2Samuel 9:1-8
Blessed! Blessed! Blessed!
The story before us is a story of great grace, mercy, and kindness. This story
is about a grandson of Saul whose name was Mephibosheth. To get the full story of
Mephibosheth, we must go backwards to see what happened to him.
2 Samuel 4:4 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 events of this verse occurred on the day when Saul and Jonathan were killed
in battle by the Philistines. We learn that Mephibosheth’s injuries were not
confined to one leg, but that he was lame in both legs.
2 Samuel 13:13 So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at
the king’s table; and was LAME ON BOTH HIS FEET.
I am not sure how long ago that would be by now. Mephibosheth was five when the
accident happened and he appears to be a man in this chapter. Dr. Merrill Unger,
whose dates are listed at the beginning of most chapters in my Bible, estimates
that 16 years had passed since Mephibosheth was injured, making him 21 as our
text takes place.
I. Mephibosheth is a picture of us. (See the prince become a pauper.)
A. \\#2Sam 9:3\\ Mephibosheth had been a prince.
1. Mephibosheth was Jonathan’s son and evidently his only living
son.
2. By Saul’s own words, the right to rule was to pass to Jonathan.
1 Samuel 20:30 Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said
unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou
hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of
thy mother’s nakedness?
31 For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be
established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he
shall surely die.
3. With Saul and all of his sons dead, the right to rule most
likely would have passed to Mephibosheth.
B. In the day of his fall, Mephibosheth lost it all.
1. Parents
2. Position - With the removal of Saul’s line from the throne,
Mephibosheth became a common man.
3. Power to reclaim what he had lost due to his lame condition.
C. Mephibosheth represents what has happened to every person on this
globe.
1. We were all created in God’s image.
2. We were involved in a great fall!
3. That fall took away from us all that God had given to us.
a. We lost our relationship with our heavenly Father.
b. We lost our positions…
(1) …as rulers of this earth,
(2) …as sons and daughters of God,
(3) … even as righteous beings.
c. And we lost any and all power to reclaim what we had lost.
II. David, in this text, is a picture of the Father. (See a pauper become a
prince.)
A. David is seeking for someone to whom he may show kindness.
1. The word KINDNESS means MERCY, GOODNESS, FAVOR.
a. The idea is that David doesn’t want anything for himself.
b. He is just looking for someone to be good to.
c. He has all of this wealth and power and he wants to do good
to someone else!
2. This is characteristics of God.
a. Some asks, "Why did God ever create us?"
b. God, a Being with nothing but good within Him and all power
being His, just wanted to do good to another, so He created
us.
c. Even after we have forsaken God, rebelled against Him, and
become His enemies, He still desires to show kindness and
love toward us!
B. David’s desire lead him to remember a promise he made to Jonathan
years ago.
1. The kind of grace that David wanted to give had been shown to him.
a. When David was nothing more than a shepherd boy, a rich and
powerful man had shown him kindness.
b. That man was Jonathan.
c. From the very beginning of the friendship, Jonathan loved
David as his own soul.
1Sam 18:3 Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his
own soul.
4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to
David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.
d. Then, when Saul wanted to kill David, Jonathan stood with him
to protect David.
(1) David did this even knowing that doing so would cost him
the throne.
(2) Jonathan must have been a totally selfless man!
e. When Jonathan could no longer protect David, he sent him away
but first they made a covenant.
1Sam 20:12 And Jonathan said unto David, O LORD God of Israel, when I have
sounded my father about to morrow any time, or the third day, and, behold, if
there be good toward David, and I then send not unto thee, and shew it thee;
13 The LORD do so and much more to Jonathan: but if it please my father to do
thee evil, then I will shew it thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in
peace: and the LORD be with thee, as he hath been with my father.
14 And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the LORD,
that I die not:
15 But also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not
when the LORD hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the
earth.
16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the LORD
even require it at the hand of David’s enemies.
17 And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he loved
him as he loved his own soul.
f. In one sense, what Jonathan was asking for was a repayment of
the kindness he was showing to David.
(1) Jonathan knew that God had determined David would be king
over Israel.
(2) As such, Jonathan also knew the custom of those who
ascended to the throne was to kill those who were
left of the last regime.
(3) Jonathan was asking life for life. Jonathan was risking
his life, the throne, and all that went with it to spare
David.
(4) In making this covenant, Jonathan was asking for three
things.
(a) He was asking for life—that David would not kill
him when he became king.
(b) He was asking for kindness above just life. He is
not specific but Jonathan uses the same word in
making this covenant that David uses in describing
what he wanted to give \\#2Sam 9:1,7\\.
(c) He was asking these things for himself and his
descendents.
2. Now, as David’s heart is full and all of his enemies have been cut
off from around him, David desires to share his good fortune with
another and remembers the covenant he made with Jonathan.
a. He desires to give back to Mephibosheth—NOT WHAT MEPHIBOSHETH
DESERVED—but what Jonathan gave up for him. (At least as
much as is possible for David to give back.)
b. It is not an overstatement to say that David showed kindness
to Mephibosheth for Jonathan’s sake.
3. We have a God in heaven who has not forgotten what His Son gave up
for us!
a. Some times we think of salvation giving to us what Adam lost
in the fall, but God is giving us far more in redempation
than what Adam lost.
b. God desires to give back to us everything that Jesus gave up
for us!
(1) Salvation does restore all that we lost in the fall.
(a) We lost our domain - Watch how God restores it in the
millennium.
(b) We lost our health and life itself- Already we have
access to the throne of grace of physical help and
one day we will be given glorified bodies.
(c) We lost our relationship with God - Restored in this
life and guaranteed for eternity!
(2) But God has added to what we lost.
(a) We have been adopted into God’s family.
Ephesians 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the
world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
(b) One day, we will live in God’s house with Him.
John 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would
have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you
unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
(c) And the list goes on.
c. And it is not an overstatement to say that our heavenly Father
shows us kindness for His Son, Jesus’ sake.
C. So David sought for Mephibosheth.
1. Mephibosheth was not seeking David!
2. In fact, Mephibosheth was probably hiding from David, perhaps
afraid what David might do if we ever found him.
a. \\#2Sam 9:4\\ Mephibosheth was living in Lodebar.
b. The word LODEBAR means NO PASTURES.
c. It doesn’t sound like the kind of place a person would want to
live.
3. Like Mephibosheth, none of us were seeking God. It was He who
sought for us.
D. When David found Mephibosheth, he did two things for him.
\\#2Sam 9:7-13\\
1. David restored all that he had lost.
2. David made Mephibosheth as one of his own sons. (Mephibosheth sat
at the table with David’s sons.)
3. But this story is not finished here.
a. Later on, David will have to flee the kingdom as his own son
tries to kill him and take his throne.
b. During that time, Mephibosheth will be accused of
collaborating with David’s enemy.
c. When David is restored to the throne, he never even
investigates those charges.
d. Mephibosheth says he is innocent and David accepts his word.
e. What David gave to Mephibosheth was an unconditional gift.
f. Why?
(1) Because to give anything less would be to degrade the
memory and covenant David made with Jonathan!
(2) Jonathan gave all for David. David owed him all that he
could give in return.
4. Our God has given to us His unconditional love!
a. Everything that God has given to us comes as an unconditional
gift.
b. Notice that David was limited in what he could do for Jonathan
and Mephibosheth.
c. I am certain that if David could have done so, he would have
given Jonathan back his life and Mephibosheth back his legs.
d. Our God is not limited in what he can do for us! He has given
us everything we lost and then some!
e. And everything that God has given to us is absolute and
totally unconditional!
(1) Why?
(2) Because to give anything less would be to degrade the work
and covenant of Jesus!
God is giving to us all that Jesus gave up! We are Blessed! Blessed! Blessed!
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