David: David’s Grace
In this chapter is the story of a great king and a poor lame man. The great king is David, the king of Israel & Judah.
Sixteen years earlier, before he became a great king, David made a covenant with Jonathan, King Saul's son and David's most cherished friend. Now the time had come for David to fulfill the covenant promise made to Jonathan.
1 Samuel 20: 16-17
"So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the Lord even require it at the hand of David's enemies. And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul"
Now David is determined to fulfill his covenant promise to Jonathan so he sought out the only survivor of his friend, his son named Mephibosheth. David sent for the man and Mephibosheth came to David filled with fear and trembling, thinking that he may be killed because he was King Saul's grandson.
But when he arrived he was surprised to find that King David showed him kindness and mercy as he was made to be as one of the King's sons.
How this story illustrates the gospel of Christ. Behind the noble kindness of David toward Mephibosheth, the wonder of the grace of God toward us shines through. A poor crippled son was brought by the call of the king to sit at the king's table and to reside from this point onward in the house of the king.
When a slave of sin and Satan is called by the Lord, he is made an heir of God, a joint heir with Christ, and he resides forever in the house of the Lord.
David's kindness to Mephibosheth for Jonathan's sake, is a beautiful picture of God's lovingkindness and tender mercy to sinners for Christ's sake.
There are five things about this man, Mephibosheth, that speak to the grace of God to us in Christ.
( 1 )Mephibosheth was in a very miserable condition when the king sought him. When King Saul died, this man was a child of five years old. When his nurse fled in fear with him in her arms, he fell and both feet were crippled for life in the fall. He was lame for life.
He was unworthy of David's attention, regard, or favor. But David showed him kindness and mercy. We too are unworthy of the attention of the Lord, but he is forever gracious to us.
He was poor, destitute, and helpless. Even his name meant man of shame. We also are shameful beings before coming to God. Isaiah 64:6 teaches us that " ... we are all as an unclean thing ... are as filthy rags ... ".
Like the OT lepers we are suffering an incurable disease of sin and like the OT harlot, we are defiled by that sin until we come to the Lord.
(2)Mephibosheth was damaged by a fall, exactly as we were damaged by the fall of our first parents in the garden, to be spiritually lame until we are gifted faith to believe. Until God calls us we are helpless cripples in our souls. (John 6:44)
When he was called, he was in a far country, away from the king. He was far from the place of blessing, peace, and fellowship. He was in a place named Lodebar, meaning place of no bread.
We are also far way when called, residing in sin, living in a place of no bread of life, much like Mephibosheth.
The king sought him, he did not seek the king. David made a sovereign choice, a personal call, and an irresistible election. God always seeks the lost, finds them, calls them and they come.
Abraham was in Ur.
Moses was in Midian.
Zacheus was up a tree.
Saul (Paul) was on the desert road.
(3) Mephibosheth came to the king in submission and was reconciled by the king's mercy. David broke the poor man's fear by calling him by name and told him to fear not (verse 7). He was received in his deformed state, just as God received sinners just as they are (Just as I am ... ).
(4) He was granted fellowship and communion with the king and was received on the account of another. David received him on account of the covenant made with Jonathan and accepted him in love. The Lord receives us on the righteous account of Jesus Christ for the same reason, love.
It pleases God to look to the once and forever sufficient sacrifice of Jesus to allow each of us to enter the door to His kingdom.
David received Mephibosheth, restoring him, and made him as one of the king's sons. We are restored to a status free of our sin and become sons of God because of Christ. God's Men;y At Christ's Expense = GRACE
Mephibosheth got more in David than he lost in Saul. We•get more in Jesus than we lost in Adam. His feet were still lame but were covered by the table of the king.
(5) Mephibosheth was granted perpetual fellowship and communion with his king. He dwelt from then on with David, in David's house, at David's table. As sons of God, we walk with the Lord, dwell with Him forever, rest under His protection, and are forever covered in His mercy.
All of this was done because of a covenant made far before Mephibosheth was born. He was spared because of the king's love for Jonathan and because of the covenant made with Jonathan.
All we have in Christ and all that we have experienced in divine grace has come to us because of a covenant between the Father & the Son, at the foundation of the world; long before we were born. Mephibosheth did not know anything about this covenant but it saved him. We knew nothing about the covenant of grace arranged for us long ago, but it saved us.
Just as David fulfilled his covenant with Jonathan in Mephibosheth so the Lord will fulfill His covenant that was made in Jesus Christ for us.