CHAPTER 9

(1040 B.C.)

MEPHIBOSHETH

¹And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathans sake? (This Verse proclaims the great truth that God pardons and blesses sinners for Christs sake [Eph. 4:32]. There is no merit in any of us that would warrant the kindness of God, but all is done for us because of Christ. David is actually referring back to the happenings of I Sam., Chpt. 18, where he made a covenant with Jonathan. The Covenant pertains to the great price that Jesus paid at Calvary. Verse 1 shows David seeking Mephibosheth. Ever is the Lord seeking the sinner [Jn. 3:16].)

²And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba. And when they had called him unto David, the king said unto him, Are you Ziba? And he said, Your servant is he.

³And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan has yet a son, which is lame on his feet. (Jesus desires to show the kindness of God to sinners. In fact, thats what He came to do, and did so by dying on the Cross. Lame on his feet, presents an apt description of the lost soul which doesnt know the Lord Jesus Christ. Spiritually speaking, they cannot walk properly.)

⁴And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lo-debar (Lodebar means the desert place; thats where all unsaved people live, irrespective of their financial or social position; they live in a desert place, which refers to the fact that they are bereft of all things of God).

⁵Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar (we talk about finding the Lord, but, in reality, He found us; and, when He found us, He sent the Holy Spirit to fetch us).

⁶Now when Mephibosheth (his name means the shameful thing, which portrays all who dont know the Lord), the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul (meaning that he was the lost son of a doomed race), was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence (to be accepted, there must be a brokenness before the Lord; the Lord gives Grace to the humble, but He resists the proud). And David said, Mephibo-sheth. And he answered, Behold your servant!

⁷And David said unto him, Fear not (in those days, potential heirs to the throne, as Mephibosheth, were instantly killed by those in power; many think of the Lord in the same fashion; however, the Word of the Lord has always been fear not): for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your fathers sake (God shows us kindness for Jesus sake), and will restore you all the land of Saul your father (Restoration is the great truth of the Gospel; coming to Christ, we regain what was lost by Adam); and you shall eat bread at my table continually (the greater part of Salvation is the fellowship we can now have with the Lord).

⁸And he bowed himself, and said, What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I am? (Mephibosheth did what is so hard for most people to do. He admitted that he was a spiritual cripple, deformed, and unable to save himself.)

⁹Then the king called to Ziba, Sauls servant, and said unto him, I have given unto your masters son all that pertained to Saul and to all his house (what has been lost can be regained, but only in Christ).

¹⁰You therefore, and your sons, and your servants, shall till the land for him (Ziba was to do this for Mephibosheth), and you shall bring in the fruits, that your masters son may have food to eat: but Mephibosheth your masters son shall eat bread alway at my table. Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.

¹¹Then said Ziba unto the king, According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so shall your servant do. As for Mephibosheth, said the king, he shall eat at my table, as one of the kings sons. (All of this portrays Restoration, then productivity [fruit-bearing], and fellowship.)

¹²And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Micha. And all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants unto Mephibo-sheth (this son of Mephibosheth became the representative of the house of Saul, and had numerous offspring, who were leading men in the Tribe of Benjamin until the captivity [I Chron. 8:35-40; 9:40-44]).

¹³So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the kings table; and was lame on both his feet. (This grand Blessing was all because of the covenant made between David and Jonathan; likewise, there is a Covenant presently called the New Covenant, and all are free to enter, and the Blessings will be of untold degree.)