Part
II
In
the previous article we looked at the story of David showing Mephibosheth the
kindness of God for Jonathan’s sake. We saw how this story was a wonderful
illustration of the grace of God, which has been extended to us in and through
Jesus. But there is still more truth to
be drawn from this story.
In
2 Samuel 16, following his incident with Bathsheba, David was on the run from
Absalom. In verse 3, Ziba, Mephibosheth’s servant, tells David that
Mephibosheth has stayed behind rather than joining David as he fled. Furthermore, he told David that Mephibosheth
was even planning to take the kingdom from David. Upon hearing this, David
gives Ziba all that belonged to Mephibosheth (Which was all that belonged to
Jonathan).
Later (In 2 Samuel 19), after Absalom is killed and David returns to the city, Mephibosheth comes out to meet David. David asks Mephibosheth why he didn't accompany him when he was on the run. Mephibosheth then tells David how Ziba had tricked him and that everything Ziba had told David about Mephibosheth was untrue. (Verses 26-27).
But
look closely at verse 28. Mephibosheth
brings up the fact that he and his house were as “dead men” (not worth
anything) to David when he showed such kindness to him and then says, “What
right do I have to make any more appeals to the king?” The answer to this question would have been
“Every right!” Mephibosheth had the
very same rights to the covenant that his father Jonathan had made with David -
not because he earned it but because David had promised to extend this covenant
kindness to Jonathan’s descendants.
The
problem was that Mephibosheth still couldn’t see himself as a benefactor of
those covenant blessings. When he first
fell before David in 2 Samuel 9, he referred to himself as a “dead dog.” Here he refers to himself and his father’s
house as “dead men.” While he had
progressed from seeing himself as a dog to seeing himself as a man, it was
still a dead man! Because of this residual self-image,
Mephibosheth could not be confident before David.
David,
no doubt realising that Ziba had slandered Mephibosheth, decreed that they were
to divide the inheritance.
The
relevance between Mephibosheth in this story and us in the New Covenant is
enormous! If we, like Mephibosheth are
not bold enough to see ourselves as we are based on our covenant with God
through Jesus, we will likely find ourselves being cheated out of our
inheritance (All of the wonderful things God has promised us in His word) just
like Mephibosheth did!
Lord,
please help us to see and believe all that you have given us in this wonderful
grace wherein we now stand!