2 Samuel 9:1-13
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Good morning! Welcome to our last Samuel sermon before we take a break for Advent and Christmas starting next week
So the last two sermons, we were in Chapter 7, looking at God’s covenant with David
that the offspring promised as early as Genesis 3:15, right after Adam and Eve rebel against God
the offspring that will somehow undo what Adam and Eve have done
will now come through David’s family
that the Lord has promised a forever dynasty to David
a Kingdom where David’s offspring, will reign forever
and we know that those promises are now fulfilled in Jesus
who lives and reigns forever at the right hand of the Father
Since then, chapter 8 shows David having victory over all of his enemies
and ruling over all of Israel with justice and equity
So we’re still at the peak of David’s rule
and out of experiencing and embracing all of God’s promises to him
David remembers his covenant, his promise of faithfulness to his friend Jonathan, who was Saul’s son
David and Jonathan had sworn to be faithful to each other’s houses
with David promising not to cut off the house of Jonathan
So let’s look at how David keeps his covenant with his friend, starting in verse 1:
1 And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” 3 And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?” Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.” 4 The king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.” 5 Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar. 6 And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, “Mephibosheth!” And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.” 7 And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness 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.” 8 And he paid homage and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?” 9 Then the king called Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson. 10 And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master’s grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s grandson shall always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. 11 Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so will your servant do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table, like one of the king’s sons. 12 And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba’s house became Mephibosheth’s servants. 13 So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king’s table. Now he was lame in both his feet.
I haven’t done a star wars illustration in a while, so here goes
once the bad guys take over in the prequels, then they spend the rest of the movies, oth the original trilogy and the new ones, trying to use fear to keep their power
to crush the threat of the rebellion or the resistance through fear
so you have the death star, and then another death star, and then a death star planet, and then ships with built in death star technology
there’s not a ton of originality
they’re all there with the strategy that if someone challenges us, if they threaten us, we’ll blow up their planet
People use the same ideas with different tactics in the real world, using fear to either acquire power or maintain it
and why? because their power is fleeting, and they know it, it’s insecure
so they have to do everything they can to keep it
and its much easier to maintain control through power and fear
Going to our passage today, we see David seeking out someone that the world would label as a threat to his power
Any surviving member of Saul’s family is a potential threat to David’s hold on the throne
a challenger to lead an uprising and try to take the throne back
in the eyes of the culture and the world, David has every right to seek out threats like this and eliminate them
because he needs to do everything he can to maintain his power
But that’s not what David does, he finds this threat and shows him love, kindness
why?
because David is secure in the promises of God
God has all of the power and he has promised that David’s throne will continue forever
God has showered his grace and love on David and his family
so this frees David to show grace and love to Saul’s family
he doesn’t have to protect his power, because it’s not his power, it’s the Lord’s
and he is confident that the Lord will do all that he has promised
Do we have this kind of freedom as those who belong to Christ, who belong to the King?
Jesus is never in danger of losing his power
he does not need us to seek out threats and eliminate them
we know the end of the story, Jesus wins
as those who are trusting in the king, our call is to take up our cross and follow
showing his sacrificial love to the world
when we use worldly tactics to try to increase the power of the church, we’re making things about us and our own sense of security and power and not about him
Jesus, our King, frees us to show love and kindness to those that our culture or the world tells us is a threat, or is our enemy
we are called to love in a counter cultural way
this doesn’t mean that we aren’t wise and don’t seek justice or the common good
but we are called to do everything, not from a place of fear where we seek to manipulate others through fear, but from a place of love
In our passage, David pictures this love for us, the love that we are called not just to show
but also the love that we experience
because we are the threat, we are those who have rebelled against the king
we are those who deserve to be eliminated, but instead we receive mercy, blessing, and love
starting in verse 1:
1 And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
So now that David has entered into this time of peace in Israel
having embraced the Lord’s promises to him about his house, his dynasty
that the promised offspring who will bring salvation will come through his family
he has responded to the Lord’s promises with faithfulness towards Israel
further subduing their enemies
bringing greater security
ruling over Israel with justice and equity
and now he seeks to further respond to the Lord’s faithfulness towards him
by remembering his covenant with Jonathan
All of David’s enemies have been cut off
but David is making yet another effort to honor Saul and his friendship with Jonathan
by demonstrating that Saul, Jonathan, and their house are not his enemies
that they will not be cut off
David, again, will only act righteously towards Saul, even in death
But he also brings another word into this statement
he’s not looking just to show mercy, he is looking to show kindness
the word translated as kindness is Hessed
it’s one of those Hebrew words that is too big for a single English word to capture its meaning
this is the same word translated elsewhere as steadfast love, enduring faithfulness
the Israelite culture is a Hessed culture
this is an interesting thing to discuss before Thanksgiving, because it can offer a decent analogy
when we celebrate the American holiday thanksgiving, most believers take that as an opportunity to focus on our thankfulness towards God
that he is the ultimate source of blessing
but at the same time we acknowledge the who’s and the what’s God has used to bless us
you have blessed me in this way, and I thank God for you and how He blessed me through you
this was how the Israelites were to operate every day, their whole life
if someone shows you love and faithfulness, if someone blesses you
that is the Lord blessing you, that is the Lord showing you love
and so the primary response is to bless the Lord back
to thank him, to respond to his faithfulness and love with faith and love
David is acknowledging the steadfast love, the Hessed, shown to him by the Lord
and is reflecting that love by loving others
in all of that, the Lord gets the glory
So we see David looking for someone to show faithfulness to in response to the Lord’s faithfulness to him
showing that David’s relationship with Jonathan, that the covenant promises they made with one another
is ultimately about their relationship and promises to the Lord
David can only do this because of God’s faithfulness to him
Do we view our covenant promises the same way?
when we marry, we are making promises not just to one another, but to the Lord
and so our actions in marriage, the faithfulness we pledge, is in response to God’s faithfulness to us in Christ
David is picturing the steadfast love of Jesus
we have nothing to fear, Jesus reigns, salvation is secure
because we are loved in Christ, we show that same love to others
whether we think they deserve it or not
because none of us actually deserve it
No matter what our relationship is with someone, do we treat them based on how they have treated us, or how Jesus has treated us?
do we treat others as nameless or faceless threats, or as humans made in the image of God?
verses 2-3
2 Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” 3 And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?” Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.”
David isn’t waiting for someone to come to him and say
I’m related to Jonathan, show kindness to me
remember your promises to Jonathan
no, no one comes to him, he is seeking someone out
Do we recognize that this is what Jesus does for us?
he seeks us out, we’re not asking for him to show us kindness, we do nothing to initiate his love for us
he seeks us out to show us grace and love
So Ziba is introduced here, one of Saul’s servants
and he identifies that Jonathan has one son alive
and mentions he is crippled
this is the second time Mephibosheth is mentioned in Samuel
the first time is in chapter 4, in the middle of recounting the murder of Saul’s son, Ishbosheth
a reminder that Ishbosheth was king over Israel for a time after Saul’s death
here’s what the author says in that verse:
4 Jonathan, the son of Saul, had a son who was crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled, and as she fled in her haste, he fell and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.
so in the middle of telling the audience about the end of Saul’s dynasty
we get an aside about a surviving member of Jonathan’s family who was crippled as they were trying to flee to safety following Saul and Jonathan’s death
so back to our passage:
2 Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” 3 And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?” Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.”
Ziba is brought in
as one of Saul’s servants, there might be a sense of fear
and immediately he affirms that his primary loyalty is now towards David
So David tells him what he wants to do
and Ziba let’s him know about Mephibosheth
mentioning that he is crippled
So we see that not only is Mephibosheth not seeking David out
asking for blessing
he is also identified as someone who brings very little benefit to David
he is disabled and can’t offer David much back in response to David’s kindness
Just making this clear, that in this passage, we are David in our call to show love
and we are Mephibosheth in that we do not seek Jesus on our own
and we bring nothing of benefit to Jesus
we are broken
We’ve talked through the Saul-Adam parallel
that just as Adam was humanity’s best shot at being righteous on our own
Saul was our best shot at being a righteous king on the outside
he looked the part, he was from a wealthy family, he had all the gifts and attributes that you would want in a king
but like Adam, he chose to serve himself rather than the Lord
Saul proved to be faithless towards the Lord
and now everything has been taken away from him and his line
the wealth, the power
and even physically, the author of Samuel comments on how good looking and tall Saul is
and here his remaining grandson is crippled
Do we realize that this is us?
as those who came from Adam
we are in the same position
Adam and Eve were created in a state of blessing
life was their’s, they just had to obey
but we are now subject to death and brokenness because of them
and we’ve not only inherited his guilt, we live out of it
we have been crippled by sin
it defines who we are apart from the steadfast love of the king
verses 4-5:
4 The king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.” 5 Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.
Mephibosheth has been living in exile
the place he is staying literally means, no pasture
he is staying on the other side of the Jordan river
the picture here is he has nothing, he brings nothing, he is nothing
and David sends for him
he has him brought to him
Again, worldly wisdom says that David should view Mephibosheth as a threat
as Saul’s grandson, he is a rival from another dynasty
it was common practice in the Near East at the time for a new king to take out the entire family of whatever dynasty he replaced
just to ensure that the family would not try to take it back, to maintain power
Mephibosheth would have known this
and there has to be a good deal of fear as he comes to meet David
he was only 5 when his father, Jonathan, was killed
he’s probably in his late teens or twenties by now, and he is most likely unaware of his father’s relationship with David
his best hope for survival, is not being noticed by the king
and now he is being brought to David
probably just trying to think of ways to communicate that he’s not a threat
verse 6:
6 And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, “Mephibosheth!” And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.”
So now they meet
And we see the posture of both Mephibosheth and David in this scene
this is the first time Mephibosheth’s name is used in the passage
it literally means “shameful thing”
that is how he is defined, that is who he is
and he falls on his face before the king
and then David speaks first
calling his name
the king not only knows his name, it is how he addresses him
for David, this relationship is personal
notice throughout the passage, David is referred to in two ways
when David is speaking to Ziba, he is called, the king,
the king said to Ziba
when he is talking to Mephibosheth, the author calls him David
David said to Mephibosheth
steadfast love, kindness, enduring faithfulness
a major component of this is personal relationship
Just as David, the king, knows Mephibosheth’s name
Jesus knows our names
How beautiful is that?
our king knows each of us by name, all of us are precious to him
that should drive us to know one another, in the church
all of us need it
and to demonstrate Christ’s love by building relationships with those who don’t know him
we are free to do all of that
And Mephibosheth responds to having his name called, by saying
I am your servant, he acknowledges that he is low
he has come into the presence of the king
expecting judgment, which he knows he deserves based on the actions of his grandfather
he’s staring at the floor, not even worthy to look up at the king
hoping for mercy, but most likely resigned to his fate
verse 7:
7 And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness 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.”
David, the king says, do not fear
you’re hoping for mercy, I’m showing you love
you’re hoping to keep living in exile, I will restore you and your family
the world has made you an object of shame
but I am declaring you an object of honor
Mephibosheth will now be treated as a member of the royal family
what happens here is in stark contrast to how Saul’s house treated David
David defeated Goliath and was a hero in leading Israel against its enemies
he served Saul personally on his court, playing music for him when he was tormented by an evil spirit
he did so much for Saul and Israel
and he only acted righteously in serving Saul
and Saul drove him into exile and hunted him down
Here Mephibosheth deserves nothing and brings nothing
but David honors him
Jesus lived a life marked by love, honor, and righteousness
he came to serve, he lowered himself
and he became an object of shame on the Cross
taking our shame on himself
suffering judgment for our feeble attempts to threaten his authority in our place
and he brings us to a place of honor
to restore us to relationship with God
to give us life and blessing
And now that he lives and reigns, now that he has been raised up
he shows love, he shows faithfulness to those who deserve shame
we just turn to him, we acknowledge who we are
and we follow the king who brings us from shame to honor
Jesus tells us, do not fear, I will be faithful to you, I will show you steadfast love
and we know nothing will separate us from God’s love in Christ
Do not fear, Jesus tells us
we deserve judgment, but we are shown love instead
verse 8:
8 And he paid homage and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?”
Mephibosheth can’t believe it
he says, who am I
I’m nothing, I’m a dead dog
David has used the same term to refer to himself
after he spares Saul’s life 1 Samuel 24
he says, why are you pursuing me?
I’m nothing, I’m a flea, I’m a dead dog
in that context,
David is affirming to Saul that he has only acted righteously towards him
I’m nothing, I’m not threat to you, why are you trying to kill me?
in this context
Mephibosheth is saying he’s done nothing to merit David’s favor
he knows that his family drove David to exile and tried to kill him
I’m worse than nothing, the world says I’m a threat, why are you blessing me?
This is who we are when we come before the king
Apart from blessing and life that is found in Jesus, we are dead dogs, we are less than nothing
But Jesus freely blesses us, not because of anything in us, but because he has decided to bless us
because he has sworn faithfulness to us in the same way that David swore to be faithful to Jonathan
verses 9-10:
9 Then the king called Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson. 10 And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master’s grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s grandson shall always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
So David calls Ziba, and he tells him of how he is restoring the land to Saul’s family
and now Ziba and his family, who had served Saul,
will now serve Mephibosheth in taking care of the land while Mephibosheth remains with David
notice now the author switches back to calling David the king
his relationship with Ziba is impersonal compared to Mephibosheth
and it mentions Ziba’s family and his servants
the author is setting up what will happen later in a few chapters when Ziba tries to manipulate David into giving him the land
Entering this point, Ziba is on a higher social plane than Mephibosheth
but now he has been put under him
and so he responds to the king, the only way a servant can respond to the king
verse 11:
11 Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so will your servant do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table, like one of the king’s sons.
Ziba shows outward obedience,
but the moment there’s an opportunity to turn on Mephibosheth and try to get the land for himself, he does it
And the scene concludes showing that David is true to his word towards Mephibosheth
and the author shows the social status of being at David’s table
David was Saul’s son in law, but was sent away to exile
Mephibosheth was in exile, but is now being treated as a son
his family has now become part of the king’s family
What a beautiful picture of the gospel!
we brought exile on ourselves through our disobedience
we rebelled and broke our relationship with God
but in Christ, we have been brought back from exile
we have been restored, and we now have the status of son
we are at God’s table
we enjoy fellowship with him
and Jesus bought that status for us on the Cross
his ultimate display
to show us kindness, steadfast love
his body was broken for us, his blood was shed for us
and now we have fellowship with God at his table forever
verses 12-13:
12 And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba’s house became Mephibosheth’s servants. 13 So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king’s table. Now he was lame in both his feet.
In verse 12, the author further emphasizes the status change for Mephibosheth
Ziba’s house became his servants
and then he shares about his son, Mica
this is not an inconsequential fact
because, culturally, any descendant of Saul is a threat
there are no doubt still Saul loyalists in Israel, just waiting for the opportunity to restore his dynasty
and so David has not only Mephibosheth with him, but the looming threat of Mica
David is showing kindness towards a cultural threat
he is elevating potential rivals to the throne, putting them in a greater position to some day claim the throne if David stumbles
David’s actions of love are making him more vulnerable from a worldly perspective
But David does this not because he doesn’t care, but because he believes God’s promises
God is in control and has given the throne to David’s family and promised never to take it away
so David is not really vulnerable
Jesus loves us, those who rebel and would try to take his place if it were possible
but we are not a threat to him, he is over all, and he shows us love and grace because it is his delight to do so
Do we realize the same thing?
In the church, we often look at the culture and we don’t see lost people who need the gospel
all we see are threats
threats to our values, our liberty, our way of life
our control of the culture
so we go on the offensive to protect ourselves
not remembering that no one can take Christ away from us
that God is in control and all his promises are true in Christ
salvation is secure
we are not in danger in any eternal sense
our first value is to show Jesus and his love to others
and we forget that
the church forgets that, because we fall in the worldly trap of feeling vulnerable
when we aren’t
Jesus reigns, he has all the power, and he calls us to love others as we are loved
we are free to show the kindness, the steadfast love of God to those who don’t know him
does this mean we don’t engage over issues, or that we shouldn’t seek the common good in our culture?
of course not, but we can do it from a place of freedom and love, not from a place of fear, we have nothing to fear
let’s praise God for that together
