The Crown – Season 2, Episode 4 – David and Mephibosheth

Today we are in 2 Samuel 9 – a lesser-known story of David. The story really doesn’t advance the story of David or the story of the nation of Israel. But it is there, so let’s talk about it.

Everything is going well for David. He has a city; the ark of the covenant is back to a prominent place; he’s defeating more and more enemies; he’s expanding the borders of Israel closer to what God intended. Bit one day he gets nostalgic, and he remembers a promise that he made many years ago to his best friend Jonathan.

1 Samuel 20 :14-15 (MSG)

If I make it through this alive, continue to be my covenant friend. And if I die, keep the covenant friendship with my family—forever. And when God finally rids the earth of David’s enemies, stay loyal to Jonathan!”

David now acts on that promise in our passage today, 2 Samuel 9, and asks if there are any descendants of Saul.

2 Samuel 9:1–3 (NIV) — 1 David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 Now there was a servant of Saul’s household named Ziba. They summoned him to appear before David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” “At your service,” he replied. 3 The king asked, “Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?” Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet.”

This is not the first time we have heard of Jonathan’s son. Let’s flashback to 2 Samuel 4:

2 Samuel 4:4

Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was lame in both feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she hurried to leave, he fell and became disabled. His name was Mephibosheth.

At the death of Saul and Jonathan Mephibosheth became a political exile.

Back to the story in 2 Samuel 9

2 Samuel 9:4–6 (NIV) — 4 “Where is he?” the king asked. Ziba answered, “He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.” 5 So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel. 6 When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor. David said, “Mephibosheth!” “At your service,” he replied.

Imagine getting that news. Mephibosheth must have been terrified. He must have thought there was no other reason to be summoned by the King other than to kill him. I wonder what had people told him about David. Maybe that he was the one who stole the crown. If it weren’t for him you could be the next king. Did they mention that he and his father were best friends? We just don’t know. Imagine that meeting. Did David see a resemblance? Notice that David calls him by name – not just the guy who is lame in both feet. By calling him by name David shows him dignity.

David gets down to business. He reveals why he has called this meeting:

2 Samuel 9:7–8 (NIV) — 7 “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.” 8 Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?”

What a relief, but Mephibosheth can’t understand. He can’t imagine himself anything else but a lame refugee. He refers to himself as a dead dog. How sad is that?

Some more of the details:

2 Samuel 9:9–11a (NIV) — 9 Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul’s steward, and said to him, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. 10 You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master’s grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.) 11 Then Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do.”

This is an amazing gift. It’s like winning the lottery.

And here we see an amazing turn of events:

2 Samuel 9:11b–13 (NIV) — 11b So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table like one of the king’s sons.12 Mephibosheth had a young son named Mika, and all the members of Ziba’s household were servants of Mephibosheth. 13 And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table; he was lame in both feet.

Why would David bother with this seemingly insignificant promise? No one would have known. No one would have cared. This is the kind of man David was – a promise keeping man even when he had nothing to gain.

This is a story about keeping promises.

Maybe this story is in the Bible to remind us that if we want to be people after God’s heart we need to be promise keeping people.

Keep promises that no one even knows about.

Keep promises that are hard to keep.

Keep promises even to people who might be considered your enemy.

I’m reminded of a promise I made once. I made a promise to friends way back in 2001. If the Patriots win the Super Bowl I will jump in your pool. Note that this game is played in February! They did but I didn’t do the polar plunge and that haunted me. Two years later they won again and that time I jumped in the pool. The cold water felt so liberating. I was so glad to get a second chance to keep that promise.

Are there any promises you have made that you are not keeping? To your spouse. To your kids. To God. You know how devastating it is when people don’t keep promises they made to you. Maybe this story is a reminder to you to keep those promises even when no one knows. Even when it is hard. Even when it costs.

Solid, meaningful relationships are built on people keeping their word. Are you considered trustworthy or do you throw around promises? Jesus said let your “yes” be “yes” and your “no” be “no”. Do you just do things for people who can do things for you or are you a person who is kind even to people who can’t do anything for you? A person’s character may best be on display by how they treat people who can’t do anything for them.

This is a story about grace

Maybe this story is in here to also remind us of how fortunate we are. This is a story about grace. All of us are in some ways a Mephibosheth. We had high expectations. He was supposed to be prince and then king and here he is living as a political refuge. He must be bitter and disappointed than life hasn’t worked out. And then he gets a message from David and he figures it’s all over. Maybe people just call us out for our weaknesses. Maybe we think of ourselves as just a dead dog. Useless to no one and loved by no one. That is what we deserve but instead he is given a place at the king’s table. God has made a promise to us and he, like David, will keep that promise. The promise of grace.

You see all of us have won the lottery. We get to sit at the king’s table. Instead of fear we are blessed with security. Instead of being on the run we have a home. This is a story of grace. God is a promise keeper.

He wants you to feel that security. You have a family. You may be lame but God’s promise is his promise and if we know that we can eat at the King’s table as well.

I suppose Mephibosheth could have denied who he was. Maybe he could have had someone help him escape. He could have stayed on the run and maybe that’s what you are doing. Receive the invitation to be part of the king’s family.

Mephibosheth didn’t know about this promise. Had he known perhaps he would have come sooner. Maybe no one told him about how David loved his father. Maybe people told him that David was a wicked king. If he knew … Maybe you didn’t know. Maybe you thought God was out to get you and the thought of coming into his presence was as frightening to you as it must have been for Mephibosheth. But don’t fear – he has come not to kill you but to make you a son or daughter. To invite you into his family. David was a different king than most and God is a different God than most people think him to be. He is loving and wants you to enjoy the blessings of royalty.

Why is this story in here? It reveals to us the heart of David and why he is called a man after God’s own heart. There is no fanfare. There are no parades. It’s just a person being a good human being. And it reminds us that we can be like this. People can be like this. I can be like this. I need to be like this. We don’t all slay giants but we can be people who keep promises.

Maybe this story is in the Bible because this is David at his best. Loving the unloved. Keeping his promises. Using his power and success to bless others.

David never looked so much like God as he does when he calls in Mephibosheth.

And so will we. When we love the unloved, when we keep our promises, when we use whatever power we have to bless others – that’s us at our best. That’s when we look like God. And that’s when the Kingdom of God shines.