We can turn in your Bibles to 2 Samuel 9. Be a bit of review for those who attended the Wednesday night Bible study two weeks ago. 2 Samuel 9. We'll read verses 1-13, and then look at the kindness shown to Mephibosheth. 2 Samuel 9. I'll begin reading in verse 1.
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? And there was a servant of the house of Saul, whose name was Ziba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, Are you Ziba? He said, At your service.
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 Makir, the son of Amiel, in Lodabar.
Then king David sent and brought him out of the house of Makir, the son of Amiel, from Lodabar. 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 he said, what is your servant that you should look upon such a dead dog as I? And the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, I have given to your master's son all that belong to Saul and to all his house. You, therefore, and your sons and your servants shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in the harvest that your master's son may have food to eat.
But Mephibosheth, your master's son, shall eat bread at my table always.' Now Zeba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. Then Zeba said to the king, According to all that my lord, the king, has commanded his servant, so will your servant do. As for Mephibosheth, said the king, he shall eat at my table like one of the king's sons. Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Micah, and all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth.
So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king's table, and he was lame in both his feet. Amen. Let us pray.
Opening Prayer
God, we come to this passage now looking to learn something about God, and we pray to that end that your Spirit would guide us and instruct us and help us. As well, God, help us to learn what it is to be faithful before our God. Grant us grace to receive these things and to put them into practice. Again, forgive us of all of our sin and our transgression.
Cleanse us in that precious fount that is open for sin and uncleanness. And we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well,
Introduction
for those who have not been attending the Wednesday night Bible study, shame on you. No, I'm just kidding. Just kidding. For those who have not, though, there is a particular outline that we have been operating according to in our studies in 2 Samuel.
Essentially, what we see in its major breakdown is that we see the commencement of David's reign at Hebron in chapters 1 to 4. Next is the consolidation of David's reign over all of Israel in chapters 5 to 8. So he moves not only from being the king over the south, but he's also the king over the north. The entirety of Israel consolidated under David's reign.
The consequence of David's sin is recorded for us in chapters 9 to 20, and then the close of David's reign in chapters 21 to 24. So as we come tonight to look at 2 Samuel chapter 9, I want to do so under two observations. In the first place, the intention of David to show kindness to a descendant of Saul. The intention of David to show kindness to a descendant of Saul.
And secondly, the execution of that kindness to that descendant of Saul. And I think that there is great lesson in this passage, first and foremost, concerning our Lord Jesus Christ. Remember that David functions in a typical manner. He is a type of the Lord Christ.
David's greater son is how we refer to our Lord Christ. And so when we look at the greater son, We also see something of His earthly Father in terms of faithfulness, in terms of godliness, in terms of righteousness. In fact, if you look back in chapter 8, I think verse 15 in chapter 8 gives a good general description of the overall tenor of David's reign. It says, So David reigned over all Israel, and David administered judgment and justice to all his people.
Now, certainly David didn't do this perfectly. In fact, when we get to chapter 11 and chapter 12, we will see how imperfect David was indeed. But the general overarching character of David's reign is successfully summarized there in chapter 8, verse 15. As we have had cause to note many times in our studies in the Old Testament, Israel had her heroes.
But all of those heroes ultimately fell short. All of those heroes were men at best, and they proved to the nation that there was a need for a greater one, a need for a hero that wouldn't fall, that wouldn't sin, that wouldn't commit adultery, that wouldn't commit murder. So David, as far as he went, did a most excellent job, though imperfectly, but he did in fact successfully point us to the Lord Jesus Christ. So let's look at this particular chapter.
David's Intention to Show Kindness
Note first the intention of David to show kindness. It says in verse 1, 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?
The Meaning of Hesed
Now, we've seen this word in our studies in the Old Testament. It's the word hesed. It's a Hebrew word that does mean kindness, but it has a bit of a deeper range. It has more significance than, you know, me just opening the door for you or showing you some sort of a general kindness.
One commentator defines hesed in this way. It is a covenant term, wrapping up in itself all the positive attributes of God. Love, covenant faithfulness, mercy, grace, kindness, loyalty. He says, in short, it refers to acts of devotion and loving kindness that go beyond the requirements of duty.
And that is precisely what we'll see in this display of Chesed. David wants to show this to others, to this descendant of Saul. The New King James margin renders it covenant faithfulness. I notice in Alec Motyer's translation of the Psalms, he renders that Hebrew word with the phrase committed love.
I think the ESV gets it as steadfast love. So, it is love, it is kindness, it is goodness, it is graciousness, but it's all those wrapped up into one package, underscored by a dose of the covenant, to give it this rock-solid, sturdy foundation, and that is what David wants to express to a descendant of Saul.
The Covenantal Background
Now, note the covenantal background of David's desire. Verse 1 again, is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul that I may show him kindness, now notice, for Jonathan's sake. Look again at verse 7, when he sees, or when he meets Mephibosheth. Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness, for Jonathan your father's sake.
This is the covenantal background that is in view as to why David wants to express this hesed to this descendant of Saul. Now, the covenant with Jonathan is given to us in several places. You can turn back to 1 Samuel 18. 1 Samuel chapter 18, you'll remember that David and Jonathan were good friends. And in 1 Samuel 18, it's really quite significant.
It comes on the heels of chapter 17. Yes, Butler knows that 17 then leads into 18. But 17 is the battle in the Valley of Elah, where David beheads Goliath. And David is victorious in the name of the God of Israel.
And David returns from the battlefield. And of course, the ladies are dancing and praising that God had given grace to David to slay these ten thousands. And what Jonathan does at the return of David is very significant. Jonathan takes off his royal robes and gives them to David.
Don't miss the significance of that. Jonathan is in essence saying that David deserves to be the heir apparent to the crown. David deserves to sit upon the throne in Israel. Jonathan is self-effacing.
Jonathan is giving. Jonathan recognizes that David truly is of God, and so Jonathan wants to give him those royal robes. As we saw when we worked through 1 Samuel, Jonathan is a stellar human being. If you ever want a good character study in the Bible, go to Jonathan.
But note specifically this covenant that they engage in. 1 Samuel 18.3, then Jonathan and David made a covenant because he loved him as his own soul. Notice in chapter 20. In chapter 20, specifically in verse 8, this whole idea of covenant is refreshed for us. Therefore, you shall deal kindly with your servant.
That's hesed. You shall deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you. Notice in chapter 20 at verse 42. 2042, then, Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, since we have both sworn in the name of the Lord, saying, May the Lord be between you and me and between your descendants and my descendants forever. The word covenant is absent, but the concept is there.
They had sworn in the name of the Lord. And then notice in 2318, the last time that David and Jonathan meet together, 2318. So the two of them made a covenant before the Lord, and David stayed in the woods, and Jonathan went to his own house. Now the specific feature that is in view when David wants to express this kindness to a descendant of Saul is noted for us.
Go again back to chapter 20. 1 Samuel chapter 20, specifically verses 14 to 17. In other words, you see here the nuts and the bolts of the covenant. We've seen where they've sworn a covenant together, but what is the substance, or what is the promise, or what is the binding aspect or element of this covenant that they have entered into? Notice in 20 verse 14.
Jonathan says, 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. The writing was on the wall as far as Jonathan knew. David was going to be the king of Israel.
Now what was true of the kings of that particular day is that when they took the throne, they killed any rival to the throne. In other words, when David occupied the throne, it would have been kind of in keeping with kings of that day for him to utterly eliminate any heir or any descendant from Saul. That's the way you secured your throne. You killed any rival dynasty.
And so you see what Jonathan is saying. Promise to me, covenant with me, David, that when you occupy the throne of Israel, that you won't kill me. that you will preserve me. And then that descends down, or that rather applies to his descendants, which, of course, Mephibosheth is a son of Jonathan. So going back to 2 Samuel chapter 9, we ought to appreciate with reference to the covenant here.
The Binding Nature of a Promise
David had made this promise to Jonathan probably 15 to 20 years prior. Now, I realize that we've just looked at several passages, and you might be wondering, what's in this for me? Well, there's a lot in it for you. It teaches us something about fidelity to our word.
It teaches us something about faithfulness to our promises. David had made this promise to Jonathan probably 15 to 20 years previously. Remember that Mephibosheth, according to 2 Samuel chapter 4, was five years old when he was dropped on his feet, and that's what lamed him or maimed him. And now in this particular passage, Mephibosheth has a son, a young son, but a son called Micah.
So probably 15 to 20 years had transpired. Something you need to understand. The passage of time does not invalidate your word. When you make a promise to someone, as David did with Jonathan, you ought to keep it.
You didn't say, well, you know, I did that, or I swore that allegiance, or I said that, you know, 15 or 20 years ago. Certainly no one's expecting me to keep my promise. Yes, they are. God the Lord is, and the person that you have promised to.
The passage of time did not nullify David's promise. As well, the consolidation of the kingdom did not nullify David's promise. You could see the temptation. David might have concluded, you know, I've eliminated the household of Saul, don't have to worry about any descendants that may come after, because I'm the king over the entirety of Israel.
But he doesn't reason that way. Chapter 9, verse 1, is David itching to fulfill his promise. David hankering to make good on his word. David activated by the reality that he had entered into this covenant with Jonathan all those years past.
So we learn from this brief observation that the promise of covenant is perpetually binding. Ralph Davis says, here is the power covenant exercises. The promise made in the past directs fidelity in the present. Again, you may not have sworn to Jonathan to do good to him and to his descendants, but you swore to your bride or you swore to your bridegroom.
You swear to your creditor when you sign the dotted line, so you're not supposed to default on the loan. You swear when you are ordained to gospel ministry. You swear when you testify in a courtroom. You all make covenant.
You all enter into covenant. You all have binding agreements upon you, and you need to realize that the passage of time does not nullify your word. The better circumstances that you find yourself in now does not nullify your Word. The reality is that when we make these promises, we need to keep them.
And then notice also, the reception of blessing from God leads David to give blessings to others. We'll tease this out in a few minutes, but there is a link here between chapters 9 and 7. Again, we'll look at that in more detail later. But David had received kindness from God.
We heard something like this this morning, didn't we? We have been loved on by God the Lord. We have been loved on by the Holy Christ. That love of Christ does what?
It compels us. To do what? To show love to others. The link between 7 and 9 is simple.
God the Lord had given David great blessing. David now becomes a conduit by which blessings will flow. There is a reciprocity. David doesn't pay back God necessarily, but David shows kindness or hesed, the same sort of kindness or hesed that he received, he gives this or showers it upon Mephibosheth.
You see, what we receive from the Lord, we're not just to bottle it up. We're to let the love of Christ compel us. We're to let that love of Christ constrain us that we may be conduits of blessing to others. Now note specifically his plan.
David's Meeting with Ziba
He meets with Ziba to determine whether there is a successor. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, are you Ziba? He said, at your service. I quite like that.
At your service. That's a good way to respond to the king. Don't mumble, don't murmur, don't grumble, don't complain. If your boss calls you at your service is an appropriate response.
The king says, verse 3, is there not still someone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God? You see that? He's showing him the kindness of God. Why?
Because David has been a recipient of the kindness of God. It must flow through us. We have received so that we will give. So the king said to him, I'm sorry, Ziba says to the king, there is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet.
Now he highlights this particular fact that he is lame in his feet. Robert Alter suggests so as to sort of qualify to David that he poses no threat to the crown. He is not a threat with reference to the throne. You don't have to worry about him, David.
Yes, there is a descendant of Saul, but he's lame in his feet. He's not going to command Israel. Probably why he adds that particular thing. Tells him the location, and of course then David summons him.
Now note the particular meeting. Verse 6. Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself Which is another good response. And here's why it's a good response.
Because Mephibosheth, as far as he knew, was an enemy of David. Imagine your arch enemy assuming control of a kingdom and then calling you, emailing you, or texting you saying, I'd like to see you. You would fall prostrate before him. You would be afraid because you would perceive that he's going to clean up.
He's going to let you have it. Your arch enemy is now the king, and you're a descendant of the previous king. Mephibosheth may have been lame in his feet, but he wasn't dim in his mind. He understood the way that kings reign, and that the way to secure one's throne was to kill one's competitors.
So Mephibosheth, understanding this, falls down before David. Robert Vanoy says it is probable that Mephibosheth thought his life was in jeopardy because he was a descendant of Saul. And it was common for the founders of new dynasties to murder all potential successors to the throne from the royal house they displaced. Several passages indicate this.
He says this fear, however, was unfounded because David was a king who did what was just and right for all his people. Beautiful, isn't it? Mephibosheth knows his place. He's an enemy of the king, and he falls down prostrate before him.
And it's interesting, because the way the narrator crafts this particular event, or this particular story, is that when David is dealing with Ziba, David is king. When David is dealing with Mephibosheth, David is David. It shows the intimacy, it shows the relationship, it shows the harmony. Not that it's wrong that he's referred to as king with reference to Ziba, but our author is showing us something concerning this kesed, that it does penetrate, that it does bring relationship to these particular parties.
Execution of David's Kindness
Now, that brings us to consider the execution of David's kindness to this descendant of Saul in verses 7 to 13.
The Promise: Do Not Fear
Note first his promise. Verse 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. We ought to notice again the reason, for I will show you kindness for Jonathan your father's sake. See, I think the narrator is conspicuous to make sure we understand David is operating via covenant.
Chapter 10, David operates via covenant. There is a weight going on here. David receives the grace of God in chapter 7. Chapter 8 is a summary of the battles and wars that David fought.
Chapter 9 is David's expression of hesed to a descendant of Saul. And in chapter 10, it is an expression of David's hesed in his foreign policy. He shows kindness to Hanun of the Ammonites. And this sets the backdrop for chapter 11.
I think what it does is exacerbates David's sin. The author wants us to see David in his true light. Zora Blackburn once said, Chapter 11 in 2 Samuel is an affirmation of the divine inspiration of Scripture. Because, you see, we wouldn't write Chapter 11 about our heroes.
We wouldn't tell that our favorite person in the world committed adultery and committed murder. You see, we have Hesed to Mephibosheth in chapter 9, we have Hesed to Hanun in chapter 10, and we have ruthlessness to Bathsheba and Uriah in chapter 11. So there are links going before and in front of. But I just want us to focus here.
The promise. Note what David says to Mephibosheth. He says, do not fear. Isn't that beautiful?
We can just read that and that's it. No, don't fear. What's he telling him? Mephibosheth, I'm not going to count you as my enemy.
Mephibosheth, do not fear, you're not going to be destroyed. Mephibosheth, you don't have to worry tonight that somebody's going to sneak into your place and cut your throat. Do not fear. David is offering to Mephibosheth this protection. the very thing that Jonathan asks in 1 Samuel.
They swear a covenant, and Jonathan says, when you take the throne, please do not kill me. Jonathan knows what's going to happen. But Jonathan as well says, please preserve my family. And that's what David does in the beginning here in verse 7.
He says, do not fear. David doesn't stop there. And this is where we see sort of the above and beyond the promise. This is where we see the covenant aspect of this kindness.
Because right there, do not fear, satisfies the requirement, doesn't it? It satisfies the sum and substance of the promise. David promised to Jonathan that he would not kill his descendants. But David doesn't stop there.
I hope you're thinking with your new covenant brain. I hope you're thinking about where we're going to take this at the end. I hope you're thinking about how David typifies David's greater son.
Protection, Provision, and Position
He not only tells us, do not fear. He not only provides protection to us, but he gives us provision. And that is precisely what David promises to Mephibosheth. Notice what he says in 7b.
He says, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather. This is amazing. This is the way kings do things. Mephibosheth has probably got his mind blown about this particular moment.
What's he talking about? The fact that I'm not dead, the fact that he has held out protection to me, the fact that he has sold me not to fear, and now he's going to restore to me all the land that was my grandfather's saw? This is really amazing, isn't it? You see, David is exercising this hesed.
It is in terms of protection and provision, but he doesn't stop there. At this point, Mephibosheth could have got up off the ground, dusted himself off, and went home and been happy and content forever and ever. He could have told Mrs. Mephibosheth and his son Micah, Boy, David didn't kill me.
Isn't that great? They could have rejoiced and feasted that night. That right there was a magnificent display of the beneficence of David. But He doesn't stop there.
Isn't this our Lord? He doesn't stop there. He not only protects us, but He provides for us. And if that isn't enough, He gives us this position of intimacy.
Note the end of verse 7. He says, and you shall eat bread at My table continually. This is just too much. This isn't what we ought to expect from a king who's consolidating power.
This isn't what we expect from a king who is going to deal with his enemies. I mean, we've just come out of chapter 8, and how David, in his wars and in his battles, is victorious. When we come to chapter 9, we have a picture of David as the mighty warrior, the hero of Israel, the one who takes on Ammonites. the one who takes on all the comers, the Philistines, everyone, and he devastates them and decimates them and destroys them. We come to chapter 9, we expect to see David in a poster with bullets wrapped around him and a tank in the back and a helicopter sort of perched over his head.
He's ready to take on all comers. We certainly don't expect the direction that chapter 9 takes us. Is there somebody from the house of Saul, my enemy, of whom I can show chesed? And he meets with Mephibosheth, and he says, Do not fear.
He protects him. And then he meets with Mephibosheth in the same meeting, and he says, I'm going to give you back everything that was Saul your grandfather's. And then he says, And you're going to eat at my table continually. You're going to sup with me.
You're going to dine with the king. You're going to be like one of my sons. Isn't that what's in view here? Isn't that who sups with you?
It is your family. Certainly you invite people over. Certainly you host fellowship. Certainly you have families in the church or families on your block that you get together with.
But you don't count them as sons because they're not there every night. But Mephibosheth is going to be there every night, sitting at David's table. He will be counted as one of the sons of David himself. This is the above and the beyond.
Ralph Davis says, David goes far beyond any bare requirement. David doesn't merely spare Mephibosheth's life, but heaps goodness on him. He not only protects his life, but restores his inheritance. He not only saves him from the shadow of death, but prepares a table for him.
David's kindness goes beyond survival to sustenance. Mephibosheth is cared for by and with the king, and will never face destitution. It takes no imagination, but only faith to see that David's hesed is but a faithful reflection of Yahweh's, with whom there is no such thing as bare hesed." You see, God doesn't just preserve us from death. but he provides, and he gives us this position of intimacy. He not only spares us from hell, but he invites us to his table.
He not only keeps us from the fire, but he brings us to his heart. This is the God whom we serve, and David is typifying here specifically our beloved Jesus.
Mephibosheth's Response
Now note Mephibosheth's response, which I submit is most appropriate. Then he bowed himself, this is Mephibosheth, and said, what is your servant that you should look upon such a dead dog as I? He bows, he does obeisance, he understands this transaction, he knows the score at this point, he understands what's happened, and he says, who am I? I'm like a dead dog, I don't deserve these things.
You see, grace will always cause us to reflect accurately upon our own condition. As I said earlier, the man was lame, but he wasn't dim. He understood the reality that was transpiring before him. And he says to David, What is your servant that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?
This imitates David. Go back to 2 Samuel 7. Remember the promise of the covenant in chapter 7, verses 1 to 17. And then we see David's response to that covenant.
And what does David do in verse 18 when he goes and sits before Yahweh and he prays and he says, Who am I, Lord God? Have you been humbled by the grace of God? Have you been brought low by the grace of God? You know, we sing amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.
But do we feel it? Do we know it? Have we appropriated it in our own souls? Is it something that causes us to throb?
To jump? to thrive, to flourish, as we sing, are we just sort of muttering it about, or are we thinking about the reality? Amazing grace, how great the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I'm found, was blind, but now I see. You see why it promotes in this hymn writer the reality of the recognition of his wretchedness.
This is grace that brings me this protection. This is grace that brings me this provision. This is grace that brings me this position. And I can't help but acknowledge the goodness of God in this, and this is precisely what David does in chapter 7, verse 18, and what Mephibosheth does in chapter 9.
The recipients of grace are able to identify grace because they see themselves rightly. Mephibosheth understood that he was being treated much better than he deserved. Isn't that what grace is all about? We recognize that we are being treated much better than we deserve.
I mean, think about it, brethren. What does every sin deserve? Every sin deserves God's wrath and curse, both in this life and that which is to come. The fact that we're not in hell is an amazing reality.
The fact that we have been provided for is an amazing reality. And the fact that we are being called to sup with the Lamb every Lord's Day, every time we have the supper, He invites us to sit at His table with Him. This is amazing, and we ought not to lose sight of that, and we ought to recognize our humility before God and realize He didn't do this because we deserved it. He didn't do this because we had warrant.
He didn't do this because we merited it, any more than this lame man Mephibosheth warranted or merited the very benefits and blessings that David was pouring upon him. It's truly a display of the grace of God. Now
The Execution and Its Overflow
note the execution, verses 9 to 11. We won't spend a lot of time here. Basically, David tells Ziba to get it done. And Ziba gets it done.
Praise God, from whom all Zibas flow. Zibas are good people in the life of the church. They do what the king says and they carry it out. We all ought to do what the king says and carry it out.
And then notice, it tells us something about Mephibosheth. the household of Mephibosheth in verse 12. He had a young son whose name was Micah, and all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth. So a little detail to be sure, but I think it illustrates something. This grace that God pours out upon Mephibosheth abounds.
It is profuse. David says, I will care for you and your family. Lest we leave the chapter thinking, does he have a family? The author tells us, he does.
They have benefited. They have been begraced. They have been brought nigh. They have been blessed.
I'm not arguing for paedo-inclusion and all that sort of thing. We've got to realize the temporal nature of what's happening here. The point is that David's word was good. It will be for your house.
It will be for your people. It will be for your wife and for your son. There are benefits to be had in the presence of the King. And then notice, it tells us in verse 13, so Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king's table, and he was lame in both his feet.
Now when I taught this at the Wednesday night Bible study a couple of weeks ago, I said I didn't really understand what that meant, and he was lame in both of his feet. I mean, I understand what it means, he was lame in both his feet. But what does it mean? Why is it there?
We've already been told he's lame. We were told in 2 Samuel 4 that he was dropped, and that's what lamed him, or maimed him, rather. Twice in the narrative we're told that he was lame, and I kind of spiritualized, but the more I've thought about it, the more this might be why it's here. Maybe the narrator, maybe the author, maybe our writer here is trying to combat what would be called the health-wealth-prosperity gospel.
You see, once we're protected by David, and once we're provided for by David, and once we have this position of intimacy with David, then all of our problems will be gone. No, you're still lame in both your feet. The blessings conferred upon you by grace do not make all of your ailments magically disappear. He's still lame, but he's in a much better position.
I mean, would you rather be lame and counted as an enemy of the king living off in the distance? Or would you rather be lame and being protected by the king and provided for by the king and having a position with the king? Well, the latter, obviously, right? The point is, brethren, that just because we are begraced by God or blessed by God, that doesn't mean all of our physical trials and our travails will necessarily go.
Application
Well, a couple of lessons and then we'll close. First, the necessity of covenant keeping. The necessity of covenant keeping. We ought to learn something from David here.
His covenant keeping is exemplary. In other words, it's an example for us. It is a paradigm or a pattern. It is an illustration of what the people of God are supposed to do.
You give your word, you make your promise, you say, I do, and you must. That is absolutely essential. He didn't let success make him renege upon his covenant with Jonathan. He didn't let past persecution cause him to renege.
You see, it would have been very easy for David to say, Saul troubled me. And Saul did trouble him. I mean, 1 Samuel chapter 16, it begins, all the way until Saul's death. It would be easy, wouldn't it?
I mean, we think that way, don't we? Well, the government makes my life miserable, so I'm going to cheat on my taxes. They deserve it. Those policemen, they don't really catch the bad guys, so I'm going to blow through this stop sign." We rationalize our sin, and we rationalize covenant breaking.
David didn't do that. David did not say, well, you know, Saul was a dirty, rotten scoundrel to me, so therefore, I'm going to forget all about... No! Covenant!
I swore to Jonathan. There has to be one. There has to be a descendant. And since there is, I'm going to give him the benefits that I swore to give to him.
As well, the covenant keeping of God or of God's people today is demanded. It is demanded by God. We are not to renege on our promises. Psalm 15 describes, I think in beautiful detail, our Savior.
It's descriptive of our Savior and it's prescriptive for those who are joined to the Savior by faith. And one of the things given to us is that he swears to his own hurt and he does not change. He swears to his own hurt and he does not change. I mean, that's truly true of Jesus alone, right?
You'll all agree with me on that. 15b, Psalm 15, 4b, rather. It's a description of our Lord Christ. It is descriptive, but it is prescriptive in the sense that all those who are joined to Him by faith are supposed to do likewise. We are to swear to our own hurt and not renege.
I shared with the Bible study on the Wednesday night something concerning B.B. Warfield. First, Davis. Davis says, if you're a Christian, your life consists of covenant obligations, times when you made sacred promises.
This is important. Sometimes we have these Wednesday night Bible studies and I think, you know, this is something, not because I taught it, but because it's in the Word of God, and I think everybody needs to understand these things. Sometimes the Old Testament gives us life lessons that we don't always get in the New. I'm not saying the New doesn't give us life lessons, I see the Old Testament as the Christian life lived.
It is the Christian life lived. The day-in, day-out, toils, difficulties, and trials of God's people. Again, you get it in the New Testament, but you get it in a heaping dose in the Old. Davis says, if you're a Christian, your life consists of covenant obligations, times when you made sacred promises.
He then gives several examples. He and Calvin both indicate paedo-baptism. In paedo-baptism, when you sprinkle your little one, your loved one, you make a vow, you make a promise to bring those children up in the training and admonition of the Lord. Well brethren, I like to think that even though we don't sprinkle our children, there is that unspoken vow.
There is that covenant wherein we fall under Ephesians 6. wherein we understand that fathers are not to provoke their children, but they are to bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord." That is a promise that we make to do. We are believers in the living God. We're not to bring up children to Baal or Molech. We're not to bring up children to Mammon or Sax.
We're to bring up our children unto the fear of God. So, Davis and Calvin both indicate various fears in which we give these vows. Davis goes on to say, one does not keep such vows because it is dramatic, but because it is faithful. He says, sometimes you do not keep your covenants because you feel like it, but simply because you promised.
I think that's important. We oftentimes are motivated by what we feel like. I don't feel like reading my Bible. I don't feel like going to church.
I don't feel... You know what? You've got to get beyond your feelings, beloved. Baal worship was about feelings.
Baal worship happened from the waist down. It was all about the feelings when you bowed before Baal. It was all about the experience. It was all about the copulation.
It was all about the physical. Christians are not to imitate Baal worship. Sometimes we may not feel like reading our Bibles. Sometimes we may not feel like going to church.
But we ought not to give in to those feelings. We ought not to fall prey to those desires. We ought to discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness. I know that sounds zany, but Paul speaks to this in 1 Timothy.
Davis goes on. The works of B.B. Warfield, the esteemed biblical theologian of Princeton Seminary, are still known and read in the Evangelical Church today. What is not so well known is the tale of his marriage.
Warfield was pursuing studies in Leipzig, Germany in 1876-77. This time, also doubled as a honeymoon with his wife Annie. They were on a walking tour in the Harz Mountains when they were caught in a terrific thunderstorm. The experience was such a shock to Annie that she never fully recovered, becoming more or less an invalid for life.
Warfield only left her for his seminary duties, but never for more than two hours at a time. His world was almost entirely limited to Princeton and to the care of his wife for 39 years. One of his students noted that when he saw the Warfields out walking together, quote, the gentleness of his manner was striking proof of the loving care with which he surrounded her, end quote. Davis concludes, for 39 years.
That is the power covenant exercises. It's a blessing, brethren, to know older brethren that have been married for a long, long time. Some of you younger married say, boy, how do they do it? Ask them.
Is it feeling driven? Oh, I'm always just filled with these butterflies in love. It's covenant. Because I said I do.
That's what David does. That's what David shows. and the logical progression involved. Again, touching on what we heard this morning. I think in some senses, the movement from 2 Samuel 7, we'll bypass 8, because as I said, it's a record of battles and wars.
But in 2 Samuel 7, grace is received by David. 2 Samuel 9 and 10, grace is given by David. It parallels Romans 1 to 11, the grace of God in the Gospel, and Romans 12 and following. Therefore, my beloved brethren, I beseech you, by the mercies of God, present your bodies as a living sacrifice, and then follow all of these ways that we present our bodies as living sacrifices, vis-Ã -vis, give preference to others. Be kind to others.
Be hospitable to others. Love one another. You see, when you receive the grace of God, you in turn are to pour out that grace upon others. The love of Christ compels us.
David as Type of Christ
We ought to learn as well the typical significance of David. In the first place, he operates according to covenant. So does his greater son. In the second place, David provides every temporal blessing to Mephibosheth.
Protection, provision, and privilege. David's greater son, in the language of the Apostle Paul, has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. You see, we are the Mephibosheths, who by the grace of God have fallen prostrate before the Lord, and He has blessed us richly with all of these things. He provides, David does, in an above and beyond sort of way.
So does Christ, David's greater Son. Just two sample passages, John 1, 16. And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. Isn't that amazing?
We don't just get grace, we get grace for grace. We don't get just a part and parcel of Jesus. We get His fullness. We get every redemptive benefit.
We get every blessing. We need the wrath of God averted. Christ is our propitiation. We need reconciliation, friendship between heaven and earth.
Christ brings reconciliation. We need redemption. We need to be bought out of the slave market of sin in Him, in whom we have redemption through His blood. We need everything and Christ delivers it.
And then as well, we ought to note that David blesses one in this particular passage who is insignificant, one who is unworthy, and one who is even counted as an enemy. Again, I hope that you're thinking with your New Covenant hat on, or your thinking cap. Remember that as a kid? Put your thinking caps on.
Put your New Covenant thinking cap on. Doesn't that? Isn't that what David's greater son does? He blesses the insignificant.
He blesses the unworthy. He blesses those who are counted as enemies. One specimen text here, Romans chapter 5. We're coming to a conclusion.
I just want you to see this, that we are the Mephibosheth in this particular passage of Scripture. Romans chapter 5, beginning in verse 6. For when we were still without strength in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more than having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation." So according to the Apostle Paul, what we were prior to our contact with Jesus, prior to this meeting between Mephibosheth and David, we were helpless.
We were ungodly, we were sinners, and we were enemies, and yet we have been brought nigh through the blood of the Lord Jesus. Again, Davis says, the first principle for grappling with the marvel of God's love is to realize that He has no business, in a sense, loving whom He loves. See, it shouldn't surprise us that the triune God loves Father loves Son, Son loves Spirit, Son loves Father. That shouldn't surprise us, the ad intra being of God in His personal relations, in terms of the triunity.
That's not a surprise that the Father loves the Son. It's not a surprise that the Son loves the Father. It's not a surprise that both love the Spirit, and the Spirit loves the Son and the Father. He could probably draw out, tease out, however many connections, just say all three love each other.
That's not a surprise. What Davis says, and I think he's right, is that it's a surprise that he loves us. Because we were helpless. We were ungodly.
We were sinners and we were enemies. We were Mephibosheth in our passage. We were in that position of fearing for our lives. And yet we have received protection, provision, and a position of intimacy.
And our response ought not to be, well, we deserved it, but it ought to be. How? I'm a dead dog. Davis goes on.
What I'm saying is that we are the Lord's Mephibosheths. And there is absolutely no reason why we should be eating continually at the king's table. And if we have any sense, we won't be able to understand it either. If you're not a Mephibosheth here tonight, if you have not tasted and seen that the Lord is good, take it from other Mephibosheths.
This God really is what He promises. This God really is as good as He says. This God really does deal with helpless, sinful, ungodly enemies in such a glorious way. This God provides protection.
This God provides provision. This God provides position. So take it from the Mephibosheths here tonight, and flee to David's greater Son! Do not resist.
Do not stay back. Do not count yourself as so ungodly and so unholy. The glory of Christ is seen in the reality that He saves just that type of sinner. Listen to the Mephibosheth here.
We will all testify to that. We are insignificant, we are unworthy, and we are enemies of the crown rights of our Lord Jesus Christ. And yet He, by grace, has conquered us. He, by grace, has brought us nigh.
He, by grace, has conferred this privilege that we will eat at His table continually. Don't tarry, don't stay, don't refuse and don't resist. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. Well, let us pray.
Closing Prayer
Our Father, we thank You for the Word of God and we thank You for this grace shown to Mephibosheth and what it illustrates concerning the grace shown by our Lord Jesus to us. God, we praise You for these things and I pray that they would make a mark in our hearts, that we would sing with joy and thanksgiving, Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that we would acknowledge our wretched condition before You and the fact that You have had such kind dealings with us. I pray that you would go with us now, that you would continue to protect us, continue to watch over us, bring us together so we may worship you in spirit and truth, and we ask these things through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.