4. An Enduring Loyalty: David and Mephibosheth (Manuscript)

Sunday Evening: Closing Sermon

Well friends, can you believe we have already nearly come to the end of our conference!?

We will have one last main session tomorrow that I’m looking forward to, though I recognize we’ll lose some of you for school/work

We will be considering a KEY NT passage that ties together the themes we have been considering this weekend PLUS a time of Q + A…

Anything that you all want to ask me about!

But tonight,

We change scenes in the DRAMA of David,

to a chapter entitled:

An Enduring Loyalty: David and Mephibosheth (SLIDE) 2 Sam 9.

Out of curiosity, has anyone hear met anyone named Mephibosheth?

Okay, well this is a freebee for those of you who may already be collecting future child names, you can add this one to your list:

Mephibosheth or Mephiboshethia (Wifey, what do you think, for our first child?)

Great nick-names include Meph or Phibby.

I am kidding of course,

the name means “from the mouth of shame”

Does anyone know who Mephibosheth was?

(son of Jonathan, son of Saul, crippled, dropped at 5yrs old while his nurse was on the run)

Let’s read the main text about this son of David’s late best friend Jonathan.

…REWINDING to BEFORE David’s sin with Bathsheba

BEFORE Absalom’s revolt

David is enjoying uninterrupted rule over the whole kingdom of Israel (2 Sam 8:15) and victory over all his enemies;

Saul’s dynasty is finally out of the way, removed by the Lord

Read 2 Sam 9.

Maybe with Paul being David? Laura narrator? you Meph?

*Invite someone to be Ziba? (Ask Em to be Ziba?)

…The WORD of the LORD.

Thanks be to God [teach them this liturgy?]

PRAY after story.

HOOK: intro

Summing up the fact of the DRAMA of David’s life…

the difficulties caused by sin in him

sin in his family

brokenness all around, drama all around

In the face of conflict without, sin within, our lifelong battle with difficult circumstances and sufferings, what is the solution to our great need?

DRAMA and CONFLICT in OUR lives

We will all face drama… We will all face temptation;

We will all face deep troubles/hardships…

How can we be people—Christians—who count it all joy and who flourish even in the midst of trying times? in the midst of raging storms?

The SOLUTION to our great spiritual need and our great spiritual problem—sin and its devastating consequences,

is the steadfast love of God

increasing knowledge of the love of God and experience of it 2 Cor 13:14

knowing Christ and knowing his love.

Perhaps the most personal, practical, spiritual question each of us need to settle in our own mind and hearts…

This is a question about the character of God,

that will be ASSAULTED in your and my experience… by the devil, circumstances etc…

that remains true and unchanging, regardless of what experiences, good, bad, or terrible, lie ahead of us.

This is the question:

In this life of drama and sin, where people will inevitable fail us…

given the failure and inevitable disappointment of human relationships; in marriage, with parents; in family, in friends…

We can’t always rely on the love of friends… on the faithfulness of other human beings; we are all sinners, subject to sin and evil…

As we prepare to go forth from this retreat,

I want to give you 5 vivid PICTURES of God’s LOVE, God’s heart toward you!

What does it mean that God LOVES me?

What IS God’s love like,

and HOW can I daily GROW in an assurance of His love for me?

It’s often at this point that the devil assaults us, seeking to CONFUSE our

1) RIGHT understanding of the love of God,

which can lead us to taking it for granted, or veer off into permissive acceptance of sin and immorality

2) And STEAL our assurance of being in God’s love,

causing us to doubt our loved identity and fall into despair,

the condition where we will wallow in self-pity and shame, rather than bear great fruit for the kingdom of God

I don’t need to tell you that there are a lot of WRONG ideas about God’s love in our culture and world.

There are also a LOT of wrong ideas about God’s love in the church. In our own hearts!

And God’s Word is the FURNACE that incinerates our “strawmen” constructions of God’s love with the HEAT of truth.

In 2 Sam 9,

We see 4 Qualities of God’s Love,

which I pray every single one of us will not only intellectually understand

but grasp personally in the deepest core of our hearts, for the rest of our lives.

4 Qualities of God’s Love

You may be wondering,

“That sounds great, but how do you get that from this text?”

I don’t see the word “love” show up a single time in this chapter!”

[GOOD hermeneutical question to always ask when hearing preaching/teaching: is what the teacher says not only TRUE, but TRUE from that passage? Right truth but wrong text is possible]

But notice with me the repetition in v. 1, v.3, v.7;

What word/phrase is repeated in these verses?

David asks/says he wants to “show kindness”— the “kindness of God” to the house of Saul.

This word, translated KINDNESS here, is HUGELY important.

In the original Hebrew language, the word is KHESED put up on the screen…

Can you all say khesed? w/ gutteral

KHESED is one of the MAJOR, DEFINING attributes of the God of the Bible,

a CENTRAL way God defines WHO HE IS,

and WHAT HIS HEART IS LIKE

When referring to GOD,

KHESED is most often translated (in the ESV):

steadfast love—

(in other translations: loyal, unfailing, faithful love

goodness + mercy,

lovingkindness

Khesed is extraordinary, undeserved kindness.

In God’s central self-revelation in the Torah/Pentateuch to Moses,

God says THIS about Himself:

Exodus 34:6–7 (ESV) SHOW UP ON SCREEN

“The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger,

and abounding in steadfast love [HESED] and faithfulness,

keeping steadfast love [HESED] for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty…”

“The LORD, the LORD, merciful and gracious, slow to anger,

ABOUNDING in steadfast love — HESED.

Keeping steadfast love — HESED — for thousands…

Thousands of generations,

which is to say, 1000 being a number that represents completion/totality

that God is FAITHFUL to ALL generations of His elect people

who trust in Him.

ABOUNDING in steadfast. love.

Overflowing with HESED.

Keeping steadfast love — HESED — for thousands…

Thousands of generations,

Kept in this enduring favor and rich kindness of God.

I think most of you are accustomed to the ESV translation, so you’re familiar with this phrase.

It shows up a LOT in the OT,

— a ton in the Torah

— a ton in the Psalms, almost 30 times alone in Psalm 136

[TRIM THIS SECTION on HESED*****]

What is steadfast love?

Steadfast love,

is love that lasts,

love that endures,

love that keeps promises and never gives up.

When someone is steadfast,

- it means their consistent, reliable, trustworthy

- they’re not like a wave of the sea that’s driven and tossed by every wind, unstable, insecure

Steadfast love:

KHESED,

is loyal love.

faithful love.

What is love?

Well, LOVE begins with kindness

Showing favor and mercy toward another,

not necessarily because of their worth

or earning of it

(often the recipient of kindness is wholly UNWORTHY of it)

The continuation of kindness in a relationship,

Where the kindness develops into deep commitment

Commitment shown in making and keeping promises

Commitment shown in loyalty to the point of sacrifice and great cost

In other words,

kindness and mercy shown consistently,

sacrificially,

generously

to another person,

with whom promises are made and kept,

is basically the Bible’s definition of love.

And the love God calls us to,

the love God perfectly exemplifies,

is a steadfast love.

One committed to the end,

with no expiration date.

THAT is

HESED is variously translated in different English translations as God’s “lovingkindness”,

God’s faithful, unfailing, or LOYAL love,

Even God’s mercy or mercies

Even within the ESV, for example,

the word hesed is translated differently based on the context,

because of its broad and profound meaning

its association with covenants

Then make the point how David here is a beautiful picture/representation of Yahweh, who is the “LORD, LORD… abounding in hesed”

Throughout the Bible, human beings are being described as showing HESED toward each other,

Abraham and Gentile king Abimelech show HESED to one another by dealing peaceably and generously toward each other, while Abraham and Sarah sojourned throughout his territory

Joshua and the army of Israel show HESED to Rahab, when they spare her and her family from Jericho’s destruction

Ruth shows HESED toward Naomi, her mother-in-law, when she chooses to stick with her, forsake her homeland, and return to Israel, where God leads her to Boaz

But the One who ABOUNDS in HESED,

who KEEPS HESED for thousands of generations,

whose steadfast love,

lovingkindness is unique in its duration, its strength, its perfection in meeting our every need,

is God Himself.

And in this story of David—God’s anointed king, the forerunner of Jesus, His greater Son and Lord,

We are given a profound window into how God’s HESED is EXACTLY what you and I need!

A glimpse into

4 Qualities of His love, His overwhelming KINDNESS,

that meet us where we are in our

1) isolation [personal]

2) our neediness [generous]

3) our unworthiness [gracious]

4) our unfaithfulness/faithlessness [steadfast-Christ-anchored]

Knowing these qualities will be the ANCHOR for us when we face dark times, when family or friends fail us, or when we fail—even epic-ly fail.

…us answer the question tonight,

What does it mean we are LOVED by God?

That God loves ME, God loves you?

First,

and perhaps most obviously,

God’s love is: STEADFAST

and Christ-Anchored. (SLIDES)

We don’t really use this word, but this is what it means:

When someone is steadfast,

It means they’re consistent,

- they’re reliable,

- they’r trustworthy

Not like a wave of the sea that’s tossed to and fro by the wind

Unstable, unpredictable

No, STEADFASTNESS,

STEADFAST LOVE,

is love that lasts,

love that endures,

love that keeps promises, never gives up.

Simply put,

steadfast love is loyal love.

A little like your golden retriever or lab,

who sticks by your side,

in thick and thin

who’ll even lay down their life for you, if you’re in danger!

That’s the first quality of hesed David demonstrates here.

First,

Brother, sister in Christ,

SEE how God’s lovingkindness toward you is

1) Personal.

The story begins with King David asking a question:

“Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”

David’s men summon a man named Ziba, who was a servant of the deposed king Saul.

David asks Ziba basically the same question:

“Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness [hesed] of God to him?”

David’s optimistic that there IS someone still alive from Saul’s family,

though it had been about 10 since he occupied the throne over all Israel, Saul’s household largely cut off by the LORD

“Is there not still someone…?” Perhaps this was because of His knowledge of the LORD’s faithfulness to Jonathan,

Ziba replies,

“There is still a son of Jonathan, who is crippled”

The king asks, “Where is he?” and Ziba tells him.

Immediately David sends to bring Mephiboseth into his presence in Jerusalem.

Highlighting his personal identity,

Hiding NOTHING about his connection to David’s arch-rival

v.6 says:

2 Samuel 9:6 (ESV)

Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage.

Imagine this scene,

- Saul’s grandson, taken from his hiding in Lo-Debar, a You can picture his heart POUNDING out of his chest, as he

“Here I am, the surviving grandson of Saul, David’s CHIEF enemy, and now David wants to see me.”

Meph was likely preparing himself to meet his Creator.

Meph was disabled— “crippled in his feet”, the text tells us,

So he hobbles over to David, perhaps helped by a walking stick, or human helpers,

I don’t think they had wheelchairs in his day…

And in great discomfort and awkwardness,

He falls on his face—prostrating himself before David

Paying him homage—bowing in reverence

And then David’s breathtaking response:

“MEPHIBOSHETH”!

David calls him by name—

“Mephibosheth,” surely in the tone of voice, Meph was NOT expecting.

Meph quickly replies “Behold, I am your servant.”

- Essentially, “Here I am, lord, at your service.”

Picture Meph—this grandson of Saul—still trembling from the fate he is anticipating at the hands of Israel’s King.

The words he hears back, were NOT what He expected:that likely sent a waterfall of RELIEF over him:

“Do not fear! X2

For I will show you KINDNESS [HESED!]

for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.”

Sure enough, v.13 tells us, this was no empty promise: 2 Sam9:13

2 Samuel 9:13 (ESV)

So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king’s table.

This is how the Father’s love for us is like.

This is how Jesus’ love for us is like.

When He called you into a saving relationship with him, how did he do it?

Was it some impersonal religious tradition you simply inherited from your parents?

NO!

John 10 tells us how the Good Shepherd calls his sheep: Jn 10:3

John 10:3 (ESV)

He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

This is what has happened to you, brother, sister:

Jesus CALLED you by name,

and upon hearing his call, you followed Jesus OUT of the world of sin and death and INTO his green pastures!

Jesus’ love is SO personal.

It is so INTIMATE.

There’s a reason why God created human marriage—and ROMANCE—to be a faint picture of God’s love for us in Christ,

and that Jesus is called our Bride Groom and Husband

and that there is a WHOLE book of the Bible devoted to portraying the beautiful romance in marriage that points us to our divine relationship

And this personal relationship is ONE of fellowship and FOOD:

One of the most PERSONAL things you can do for someone, is have them over to your dinner table

to share a meal in the privacy of your home

to have personal conversation, quality time, and meaningful fellowship around food and drink

David doesn’t just invite Meph out to coffee,

- He doesn’t even invite him over to have dinner with him that night he happened to be in town

He invited Meph to eat ALWAYS at his table

which meant PACKING his bags, leaving his home, moving to Jerusalem, and feasting with the King in his intimate quarters every day.

And that’s EXACTLY what Jesus does with us!

He calls us by name,

and He gives us a new home,

in a new city

with a royal banquet,

and best of all,

his personal presence, his fellowship

not sometimes, but ALWAYS

His Word is food.

Lord’s Supper in the gathered church is food.

His person is food—as we worship him and serve him and love him…

We feast on HIM! Rev 3...

David inquires WHERE this remaining son of Jonathan was living,

and sends men to bring him,

in order that he may do as he has purposed:

show God’s hesed.

The question is,

WHY does David—the king of a rival dynasty—go through all this effort to find a surviving descendent of Saul,

in order to show God’s kindness to Him?

David tells us, doesn’t he?

Twice in this narrative he gives us the REASON:

the end of v.1 and v.7:

“For the sake of Jonathan”

For Jonathan’s. Sake.

Not for Saul’s sake—that’s for certain

all Saul did was break faith with God

and break faith with David

Not for Mephibosheth’s sake

David had no relationship with him prior to this

For JONATHAN’S sake.

And what does David mean by this?

We know David and Jonathan were best friends, in spite of the vicious feud between Saul and David

It makes sense that David would want to honor the son of his late best friend, who had died way too young

But David’s specific mission is to show HESED to the house of SAUL—not necessarily the children of his good friend Jonathan

There is a much more specific reason why David is on a mission to specifically honor and bless any survivor of Saul’s family

And the key is in 1 Sam 20./ in the word covenant (go into this…)

We looked at this yesterday morning.

Turn there with me?…

In this passage, David makes a COVENANT with Jonathan.

With God as witness,

David promises two things, per Jonathan’s request

1) 1 Sam 20:14

1 Samuel 20:14

If Jonathan survives the turning over of the kingdom into David’s hands,

David would “show [him] the steadfast love of the Lord, that [he] may not die”

2) 1 Sam 20:15

1 Samuel 20:15 (ESV)

He would not “cut off [his] steadfast love from [Saul’s] house forever, when the Lord cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.”

Before God, David SWEARS to SHOW HESED to Saul’s house, for the sake of Jonathan,

Because of JONATHAN’S faithfulness to David!

Because of his faith and willing SURRENDER to the will of God in appointing DAVID—not him—as the heir of the throne.

Because of Jonathan’s faithfulness,

David promises to not permanently CUT OFF the descendents of his family

And the key is in the hugely important Bible word covenant. **SEE Dr. Richter Epic of Eden

Can anyone tell me, what is a covenant?

A covenant, simply put,

- Is a solemn, weighty agreement between two parties to keep certain promises

- Covenants require witnesses to be present

And in Bible times, these treaties or pacts were sealed, made certain through blood sacrifice

So David’s pursuit of KINDNESS toward Mephibosheth is David being faithful to his word!

STEADFAST in his promises to Jonathan!

LOYAL to his covenant with him!

And this is EXACTLY how God’s love is for us.

God too makes promises.

And the Scriptures tell us that His Word CANNOT be broken.

It is IMPOSSIBLE for God to lie, so if He has made a promise, it WILL come to pass.

Make application of promises of God to the saints…

But how do we KNOW these promises will come to pass for ME? for YOU particularly? Especially when in your darkest times you cry out with the psalmist,

“Has your steadfast love ceased? Have your promises come to an end? Have you shut up your compassion toward me?”

How do we KNOW God’s LOVE for us particularly is STEADFAST, FAITHFUL beyond any trial and perplexing hardship, FAITHFUL beyond the grave?

LOYAL beyond death and into eternity?

+++

Why does God pursue us in order to show us His lovingkindness?

His goodness and loyal love?

Is it ultimately for our sake?

- because of something WE have done?

because of OUR faithfulness?

No, far from it.

God’s LOVE for us is ANCHORED, SECURE, because of another’s faithfulness,

for the sake of another,

for the sake of our father,

The one whom Scripture calls “everlasting Father”

and prophesies that He, having undergone great atoning sufferings, would see his offspring and be satisfied.

For the sake of Christ—to whom we are united by simple faith—your heart looking to Christ,

in and through CHRIST and CHRIST alone,

is PERFECT assurance, PERFECT SECURITY, perfect STABILITY in a status of total belovedness.

4) God’s love is steadfast.

5) End with this? God’s love is Christ-anchored

3) God’s love is gracious.

2) God’s love is generous.

1) God’s love is personal.

Meph arrives.

You can imagine his heart POUNDING out of his chest.

“Here I am, the surviving grandson of Saul, David’s CHIEF enemy, and now David wants to see me.”

Meph was likely preparing himself to meet his Creator.

Meph was disabled— “crippled in his feet”, the text tells us,

So he hobbles over to David, perhaps helped by a walking stick, or human helpers,

I don’t think they had wheelchairs in his day…

And in great discomfort and awkwardness,

He falls on his face—prostrating himself before David

Paying him homage—bowing in reverence

And then, David’s breathtaking response:

“MEPHIBOSHETH”!

David calls him by name—

“Mephibosheth,” surely in the tone of voice, Meph was NOT expecting.

Meph quickly replies “Behold, I am your servant.”

- Essentially, “Here I am, lord, at your service.”

Picture Meph—this grandson of Saul—still trembling from the fate he is anticipating at the hands of Israel’s King.

The words he hears back, were NOT what He expected:that likely sent a waterfall of RELIEF over him:

“Do not fear! X2

For I will show you KINDNESS [HESED!]

for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.”

Sure enough, v.13 tells us, this was no empty promise: 2 Sam9:13

2 Samuel 9:13 (ESV)

So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king’s table.

This is how the Father’s love for us is like.

This is how Jesus’ love for us is like.

When He called you into a saving relationship with him, how did he do it?

Was it some impersonal religious tradition you simply inherited from your parents?

NO!

John 10 tells us how the Good Shepherd calls his sheep: Jn 10:3

John 10:3 (ESV)

He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

This is what has happened to you, brother, sister:

Jesus CALLED you by name,

and upon hearing his call, you followed Jesus OUT of the world of sin and death and INTO his green pastures!

Jesus’ love is SO personal.

It is so INTIMATE.

There’s a reason why God created human marriage—and ROMANCE—to be a faint picture of God’s love for us in Christ,

and that Jesus is called our Bride Groom and Husband

and that there is a WHOLE book of the Bible devoted to portraying the beautiful romance in marriage that points us to our divine relationship

And this personal relationship is ONE of fellowship and FOOD:

One of the most PERSONAL things you can do for someone, is have them over to your dinner table

to share a meal in the privacy of your home

to have personal conversation, quality time, and meaningful fellowship around food and drink

David doesn’t just invite Meph out to coffee,

- He doesn’t even invite him over to have dinner with him that night he happened to be in town

He invited Meph to eat ALWAYS at his table

which meant PACKING his bags, leaving his home, moving to Jerusalem, and feasting with the King in his intimate quarters every day.

And that’s EXACTLY what Jesus does with us!

He calls us by name,

and He gives us a new home,

in a new city

with a royal banquet,

and best of all,

his personal presence, his fellowship

not sometimes, but ALWAYS

His Word is food.

Lord’s Supper in the gathered church is food.

His person is food—as we worship him and serve him and love him…

We feast on HIM! Rev 3...

Now consider with me,

If you were installed as God’s chosen king or queen over God’s Kingdom — “KING X, Queen Y…”

— the nation was previously ruled by a man who hated your guts for no reason and was thirsty for your blood

— who had died, and in his place, his last surviving son usurped MOST of the territory belonging to YOU, a majority of YOUR people remaining under HIS jurisdiction…

— Now HE is dead, and you consolidate control over the Kingdom given you by GOD

— How are YOU, chief officer of this Kingdom, going to deal with the remaining grandson of this competing royal family, that had been exceedingly cruel to you?

I’ll tell you what most people would do when given this power.

And what most kings in the ANE would do.

Execute him! Cut off his head!

But David’s approach is radically different.

He summons the grandson of Saul,

NOT to show him wrath,

but “to show him KINDNESS”.

“the KINDNESS of God”!

As we have seen already, the steadfast LOVE of God!

How is David’s act here an act of hesed, of steadfast love?

a love that LASTS?

that is loyal and faithful to one’s promises?

The key is in the phrase that ends David’s question in v.1!

The ANCHOR of David’s good-will toward the house of Saul

Why is David seeking to BLESS rather than CURSE his arch-enemy’s descendents?

He tells us:

“For Jonathan’s sake.” (vv.1, 7)

“I want to show HESED to Saul’s offspring

for Jonathan’s sake?”

“I want to show steadfast love to Saul’s grandson—

certainly not because of Saul

and NOT because of some worth or inherent loveliness in Jonathan’s son—

but because of Jonathan!”

The man with whom David was in covenant.

In 1 Sam 20, David and Jonathan make a COVENANT together,

a pact,

a renewed, solemn agreement —

With weighty promises before God, and punishments upon breaking them

Covenants were VERY common between kings and rulers, between men of influence in the ancient world,

These treaties secured allies along with protection from invasion and other shared privileges

in order to make peace with potential threats to national security

This sort of thing exists in some measure in our world today:

Iran, China, Russia, N Korea banding together in an “axis of evil” in their opposition of Western society

The United Nations

Nations agree to support each other,

if one is attacked by another nation

On a smaller scale, and closer to home,

Marriage is a COVENANT b/w two people,

who make solemn VOWS, promises to each other

and unite together in expectation of mutual love and faithfulness

David and Jonathan—both ROYAL men, from rival families

seal an alliance in 1 Sam 20

In 1 Sam 20:8 David says to Jonathan:

“Deal KINDLY with your servant—(literally, show HESED to your servant) for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you.”

Then Jonathan later responds:

“If I am still alive, show me the steadfast love of the Lord, that I may not die;

and do not cut off your steadfast love from my house forever, when the Lord cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.”

The text repeats: “And Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David… and [] made [him] swear again by his love for him.”

Fast forward years later,

Saul’s house is mostly dead. Jonathan is dead.

But there remains ONE left in this family,

A paralyzed son named Mephibosheth.

And DAVID does not forget his covenant,

He does not BREAK his vows,

He does not CUT OFF his hesed from Jonathan’s family, just as he had promised

HE actively seeks to continue kindness, grace, and favor toward them.

And in THIS way,

We see in clear relief,

the love of God.

God has made a COVENANT with His Son,

a covenant of redemption,

in which God has set Himself under a VOW

As it is written in Heb 7:21

Hebrews 7:21 (ESV)

“The Lord has sworn

and will not change his mind,

‘You are a priest forever.’ ”

A VOW that that in Christ, His Son,

The eternal high priest and substitute Lamb

ALL who draw near will be saved to the uttermost

KEPT in His love forever and ever.

At the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples,

What did Jesus say, as he raised the cup of wine?

“This is the _what__ in my blood”?

The NEW COVENANT.

A NEW treaty—a NEW alliance b/w God and humanity—sealed by the blood of Christ Himself.

so that the apostle Paul could say,

“What can separate us from the love of God?”

This HESED, STEADFAST, love of our Savior, in Christ our Lord?

Neither life nor death, angels nor rulers, things present nor things to come, nothing in ALL of creation will be able to separate us from this STEADFAST love of God.

The first quality of God’s love,

it is STEADFAST.

It is not fickle or unpredicable,

It is not YES today and maybe tomorrow.

It is LOYAL and faithful forever

ANCHORED in Christ, our Savior.

And this new covenant,

Jesus

HESED love of Jesus:

He loves us to the end

He loved us to the cross

He will love us till we are glorified and He comes again

He will love us through the grave Rom 8:38-39

God the Father—before creation—made a covenant with His Son,

a covenant of redemption,

that SET the Father’s love upon the family, the brothers and sisters of His Son

The Son’s people had fallen into grievous sin and rebellion,

even murdering the Father’s Son,

even though He was God’s appointed King for them.

But God

David’s love—David’s lovingkindness in 2 Sam 9—is STEADFAST.

It’s loyal LOVE that endures beyond the grave

And it is ANCHORED in the person with whom David was in covenant.

1) Loyal - steadfast, enduring

Personal - v.6 “Mephibosheth!”

“you shall eat at my table always”

intimacy of His love

Generous v.7 “I will restore to you ALL the land of Saul your father… vv.9-10 continued

Gracious v.8 “What is your servant…”

v.13 “Now he was lame in both his feet.”

Christocentric/Christ-centered/Cruciform

“for the sake of your father Jonathan”

For Christians, we are loved, through Christ, for the sake of Christ! (Jn 14, 17, ROMANS 5** our experience of the LOVE of God is explicitly rooted in Christ and Christ alone)

What should this produce in us?

Humble service in the fear of God and dependence upon Christ, which vanquishes fear

v.6 “fell on his face ad paid homage…

v.7 “Do not fear…

v.8 “and he paid homage and said…”