Restored by a King
RESTORED BY A KING
(PPHC 3/25/07)
I. INTRODUCTION:
A. The 1st King, Saul, was in power; the Prophet Samuel anointed David as next king.
1. David was sought to play music for the king.
2. David and Jonathan became close friends & covenanted.
a. Promised that no matter what happened they’d always look after each other’s families.
3. Jealousy…trouble developed to the point of a civil war between Saul and David.
a. Saul and Jonathan both died in a battle at Jezreel.
4. All the descendants of Saul were killed except a young boy named Mephibosheth.
5. 2 Samuel 4 tells us that after David was crowned, he remembered his promise.
TEXT: 2 Samuel 9:1-11
· As we look at the restoration of Mephibosheth, we’ll see that his story represents
what God has done for each of us. First of all, like Mephibosheth, we were all
CRIPPLED BY A FALL:
II. Crippled by a Fall – 2 Samuel 4:4
A. Mephib., Jonathan’s son, was five years old when the news of his dad’s death came.
1. His nurse panicked and dropped him…He started out at a distinct disadvantage
a. He would need the help of others to get by. (Lame man @ the Beautiful Gate)
b. He was at the mercy of anyone that came looking for him.
B. The Human Race is crippled because of the fall of Adam.
1. We are also at a distinct disadvantage because of man’s propensity to sin.
a. Morally speaking - we can’t live up to the perfect standards of God (Noah, Abraham, Daniel, Paul)
b. Physically speaking - we all face pain and sickness and death. (Results of the Fall – Gen. 3)
c. Spiritually speaking – man was not born lame (spiritually). Very Good!
2. We are crippled when it comes to pleasing God on the basis of our own deeds. Like
Mephibosheth, we were all crippled by a fall. (Rom. 8:8 – we cannot please God).
· The good news is that, like Mephibosheth, we were SOUGHT OUT BY A KING.
III. Sought by the King - 2 Samuel 9:1,3
· Then the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may
show kindness…?” And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is
lame in his feet” 2 Samuel 9:3
A. King David Searched for Mephibosheth
1. (David took the iniative) - Mephibosheth did not search for the King – fear of death.
2. But David made himself known to Mephibosheth… like God has revealed Himself to us.
a. King David went out of his way to seek out this lost son. (he sought him out for good)
B. Jesus came searching for YOU - for those who were not seeking Him.
· "All we like sheep have gone astray" (Isa. 53:6); lost sheep wander farther and farther afield. The shepherd must seek them. A stray sheep never seeks the shepherd.
· Jesus said: “I have come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10
1. It was God who sought out Abraham in Ur, Jacob at Bethel, Moses in Midian, Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus, and not they who sought unto Him.
2. As a general rule, people do not seek after God.
a. Therefore, we cannot KNOW Him until he makes Himself known to us. (Salvation muste’rion)
b. They don’t know that the first step in coming to Christ is to realize that they are lost sinners
who desperately need to be found and saved.
· At least Mephibosheth knew he was officially an enemy of the King. He knew there was
nothing he could do to make things right. Unless the King came and sought him out, he
was doomed to hide all his life. And like Mephibosheth --- who was SOUGHT BY THE
KING --- we have been FOUND IN A FAR COUNTRY.
IV. Found in a Far Country - 2 Samuel 9:4
A. Hiding in Lo Debar
1. The literal meaning of Lo Debar is “the place of no bread.”
a. A barren wasteland. Mephibosheth was hiding out in a desolate place.
1. 1 Lonely – 2 in Poverty (lost his heritage…Deserving??? – NO – return the favor? – NO!)
b. It also means: Lo (negation) & Debir è dabar (word) = “no word”
1. David sent someone there to track the boy down.
2. We are also in a desolate place if we are separated from God.
a. A place of no bread…where we don’t hear His voice.
b. Yet, God, the King, invades the solitude of our lives & sends someone to find us.
· That’s how David looked for Mephibosheth. Like Mephibosheth, we were actually
SAVED FOR ANOTHER’S SAKE.
V. Saved for Another’s Sake - 2 Samuel 9:1,7
· David said to him, “Do not fear for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan, your
father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall
eat bread at my table continually.” 2 Samuel 9:7
A. David loved Mephibosheth from the very beginning.
1. He loved him for Jonathan’s sake.
a. Jonathan was the mediator of a covenant…because of David’s love for the Mediator
b. He also received kindness because of a covenant that was made before he was born!
2. God loves every one of us for His Son’s sake.
a. "God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you" (Eph. 4:32)….His love for the Mediator…
1. God’s love was given freely; can’t be earned … given in the name of His son, Jesus.
b. But that’s not all – You also receive kindness because of a covenant that was made before you were ever born!
· Now the story of Mephibosheth has a happy ending. And our story, too, can have a
happy ending because --- like Mephibosheth --- we can some day be RESTORED BY
THE KING.
VI. Restored by the King - 2 Samuel 9:10-13
· “As for Mephibosheth,” said the king, “he shall eat at my table like one of the king’s sons.” 2 Samuel 9:11
A. His Property Restored
1. All that belonged to Saul…
B. His Position Restored
1. At the King’s table.
· God is in the business of restoration: Jn. 14:2 – “In my Father’s house are many mansions: If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”
CONCLUSION:
The story of Mephibosheth is a reminder of how God actively seeks those who are lost in order to restore them. Like Mephibosheth, we were helpless (unable to come to God); and our condition was hopeless (a fallen race). By grace alone, we are objects of Divine favor! We have been elevated to a place in the family of God and made joints heirs with Christ.
David didn’t just send him money fro some crutches, or some food stamps, an invitation to come to come have lunch with the King; he sent an invitation for him to abide at the King’s table. And with the invitation, he sent men to bring him home to his rightful place. God isn’t just giving you a “quick fix” to your problems, but an invitation to come home; and He is sending One today (the Holy Spirit) to bring you to Him….doesn’t want you to stay where you are…in the wilderness; He wants to restore you and bring you to Himself.