Might and Mercy

Can you think about your best childhood, high school or college friend growing up? All of us have someone in our life that at one time or another was the closest person to us that was not related to us. This friend is who you would share all of your secrets with, you would have inside jokes, maybe phrases that you repeated often or movie/TV quotes you said over and over again. You made promises that we will go to the same college. If something happens to me, or my family, I will fill in the blank. Do you have that person in your mind, do you have their face? Friendships are a key and crucial part of life because friendships turn into family. What do I mean by that, well how many of you know that there is a family that is forced and a family that is found. Forced doesn't have to be a negative but simply put, the family you are born into is your forced family, good or bad they are your relatives. But then there is the family that is found, this would be your friends, friends family, someone even who you would view closer to you than anyone in your actual family. That's nothing to feel guilty about, in fact many people have separated themselves for good reasons from forced families and embraced the found family as their own. Proverbs 18:24 says that there are friends that stick closer to you than a brother. That proverb was written after the life of David, but I wonder if Solomon the author of that proverb wrote it when thinking about his father and the friendship he had with Johnathan.

During this series we have been looking at the Story of David, currently these last several weeks we have been looking at the rise of David and that will continue today, starting next week and the following we will look at the fall of david. Because how many of you know this truth, “Many can strat well, few end well” But regardless of the rise and fall of David, though his actions, inactions, his running away from God his repentance back to God and everything in between we see that David was a man after God's own heart. Which all of us should take a collective sigh of relief, because if David after everything is still a man after God's own heart, that means we all can be people who are after God's heart regardless of our past. Why? Because God is after your heart. God is after your heart, and the way he gets your heart is that you become a person who is running after his heart. He has made it so that every individual in the world could be running after his heart through Jesus Christ, he has not hidden it, he has not made it hard to find. You just have to look for it. So David was a man after God's heart, and you can be also.

Up into this point in our series we have missed a crucial member of the story of David, we have talked about Saul, was have looked at Samuel, Goliath, Jesse, davids brothers and the like, but we have not truly mentioned David's best friends, Jonathan. This friendship reminds me of what Lex Luthor said to Clark Kent in Smallville when he said, “Trust me Clark, our friendship is going to be stuff of legend.” If you know superman lore, clark kent and Lex Luthor do not have a lasting friendship, unlike David and Johnathan.

David first meets Johnathan after he slayed Goliath in 1 Samuel 17, and at the beginning of 1 Samuel 18 it says this, “After David has finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself.” This simply means that they became fast friends and they had more in common than they had differences. Namely their heart and love for the Lord, Yahweh, the God of Israel, bonded them together in such a way that their human differences could never separate. What were those differences? Namely, David was anointed the next king of Israel, Gods elect and Gods chosen who God has promised to have an everlasting dynasty through the bloodline of David. Jonathan, was the first born son of Saul and by Monarchy law, he would be the next in line to be the king of Israel. You would think naturally this would cause a divide in their friendship to the point where there would be no friendship, but hostility. I have seen small groups in churches crumble over less. Literally one time someone got a glass of milk out of a fridge without asking, group disbanded after that.

But not David and Johnathan, no they had a sworn oath friendship, in 1 Samuel 20:42 they said this, “ Johnathan said to David, go in Peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord saying, The Lord is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.”  David marries Johnathan’s sister, becomes his brother-in-law, Saul tries to kill David on Multiple occasions because he was fearful of David coming after his crown and Johnathan in 1 Samuel 20 helps David escape from his father’s plan to kill David. But one of the most incredible acts of friendship, Johnathan, though he had claim to the throne of Israel, honors Gods anointment of David, “Don’t be afraid he said, My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this. The two of them made a covenant before the Lord.” 1 Samuel 23:17.

Just quickly two sentences and I will move on. Every single person should have a friend like this in your life. You must have a Johnathan in your corner. Who in your life is a friend like that? (Gritty man conference) Doesn’t matter how old you are, I believe God wants every single person to have closer relationships with others who love God and love each other. Shortly thereafter, Johnathan is killed in Battle and Saul falls on his own sword at the Mount of Gilboa. David weeps and mourns his friends, and then he becomes ruler and king of Israel.

And over the next several years David rules and restores Israel to greatness. He unifies the 12 tribes of Israel, David Established Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel, he builds a military force that all but destroys their enemies and makes them a force not to be reckoned with. Politically everything is going his way, economically the people under his rule are flourishing, their territory is expanding, God makes what we call the Davidic Covenant with him in 2 Samuel 7:12-13 where God says that through David Jesus will arrive and finally, David brings the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem where eventually Solomon would build a temple to God. David is the king Israel always wanted…but he did not forget about his oath to Johnathan. Open your bibles to 2nd Samuel 9.

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.” - 2 Samuel 9:1-3

David on two occasions speaks towards the kindness of God, how can I show kindness, and then again, how can I show God's kindness. Many times when we think about God we think about his grace, mercy, love, justice, righteousness, his power and we should be in awe of those. But have you taken a moment to remember how kind God is to you? A heart after God's own heart is, kind to those unknown. Now this kindness that David is looking to extend is also mercy. Why is it mercy? Because as King, David has every right by the world's standards to completely wipe out and kill any descendants to Saul. As Johnathan son lives, so lives his claim to the throne, and yet David is not worried about that, david is not focused on that, he is secure in his anointing God has placed over his life, his army was securely under his rule, but more than any of that, he was a man of honor and integrity he would keep the oath he made to Johnathan. Watch,

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.When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor.  2 Samuel 9:4-6

Scriptures say that Mephibosheth is lame in both feet, this was not a birth defect, instead when Mephibosheth was between the age of 2-5 when word got out that Saul and Johnathan was killed his hand maid or nurse picked him up quickly believing his life was in danger as the new King would be installed, and as she was escaping while holding the boy she fell and broke his legs, and they were never properly fixed. And so Mephibosheth, most likely believing that he had been found out that David would kill him for being Johnathans son, takes the 75 mile journey from Lo Debar to Jerusalem not knowing that David was about to fulfill his oath.

David said, “Mephibosheth!” “At your service,” he replied.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?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.”

David was an oath keeper, even at great personal Costs, David was willing to risk his Dynasty, In order to keep his oath faithfully. So let me ask you a question that will get you thinking, What are you willing to risk to keep your oath to God? As Chrsitians if you call yourself a Jesus follower and claim to have given your life to God to be used by Jesus and transformed by the Holy Spirit yes in heaven one day, but to be a vessel here on earth to be a Kingdom Minded saved by grace individual. That when you went down into the waters of baptism you said to God, to yourself and your community that this life is no longer my own, I have sworn allegiance to God almighty, this oath I will keep. What are you willing to risk to keep your oath to God?

Are you willing to risk potentially awkward conversations so that you can evangelize to your neighbors? Are you willing to risk looking foolish in the eyes of culture for your biblical values. Are you willing to risk your own desires, your own wants, your own needs, are you willing to risk losing relationships because of your allegiance to Jesus. Not because you are stuck up, but rather you double down on God's word. Are you willing to risk your comfortability? Here is what I know, many people and people in this church will say they will risk their lives for Jesus but will not risk their time. You don't want to serve consistently because then your kids would have to go to two services on most weekends. When in fact, they watch the same movies over and over again with no hesitation. You love Jesus but you won't risk losing out on a good camping trip, you love Jesus but you don't want to force your kids to go to Journey Kids or journey students because if I force them I might risk them not going to church in the future.

We won't risk getting vulnerable in Journey groups so we stay out of journey groups, I won't risk looking foolish so I won't confess my sins to a brother or sister, I don't want to risk looking like I dont have it all together so I can’t ask for prayer or come to the altar and repent. I don't want to risk my money, so I don't tithe, I don't want to risk being guilty by association so I will do whatever I can to make sure I am never around, “those people” whoever “those people are”  In other words, God I love you, but I love comfortability more and that is something I am not willing to risk. What are you willing to risk to keep your oath to God?

David was willing to risk his kingdom, and then he did far more than anyone would have expected him to do. Not killing Mephibosheth was a blessing, but then David did three main things for Mephibosheth.

David called him from Exile to Home. (v.7) - As far as Mephibosheth thought, he was never going to see home again. He was never going to walk the halls of his family estate, one I am sure he had memories of us as a child playing, laughing with his father. And if you have ever visited a place you never thought you'd see again you know the feeling. Imagine with me for a moment the prodigal son in Luke 15 who wished for his fathers death, took his inheritance and blew it all in a party lifestyle only to be left friendless and penniless and when he came to his scenes he went back to his fathers house expecting to be treated like a slave, and he was welcomed home as a son.

If you have been a prodigal, if you have had a prodigal you know the feeling of being welcomed back home. The mercy you receive from your family and the mercy you extend is one of the single greatest moments in your life. What was once dead is now alive, someone who was once in self-inflicted exile is now welcomed home.

He eats at the Kings Table  v. 11 so Mephibosheth ate at David’s[a] table like one of the king’s sons. - Mephibosheth was not viewed as someone to tolerate because he was Johnathans son, he wasn't viewed as someone to place pity on because he had a disability. Instead, David views him from this moment forward as a part of the family, David treats Mephibosheth as if he was his own son. This is an important point I want to make, if you are a Jesus follower, you have received a seat at the table of God in the kingdom of heaven. In submitting your life to Jesus you have been adopted into the family, you are not viewed as someone to be tolerated as many people feel when it comes to God, but you are deeply loved as a son and daughter of your heavenly father.

In Matthew 22 Jesus tells a parable about what the Kingdom of Heaven will be like. He says that a king was preparing a wedding banquet for his son and he sent servants to invite certain individuals to come and celebrate, but those who were first invited denied the invitation so the king said this in Matthew 22:9-10 - So go to the street coroners and invite them to the banquet. So the servants went out into the street and gathered all the people they could find, bad as well as the good and the wedding hall was filled with guests.” They all dined at the table of the King, and listen this parable was about how God was calling his people the jewish nation into communion with him, but as they rejected Jesus the kingdom of God is open for all people, the good and the bad to eat at the table of the king. In doing so, scripture makes it clear, we submit to the ruling of the king, we don't make our own rules.

From that day forward Mephibosheth would dine at the table of the king as one of his sons. So who are you inviting to your table? Jesus invited prostitutes, tax collectors and sinners to his table, he didn't care about being guilty of association….

His Wealth is Restored v. 9-10 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.” - Mephibosheth was granted generational wealth. Don’t you wish generational wealth would just fall into your lap one day? I wish my parents gave me that instead of a work ethic. David shows another attribute of Gods heart that we should all take into account, he was Generous. David didn't have to give Mephibosheth anything other than his life, yet he gave him wealth that would go far beyond Mephibosheth's life and his children's life.

Once again this reminds me of the ending of the Prodigal son, where this son was not just welcomed back into the family, but he was given a ring, a robe and sandals placing him back into a place of wealth and position. Not because he earned it, not because he deserved it but simply because the heart of the father was mercy and celebration that his son had returned home and even though the son had left he never stopped being the fathers son.

Here is what I am trying to get at when it comes to the heart of David and this story as a whole. David was king, he had everything and everyone at his disposal and we see that David's strength was not in his might, but in his mercy. This is how we run after the heart of God, “A Heart after God's heart is merciful”

If you have not noticed this entire story points to Jesus and the gospel message why? Because “Jesus is a greater David and I am a worse Mephibosheth” Jesus unlike David is perfect, incarnate, God in the flesh, and he lived on this earth to ultimately be a sacrifice for all mankind to extend mercy and grace to anyone who believes, and I am, you are, I am a worse Mephibosheth because I am dead in my sins, I am owed nothing from God and yet God has declared me to be a son, he has declared you to be forgiven from your sin because the heart of our God is filled with mercy, grace and love.

So if that is God's heart towards us, who are we to not have the same heart towards others, or even towards yourself. Some of you you've had a hard life, you have a rough past and you have been forgiven by God but you still hold yourself as guilty. Show mercy to yourself. If God can forgive you, you can forgive yourself and let shame fall off because listen, shame isn't a fruit of the spirit. All of us have people in our lives that we need to extend mercy to, so who do you need to show mercy to?  You know, you know how I know, because their face is in your mind. That is who you need to extend mercy to. Keep your oath to God when you gave your life to him, that you would do what he calls you to do. He is forming you and calling you to have a heart of mercy, just as David did, just as Jesus had, and just like you will have.

Pray