childofgrace

Mephibosheth: A Child of Sovereign Grace

John G Reisinger

The ninth chapter of 2nd Samuel opens with David remembering a covenant he had made with Jonathan at the time when Saul was seeking David's life. Jonathan knew that God had ordained David to replace his father Saul as king. This of course meant that Jonathan also knew that even though he was the son of King Saul and as such was next in line to be ruler, he would never become king. The actual covenant is recorded in 1 Samuel 20:14-16:

And you shall not only show me the kindness of the LORD while I still live, that I may not die; but you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever, no, not when the LORD has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth." So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "Let the LORD require it at the hand of David's enemies. (NKJV)

Our story takes place some time after both Jonathan and his father Saul are dead. David has been king for some time. One day God reminds David of his covenant with Jonathan, and the events of 2 Samuel, chapter 9 are the result. Let's read the chapter and then draw some lessons from this incident:

1 David asked, "Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan's sake?" 2 Now there was a servant of Saul's household named Ziba. They called him to appear before David, and the king said to him, "Are you Ziba?" "Your servant," he replied. 3 The king asked, "Is there no one still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show God's kindness?" Ziba answered the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in both feet." 4 "Where is he?" the king asked. Ziba answered, "He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar." 5 So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel. 6 When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor. David said, "Mephibosheth!" "Your servant," he replied. 7 "Don't be afraid," David said to him, "for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table." 8 Mephibosheth bowed down and said, "What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?" 9 Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, "I have given your master's grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. 10 You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master's grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table." (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.) 11 Then Ziba said to the king, "Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do." So Mephibosheth ate at David's table like one of the king's sons. 12 Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica, and all the members of Ziba's household were servants of Mephibosheth. 13 And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king's table, and he was crippled in both feet.(2 Samuel 9 NIV)

We entitled this article, Mephibosheth-A Child of Sovereign Grace because the story of David's treatment of Mephibosheth in a physical sense is exactly the way God treats us in a spiritual sense. This story clearly illustrates four of the five Doctrines of Grace plus some other biblical doctrines. Notice I said 'illustrates' and not 'teaches'. We dare not use either historical passages or parables to establish doctrine, but must instead use doctrinal, or didactic, passages that deal with the specific doctrine we are seeking to establish. However, having said that, we must also insist that the historical narratives are not in the Bible just to fill up space or just to give history lessons about different kings and nations. I believe the historical sections of Scripture are meant to illustrate the doctrinal truths that are taught in the didactic sections. Let me illustrate what I mean.

If you want to know what the Bible teaches about the sovereign providence of God then you must study Romans chapter 8. There you will not only learn that God sovereignly controls all things, but he does so in such a way that everything will ultimately 'work together for the good of his people' (Romans 8:28). The essential doctrines upon which such a glorious promise is made are there laid out line upon line. However, if you want to see the truth that is set forth in Romans 8 illustrated in real life, study the life of Joseph or the life of David and you will see God's sovereign hand over and over again.

Please do not misunderstand my purpose. I am not trying to prove that the doctrines of total depravity, election, etc., are true. I have already laid out the biblical proof of the five Doctrines of Grace in five booklets, published by New Covenant Media between 2000 and 2002. In this article, I am merely demonstrating those doctrines in a typological manner in David's treatment of Mephibosheth.

My intention here is to illustrate the amazing grace of God to poor lost sinners. We will see exactly what kind of people God saves and brings to himself. Understanding why David did what he did for a particular pathetic individual will illustrate both how and why God saves any individuals. In other words, the action of King David in removing Mephibosheth from his miserable condition, bringing him to the palace and treating him as one of his own sons, and then restoring to Mephibosheth all the lands that belonged to his grandfather Saul is a picture of God bringing sinners like you and me to himself, placing us in Christ and treating as joint heirs with Christ.

I. Mephibosheth is a picture of man outside of Christ. This illustrates the doctrine of total depravity.

Mephibosheth was doomed and under the sentence of death the very day he was born. He was born in the house of Saul. According to the custom of that day, this boy was part of a family that was under the sentence of death. The practice in that day was this: should someone overthrow a reigning king and assume his throne, his first act as monarch would be to kill every relative of the late king. This was done to assure that none of them would lead a counter-revolution and claim the throne by right of ancestry. Mephibosheth was born into the wrong family.

You and I, and all people without exception, are born into the house of Adam. We are doomed to death the moment of our births. If you doubt this you only need study Romans 5:12-19 to learn that the guilt of Adam's sin was imputed to you at your birth. You and I are under sentence of death because of our union with Adam. By birth, we are part of a guilty race of sinners under the judgment of God.
Like Mephibosheth, we have lost our inheritance. We lost a garden that was better than any palace. In Adam, we traded a life of grace for a life of self and the tyranny of sin. We gave up a place where we had every provision for which one could wish, and acquired a life of hard labor in its place. We traded Eden for thorns, thistles, sin, the world, the flesh, and the devil. We lost everything worthwhile because our father sinned against God.

Mephibosheth also had, in addition to 'natural' depravity by birth into the wrong household, what we call 'acquired' depravity. You and I not only bear Adam's guilt, but we accumulate a personal record of sin for ourselves. Just as Mephibosheth was 'lame on both his feet' and unable to walk, so we are spiritually lame in every part of our being. Mephibosheth acquired this lameness when his nurse accidentally let him fall. When his nurse heard that both Saul and Jonathan were dead, she grabbed five-year old Mephibosheth and fled in fear from David (See 2 Samuel 4). Little did she know that the best friend Mephibosheth would ever have was King David.

We see the same thing happening today. We see children by the thousands being badly crippled by sincere 'nurses' trying to protect them from an 'awful' man named Jesus, because they are convinced he will harm them. We have 'Nurse Education' who is determined to protect our children from ever hearing about Jesus, lest he destroy their lives. The philosophy of this nurse includes using any means to teach them how to use condoms but under no circumstance teaching them to pray. It insures that they have access to every form of worldly temptation, but does not allow them to be exposed to the world to come. We could go on to mention 'Nurse Worldly Pleasure,' and 'Nurse Liberal Church'. Nurses galore from Hollywood are seeking to protect our children from ever hearing the truth of the gospel. The morally deformed and spiritually depraved cripples left behind by these worldly-wise nurses is evident on every hand. They all want to save our children from that awful Son of David.

When I read Scripture, I try to visualize the events therein described. In my mind, I can see Mephibosheth as he crawls around the miserable hovel he calls home. He is in hiding from David and frightened that he might be found out. He is a crippled refugee with royal blood in his veins, living in poverty. He was born in a palace but is now living in poverty and misery. He is filled with fear, anger, hate, and utter frustration.

In my imagination, the very thought of David makes Mephibosheth gnash his teeth. Oh, that he could dethrone David and make himself the king! He is living in a place called Lo Debar. Biblical names have significance beyond mere identification. The word Lo Debar means a 'place of no pasture'. Can you think of a better description of a person's life that is outside of Christ?

I ask every reader, "Is that a picture of your life?" Do you live a meaningless existence? Is your life one of continual frustration with no hope and no joy? If it is, read on and see the amazing change that took place in this young man's life. By God's grace and power that same change can take place in you and your life.
For Mephibosheth, everything is going to change. He is going to be restored to the palace and receive back all that his father had lost. HOW and WHY this restoration takes place is an illustration of the amazing gospel of God's sovereign grace.

Please note the great change had nothing to do with Mephibosheth! He did not seek or want any help from David. It is likely that he hates the very name of David. So it is with the person outside of Christ. He does not seek the Lord who alone can help him. He hates the very one who alone can restore his lost inheritance. Total depravity leads to total inability.

Notice also that David does not come to Mephibosheth and offer him a 'wonderful deal' in the hope that Mephibosheth would be willing to accept it. Read the text and notice exactly what happened. It is the same thing that happens today when God saves a poor sinner.

Now David said, "Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?" (2 Sam. 9:1)

Everything in the rest of this story takes place because of the covenant David and Jonathan made before Mephibosheth was even born. David did not do what he did for the sake of Mephibosheth, but for the sake of his father Jonathan. We looked at this physical covenant earlier, and now will turn our attention to its spiritual counterpart. It is vital that we see that God took the initiative in our salvation even as David took the initiative in the restoration of Mephibosheth.

II. This pictures the doctrine of election!

Just as David's treatment of Mephibosheth was based on a covenant made before Mephibosheth was born, so our salvation was assured by a covenant made before we were born. There was a covenant between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit concerning our salvation. The Father sovereignly chose a people-the Bible calls them sheep-and he gave those sheep to his Son, our blessed Lord Jesus Christ. The Son of God assumed the role of shepherd and willingly accepted the responsibility of providing everything those sheep needed in order to stand justified in the Father's holy presence. The blessed Holy Spirit willingly assumed the responsibility of finding and arresting those lost sheep for whom the great shepherd had died, and delivering them from their bondage to sin and death.

My dear brothers and sisters, just as Mephibosheth hated David, so we hated God and his authority. Some of us used his name as a curse word. But just as David loved Mephibosheth for Jonathan's sake, so God has loved us for Christ's sake. He loved us when we hated him. Just as David came to Mephibosheth when the poor cripple neither wanted to, nor could have, come to David, so the blessed Holy Spirit quickened us when we were dead in sin and unable to even want to believe. This is a picture of sovereign electing grace!

Look at 2 Samuel 9:7:

So David said to him, "Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father's sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually."

Like Mephibosheth, God purposed this grace be given to us long before we were born. It was in eternity. This is clearly taught in 2 Timothy 1:9, 10… "who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began" (NKJV).

III. 2 Samuel 9:3-5 illustrates the next point of doctrine. This is known as effectual calling.

Then the king said, "Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God?" And Ziba said to the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet." So the king said to him, "Where is he?" And Ziba said to the king, "Indeed he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar." Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar. (NKJV)

The KJV reads, David "fetched him" instead of "brought him." I like the KJV much better. I guess that's because I can hear my Grandma saying, "Go out to the well and fetch some water." We all knew that meant, "Don't come back without some water." When Grandma said, "Go fetch some wood," we knew what she meant. She meant, "Go out to the wood pile and get some wood and don't come back without the wood."

David sending his soldiers to fetch Mephibosheth is a picture of Christ "seeking and saving" his sheep, or the Holy Spirit bringing the sheep to the shepherd. There is an outward call of the gospel and there is an inward and effectual call of the gospel. We proclaim the outward call of the gospel every time we preach. We urge people to repent and believe the good news about Jesus Christ. We assure them that God has pledged to save every poor sinner who receives Jesus Christ as the only Lord and Savior. Men can and do reject this outward call.

The inward, or effectual, call of the gospel is irresistible and always effects true conversion. The inward call is really the Holy Spirit himself giving sinners the spiritual ability to answer the outward call.

A Christian is called many different things in the Bible. He is a "saved one," a "sheep," a "brother or sister," etc. He is also specifically labeled a "called one" (See Romans 1:7; 8:28-30).

The outward call and the effectual spiritual call can be illustrated many ways. I remember, as a boy living on a farm, seeing a mother hen with a dozen or more little 'peepies'. She would cluck and cluck and they would pay no attention to her. However, if she sensed danger, she had a special CLUCK; when she gave it, those little peepies would scurry under her wings. That is the way it is with the gospel. We cluck, cluck the gospel to our children and our friends and it goes in one ear and out the other. They can pay no attention to us. It is a different result when the Holy Spirit CLUCKS in their minds and consciences; then they quickly and willingly respond.

I can vividly imagine Mephibosheth as he hears a knock on his door. He crawls over to the door, pulls himself up by the doorknob, peeks out through the curtain and sees horses and a chariot and a soldier in full battle gear. All he can think is, "I'm found out. I'm going to die." The soldier shouts, "Mephibosheth, King David sent us to fetch you to the palace. He wants to see you." They pick him up, put him in the chariot, and off they go. All he can think of is, "I'm going to die! I'm going to die!"

Can you visualize this frightened cripple as he cowers in the presence of King David? He is waiting to hear his death sentence but instead he hears words he cannot believe. In verse 7 we read,

The first words he heard were "Do not be afraid." Poor Mephibosheth could not believe his ears! He was not going to die! He was going be treated as one of the king's own sons. He is going to receive every single inheritance that would have been his if his father had not died. He simply could not believe what he was hearing.

Isn't that exactly the way you felt when you were convicted and then heard the gospel? You were not looking for God and had no interest at all in the gospel. The first time you heard about sin and guilt and realized you were lost you were scared to death. All of a sudden you thought about the awful reality of death and judgment and you knew you were not at all prepared to die and face God. The blessed Holy Spirit drew you to look into the Scriptures. He 'fetched you' to Christ and his grace. He drew you by constraining your heart. That particular and special day, God 'fetched' you just as he fetched Saul of Tarsus, and David fetched Mephibosheth. The first words you heard were "fear not." You were astounded to think that such good news was really true.

What particular verse of Scripture was it that God used to bring you to believe the gospel? Did you hear the invitation of Matthew 11:28-30?

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (NKJV)

Perhaps God used John 3:16 to open your heart. Regardless of which verse it was, the Holy Spirit used the promises of Scripture to make you willing to come to Christ.

IV. Verse 8 is a picture of true repentance.

Then he bowed himself, and said, "What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?" (2 Samuel 9:8)

These are the words of a broken and contrite heart. The proud sinner has become a dead dog. The heart of hate has melted into love and thanksgiving. When God really converts us, we feel our sin and shame. All boasting and self-righteousness are gone. All hatred of God's authority is gone and self-will is crushed. We see ourselves as dead dogs in God's sight. However, we also see the work of Christ as more than sufficient for all our needs.

V. Verse 13 is a picture of a man in Christ.

So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king's table. And he was lame in both his feet. (2 Samuel 9:13)
He was treated as a son and received all of the privileges that being a son entailed. He did not eat in the kitchen, but sat at the king's table. He was not an outcast or stranger but a member of the family. The Scripture specifically reminds us that Mephibosheth was still lame on both of his feet. David may well have provided a royal blanket to hide Mephibosheth's infirmity. That is a picture of how justification robes us in the royal blanket of Christ's righteousness. We are still lame in ourselves but in Christ we are fully accepted.

VI. 2 Samuel 16:1-4 and 2 Samuel 19:24-30 illustrate perseverance and the hope of the Second Coming.

Our story does not end with chapter nine. Mephibosheth's true love for David is going to be severely tested even as our love for Jesus will be. Two passages give us the details. The first occurred when David was fleeing the city of Jerusalem for his life. His son Absalom has attempted to kill David and take the throne. Apart from an amazing sovereign providence, Absalom's plan would have been successful.

1 When David was a little past the top of the mountain, there was Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth, who met him with a couple of saddled donkeys, and on them two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred clusters of raisins, one hundred summer fruits, and a skin of wine. 2 And the king said to Ziba, "What do you mean to do with these?" So Ziba said, "The donkeys are for the king's household to ride on, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for those who are faint in the wilderness to drink." 3 Then the king said, "And where is your master's son?" And Ziba said to the king, "Indeed he is staying in Jerusalem, for he said, 'Today the house of Israel will restore the kingdom of my father to me.'" 4 So the king said to Ziba, "Here, all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours." And Ziba said, "I humbly bow before you, that I may find favor in your sight, my lord, O king!" (2 Sam. 16:1-4 NKJV)

The only problem with Ziba's story is that it was all a lie. Ziba falsely accused Mephibosheth and Mephibosheth could do nothing about it. It would have been very logical for Mephibosheth to act exactly in the manner described by Ziba if Mephibosheth had not sincerely loved and appreciated David for all he had done. The same things come into a Christian's mind when he is under stress. The devil says, "Now is your chance to take over your life again." We can, in times of persecution, especially if it is coming from professing Christians, easily say, "I don't need this garbage, I'm out of here." Sometimes the devil whispers in your ear, "It isn't fair. You deserve better treatment than this. You were treated better by your non-Christian friends. If God is sovereign and he truly loves you, why did he allow these awful things to happen to you?"

A hypocrite will usually go back to the world in times of real testing, but a true child of God will "look to him who is invisible except to the eye of faith" and say, "Though he slay me, still I will trust him" (Job 13:15).

The real story of what happens comes to light in chapter nineteen. David has prevailed and Absalom is dead. David is returning to the city.

24 Now Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king. And he had not cared for his feet, nor trimmed his mustache, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he returned in peace. 25 So it was, when he had come to Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said to him, "Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?" 26 And he answered, "My lord, O king, my servant deceived me. For your servant said, 'I will saddle a donkey for myself, that I may ride on it and go to the king,' because your servant is lame. 27 And he has slandered your servant to my lord the king, but my lord the king is like the angel of God. Therefore do what is good in your eyes. 28 For all my father's house were but dead men before my lord the king. Yet you set your servant among those who eat at your own table. Therefore what right have I still to cry out anymore to the king?" 29 So the king said to him, "Why do you speak anymore of your matters? I have said, 'You and Ziba divide the land.'" 30 Then Mephibosheth said to the king, "Rather, let him take it all, inasmuch as my lord the king has come back in peace to his own house." (2 Samuel 19:24-30)

Ziba had lied and totally misrepresented Mephibosheth. I am sure that when David had time to check the stories he changed his decision to have the land divided. David would not knowingly honor lies and deceit. Regardless, I am more concerned with our seeing the attitude of Mephibosheth. He feels his great indebtedness to David and shows continued repentance and love. Mephibosheth was not concerned with the land, but only with the king's return. Verse 30 is a picture of a believer waiting in faith and hope for the second coming of our Lord.

When I was first saved there was a lot of preaching on the Second Coming. Today there is very little except by a few preachers with an imagination coupled to a willingness to write and market fictional books about the end times. I am often asked for my views of prophecy and I weave and dodge as best I can. Sometimes I get trapped and have no choice but to give an opinion. Here are my views of the events that will surely happen when our Lord returns. I will risk being stoned to death as a false prophet in these predictions.

Every prophetic word of Scripture promises will be verified.
God the Father will be magnified.
God the Son will be satisfied.
God the Holy Spirit will be gratified.
The Saints will be raised and classified.
The Saints will then be glorified.
And the world will be horrified.

We must separate 'the second coming' as an event from the second coming as a person. I think it was Vance Havner who told the following story:

A girl standing in a railway terminal kept looking at her watch and then looking down the train tracks. A ticket agent was sound asleep in his booth. The girl went over and said, "Sir, did you say that train would be here at 2:00 PM?" The man, obviously unhappy, said, "Lady, I told you ten times, '2:00 PM,' '2:00 PM,' '2:00 PM'" and he went back to sleep. The girl kept looking down the track and then at her watch. She again awakened the man and said, "Did you say the train was coming in on track ten?" The man was now really upset and said rather loudly, "Lady, I told you it was track ten, track ten, track ten. Have you got it; track ten at 2:00 PM!" He went back to sleep.

Vance Havner said, "The ticket agent knew exactly when and on what track the train was coming and he was fast asleep. The girl had the same information but was anxiously looking and waiting. The difference between the two people is this: the ticket agent was looking for a train and the girl was looking for somebody on the train. He had all the facts but he was sound asleep. The girl was unsure of the details but kept looking in expectation. Regardless of your prophetic view, the purpose of prophecy is to have a practical effect on our life (2 Peter 3:10-14). We should not be looking for the second coming of Christ; we should be looking for the second coming of CHRIST.

Some of my Dispensational brothers tell me that their view of the pre-millennial coming of Christ is the only view that believes in the 'purifying hope of the Second Coming.' They quote the following verses:

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. (1 John 3:2-3)

They insist that the hope of the Second Coming is the greatest incentive for holy living. I will grant that fact is involved but that is not the thrust of this passage. The 'hope' in verse 3 is not the hope of the Second Coming but the hope that we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is. As Vance Havner said, it is not the event but the person. A believer who falls asleep in Christ before he returns can have this same hope. We will see Christ whether we die or whether we are raptured.

I trust your heart gladly owns Mephibosheth as one of your kinfolk. As we walked through his awful plight and saw the steps that David took to change everything, I pray that your heart said, "Yes, that is exactly the way it happened to me. That is exactly the way my blessed Lord found me and drew me to himself."