Hi and welcome once again to “Abounding Grace” as we continue our study of being established in grace. We have seen how grace gives us the freedom to live our lives with the liberty to make mistakes as it is in making mistakes that we learn to walk safely, like a little child learning to walk, in the beginning it seems to spend most of its time getting up off the floor but as the days passby that child learns through stumbling how to walk without stumbling. Grace allows us the freedom to determine the course of our lives, without having to conform to someone else’s convictions. To-day let us consider an example of grace. It is one thing to talk about grace but another to see it enfleshed in our lives. One of the greatest examples of grace in the bible is the kindness David shows Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth.
We see King Saul and Jonathan his son go to war against the Philistines and they are both killed in battle, when the news reaches their family there is a lot of panic and the nurse in her haste grabs and drops Jonathan’s son and he is paralyzed by the accident. In this era if a king was disposed of his remaining family members were all exterminated and this course of action prompts the family to hide the child.
2Sam.4:4. (KJV) And Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.
The story continues where David has now become King and he has subdued all of his enemies and is living a peaceful and prosperous life and one day he asks whether or not there is anyone left of the house of Saul, who he can bless, it was the blessing on David’s life that prompted the question.
2Sam.9:1-3. (Amp) And David said, Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul to whom I may show kindness for Jonathan’s sake? And of the house of Saul there was a servant whose name was Ziba. When they had called him to David, he said to him, Are you Ziba? He said, I, your servant, am he. The king said, Is there not still someone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the [unfailing, unsought, unlimited] mercy and kindness of God? Ziba replied, Jonathan has yet a son who is lame in his feet.
Once we have studied covenant relationship we will understand David’s desire to be a blessing to the remaining family members of the house of Saul. The covenant made between Jonathan and David is what prompted David to seek out the remaining household of Jonathan.
1Sam.20:12-17. (Amp) Jonathan said to David, The Lord, the God of Israel, be witness. When I have sounded out my father about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if he is well inclined toward David, and I do not send and let you know it, the Lord do so, and much more, to Jonathan. But if it please my father to do you harm, then I will disclose it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. And may the Lord be with you as He has been with my father. While I am still alive you shall not only show me the loving-kindness of the Lord, so that I die not, but also you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever-no, not even when the Lord has cut off every enemy of David from the face of the earth. So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, and the Lord will require that this covenant be kept at the hands of David’s enemies. And Jonathan caused David to swear again by his love for him, for Jonathan loved him as he loved his own life.
Hebrew word “chesed” is used for loving-kindness, it also means mercy and grace, and it is the unfailing, unsought and unlimited grace of God. Basking in the kindness God has shown him, David is moved to pass along undeserved favour, he does not look for someone deserving, qualified or worthwhile, and he looks for anyone in Saul’s house.
2Sam.9:2-4. (Amp) And of the house of Saul there was a servant whose name was Ziba. When they had called him to David, he said to him, Are you Ziba? He said, I, your servant, am he. The king said, Is there not still someone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the [unfailing, unsought, unlimited] mercy and kindness of God? Ziba replied, Jonathan has yet a son who is lame in his feet. And the king said, Where is he? Ziba replied, He is in the house of Machir son of Ammiel in Lo-debar.
Lo-debar comes from two Hebrew words, Lo, which means No, and debar which means pasture; it refers to a barren desolate place, a wasteland.
We must remember that from the age of five years old Mephibosheth had only heard about how he was the rightful king (being the grandson of King Saul) and how David stole his birthright and that if ever David found him, he would be put to death on the turn. This young man lame in both feet must have built up so much resentment and hatred for David. He lived in constant fear of the King. Then one day as he is sitting outside in that desolate place he sees the horsemen and chariots of King David coming and they take him to the king.
2Sam.9:5-6. (Amp) Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir son of Ammiel at Lo-debar. And Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and did obeisance. David said, Mephibosheth! And he answered, Behold your servant!
Mephibosheth was expecting to be put to death, but instead the words which come to him are words of mercy.
2Sam.9:7. (Mess) “Don’t be frightened,” said David. “I’d like to do something special for you in memory of your father Jonathan. To begin with, I’m returning to you all the properties of your grandfather Saul. Furthermore, from now on you’ll take all your meals at my table.”
There is no mention of individual merit on the part Mephibosheth that he should deserve such kindness. Grace is acceptance without reservation; forgiveness without condemnation, pardon without probation, it is unconditional, unrestrained love.
2Sam.9:8-13. (Mess) Shuffling and stammering, not looking him in the eye, Mephibosheth said, “Who am I that you pay attention to a stray dog like me?” David then called in Ziba, Saul’s right-hand man, and told him, “Everything that belonged to Saul and his family, I’ve handed over to your master’s grandson. You and your sons and your servants will work his land and bring in the produce, provisions for your master’s grandson. Mephibosheth himself, your master’s grandson, from now on will take all his meals at my table.” Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. “All that my master the king has ordered his servant,” answered Ziba, “your servant will surely do.” And Mephibosheth ate at David’s table, just like one of the royal family. Mephibosheth also had a small son named Mica. All who were part of Ziba’s household were now the servants of Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, taking all his meals at the king’s table. He was lame in both feet.
Mephibosheth, utterly stunned by this act of generosity, shrinks back thinking himself worthless, but David lifts the cripple man from his prostrate position and seats him at the royal table, a table of uninterrupted provision and continual nourishment, amazing grace how sweet the sound.
- Seeing the analogies of grace.
Eight analogies between the grace that David showed Mephibosheth and the grace God has extended to us.
- Mephibosheth once enjoyed fellowship with his father, and so had humanity in the Garden of Eden.
- When disaster struck fear came and Mephibosheth suffered a fall that crippled him for the rest of his life, as when sin came humanity suffered a fall that left us permanently crippled.
- Out of unconditional love for his friend Jonathon, David sought out anyone to whom he could extend his grace, and God, because of His unconditional love for His Son and acceptance of His Son’s death on the cross continues to seek out anyone to whom He might extend His grace.
- The cripple man was destitute and undeserving, all he could do was accept the king’s favour, so, we to are undeserving and without hope. In no way were we worthy of our Kings favour; all we could do was humbly accept it.
- The king took the crippled Mephibosheth from a barren wasteland and seated him at the royal banquet table in the palace, so God the Father has done the same for us; He rescued us from our own personal Lo-debar, from a moral wasteland, and seated us in a place of spiritual nourishment and intimacy.
- David adopted Mephibosheth into his royal family, providing him with every blessing within the palace. We to have been adopted into God’s family and we have full privileges within His household.
- Mephibosheth’s limp was a constant reminder of David’s grace, so our moral feebleness keeps us from ever forgetting that where sin abounds, grace abounds that much more.
- When Mephibosheth sat at the king’s table he was treated with the same respect and given the same privileges as David’s own sons. We will be seated with Apostles, Prophets etc. and we will be there with them because the same tablecloth of grace covers us all.
When we sit at the royal banquet table in heaven we will have so much to be thankful for, and all our praise will go to King Jesus who is grace incarnate.
Thank you for joining me and I trust that you have been blessed thus far in our study, it is time for me to say “till next time” in the meantime have a happy day and share the Word of Grace and spread His love all around.
If you have never made Jesus the Lord of your life then I want to give you an opportunity to receive the grace that God is offering you to-day, by praying the following prayer and receiving your salvation by faith you can enter into covenant with God the Father through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus:
“Father, it is written in Your Word that if I confess with my mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in my heart that You have raised Him from dead, I shall be saved. Therefore, Father, I confess that Jesus is my Lord. I make Him Lord of my life right now. I believe in my heart that You raised Jesus from the dead. I renounce my past life with Satan. “I thank You for forgiving me of all my sin. Jesus is now my Lord, and I am a new creation. Old things have passed away. Now all things become new in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
For further words of Cheer click on the link: http://theinvisablechurch.wordpress.com/
Hi and welcome once again to “Abounding Grace” as we continue our study of what it means to be established in grace. At this time we are discussing being free from legalism and I said that we are to guard against three ugly and subtle adversaries that can creep into a grace orientated fellowship. The first of these adversaries is doctrinal heresy. The word “heresy” in the Bible simply means, “an opinion.” Many of the doctrines circulating in today’s churches are merely opinions, not based upon the Word of God. When Paul went to Berea and ministered we find we find a group of people with a bit of sense:
