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.
Now when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, “Mephibosheth?”
And he answered, “Here is your servant!”
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.”
Then he bowed himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?” – 2 Samuel 9.3-8
I am reading through A.W. Pink’s ‘Life of David.’ His account of David’s life is fascinating. My favourite chapter so far has been use of Mephibosheth as an illustration of the grace of Jesus Christ. I can’t possibly cover all that Pink did, but if you get a chance read his marvellous illustration.
But David’s attitude toward Mephibosheth is surely a picture of the most gracious grace.
It's a long story, but here is the gist. David was now king, but he still wanted to honour Saul and his family. ‘Is there anyone in Saul’s family that I can help?’ Ziba told him that Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, was alive, but he was crippled in his feet. When he was young he had been injured in a fall and could not walk.
In those days there was not thought of ‘political correctness.’ Handicapped or crippled or physically disabled people were looked down on and basically just left to their own devices. They were second class citizens. No one really cared.
But David did. A man who saw himself as a ‘dead dog’ became the recipient of the king’s grace and mercy. David provided for Mephibosheth and gave back the land Saul had owned and brought Mephibosheth to the king’s table.
This is an amazing picture of what Christ does for us. As sinners we were as a hopeless and helpless as Mephibosheth. Our futures were grim. But God in His grace reached down and brought us to His table when we accepted His free gift of salvation. He restored the relationship what was shattered by the Fall and lifted us up to His banqueting table.
And Christ continues to feed us at His table and care for us just as David did for Mephibosheth.
But here – read Pink’s account. He nails it.
http://www.pbministries.org/books/pink/David/Vol1/david1_47.htm
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