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2 Samuel 9:1-13 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

0:00
Good morning, church. It is always a pleasure to be with you, and a little bit of a special surprise that I'm with you on this side of the pulpit this morning.
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Surprise to me, of course, not a surprise to the Lord. So we'll be taking an unexpected and humanly unplanned break from our exposition of the Gospel of John this morning.
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We'll be in prayer for Nathan.
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Mr. Reminder will be on the lookout for ways to help the Rainers as Nathan is on the mend.
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Please be in prayer for me this morning, as this preparation had to be done in only a couple hours.
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Thankfully for me, God is all-wise and powerful. It is only my responsibility to let the lion of God's Word out of its cage this morning.
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So join with me in prayer before we examine God's Word together.
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Dear Lord, thank you for the breath in our lungs this morning.
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Thank you for gathering us together to sing your praises, to bear with one another through this life as you grow and sanctify us to the image of Christ,
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to celebrate the greatness of the Gospel and to cherish the depth of your kindness and wisdom shown to us through the testimony of your Word.
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It is an abundant gift that we have your Word to explore and to see how you've revealed yourself to us in it.
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Help us to see your working today and obediently follow where you lead us.
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I pray that you would take this brief sermon and multiply its effects beyond what I think is possible,
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because we know that you give the growth.
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Thank you for your faithfulness to us, that we can count on it, and it is our hope everlasting.
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We pray this and come to you in Jesus' name. Amen.
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Today, we will be looking at a powerful prefigure of Jesus Christ,
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as well as a name that I do not expect to be announced on Slack anytime soon.
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Of course, that means we will be studying David and Mephibosheth this morning.
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I invite you to turn to 2 Samuel.
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The focus of our time today will be in chapter 9,
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but we will have some quick touch points earlier in the story
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to help frame our understanding of the situation in chapter 9.
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So, at the end of 1 Samuel, in chapter 31,
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we read about Saul and Jonathan falling in battle against the Philistines.
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In chapter 1 of 2 Samuel, this news makes its way to David,
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and he weeps and mourns the death of his best friend and king.
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David's poetic lament was captured and recorded.
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A few verses in the middle summarize it well.
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Verse 23 and 25 of chapter 1 of 2 Samuel says,
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David loved these men.
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God used Saul to put David in the position to bring much glory to God
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as David led campaigns and battles and defenses against people that hated God and Israel.
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Jonathan was a faithful friend and brother in arms with David
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as God preserved them through those many battles.
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And despite Saul's determined murderous chase against David,
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David still loved and respected Saul,
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as we can see here clearly in David's mourning of Saul.
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There are many biblical phrases that have permeated English,
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and we read one, we see a common one here,
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how the mighty have fallen.
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This was a genuine tragedy.
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I often hear this phrase used facetiously or sarcastically,
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so I want to be sure that we are not anachronistically reading that notion back into this.
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This was a real tragedy, a real mourning that David says in his feeling.
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He repeats this rephrase how the mighty have fallen three times during his lament.
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This was a deep, impactful loss for the nation.
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So in the power vacuum of Saul's death,
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the nation of Israel starts to crack politically,
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not unlike it was in the time of the judges.
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David is appointed king of Judah in the south,
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and Ish-bosheth, son of Saul, is appointed king of Israel in the north.
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Saul's general, Abner, took Ish-bosheth and endorsed him as king.
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In these politically unstable situations,
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people tend to listen to the guy who has control of the army,
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so Ish-bosheth became king.
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We also read about David's general, Joab,
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and his actions during this politically unstable time.
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A while later, Abner, Saul's former general,
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defected and went and joined with David.
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David, Joab, David's general, voiced his distrust of Abner to David.
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And he also, Abner, had a personal vendetta against Joab
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because Joab killed Abner's brother, Asahel, earlier in these conflicts.
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So Joab quickly set about his plan to murder Abner, which he does.
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David publicly mourned Abner's death
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and confirmed that he had no role in the murder.
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News of this murder gets back to Israel and Ish-bosheth,
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and the city starts to go crazy,
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and Ish-bosheth loses his courage.
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At the same time, in Israel,
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two raiding band captains were with Ish-bosheth in the city,
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and they take this tumultuous moment of this uncertainty
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following Abner's death
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as a moment for them to have opportunity for gain.
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So they assassinate Ish-bosheth and take his head to David,
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hoping that David will give them a reward
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because they took out David's enemy.
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David sees the men for what they are,
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murderers, and puts them to death for their wickedness.
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In the middle of this account, in 2 Samuel chapter 4,
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in verse 4, the narrator kind of flashes back about Mephosheth,
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likely so that the reader would understand
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why the next of kin was not appointed king
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after Ish-bosheth is murdered.
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So this is 2 Samuel 4, verse 4.
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Jonathan, the son of Saul,
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had a son who was crippled in his feet.
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He was five years old.
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So, okay, that's the headline.
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Jonathan had a son who was crippled in his feet.
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This is how he got crippled.
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He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan
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came from Jezreel, the battlefield.
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And his nurse took him and fled.
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And as she fled in her haste,
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he, Mephibosheth, fell and became lame,
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and his name was Mephibosheth.
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So in the chaos about hearing about a leader's death,
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in this case Saul's death,
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Mephibosheth has an accident and can no longer walk.
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Years later, in the chaos about another leader's death,
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in this case Ish-bosheth,
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his uncle is assassinated.
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So no one tried to take up this young crippled Mephibosheth
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and put him on the throne,
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as had been done for Ish-bosheth.
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So the political dust settles,
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and David is anointed king over a reunited Israel.
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The chapters that follow this are generally quite positive.
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God gives David victory over the Philistines.
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David brings the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem.
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God makes a covenant with David to uphold his house forever.
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And God gives many more military victories
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around the land to David.
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And there is a repeated phrase there in chapter 8,
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in verse 6 and 14.
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The Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.
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And the narrator follows this latter verse,
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in verse 15, with this,
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So David reigned over all Israel,
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and David administered justice and equity
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to all his people.
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So to be clear, at this point,
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this is a mountaintop, high point moment
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in the life of David.
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He has brought the Ark with him.
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God has made him victorious wherever he went.
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God has made a covenant with him
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that will last forever.
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I mean, this is the top of the top.
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There's justice and equity for all the people.
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This is a huge sigh of relief for this nation.
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We must remember that this has been,
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what came before David
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was the reign of Saul,
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selfish, murderous,
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and at times pretty insane.
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And before Saul was the time of the judges,
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a very dark and depressing time
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in Israel's history,
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full of sin and wickedness.
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So this had been since the time of Moses and Joshua,
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that the people would have known justice and peace like this
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about 350 years before.
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Now, we just celebrated the 250th anniversary
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of the United States independence earlier this year.
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So with that context,
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350 years feels like a long, long time indeed.
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So with that lengthy introduction,
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we now arrive in chapter nine,
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where we will consider first,
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David's intention in the first five verses.
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So read with me in 2 Samuel chapter nine,
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verses one through five.
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And David said,
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Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul
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that I might show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?
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Now there was a servant of the house of Saul
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whose name was Ziba.
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And they called him to David.
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And the king said to him,
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Are you Ziba?
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And he said,
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I am your servant.
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And the king said,
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Is there not still someone of the house of Saul
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that I may show the kindness of God to him?
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Ziba said to the king,
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There is still a son of Jonathan.
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He is crippled in his feet.
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The king said to him,
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Where is he?
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And Ziba said to the king,
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He is in the house of Mekir,
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the son of Amiel at Lodabar.
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Then King David sent and brought him
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from the house of Mekir,
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the son of Amiel at Lodabar.
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So from the very beginning of this account,
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we can see David's true and stated intention.
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Is there anyone left that I may show him kindness
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for Jonathan's sake?
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And then again,
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Is there anyone left that I may show
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the kindness of God to him?
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As we've already covered today and more
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beyond that and recorded in scripture,
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David knows well the enduring, faithful kindness of God.
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And that is what he is looking to show.
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It is out now,
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out of an overflow of God's kindness to him,
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that he seeks out who else he can lift up
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and bless to honor the promises
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that he made to Jonathan and Saul.
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So once again,
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getting back some other context,
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in 1 Samuel 20, verse 42,
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Jonathan summarizes the covenant
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that he and David made together.
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Then Jonathan said to David,
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Go in peace,
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because we have sworn both of us
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in the name of the Lord,
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saying,
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The Lord shall be between me and you,
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and between my offspring
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and your offspring forever.
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And after David spares Saul's life
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in 1 Samuel 24,
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David swears this to Saul.
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So Saul said to David,
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Swear to me,
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therefore,
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by the Lord,
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that you will not cut off my offspring after me,
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and you will not destroy my name
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out of my father's house.
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And David swore this to Saul.
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The difference in flavor
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from these two promises
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is telling about the difference in character
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between Jonathan and Saul.
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Jonathan's covenant is mutual
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and founded on their mutual faith in God
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and God's kindness to both of them.
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Whereas Saul's is a little bit more,
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Hey, you could have just killed me,
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but promise you won't kill my sons
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after I die kind of thing.
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And it's very one directional.
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And yet David still agrees to it.
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So I think that's noteworthy
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to see the difference in character
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between Jonathan and Saul.
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So, continuing.
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Likely since Saul's death,
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Ziba, who is Saul's former servant,
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had assumed the leadership
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and stewardship of Saul's estate
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and was probably sending the prophets to David
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as the new king
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like the other land managers would have done.
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Now, later on in 2 Samuel,
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after this account,
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we see Ziba deceive David
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in an attempt to actually undo
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what happens in this chapter.
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Even still,
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here in chapter 9,
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Ziba does what he is told.
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So then the attention turns the other way
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from David to Mephibosheth in verse 6.
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And we can glean how he expected
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this summons to go.
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So now in verse 6 through 8,
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we'll consider Mephibosheth's expectations.
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And Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan,
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son of Saul,
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came to David and fell on his face
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and paid homage.
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And David said,
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Mephibosheth.
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And he answered,
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Behold, I am your servant.
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And David said to him,
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Do not fear,
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for I will show you the kindness.
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I will show you kindness
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for the sake of your father, Jonathan.
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And I will restore to you
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all the land of Saul, your father.
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And you shall eat at my table always.
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And he paid homage and said,
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What is your servant
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that you should show regard
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for a dead dog such as I?
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So Mephibosheth comes in
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humble, lowly, and respectful
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before David the king.
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Then even after,
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David brings him in
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on his own intentions,
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brings him in on his own plan,
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that he will show him kindness,
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restore to him Saul's estate,
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and invite him to eat at his table.
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Mephibosheth continues
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his own self-abasement
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in verse 8,
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referring to himself
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as a dead dog,
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seemingly not believing
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that this could truly
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be a real offer,
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a real invitation to him.
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The subtext that we can infer
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is that Mephibosheth
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expected David
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to carry out the norm
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when a reigning family regime
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changed to snuff out
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any chance of rebellion
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or treachery
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from the deposed family.
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This political pattern
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happens all the time
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in stories,
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as it has happened
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repeatedly in history.
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It's a common story trope
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that a member
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of a wrongfully deposed family
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comes back to avenge
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his family against the usurper.
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However, clearly,
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Mephibosheth
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is in no position
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to lead a rebellion
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against David.
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And he has definitely
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heard already
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that the Lord
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gave victory to David
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wherever he went.
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Understandably,
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Mephibosheth likely assumed
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that he was about to be
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another victory
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in that long
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and growing list
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of David's victory.
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But David chose
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not to repeat himself
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and answer Mephibosheth's
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confused question.
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Instead,
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David moves forward
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to carry out
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his promise
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and declaration
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to Mephibosheth.
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So, verse 9 through 13
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we'll consider
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the king's table.
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Starting in verse 9.
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Then the king
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called Ziba,
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Saul's servant,
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and said to him,
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All that belong
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to Saul
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and to all his house
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I have given
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to your master's grandson.
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And you and your sons
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and your servants
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shall till the land
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for him
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and shall bring in
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the produce
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that your master's grandson
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may have bread to eat.
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But Mephibosheth,
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your master's grandson,
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shall always eat
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at my table.
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Now Ziba had 15 sons
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and 20 servants.
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Then Ziba said
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to the king,
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According to all
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that my lord the king
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commands his servants,
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so will your servant do.
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So Mephibosheth
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ate at David's table
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like one of the king's sons.
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And Mephibosheth
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had a young son
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whose name was Micah.
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And all who lived
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in Ziba's house
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became Mephibosheth's servants.
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So Mephibosheth
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lived in Jerusalem
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for he ate always
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at the king's table.
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Now he was lame
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in both his feet.
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So I want to consider
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three aspects
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to this chunk,
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this fulfillment
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of David's promise.
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So first,
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restored.
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David gives the land
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and the servants
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back to Mephibosheth
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as they were
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to Saul
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that the land
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and the servants
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would provide for him.
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As I mentioned earlier,
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this would not sit well
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with Ziba in the long term,
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but David is meaning
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to do right
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by Mephibosheth
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for the sake
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of Jonathan
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and Saul.
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The second aspect
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that he's provided for.
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Men who could not walk
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in this time
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did not have much,
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if anything,
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they could do
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to provide for themselves.
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Computer programming
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was not an available
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career path.
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Of course,
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God had kept
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Mephibosheth alive
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one way or another,
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but now,
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Mephibosheth
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was always welcome
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to eat at the king's table.
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Now he was secure,
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not begging
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from one house
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to another.
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Mephibosheth
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is adopted,
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so not only
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was he welcome
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to eat at the table,
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but he did so
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like one of the king's sons,
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not as a beggar.
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This is a world-flipped,
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upside-down change
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in Mephibosheth's life.
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He was likely forced
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to beg for food,
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water,
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and shelter
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for the many years
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that he roamed the land
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in a land of civil war
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and political turmoil,
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and now the man
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that he thought
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would kill him
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has welcomed him
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like one of his own sons.
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So this is a beautiful
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account of
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an overflowing
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kindness and faithfulness
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before God
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that we see
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exampled by
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King David.
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But this is not
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the end of the story,
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it's just
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the foreshadowing.
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God promised David
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that his son,
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that his house
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would uphold,
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that he would
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uphold his house
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forever.
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David fulfilled
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his promise,
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and God will also
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fulfill his promise
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to David.
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So let us see
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how the son of David
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acts when meeting
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a man that could not
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walk.
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If you would turn
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in your Bibles with me
17:04
to Mark chapter 2,
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we're going to read
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the first 12 verses
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together.
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And here we will see
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a greater restoration,
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a greater provision,
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and a greater adoption.
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So starting in Mark chapter 2,
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and when Jesus
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returned to Capernaum
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after some days,
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it was reported
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that he was at home,
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and many were
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gathered together
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so that there was
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no room,
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not even at the door.
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And he was preaching
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the word to them,
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and they came,
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bringing to him
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a paralytic
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carried by four men.
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And when they could
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not get near him
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because of the crowd,
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they removed the roof
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above him,
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and when they had
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made an opening,
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they let down the bed
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on which the paralytic lay.
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And when Jesus
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saw their faith,
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he said to the paralytic,
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Son,
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your sins are forgiven.
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Now some of the scribes
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were sitting there
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questioning in their hearts,
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Why does this man
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speak like that?
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He is blaspheming.
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Who can forgive sins
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but God alone?
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And immediately,
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Jesus perceiving
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in his spirit
18:09
that they thus questioned
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within themselves,
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said to them,
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Why do you question
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these things in your hearts?
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Which is easier to say
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to the paralytic,
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Your sins are forgiven?
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Or to say,
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Rise,
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take up your bed,
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and walk?
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But that you may know
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that the Son of Man
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has authority
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on earth to forgive sins,
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he said to the paralytic,
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I say to you,
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Rise,
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pick up your bed,
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and go home.
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And he rose,
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and immediately picked up his bed
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and went out before them all,
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so that they were all amazed
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and glorified God,
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saying,
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We never saw anything like this.
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So David did the best
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that he could do.
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He gave the best blessing
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that he could give
18:53
to Mephibosheth,
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but he was only
18:55
an Israelite king.
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As we read at the end
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of the story
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in 2 Samuel 9,
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Mephibosheth was still lame
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in both his feet.
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He was fed now,
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he was clothed,
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he was sheltered,
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all good things,
19:08
but he was still lame.
19:12
Jesus sees this man's
19:13
greatest need,
19:14
his sin that separates him
19:16
from the love of God.
19:18
Jesus not only identifies
19:19
this greater brokenness
19:21
than his physical body,
19:22
Jesus has the solution
19:23
and authority
19:24
to carry it out.
19:26
And to demonstrate
19:27
that spiritual authority,
19:28
Jesus shows his authority
19:29
over the physical as well,
19:31
and heals the man
19:32
so that he can walk.
19:33
Jesus does not give
19:35
the crippled man food,
19:37
he gives him himself,
19:39
the bread of life,
19:40
that he may never
19:41
have to hunger again.
19:43
Jesus does not only
19:44
restore his physical body,
19:46
Jesus restores
19:47
his relationship
19:48
to his creator,
19:49
the source of all life.
19:52
Jesus does not invite
19:52
the man for dinner,
19:53
he brings him
19:54
to his true father
19:56
so that he can be adopted,
19:58
called a son of God
19:59
and a co-heir with Christ,
20:01
to share in the riches
20:02
of God's grace forever.
20:06
This is a greater David,
20:10
that as David did
20:11
the best that he could do,
20:13
he did fulfill his promise.
20:14
Jesus doesn't have
20:15
any promise to this man,
20:17
and yet he showed him
20:18
this abundant kindness.
20:21
David was following through
20:22
on his word,
20:24
Jesus is going out of his way
20:26
to fulfill and restore
20:27
this man to life,
20:29
not just physically,
20:30
but ultimately,
20:31
spiritually.
20:34
And it is in this way,
20:35
and it is later through
20:36
the life, death,
20:37
and resurrection
20:37
of Jesus Christ
20:38
that God would fulfill
20:39
his promise to David
20:41
to uphold his house forever.
20:45
So, for some closing applications,
20:48
first, we must see ourselves
20:50
rightly within these stories.
20:52
We are the Mephibosheth
20:54
and the paralytic.
20:56
We have nothing to bring.
20:57
We can often be confused
20:59
by the great mercy of God
21:00
toward us,
21:01
expecting the natural consequences
21:03
of our sin,
21:04
but by faith in Jesus Christ,
21:05
we can be restored,
21:07
forgiven,
21:07
restored to new life
21:08
and everlasting life
21:10
with God.
21:11
Always welcome to be with God
21:12
like his own son.
21:15
Once we have placed
21:15
our faith in Christ,
21:17
we are compelled
21:17
by the love of God
21:19
to tell the other beggars
21:20
where the bread of life is.
21:23
God's grace is not only
21:24
abundant for me,
21:25
it is abundant for all
21:27
that would place
21:28
their faith in Christ.
21:29
So, if you have been
21:30
so richly blessed
21:31
to know God's forgiveness
21:32
in Christ,
21:33
you must understand
21:34
that this blessing
21:35
and goodness
21:36
is not for you
21:37
to keep for yourself.
21:40
Let's close in prayer.