II Samuel Chapter
"David's Kindness to Mephibosheth."
Study is written by Roger Christopherson, and it's
transcription is provided with written permission by http://www.theseason.org
II 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."
David and Jonathan were very close together, for they had fought many battles together, and were even brothers in law, and they had made a covenant together. In that covenant Jonathan insisted that David would always take care of his sons, after David took the throne. Even while Saul was on the throne, Jonathan knew that David was anointed to be king by Samuel, and that he nor any of Saul's sons would be king over all Israel after Saul's death. Jonathan is dead, and David was remembering His pledge to Jonathan.
II Samuel 9:2 "And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba. And when they called him unto David, the king said unto him, "art thou Ziba?" And he said, "Thy servant is he."
II Samuel 9:3 "And the king said, "Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kingness of God unto him?" And Ziba said unto the king, "Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet."
We discussed this child Mephibosheth before, that during a battle, the nurse grabbed this child and dropped him, and caused the child's legs to be broken.
II Samuel 9:4 "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 Lo-debar."
We must translate "Machir" here, for David was the type of Christ and what was happening here is a type of something that shall happen again. The word "Machir" means "sold". When the king died, Mephibosheth was taken into the house of Machir; and if man is not careful he can also be sold into bondage. "Ammiel" in the Hebrew means "the people of God", and "Lo-debar" means "no-pasture". So what this is saying is that this lad, the son of Jonathan, was sold in to the people of God where there is no pasture. This is a type of how things shall be in the time of the end.
The pasture is where you are fed, and spiritually speaking, the pasture in our time is where the Word of God should be given to the sheep of the flock, God's children. So here we see this poor little fellow now about seventeen, crippled and of a house of royalty, yet living amongst people that were not of his family. It was dangerous at this time to be of a royal household, of the lineage of a king, especially when there was so much strife that was going on between the king's sons. Mephibosheth was in the party that was out of office, for Saul and his sons were all dead. This young man was of royal blood of Saul, and being of Saul was not popular. However, we will see the tenderness of David for this son of Jonathan.
In David we are seen the type of a savior that cares not for the stature of a person, but was concerned young man's well being.
II Samuel 9:5 "Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar."
This is a repeat of the prior verse so that you don't miss what is involved here.
II Samuel 9:6 "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!"
Again, Mephibosheth was crippled and in his late teens. When Mephibosheth came in before the king, he fell on his face in awe before David. "Mephibosheth" in the Hebrew means "the destroyer of idols and shame." We see that David would bring this destroyer of idols and shame into his own house for save keeping. This boy knew that coming before the king could be a dangerous thing, for David had the right to claim his life on the spot. You can see the humility that Mephibosheth had for David and his position.
Remember that David was living amongst the Philistines in Ziklag when Saul and Jonathan were killed and the Philistines won that battle. Mephibosheth was taken away by his nanny, and hidden for safe keeping, for he was just a baby. The child became lame when in the haste of leaving, the nanny dropped the child, and here some fifteen years later, this child is finally known to David, that there was a son alive of Jonathan's.
II Samuel 9:7 "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."
You can see the love that David had in his heart for this lad, as he saw the face of the child looking up at him, the mighty king. David spoke and said in a kind voice to the lad, Don't be afraid, for I will show to you the kindness that your father showed to me. I will treat you well for your father Jonathan's sake.
David is promising this lad that he is going to restore all of the land that Saul owned before his death to this lad, and it will be all his. Mephibosheth is going to have a royal position restored to him, and he will be part of David's family. Mephibosheth will have a place right along side of David's sons, even at David's family table for the rest of his life. This was the greatest honor that one could have in that day.
See the spiritual type that is present here, for we know that Christ is the bread of Life, and David was the type of Christ, the shepherd of the flock. So what this is saying is that the "destroyer of idols" (Mephibosheth) is going to partake of the bread, who is Christ for ever. Understand this is the key to understanding that David was a type of Christ, and things that happened to and around David were "ensamples" of what shall also happen again. The true "bread of Life" which is Christ did come through the lineage of David. We can see the tender love and grace of Christ through the actions of David. Even with all of David's goodness, it doesn't start to compare to the love and grace that our Father and Jesus Christ have shown to those that love and trust Him.
II Samuel 9:8 "And he bowed himself, and said, "What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dog as I am?"
We can see the humility of Jonathan's son here.
II Samuel 9:9 "Then 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."
David is giving all of the inheritance of his father's house. Some day there will be another inheritance that those who put their trust in God will receive, for we are going to reign in Christ's kingdom as sons of God and joint heirs with Christ. Every child of God has an inheritance that is so rich in love and mercy, and in property, for we will share in it all with Jesus our Savior. God owns the entire universe, and it shall be our forever.
That inheritance came from the root of loins of David, and it comes from the bread from David's table, which is the Lord Jesus Christ. When we partake of that bread, we partake of ours inheritance, and we claim what is given to you and I. Remember the only way you can receive an inheritance God gives is to take it. The Person [Christ] that died made the Will and He set the boundary for receiving the inheritance, but the one receiving it has to take it for himself, to make it his own property. That day of restoration is coming shortly upon us, but we must claim that inheritance while we are still in the flesh body.
II 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."
This was David speaking to Ziba. Ziba would be the one to till the soil and bring in the crop, from which he would feed his family, but Mephibosheth would always have a place at David's table. If Ziba and his sons get lazy, and there is no food to eat, David let Ziba know that Mephibosheth always had a place at the kings table, and his share of the king's bread.
II Samuel 9:11 "Then said Ziba unto the king, "According to all that my lord the king hath commanded his servant, so shall thy servant do." "As for Mephibosheth," said the king, "he shall eat at my table as one of the king's sons." "
There is the commitment of David to Mephibosheth, to keep the oath that he made to Jonathan.
II Samuel 9:12 "And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Micha. And all that dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants unto Mephibosheth."
Though Mephibosheth is only a teenager, he had a son. David placed this house of Ziba under the Mephibosheth from this time forward, to be his servants.
II Samuel 9:13 "So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jeruslem: for he did eat continually at the king's table; and was lame on both his feet."
Here we have this man, lame in both feet, helpless as far as worldly standards are concerned. However, through the greatness of David's love and caring and the protection of his household, Mephibosheth was part of that commitment. It was David's great love for Jonathan, that when many years after they had parted, David was willing to step in and care of his son, as if he was his own. Mephibosheth felt himself little more than a dog, and he just could not understand why a king would bestow that much kindness on him. He probably had been called a dog many times, by those that looked down on Saul and his family. However, in the eyes of David, he could see the love of Jonathan in his son.
I hope you can see the love of Christ through the love and kindness that David gave to the son of his friend. The promise was made, and just like David, God keeps his promises. Mephibosheth received his inheritance, and so will you when you are under the love and care of our heavenly Father.
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