain in his face, and then she notices that he can’t move either one of his legs. She gently tries to pick him up again but he howls out in pain. . . . And this is the start of the long process of this nurse trying to get the young child to recover from his trauma. But as the days turned into months and finally years little Mephibosheth was destined to be lame for the rest of his life.
This is a really sad story BUT there are some lessons that can bring healing into your life.
When you’ve been hurt, healing is never an easy task but when God steps on the scene, He can overcome all the pain, the grief, and the bitterness that we’re sometimes forced to endure.
Lesson #1: The Boy was hurt by someone he trusted
2 Samuel 4:4 KJV And Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.
One of the most difficult life lessons to learn comes from that passage. Mephibosheth was hurt by someone he not only knew, but someone he trusted.His injuries came about not because of something he did but because of what someone else did to him. Because someone dropped him. Now, sometimes there are those situations in life that causes us to fall and that damage our ability to walk thru life. But then there are also those times when it’s just not our own fault. Just as the whole set of circumstances was beyond the boy’s control sometimes that’s how things are for us too. We get hurt though no fault of our own!
In the attempt to help him, someone hurt him. Now, I am well aware that this is one of the most bitter pills of life to swallow. You trusted someone else, you trusted someone you loved, and you ended up crippled as a result of the relationship.
Maybe for some of you: It was a parent, a mom or a dad who didn’t fully provide for all of the needs you had in your life.
Who didn’t look after you as they should have. Who didn’t protect you as they should have. And now, years later, you’re still crippled by their negligence.
Maybe it was an ex-husband or ex-wife who hurt you to the core. The sting of betrayal hurt worse than any physical beating.
Maybe for some of you: It was a situation in life. A setback on the job. The loss of a career. A bad health problem. The partner who went back on his word. Or the loss of someone very dear to you.
What ever the scenario – Somebody you trusted, dropped you, and crippled you for life.
Can I say something very gently to you? Whatever it was - God can work it out. God in His unbelievable power can repair your heart, your mind, and your emotions.
2 Timothy 1:7 KJV For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Matthew 19:26 KJV But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
Now, you may struggling with circumstances that are beyond your control but God has the ability to correct us and help us to become what we can and ought to be.
Lesson #2 There Is a King
2 Samuel 9:1-3 KJV 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? And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba. And when they had called him unto David, the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he said, Thy servant is he. And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet.
That was a great question the King asked: “Is there anyone in the house of Saul that I can show kindness to?”
Is there anyone out there that needs me? Is there anyone out there who’s hurting?
Then up pops Ziba with the answer: “There is a son who is lame.” Now, for most people that would have been really tough. Look at how Ziba answered back, “There is a son and he is a cripple.” No mention of his name. No mention of his potential value. No mention of hope. No mention of any strong points. Simply, just a man with a terrible problem. A man with a huge handicap.
But here’s the difference:
Where Ziba sees a problem, David notices a person.
Where Ziba finds a deficiency, David sees grace.
Where Ziba raises red flags, David finds green lights.
Where Ziba shows a handicap, David is thinking healing.
No matter how crippled you may be, there is a king who is searching you out. It doesn’t matter whose fault it was, He will scour the ends of the earth to find you where you are. While everyone else is focused on the failure, the King wants to bring you to the palace . You can’t forget that there is a King. And his name is JESUS, wonderful counselor, prince of peace.
2 Samuel 9:4-5 And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lodebar. Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lodebar.
Lesson #3: You can’t stay In Lodebar
The name “Lodebar” means “no pasture.” It’s talking about a wasteland. So here’s Mephibosheth, living as an outcast in a very barren, hostile place. Figuratively, he’s a million miles far from the royal estates that should have been his heritage as the grandson of King Saul
See, Lodebar is a place of desolation, dryness, poverty, and of bitterness. It’s a place where the dust is choking and the heat ‘s stifling. Now, as long as you stay in Lodebar, stale bread is all you’re gonna get to eat. And the tepid water from a muddy cistern is all you’re ever gonna get to drink
See, Lodebar is a place where you feed off crumbs.
- Of anger.
- Of bitterness.
- Of jealousy.
- Of malice.
- Of negative faith.
Lodebar is a place of defeat. But as you read this portion of scripture, it gets worse:
Mephibosheth lived in the house of a guy called Machir. The name means “sold out.”Too many people just sell out, give up and settle for 2nd best. Mephibosheth had sold out his life, his heritage, his future and his hope. And he was going to live in Lodebar until his dying day.
That is what happens when you get to the point, of saying “I’m crippled and I can’t go any further than where I am right now.” Just as Abraham was called out of Ur
The final lesson: There Is a Table of Grace
2 Samuel 9:10 Thou therefore, and thy sons, and thy servants, shall till the land for him, and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master's son may have food to eat: but Mephibosheth thy master's son shall eat bread alway at my table. Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
Mephibosheth’s name means: contending with shame or the scattering of shame. When he was summoned to David’s court, he felt that shame once again. The shame started to overwhelm him. The shame of living in the family of an ousted king, the shame of his physical condition and the shame of his injury started bringing that choking humiliation up again.
His life had been one painful, disfiguring reminder of the day that his injury had afflicted him. So now, he lies face down in the court of King David. He’s fully expecting to be executed – after all that was the custom. So now He’s gonna die as he had lived, in shame.
But here’s the thing: King David didn’t kill him Instead, the king brought him to the table. His wound – his affliction stayed with him for life - but it brought life. Because his Lame feet became his greatest asset. He was going to spend the rest of his life in luxury, while others worked the fields on his behalf. See, when we begin to realize that pain was in the plan, we become capable of the strong maturity that makes saints.
Mephibosheth must have been gobsmacked as he tries to fathom out what’s happened. He’s believing and expecting the worst. After all, that’s all he knows to expect. He’s expecting to die. And then David pours out so much grace on him. And the story ends with Mephibosheth dining at the king’s table.
Just imagine the setting in the palace of King David. Close your eyes if you have too! Gold and bronze fixtures gleam from the walls. High, ornate ceilings crown each spacious room. In the banquet hall, David and his kids are sitting down for the evening meal. Absalom, all tanned and handsome, is there. Tamar, David’s beautiful daughter’s there too. Then the gong gets sounded. Its dinner time and the king scans the room to see if everyone’s there. But wait, one person is missing Then everyone hears the sound:
Clump, scrape, clump, scrape. The sound coming down the hall echoes into the chamber. Clump, scrape, clump, scrape. Finally, the person appears at the door and slowly shuffles his way to his seat. It is the lame guy Mephibosheth. And now here’s here, the feast can begin.
Here’s the point – and it’s a really big deal He’s not a son. He’s not even a member of the royal family. He’s simply an ordinary guy who’s received grace and favor from the king.
Now, fast forward on into an unknown time in the future. Imagine the golden banquet hall of heaven. The room’s filled with light. The glory of God is literally radiating about the place. It is warm, calm, relaxing, it’s well… it’s Heaven. The doors open and the masses of people enter.
But Instead of the mighty and the important and the beautiful people, in hobbles the sick, and the lame, and the disfigured—those people whose lives were broken by the crippling effect of sin.
Luke 14:21 KJV Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.
GO SHARE JESUS WITH HURTING PEOPLE……
Grace In a Barren Place -- Julie Martin
I was that Mephibosheth
Crippled by my twisted pride and
Hiding from You in a barren place
Where You could not find me
Where You would not give me what I deserved.
But somehow You found me and
I don’t understand why but You
Gave me what I do not deserve
You not only spared my desolate life but
You made it bountiful
And here at Your table I will thank You, my King.
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