An Unlikely Recipient of the King's Kindness

Amen. That's an amazing story that we've heard, and I'm really looking forward to just diving

into the heart and the redemption and the struggle that we see in this story. But before we get into

the text and in the passage, my name is Jeremy, and it's a pleasure to be with you if you don't

know me. And I want to just kind of give you a little recap, a little summary of where we've

been going with this series called Christ in the Old Testament. And over the last few weeks,

we've basically been looking at how we see the person of Jesus Christ, not just in the New

Testament, but actually shadows of him, foreshadowings of him in the Old Testament, and how the entire

Bible is actually one grand, beautiful narrative and story that God is telling, and it's consistent.

And it's almost as if we can see Christ in the pages of the Old Testament. And so far, we've seen

in the first week in Genesis the story of Abraham and Sodom, and how our only hope is found in the

righteousness of another, and ultimately in Christ. We've also seen in the story of Jacob wrestling

with God, and we saw how God is willing to be defeated in order to bring blessing to us, his people,

just like how Christ was willing to die and be defeated on that cross to be a blessing to us.

We also saw in the story of Gideon in Judges, how we need to recognize our weakness, our sin,

in order to see Christ's power and his grace. We've seen through the story of Naaman last week that the

only right way to approach God is actually to approach him with nothing, empty-handed,

because we cannot earn the grace that Christ offers us freely. And so this morning, we're going to look

at the story of Mephibosheth. And it shows us so clearly that God's kindness comes to even the most

unlikeliest of people. So first, we'll look at this tragic figure of Mephibosheth. We'll look at how he is

a suffering enemy of God. Second, we'll look at how God's kindness comes to him, the true nature and

meaning of biblical kindness. Thirdly, we'll look at the actual life-changing results that this kind

of kindness brings out of humans like us. And finally, we'll think about the question, we'll explore,

like, what does this all have to do with us today in the 21st century? So you ready? Before we start,

let me just pray for us, okay? Lord, we just confess that we're so small and you are God, but thank you

that you would humble yourself to reveal yourself to us in words through your scripture, God. And I just

pray that this morning, this sermon would be worshiped to you, God, that you, through your spirit,

would just speak to all of us in this room, that you would speak to me, you would speak to every person

sitting in these seats before me, that we would come to know more deeply your character, God, who you are,

what you've done for us, what you desire for us. So God, we open our hearts to you, Lord.

Soften where we are hardened. Remove the obstacles that have just blocked our ears so that we may

receive what you have for us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. So the tragedy of Mephibosheth,

this suffering enemy of the king. And to really understand this character and to really be able to

identify with him, we actually need to know a little bit more of the context of the passages

we read. There's a little sliver of that in chapter 4, verse 4 that was read to us from 2 Samuel.

But actually, there's more backstory that we need to know to really grasp that. So let me just catch

us up on that. So Mephibosheth's grandfather was actually Saul. Those of you who may know this story,

but bear with me, Saul was actually the first king of Israel. And unfortunately, Saul disobeyed and he

rejected God. And so God rejected him as king. And one of Saul's sons was Jonathan. And Jonathan became

the father of Mephibosheth. So you're tracking with me? So Saul, and then Jonathan, and then Mephibosheth.

And in this time, in this time period in Samuel, this was also a period of war and conflict between

Israel and her neighbors. So there was a group of people, the Philistines, who were basically a thorn

in Israel's side. There was all of these wars and skirmishes that are ongoing conflicts between them.

And who's heard of the story of David and Goliath? All right, a few of you. Basically, that famous story

of David slinging down that giant Goliath, that is from this period as well, in this battle between

Israel and the Philistines. And so this is the world that Mephibosheth was born into. He was royalty,

a grandson to the king. And he certainly lived in a state of privilege. But he was also born into a world

of turmoil, a world of war. His grandfather had turned away from God, and there was internal strife and

brokenness there. His people were in conflict, were at war. And this is where we picked up the story

in 2 Samuel 4. And let me just read that for us again. It said, 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 crippled in his feet. He became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth. And so as a five-year-old,

the news that they received, that Mephibosheth received, was that his granddad and his dad

had died in battle against the Philistines. Now, if that wasn't enough to take in, instantly he's

wrapped up and he has to be taken away. Because who knows what would happen with the king and the

princes now dead. You know, it's understandable that there would be fear for all of the royal family

at this time. So understandably, the nurse takes him and runs away. But tragedy strikes again.

The child falls and breaks both of his feet. And in one fell swoop, at the age of five,

Mephibosheth goes from being the son of royalty, the place of wealth, full of potential and promise

to an orphan, a fugitive, broken, disabled. Mephibosheth, I think he becomes a poster child for

people who have just tragedy thrust upon their lives. And physical disability,

I think we all know itself is hard enough to navigate in today's advanced age, in today's

more accepting age. But in biblical times, the implications of being lame were serious indeed.

You became utterly dependent on others. You lose your way of livelihood. There was even this sense

that perhaps you were cursed because you've lost your physical, your full functioning ability.

You read in the Bible that blindness and lameness are often just lumped together.

You know, this group of outcasts, these people who were separated, segregated from society.

One scholar even thinks in commenting on this passage that after the death of Mephibosheth's

uncles, you know, there was no mention at all of him perhaps succeeding the throne. And he thinks

one reason for that was probably because he was disabled. He was seen as incapacitated, incapable

of serving in that role. Mephibosheth went from everything to nothing.

And so we see in this story, this tale of this young man, an example of real suffering.

But I think he also exemplifies what it looks like to be an enemy, an enemy of the king.

Because after King Saul rejected God, and God rejected King Saul, God chose another man,

David, right? He chose David to replace Saul as the next rightful king. And what that meant is,

in essence, Saul's offspring would not continue on the throne. The house of Saul would now be replaced

by the house of David. But after Saul's death, you know, the followers that were loyal to Saul,

they actually tried to keep Saul's line going. And there was basically this internal struggle

within Israel about who would be the rightful king. You know, it's the stuff that all these movies are

made of, right? Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones, if you've read it. Maybe not watched it.

Or watched it censored, I don't know. But anyway, it's that story. We all see that the drama,

you know, it's not nothing new with that. That happened from ancient times. And this battle was

happening. But long story short, obviously, we know that David's house won out because he was

chosen by God and he was rightfully anointed as king of Israel. But what does that mean now when

that happens? It means now that all the people, the surviving members of the old house, are de facto

enemies of the new house. And it was the custom in those times, in that era, that when a regime change

happened, that the new regime would basically eliminate all the heirs of the old house. All

the people who could have succeeded would be killed. And the reason was simple, right? It would prevent

any sort of chance of insurrection, of insubordination, of another conflict coming out.

So Mephibosheth should actually have been killed and he was in mortal danger because of his status.

And not only that, it's not even just the regime change, but Mephibosheth was an enemy because

his grandfather and Saul was actually enemies, personal enemies with David. Saul actually tried

to kill David when they were both alive. And he even pursued David until David had to flee

Israel. So you can imagine maybe if you were Mephibosheth, you're like, oh man, there is serious beef

between my ancestors, my grandfather and Saul. You know, Saul, David has every reason to chase

me down, to hunt me down, to kill me because of what my grandfather did to him. So now Mephibosheth,

he's an orphan, he's a disabled person, he's a fugitive, but he's also an enemy of his own state,

deserving of death. Some life this turned out for him, isn't it? Some life this turned out to be.

And this is the back story of Mephibosheth. It's this backdrop that makes 2 Samuel chapter 9 so

2 Samuel 9 · chapter mention

jaw-dropping. When you see how David comes into this life, into the life of this broken, distraught,

estranged young man, this tragic character. And this chapter 9 is where we look at God's kindness

to this very unlikely recipient of it. So let me read again for us in verse 1 of chapter 9.

This is what it says. David said, is there still anyone left, anyone left in the house of Saul

that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?

And church, this is the key verse this morning for us to see how Mephibosheth's life really begins to

turn around. In this verse, we first see that King David's character, we see the true nature of this

man of God in this one sentence. You know, the Bible describes David as a man after God's own heart.

You know, he's known as perhaps the greatest king of Israel in the Old Testament. And this is where it

shines, it shows. He has kindness far beyond our expectations. So Jonathan, remember Mephibosheth's

father, when Jonathan was still alive before he died in that war with the Philistines, against odds,

he actually became best friends, best buddies with David. They were inseparable.

And they were so close that they even made a covenant, a sacred promise that God's love would

always be between them. It would always be between their children, their offspring.

And so in this case, it would be understandable for David to remember and to want to seek out

Jonathan's children to help him, to help them. But notice what David says here. He says,

is there anyone in the house of Saul, anyone, anyone in this family that was deposed by me?

David's mercy, his compassion extends beyond what was expected. Not only did he refrain himself from

annihilating Saul's house, but he actually wanted to show kindness to everyone in it for Jonathan's sake.

So that's the incredible kindness of David. Secondly, as we dig deeper into this sentence,

we actually see the true nature of biblical kindness. And you see this word kindness that David used.

It's actually really important because it's repeated two more times in this chapter, in verse 3 and verse 7.

And as you hear over and over again, when you see this repetition, chances are that it's important.

So what do you hear, what do you think when you hear that someone is kind or shows kindness?

What does that kind of conjure in my mind? I don't know about every one of you, but to be honest,

when I hear that someone's kind, I usually just kind of think more on the lines of,

okay, he's, he's, he's, this guy's gentle and he's kind of nice, maybe a little soft.

That's just kind of my presuppositions. Like the word kindness doesn't strike like awe into my life.

And so this is one of those times that I think we really actually need to dig deep into this one Hebrew word.

I don't want to just make it academic, but this is one of those words I think we need to focus on

because this word in Hebrew just really isn't a direct translation for us in English, in my opinion.

And the word kindness actually doesn't do justice to the meaning of this word.

And so I just want to teach us this word. It's called, in Hebrew, it's called hesed.

Hesed.

Hesed. Sure, you can repeat with me. Hesed. It's all right. Some of you have tried again. Let's try it.

Hesed. Yes. H-E-S-E-D is a translation. And just remember that because I want us to hold on to that this morning.

And this word is amazing because it combines all these ideas of goodness, kindness, steadfastness,

you know, that steadiness of a friend that has always been with you, faithfulness, love, loyalty.

And that's just to name a few. You know, you could go on further and further in the dictionary.

And that's why some of the older translations you might read in the Bible actually translate this as loving kindness,

just to kind of show you there's a complexity to that.

But even that, in my opinion, doesn't do it justice.

You see how just rich and deep this word is?

That when someone hears, I think in Hebrew, hesed, he doesn't just hear, oh, he's kind.

He's nice.

All those ideas come together in this amazing word.

And do you see then why David chooses this word when he talks about acting on behalf of the covenant,

the promise he had with Jonathan?

David is remembering that covenant between him and Jonathan.

And it's out of his goodness and steadfast love that he faithfully and loyally acts on the promises that were made.

In verse 3, David repeats this question, but he's even more explicit.

He says,

You see, David is humbly recognizing that it's not him who's conjuring up this kindness,

but it's actually the kindness of God, the hesed of God.

And so, friends, this is the nature of biblical kindness.

It's that in the depths of Mephibosheth's shame and suffering,

as he lives as this enemy to the king,

David faithfully remembers him,

not with his own kindness, but with the kindness of God.

And so he finds him,

and he brings him before his throne.

And can you just imagine for a minute what it might have been like for Mephibosheth to have been brought in,

this lame, crippled, disabled man brought in before King David,

before his enemy, so to speak,

before the enemy of his grandfather.

In verse 9, this kind of shows, gives you an idea of a window into his heart.

He says,

What is your servant that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?

And to call someone a dog in ancient Israel was an insult,

was derogatory to the highest degree,

not to mention a dead dog.

So we can maybe imagine how Mephibosheth's identity had been changed and warped

by being separated from society,

that he would now call himself a dead dog,

prostate before the king of Israel.

And maybe you can imagine what maybe is going through his mind at this moment.

But it's at this time that he hears King David say these words.

Do not fear, do not fear, Mephibosheth,

for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father, Jonathan.

Mephibosheth was broken.

He was estranged, but he was never forgotten.

So now that we know this biblical meaning of hesed,

let's turn to the third point,

where we see that how these words of David were life-changing to Mephibosheth.

This true kindness actually impacted him in a way that he could not have expected.

Because here's the thing, David could have easily said,

okay, I remember my covenant with your father, Jonathan.

I remember that.

So I'm not going to kill you.

Don't worry about it.

You'll be fine.

You'll be protected.

Go in peace.

Goodbye.

And you know what?

That wouldn't have been a bad thing, right?

He would no longer be an enemy of the state,

a promise to preserve Mephibosheth,

to not let him actually be killed,

by all means would have been a decent and humane

and a tangibly good thing, right?

But if you've heard the story of Mephibosheth as we have,

as you've imagined how he must have been feeling through these years,

from age five to this moment in time,

do you think that it was really just the preservation of his life

that was what he needed?

Was that really what Mephibosheth needed in his heart of hearts?

You know, by calling himself a dead dog,

I wonder how much he really even cared about his existence at that point.

It's not just living and breathing and eating and pooping

that makes you human, right?

There's so much more.

And what exactly is Mephibosheth thinking about his existence?

Because I don't think death and life was the ultimate issue for him

because he had lost everything,

everything that had gave him meaning and purpose.

He lost his home.

Now he was living under the care of a stranger in Lodbar.

He had lost his wealth and his means of living.

He lost his father, his grandfather, his family.

He lost his status going from royal household to enemy of the king.

And as we've understood in losing his mobility,

it wasn't ultimately his mobility that he lost,

but his dignity, his honor.

So in verse 7, when David proclaims those words,

I will restore to you all the land of Saul, your father,

and you shall eat at my table always.

In those two statements, everything changes.

The kindness of God categorically reverses everything that Mephibosheth has lost.

How does that happen?

In verse 9, David restates that everything that belonged to Saul's house

is given to Mephibosheth.

In verse 10, David provides servants to Mephibosheth to work the land,

to steward his property.

His wealth is now restored.

He has his own home.

He has his own means of living.

More importantly, David also says that,

you will now eat at my table always.

And we know also that this phrase is packed with importance

because he says this three more times.

The author writes this three more times in this chapter.

You will eat at my table always.

Because to eat at someone's table

is not just like grabbing McDonald's and sitting at that counter.

In biblical times, eating with a person was identifying with them,

was fellowship with them.

And that's why in verse 10, David is so explicit.

Yes, Mephibosheth, you will have servants to work your land.

You will have your own food.

You will be provided for.

You could eat your own food all the time,

every day, all the time, for as long as you want.

But you actually shall always eat at my table,

in my family.

You have your own food that you can eat,

but this is about relationship.

This is about family.

And that's why in verse 11, the writer says,

Mephibosheth ate at David's table

like one of the king's sons.

Like one of the king's sons.

And next, the author also mentions

that Mephibosheth has a young son, Micah.

And later, we know, if you read on in the Bible,

you know that Micah has a number of other offspring

in a genealogy.

And so what does this tell us?

It tells us that Mephibosheth goes from a dead dog,

a suffering enemy of the king.

And now, because of David's kindness,

because of the kindness of God,

he has become the son of the king.

And he brings forth life.

Isn't that amazing?

Isn't that amazing?

And finally, in this passage,

we see that as Mephibosheth is welcomed

into King David's household,

we read again in verse 13,

so Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem,

for he ate always at the king's table.

Now, he was lame in both his feet.

The end.

Now, that conclusion can seem

a little jarring at first, right?

It doesn't seem like the stuff

that fairy tales are made of.

Roll credits.

A picture of his lame feet.

It's an odd way, maybe,

it seems to conclude the story.

And it's really clear,

I think the author is making it clear,

that the lameness in Mephibosheth

was not miraculously healed,

even though presumably that was possible.

And I think the real reason behind this

is that the miracle of Mephibosheth

is that this broken and disabled man

has his dignity,

his honor restored to him,

despite his lameness,

despite being disabled.

It's not a superficial solution

that promotes self-sufficiency,

but it's something that goes

to the core of his need,

the part of his soul that he lost

when he lost everything.

His honor is bestowed from outside,

from the king who welcomes him

as a son.

It doesn't matter what his physical state

he's in,

he is the king's son

who eats at the king's table.

There is honor and dignity

beyond anything

that the world could provide him.

This is God's life-changing kindness.

So friends,

what is all of that happening

a couple thousand years ago,

three thousand years ago?

What does that have to do with us

this morning,

whether we're Christians

or non-Christians sitting here?

And I think it's that

when we hear the story

of Mephibosheth's suffering,

I think a lot of those themes

resonate with us.

You know, the idea of being born

into a world of turmoil and strife.

You only need to turn on the news

and read a few pages

or listen for a few minutes

before you start feeling sick

in your stomach

about all that's happening.

You just really need to open your eyes

to the stories that you hear,

the struggles that you hear.

You just need to be honest

and open your heart

just like we heard from Brian earlier

about what's really going on

in our own hearts.

Some of us wrestle with the fact

that our hopes and dreams,

perhaps like Mephibosheth,

those dreams were just

ripped out from beneath us.

Ruined because of things

outside of our control.

So much potential and purpose

lost and squandered.

Maybe a dream job

that just slipped

through your fingertips.

A dream career

that never materialized.

Lost hope to build a family

or a home.

You know, some of us here

have suffered,

like Mephibosheth,

the tragic loss

of family members.

Some of us are really dealing

with major family issues

in our lives right now.

All of us experience

the pain of dysfunction

in our families.

You know, maybe it's not

to the same extent

that Mephibosheth

and Saul went through.

But we all deal with

our environment,

generational sin,

the worst combination

of nature and nurture.

You know, when you see

that the addictions

and the genes

and the bad habits

and the brokenness

and the consequences

of poor decisions

made by your forefathers

shaping your life today.

And it's not only just

that kind of suffering,

but we all suffer

from being an enemy

to the king.

Not a human king

like King David.

Not a human government,

but the king

who created the universe.

Who created this world.

Who created you and I.

A God who lovingly created us

so that we could lovingly

worship him.

But every day

we struggle with being

enemies of this king

because we choose

to ignore him.

We choose to serve

ourselves instead.

And like Mephibosheth's

tragic story,

I think the story

of humanity

is actually

incredibly tragic.

Because God created us.

The Bible tells us

God created us

to take care of this world

on his behalf.

to take care of it

because we love him

and we love

what he's created.

But in our endless pursuit

to be better,

stronger,

faster,

better than the next person,

prettier,

smarter,

we've basically

crushed each other,

we've crushed ourselves,

and we're destroying

each other in creation.

You know,

everything I think

that's wrong

with the world today

from self-loathing

to world wars

is because of our

rejection of God.

And so that's what we mean

when we say sin.

The sin makes us

like a bunch

of dead dogs.

Perhaps living

and breathing,

but spiritually dead,

separated from God.

and that's what we deserve,

just like Mephibosheth.

And just like in that story,

it's under this,

behind this backdrop

of sin

and suffering

that God

intervenes.

Whatever you're suffering

through in your seats today,

in your life today,

I think this story

of Mephibosheth

is God's message

to you

and to me.

That he remembers you.

He remembers you

in your pain.

He remembers you

in your sin

and your suffering.

He doesn't want you

to be his enemy.

He wants to show you

his kindness,

his chesed.

You know,

in the story

that we just heard,

David was the conduit

of God's kindness.

But as we know,

a thousand years

after him,

a man called

Jesus of Nazareth

was born

into the same world.

Not only that,

he was actually born

from David's line.

He was part

of the house of David.

And in every way,

he was filled

with the kindness

of David.

But unlike David,

Jesus was actually

perfect.

He was God

in human form.

David was still broken.

He still made mistakes.

But Jesus walked

this earth

sinless,

welcoming those

who suffered,

sharing tables

with self-professed

sinners.

He healed the lame.

He forgave sins.

And he gave dignity

and honor

to those who had none.

You know,

David made a covenant

with Jonathan,

which was wonderful.

But Jesus,

he made a covenant

with all humanity.

Remember what he said

on the night

before his crucifixion.

Remember he took

a cup of wine

and gave it

to his disciples.

He said,

drink it,

for this is

my blood

of the covenant,

which is poured

out for many

for the forgiveness

of sins.

David's covenant,

it cost him

everything that he

offered

to Mephibosheth,

which was

significant,

but nothing

compared

to Jesus'

covenant with us

because that

cost him

his own life

on the cross.

His own life

on that cross

wasn't just material.

It was his own

separation

from God.

We deserved

that death.

We deserved

that separation,

but he went

through it

in our place.

And through

this covenant,

this new covenant

that Jesus brought in,

God now welcomes us.

He can welcome us

into his royal household.

We,

as suffering enemies,

welcomed

into the king's table.

And church,

when you read

the Bible,

you'll notice

that one of the

most prominent

symbols of eternal

life,

of heavenly blessing,

is this idea

of a great banquet

or a wedding feast.

And just like David,

Jesus says to us,

come,

come to my table,

come to this banquet,

come into eternal

blessing

and life.

And so our choice

this morning

is how to respond

to that invitation.

Now,

I guess Mephibosheth

could have said

no to David.

He could have left

disabled

thinking he could

muster up

the wherewithal

to get through

the rest of his life.

He could have

pretended that he

wasn't

the enemy

of the king.

But I think

the story

tells us

that he knew

exactly

what his

predicament was.

And so he

joyfully accepted

the king's kindness.

And likewise,

every one of us

in this room

right now,

whether we're

non-Christians

or we've been

Christians for decades,

every one of us

has a choice

whether or not

to accept

or to continue

accepting

the kindness

of God.

When you've

been forgiven,

when you've

accepted that kindness,

when you've been

welcomed

to the table,

when you've been

adopted by the

king of the universe,

when you know

that you have

an eternal home

that's completely

free from death

and pain

and suffering,

you begin to see

this life

a little differently.

That's what

happened

to Mephibosheth.

If you read on

in Samuel tonight,

you'll see

that much later

in the story

of Mephibosheth,

he's actually

falsely accused

of plotting

against David.

And he's now

in danger

of losing

all his property

once again.

And instead

of complaining

and freaking out

and cursing God,

he basically

tells David

as David

returns from war,

he says,

I'm just

grateful

to be alive

and to be

in your presence.

Do whatever

you want

with my property.

The king's

kindness

has now

overflowed

from Mephibosheth's

heart.

Church,

you see

that a person

who understands

suffering,

who understands

that they

are an enemy

of the king

will gladly

receive his

kindness.

So how are you

suffering today?

What's the sin

and brokenness

that you're

struggling with?

You,

you who's

suffering from

sickness

and disability,

God remembers

you this morning

and he says,

come,

come to my

table,

come and eat.

You who's

wrestling with

addiction

and lust

or whatever

it is,

he's saying,

God's saying

he remembers you.

Come,

come to my

table.

You who's

torn

within a

broken family,

God remembers

you and he

says,

come,

come to my

table.

You who's

in the

despair

of loneliness

and fear

and solitude,

God says,

come,

come into

my family,

come to

my table.

You who's

drowning

under the

expectations

of this

world,

God says,

come,

my burden

is light,

come to

my table.

You who's

lost

without

purpose

in life,

God says,

come,

come to

my table,

I remember

you,

I have a

purpose for

you.

All of us

sinners

without

eternal

hope,

God says,

come,

come to

my table

because I

remember

you.

And

tomorrow,

when things

get crazy

this week,

just remember

that the

cross of

Christ is

rock-solid

proof that

God remembers

you.

You know,

his kindness,

his chesed,

that's what's

going to bring

you home.

Let's pray

together.

together.