18. A Picture of Grace
2 Samuel 9:1-13 (Audio Only)
Alan Redpath comments about this time in David’s life, this season in his life, and he says, “We have reached the high point of David’s life. The high point of David’s reign. The pinnacle. The greatest hour of David’s career, if you will, of his life.”
At this point, David had captured all of the lands around him. Chapter 8 of 2 Samuel, is all about David’s conquests and his victories. There in Chapter 8, David defeats the Philistines, the Moabites, the Syrians, the Edomites, and a couple of other “mites”, and “ians” and things. He’s taken all of the lands around Jerusalem.
Chapter 8 also says that the Lord has preserved David. That wherever he went, that the Lord was with him and brought great victory to him. Also, it makes mention of what we talked about last week of David gathering up more gold, more silver, more bronze for the building of the Temple, in preparation of that.
And then right at the pinnacle of David’s conquests, at the peak of his victories comes Chapter 9. And 2 Samuel Chapter 9 is a chapter about grace. Grace – at the pinnacle of David’s career. In fact, many scholars (at least a number that I read), feel that 2 Samuel Chapter 9 is one of the greatest chapters in all of the Old Testament illustrating God’s grace. The Old Testament is so living and powerful because it illustrates. It paints a picture. It’s a “type” of the great theology of the New Testament. And nowhere is the theology of the Book of Romans better portrayed, better illustrated, in the Old Testament than it is in 2 Samuel Chapter 9.
Grace and the subject of grace can be a little bit difficult to get a full grasp on. I think maybe it’s because we’ve heard the word so much. Maybe it’s because it has come to mean so many different things. Grace can mean a woman’s name. Grace is all the way to be associated with a certain denomination or a way of thinking in the Church. Grace means so many things in so many places, that sometimes I think we lose sight of the depth of God’s grace. The hugeness of God’s grace.
But one thing I can tell you for sure, if we do not rightly understand God’s grace then we cannot rightly understand God at all.
We cannot rightly understand God without rightly understanding God’s grace. That is how central grace is to our understanding and our relationship with God. The reason that grace is so huge is that it is a one-sided event. It is all one-sided. God’s grace is one-sided. It is God fully giving himself to those who don’t deserve, have not earned, and can never repay what he’s giving. You see, God’s grace doesn’t really have anything to do with us. There’s no way we can deserve it. There’s nothing we can do to earn it. There’s nothing we can do to repay it. It is the one-sided, miraculous, all-lovingness of God. We define grace, most often, simply as “unmerited or undeserved favor.” Unmerited or undeserved favor is God’s grace. In 2 Samuel Chapter 9 is the grace-filled illustration, the incredible living picture of Mephibosheth.
2 Samuel 9:1 (NKJV)
1 Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness (Hebrew word there – Hesed – it’s a very, very important Hebrew word to know. Translated here, “Kindness”) for Jonathan’s sake?”
The Hebrew word “Hesed” is most often translated, “mercy.” One hundred and forty-nine times it’s translated “mercy.” HESED. It’s also translated often as “lovingkindness.” My favorite translation, personally, is “faithful love.” The faithful of love of God. “Faith full.” Hesed.
Mercy and grace are twin definitions of God’s faithful love. We say this all the time, and it’s something that’s important to know. Grace is getting what you do not deserve. And mercy is not getting what you do deserve. And we use those words – grace and mercy – getting what we don’t deserve and not getting what we do deserve to describe or define God’s faithful love. God’s lovingkindness. That’s this Hebrew word Hesed.
Both Harper’s Bible Dictionary and Vine’s Bible Dictionary list both mercy and grace as definitions of the Hebrew word HESED. Getting what we don’t deserve and not getting what we do deserve.
And so, David says, is there anyone left of the House of Saul that I may show this faithful love, this kindness, this Hesed (grace and mercy) toward?
The question would be, “Why?” Why would you do that, David? If you turn back to 1 Samuel Chapter 20, we’ll know exactly why. The following verse shows us why David wants to show God’s grace and kindness, his mercy, Hesed, his loving faithfulness, lovingkindness to the House of Saul.
In 1 Samuel Chapter 20, Jonathan is speaking to David during this time that David is deciding if Saul really is going to kill him or wants to kill him.
1 Samuel 20:14-16 (NKJV)
14 (Jonathan speaking) And you shall not only show me the kindness (Hesed) of the Lord while I still live, that I may not die;
15 but you shall not cut off your kindness (Hesed) 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.”
16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David,. . .
Look very closely there. It says show me and my house the Hesed of the Lord. The kindness of the Lord. The loving faithfulness, the mercy, and grace of the Lord.
Why would Jonathan ask for such a covenant with David? Jonathan and David loved each other, they were knit to each other’s souls. It’s an incredible picture of relationship and actually a picture (if you go all the way back to David and Goliath) of us with Jesus Christ. Why would Jonathan say to David, “Make a covenant with me to show grace and mercy (Hesed), kindness of the Lord, with my house.”?
Because Jonathan knew what was customary and expected in that time. When there was a change in dynasty, that is a ruling family of kings, when one king’s family was defeated or removed and another king’s family came into power, the expected and assumed response would be to execute everybody from the old king’s family. In fact, it was accepted that every member of the defeated king’s family deserved to be executed. It was understood. Why? Heir to the throne. So, the king would come into the defeated king’s family, that dynasty or lineage of kings, and execute everybody.
And so, Jonathan, knowing that David was going to be king even over himself, that Saul would be removed and that David would be king, knowing this he said, make a covenant with me to show me grace to my family. Hesed – God’s kindness. His unmerited, undeserved favor. Because what is normally is expected and what my family will deserve is judgment. I know you’ll be king. I know that we will deserve to die, show me kindness, show me grace and mercy.
I want you to know as we go back towards 2 Samuel Chapter 9, that the faithful love – the Hesed, the grace – that David shows the House of Saul on Jonathan’s behalf is a perfect picture of the grace that God shows us (the House of Flesh, remember Saul represents the rule of the flesh). This is a perfect illustration of the grace, the unmerited and undeserved favor of God toward us on Christ’s behalf. What I want you to hear today, is that God’s grace towards you is on Christ’s behalf.
I want to show you how serious this expected judgment was on the family of a defeated king.
2 Samuel 4:4 (NKJV)
4 Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel; (what news? News that Saul and Jonathan had been killed in battle) and his nurse took him up and fled. And it happened, as she made haste to flee, that he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.
You want to love that name. Mephibosheth is a picture of you. So, when Mephibosheth is five years old, Jonathan and Saul both are killed in battle, so his nurse picks him up and runs. Why? Because Mephibosheth is going to be executed. It’s normal, it’s customary, it’s what Mephibosheth deserves as a member of the defeated king’s lineage, he’s going to be executed by the new king because he could be heir to the throne. And so, while his nurse is escaping with him, she drops him. And in that injury, he becomes lame in both feet. He is the center of our story today.
2 Samuel 9:1-3 (NKJV)
1 Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him (Hesed) kindness (grace, mercy, faithful love) for Jonathan’s sake?”
2 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, (literally – I am your servant) “At your service!”
3 Then the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the (Hesed) kindness of God?” (the grace of God, the unmerited, undeserved favor) And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet.”
Why would Ziba say that? I believe there is a hint of counsel there to King David. It’s as if Ziba is saying, King David, your highness, there’s only one left and he’s crippled. He’s lame in his feet. And if you want, and if you’re looking to show him kindness, I have to kind of insinuate he’s not the “royal kind.” He’s not too kingly. He wouldn’t really go that well in the palace. You see, he’s lame in both feet.
David answers immediately in verse 4. He doesn’t hesitate a second at this inferred caution of Mephibosheth’s handicap.
2 Samuel 9:4 (NKJV)
4 So the king said to him, “Where is he?”
I didn’t ask you how he was. I asked you where he was because I am seeking him.
… And Ziba said to the king, “Indeed he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar.”
Lo Debar. It sounds depressing, doesn’t it? This one who is lame, who is crippled, he is in Lo Debar. Lo Debar is a very simple word to understand the meaning of. Lo means “no.” Debar means “pasture.” This lame one, this crippled one, he is living in the place of no pasture. He is living in a land of desolation. He’s living in a barren place. He is living in the outer place where there is no pasture. Why?
Why is this one who was potentially heir to a previous kingdom now lame and crippled and living in a desolate and barren place? For the exact same reason that some of us live there. Because he was afraid that if the king were to ever really find him, that he would get just what he deserved. Judgment. And so, he was happy to live lame and crippled in a desolate and dark and barren place, so that he would never have to deal with the king, afraid of the king’s righteousness judgment against him.
Guys, Romans says that we were Christ’s enemies when he died for us. Not only were we in that dark and barren and desolate place, crippled and lame by sin, but we were at enmity with God – at war with God. And that’s when God began to seek us out. That’s when God said, “Where is he or she?”
2 Samuel 9:5 (NKJV)
5 Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar.
And so, Mephibosheth, lame and in a desolate place, gets a knock on the door – probably a pounding – from the “brute squad” of the king. A squadron of soldiers, probably, was sent to fetch him. And as he sees them at his door, he says, my time has come. What I deserve, I deserve. I certainly can’t flee. I have no choice but to go. And so, Mephibosheth, figuring that his “just judgment” was coming to him, goes to David.
2 Samuel 9:6 (NKJV)
6 Now when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself (figuring his time was up). Then David said, “Mephibosheth?” And he answered, “Here is your servant!”
Mephibosheth says I’m ready to take what is justly due me. The judgment that I’ve been hiding from in that dark and desolate place, living with my infirmity, the time has come now for me to experience the judgment of the king. And this king had every right to judge Mephibosheth. Had every right to execute him. Just as God has every right to judge us. Every right to execute us.
And what David says to Mephibosheth is the same thing that God Almighty says to us.
2 Samuel 9:7 (NKJV)
7 So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you (Hesed) kindness…
I will surely show you grace. I will surely show you mercy. I will surely give you that unmerited, undeserved favor that you can never earn, you’ll never deserve, and you can never repay. I’ll give you what you don’t deserve and I won’t give you what you do deserve. Fear not. I will surely show you grace; he says to Mephibosheth.
And guys, that is the faithful lovingkindness of the grace-filled God that the entire New Testament teaches. It’s a picture of the grace of God that’s so powerful if you’ll just put yourself in Mephibosheth’s place. One of the greatest “no fear” chapters in the New Testament has got to be Romans Chapter 8.
Romans 8:15 (NKJV)
15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” (Daddy, daddy)
You didn’t receive the spirit of fear, you received the spirit of adoption. Mephibosheth is on his face expecting judgment. And David says, Fear not. I will show you Hesed. Grace.
Romans 8:31 (NKJV)
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
And then the end of that incredible chapter, in verses 38 and 39 Paul says,
Romans 8:38-39 (NKJV)
38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
39 or height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
That is the love that’s being displayed from David to Mephibosheth that God is painting this picture with. This is the love. It’s called grace. It’s God’s lovingkindness, undeserved, unmerited, never be earned, never to be repaid. It’s God’s faith-filled love.
1 John 4:18 (NKJV)
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear,. . .
And that’s what David is doing for Mephibosheth. Fear not! For I will surely show you Hesed. Grace. Mercy. And God says to us, Fear not! For I will surely show you Hesed. Grace. I will surely show you mercy. I will surely give you unmerited favor. Why does perfect love cast out all fear? Because perfect love is one-sided. The reason that God’s love casts out all fear is because we have nothing to do with it. It’s all one-sided love. He loves us for Christ’s sake. We can’t make him love us any more. We can’t make him love us any less. His love is perfect toward us and it is wrapped up in grace. In giving us what we don’t deserve, of not giving us what we do deserve.
As we continue in verse 7, we find out why David pours grace, Hesed, out onto Mephibosheth.
2 Samuel 9:7 (NKJV)
7 So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, …
Listen, David is saying, Mephibosheth, this has nothing to do with you. I know you’re lame. I know you’re crippled. I know you’ve been in a dark and desolate place. This doesn’t have anything to do with you. This is about Jonathan. This is for Jonathan’s sake.
I want you to see the great peace and confidence there is in that because God’s going to say to you, this isn’t about you. I know you’re lame. I know you’re crippled. I know you came from a dark and desolate place. This is about Christ. And I’m showing you my grace for Christ’s sake. You can’t earn it. You can’t add anything to Christ. You can’t take anything away. My love to you is perfect for Christ’s sake, not because of anything you have or haven’t done. That’s God’s grace. When God pours his grace out on you it’s for Christ’s sake. It’s not because you deserve it. It’s not because you’ve earned it. And you’ll never be able to repay it. It’s for Christ’s sake. Just like David is pouring out grace on Mephibosheth for Jonathan’s sake.
Mephibosheth was right in expecting judgment from God. Instead, what he got was grace beyond what he could imagine. We are Mephibosheth.
2 Samuel 9:7 (NKJV)
7 …and (I – inferred) will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.”
Not only will I pour out grace unimaginable to you, but you are going to become family. Mephibosheth is laying in the dirt, face-down, waiting for the sword to come across his neck. And David says, fear not. For I will show you grace, returning blessing upon blessing to you. And not only that, get up because you are family now.
We need to understand that. The only response that Mephibosheth is left with – there’s no other way to respond – is the exact same response that we must get to in order to understand grace. Mephibosheth’s response is in verse 8. And when we understand (and we can never understand truly or fully because we don’t work that way – only God does) God’s grace we’ll say what Mephibosheth says here.
2 Samuel 9:8 (NKJV)
8 Then he bowed himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?”
That’s understanding grace. Who am I, God Almighty? Who am I that the Creator of the Universe who would rightly be perfectly just and holy in executing eternal judgment upon me, who am I that God would show me grace abounding? Eternal grace. That he would not only pour out grace upon me but that he would make me to eat at his table. I am lame. Crippled. And I come from a dark and desolate place. I deserve judgment. I’ve done nothing to earn this grace, and there’s nothing I can do to earn it. All I can do is receive it. And I don’t understand why God would pour his grace out on me.
Mephibosheth didn’t understand. Mephibosheth says, who am I that you would show this lovingkindness to when I’ve done nothing to deserve it. And while Mephibosheth is in the midst of unbelieving, David says, I’m just getting started. And God says the same thing to us when we understand God’s grace. He says, you haven’t heard anything yet!
David does the same thing to Mephibosheth that God does to us. We see it in verse 9.
2 Samuel 9:9-10 (NKJV)
9 And the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “I have given to your master’s son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house.
10 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 Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
You have got to see this picture. Mephibosheth is face-down in the dirt in front of the king. He is lame. He is not kingly, there is no royalty in him. He’s come from a dark and desolate and a barren place. And simply from laying on his face before the king, suddenly he’s got so much grace poured out on him that it takes thirty-six servants just to manage it. Ziba, fifteen sons, twenty servants – all set to manage the things that the king is about to pour out on Mephibosheth for no reason except the king’s covenant with Jonathan.
All we do is lay there in awe. And God says, For Christ’s sake I’m going to pour out so much upon you that it’s going to take thirty-six servants just to manage it. But for you, you’re going to eat at my table. You’re going to eat bread at my table continually. That’s God’s grace.
You’ve got to understand the exaltation that happens at the end of verse 11 to Mephibosheth.
2 Samuel 9:11 (NKJV)
11 Then Ziba 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 (in the same way as) one of the king’s sons.”
It’s not enough that David didn’t execute Mephibosheth like he deserved to be executed. It’s not enough that David poured out blessings on Mephibosheth that it takes thirty-six servants to care for them. It’s not enough that Mephibosheth gets to eat at the table of the king. David is making him a son!
THAT’S US!!! That’s what grace does! We don’t get what we deserve and God starts pouring out grace upon us. And then he says, not only am I giving you all this, but you’re going to sit at my table – at the banqueting table. And by the way, you’re not going to be a guest. You’re going to be just like one of my own sons. We’re still face-down in the dirt, we haven’t done anything because we can’t. There’s nothing we can do. What can Mephibosheth do for David? Nothing. He’s lame. He’s crippled. He has come from a barren place. He’s got nothing to offer David, nothing to repay him with. He’s just receiving what God is pouring out on him.
That’s a picture of grace.
Mephibosheth becomes a joint-heir with David’s sons, sitting at his table with full rights and privileges as David’s own sons. Just like us.
2 Samuel 9:12 (NKJV)
12 Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Micha. And all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth.
Guys, verse 13 is for us. If you have received the saving grace of God in Christ Jesus (and trust me – that’s your only role is to receive it), then verse 13 is for you. Verse 13 is about you.
2 Samuel 9:13 (NKJV)
13 So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem (that is the City of God), for he ate continually at the king’s table. And he was lame in both his feet.
The king of grace went searching for one who was lame, who was crippled and living in a dark and desolate place. And he brought him in, and not only did he not give him the judgment he deserved, but he poured out grace upon him. So much that it took three dozen servants to manage it. And then he brought him to his own table, but not as a guest, he made him a full-fledged son. Mephibosheth had done nothing except receive the grace of the king. That’s grace. That’s a picture of grace.
I’d like to give you one more picture back up in chapter 8. I want to introduce you to King David’s cabinet. Just like the President would have a cabinet of his top leaders. This is a list, an invitation list (if you will), of King David’s cabinet.
2 Samuel 8:15-18 (NKJV)
15 So David reigned over all Israel; and David administered judgment and justice to all his people.
16 Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army (the Commander of the Armed Forces); Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder;
17 Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were the priests; Seraiah was the scribe;
18 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over both the Cherethites and the Pelethites (those were the elite Guard of David, this was the Commander of the most elite Army in David’s cabinet); and David’s sons were chief ministers.
I need you to imagine a full-dress dinner at the palace. And in the foyer of the palace, the chariots and the entourages begin to arrive. Out of the first one steps Joab, the Commander of the Armed Forces in full dress. After him, Jehoshaphat, the recorder. Then Zadok and Ahimelech the priests come in full garb. Seraiah, the scribe comes. Benaiah the Commander of the Elite Forces of the King shows in full color. And then David’s own sons, chief ministers, come to this invitation-only full-dress dinner.
And as they’re standing in the palace, King David, himself, comes in. But they don’t sit down yet. It’s as if they’re waiting for something or someone to come. And then down the hall, the dignitaries begin to hear, shhhhh-clunk. Shhhhh-clunk. Shhhhh-clunk. And the door of the banquet room opens, and in walks Mephibosheth. And Mephibosheth limps to the table and sits down (and listen carefully), the tablecloth of the king covers his feet. Then the dignitaries sit down. And then the feast to the king is brought.
I want you to know that’s how it’s going to be in heaven. There’s a banqueting table in heaven, and there are dignitaries of Christ that will be there. Abraham will be there. Noah will be there (smelling a bit musty, maybe). Moses will be there. King David, himself, will be there. Elijah, Elisha, the prophets will be there. The Disciples will be there. The Apostle Paul will be there. Jesus Christ, himself, will be there. But they’ll be waiting because someone is not there yet.
And then you and I show up, minus the limp. And as we move to the table, then the dignitaries sit down. And the wedding feast of the Lamb takes place. And we’re there not as a guest. They were waiting for us because we are full-fledged sons and daughters of the King, with all rights but no reason.
That’s a picture of God’s grace. Nothing we can do to deserve it. Nothing we can do to earn it. Nothing we can do to repay it. God’s grace is unmerited, undeserved favor. It is lovingkindness that never ends. It is a faithful love that is a perfect love. And it is God pouring his grace out upon us for Christ’s sake. We haven’t done anything to be there, except to receive his grace.
There are people listening who need to hear that. Maybe you think that there is something you need to do to deserve God’s grace. That somehow you have to earn the grace of God. Or that if you do receive it, there’s something you have to do to repay it. Please hear me, there’s one person listening that is worse off than you. If you think you have to earn, that you have to do something to deserve God’s grace, let me tell you the person who is in worse shape. That’s the person who thinks they have earned it. Or thinks they do deserve God’s grace.
God’s grace is unmerited, undeserved. It is poured out for the receiving by any lame, crippled Mephibosheth who comes in from a dark and barren place, and lays prostrate before the King, expecting judgment, but instead, receiving life. And not only life but blessings. And not only blessings but a seat at the King’s table. And not only a seat at the King’s table, but full-fledged child worth and right. Sonship. Daughter-ship. Full-fledged because of God’s grace.
At this point, David had captured all of the lands around him. Chapter 8 of 2 Samuel, is all about David’s conquests and his victories. There in Chapter 8, David defeats the Philistines, the Moabites, the Syrians, the Edomites, and a couple of other “mites”, and “ians” and things. He’s taken all of the lands around Jerusalem.
Chapter 8 also says that the Lord has preserved David. That wherever he went, that the Lord was with him and brought great victory to him. Also, it makes mention of what we talked about last week of David gathering up more gold, more silver, more bronze for the building of the Temple, in preparation of that.
And then right at the pinnacle of David’s conquests, at the peak of his victories comes Chapter 9. And 2 Samuel Chapter 9 is a chapter about grace. Grace – at the pinnacle of David’s career. In fact, many scholars (at least a number that I read), feel that 2 Samuel Chapter 9 is one of the greatest chapters in all of the Old Testament illustrating God’s grace. The Old Testament is so living and powerful because it illustrates. It paints a picture. It’s a “type” of the great theology of the New Testament. And nowhere is the theology of the Book of Romans better portrayed, better illustrated, in the Old Testament than it is in 2 Samuel Chapter 9.
Grace and the subject of grace can be a little bit difficult to get a full grasp on. I think maybe it’s because we’ve heard the word so much. Maybe it’s because it has come to mean so many different things. Grace can mean a woman’s name. Grace is all the way to be associated with a certain denomination or a way of thinking in the Church. Grace means so many things in so many places, that sometimes I think we lose sight of the depth of God’s grace. The hugeness of God’s grace.
But one thing I can tell you for sure, if we do not rightly understand God’s grace then we cannot rightly understand God at all.
We cannot rightly understand God without rightly understanding God’s grace. That is how central grace is to our understanding and our relationship with God. The reason that grace is so huge is that it is a one-sided event. It is all one-sided. God’s grace is one-sided. It is God fully giving himself to those who don’t deserve, have not earned, and can never repay what he’s giving. You see, God’s grace doesn’t really have anything to do with us. There’s no way we can deserve it. There’s nothing we can do to earn it. There’s nothing we can do to repay it. It is the one-sided, miraculous, all-lovingness of God. We define grace, most often, simply as “unmerited or undeserved favor.” Unmerited or undeserved favor is God’s grace. In 2 Samuel Chapter 9 is the grace-filled illustration, the incredible living picture of Mephibosheth.
2 Samuel 9:1 (NKJV)
1 Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness (Hebrew word there – Hesed – it’s a very, very important Hebrew word to know. Translated here, “Kindness”) for Jonathan’s sake?”
The Hebrew word “Hesed” is most often translated, “mercy.” One hundred and forty-nine times it’s translated “mercy.” HESED. It’s also translated often as “lovingkindness.” My favorite translation, personally, is “faithful love.” The faithful of love of God. “Faith full.” Hesed.
Mercy and grace are twin definitions of God’s faithful love. We say this all the time, and it’s something that’s important to know. Grace is getting what you do not deserve. And mercy is not getting what you do deserve. And we use those words – grace and mercy – getting what we don’t deserve and not getting what we do deserve to describe or define God’s faithful love. God’s lovingkindness. That’s this Hebrew word Hesed.
Both Harper’s Bible Dictionary and Vine’s Bible Dictionary list both mercy and grace as definitions of the Hebrew word HESED. Getting what we don’t deserve and not getting what we do deserve.
And so, David says, is there anyone left of the House of Saul that I may show this faithful love, this kindness, this Hesed (grace and mercy) toward?
The question would be, “Why?” Why would you do that, David? If you turn back to 1 Samuel Chapter 20, we’ll know exactly why. The following verse shows us why David wants to show God’s grace and kindness, his mercy, Hesed, his loving faithfulness, lovingkindness to the House of Saul.
In 1 Samuel Chapter 20, Jonathan is speaking to David during this time that David is deciding if Saul really is going to kill him or wants to kill him.
1 Samuel 20:14-16 (NKJV)
14 (Jonathan speaking) And you shall not only show me the kindness (Hesed) of the Lord while I still live, that I may not die;
15 but you shall not cut off your kindness (Hesed) 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.”
16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David,. . .
Look very closely there. It says show me and my house the Hesed of the Lord. The kindness of the Lord. The loving faithfulness, the mercy, and grace of the Lord.
Why would Jonathan ask for such a covenant with David? Jonathan and David loved each other, they were knit to each other’s souls. It’s an incredible picture of relationship and actually a picture (if you go all the way back to David and Goliath) of us with Jesus Christ. Why would Jonathan say to David, “Make a covenant with me to show grace and mercy (Hesed), kindness of the Lord, with my house.”?
Because Jonathan knew what was customary and expected in that time. When there was a change in dynasty, that is a ruling family of kings, when one king’s family was defeated or removed and another king’s family came into power, the expected and assumed response would be to execute everybody from the old king’s family. In fact, it was accepted that every member of the defeated king’s family deserved to be executed. It was understood. Why? Heir to the throne. So, the king would come into the defeated king’s family, that dynasty or lineage of kings, and execute everybody.
And so, Jonathan, knowing that David was going to be king even over himself, that Saul would be removed and that David would be king, knowing this he said, make a covenant with me to show me grace to my family. Hesed – God’s kindness. His unmerited, undeserved favor. Because what is normally is expected and what my family will deserve is judgment. I know you’ll be king. I know that we will deserve to die, show me kindness, show me grace and mercy.
I want you to know as we go back towards 2 Samuel Chapter 9, that the faithful love – the Hesed, the grace – that David shows the House of Saul on Jonathan’s behalf is a perfect picture of the grace that God shows us (the House of Flesh, remember Saul represents the rule of the flesh). This is a perfect illustration of the grace, the unmerited and undeserved favor of God toward us on Christ’s behalf. What I want you to hear today, is that God’s grace towards you is on Christ’s behalf.
I want to show you how serious this expected judgment was on the family of a defeated king.
2 Samuel 4:4 (NKJV)
4 Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel; (what news? News that Saul and Jonathan had been killed in battle) and his nurse took him up and fled. And it happened, as she made haste to flee, that he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.
You want to love that name. Mephibosheth is a picture of you. So, when Mephibosheth is five years old, Jonathan and Saul both are killed in battle, so his nurse picks him up and runs. Why? Because Mephibosheth is going to be executed. It’s normal, it’s customary, it’s what Mephibosheth deserves as a member of the defeated king’s lineage, he’s going to be executed by the new king because he could be heir to the throne. And so, while his nurse is escaping with him, she drops him. And in that injury, he becomes lame in both feet. He is the center of our story today.
2 Samuel 9:1-3 (NKJV)
1 Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him (Hesed) kindness (grace, mercy, faithful love) for Jonathan’s sake?”
2 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, (literally – I am your servant) “At your service!”
3 Then the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the (Hesed) kindness of God?” (the grace of God, the unmerited, undeserved favor) And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet.”
Why would Ziba say that? I believe there is a hint of counsel there to King David. It’s as if Ziba is saying, King David, your highness, there’s only one left and he’s crippled. He’s lame in his feet. And if you want, and if you’re looking to show him kindness, I have to kind of insinuate he’s not the “royal kind.” He’s not too kingly. He wouldn’t really go that well in the palace. You see, he’s lame in both feet.
David answers immediately in verse 4. He doesn’t hesitate a second at this inferred caution of Mephibosheth’s handicap.
2 Samuel 9:4 (NKJV)
4 So the king said to him, “Where is he?”
I didn’t ask you how he was. I asked you where he was because I am seeking him.
… And Ziba said to the king, “Indeed he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar.”
Lo Debar. It sounds depressing, doesn’t it? This one who is lame, who is crippled, he is in Lo Debar. Lo Debar is a very simple word to understand the meaning of. Lo means “no.” Debar means “pasture.” This lame one, this crippled one, he is living in the place of no pasture. He is living in a land of desolation. He’s living in a barren place. He is living in the outer place where there is no pasture. Why?
Why is this one who was potentially heir to a previous kingdom now lame and crippled and living in a desolate and barren place? For the exact same reason that some of us live there. Because he was afraid that if the king were to ever really find him, that he would get just what he deserved. Judgment. And so, he was happy to live lame and crippled in a desolate and dark and barren place, so that he would never have to deal with the king, afraid of the king’s righteousness judgment against him.
Guys, Romans says that we were Christ’s enemies when he died for us. Not only were we in that dark and barren and desolate place, crippled and lame by sin, but we were at enmity with God – at war with God. And that’s when God began to seek us out. That’s when God said, “Where is he or she?”
2 Samuel 9:5 (NKJV)
5 Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar.
And so, Mephibosheth, lame and in a desolate place, gets a knock on the door – probably a pounding – from the “brute squad” of the king. A squadron of soldiers, probably, was sent to fetch him. And as he sees them at his door, he says, my time has come. What I deserve, I deserve. I certainly can’t flee. I have no choice but to go. And so, Mephibosheth, figuring that his “just judgment” was coming to him, goes to David.
2 Samuel 9:6 (NKJV)
6 Now when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself (figuring his time was up). Then David said, “Mephibosheth?” And he answered, “Here is your servant!”
Mephibosheth says I’m ready to take what is justly due me. The judgment that I’ve been hiding from in that dark and desolate place, living with my infirmity, the time has come now for me to experience the judgment of the king. And this king had every right to judge Mephibosheth. Had every right to execute him. Just as God has every right to judge us. Every right to execute us.
And what David says to Mephibosheth is the same thing that God Almighty says to us.
2 Samuel 9:7 (NKJV)
7 So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you (Hesed) kindness…
I will surely show you grace. I will surely show you mercy. I will surely give you that unmerited, undeserved favor that you can never earn, you’ll never deserve, and you can never repay. I’ll give you what you don’t deserve and I won’t give you what you do deserve. Fear not. I will surely show you grace; he says to Mephibosheth.
And guys, that is the faithful lovingkindness of the grace-filled God that the entire New Testament teaches. It’s a picture of the grace of God that’s so powerful if you’ll just put yourself in Mephibosheth’s place. One of the greatest “no fear” chapters in the New Testament has got to be Romans Chapter 8.
Romans 8:15 (NKJV)
15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” (Daddy, daddy)
You didn’t receive the spirit of fear, you received the spirit of adoption. Mephibosheth is on his face expecting judgment. And David says, Fear not. I will show you Hesed. Grace.
Romans 8:31 (NKJV)
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
And then the end of that incredible chapter, in verses 38 and 39 Paul says,
Romans 8:38-39 (NKJV)
38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
39 or height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
That is the love that’s being displayed from David to Mephibosheth that God is painting this picture with. This is the love. It’s called grace. It’s God’s lovingkindness, undeserved, unmerited, never be earned, never to be repaid. It’s God’s faith-filled love.
1 John 4:18 (NKJV)
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear,. . .
And that’s what David is doing for Mephibosheth. Fear not! For I will surely show you Hesed. Grace. Mercy. And God says to us, Fear not! For I will surely show you Hesed. Grace. I will surely show you mercy. I will surely give you unmerited favor. Why does perfect love cast out all fear? Because perfect love is one-sided. The reason that God’s love casts out all fear is because we have nothing to do with it. It’s all one-sided love. He loves us for Christ’s sake. We can’t make him love us any more. We can’t make him love us any less. His love is perfect toward us and it is wrapped up in grace. In giving us what we don’t deserve, of not giving us what we do deserve.
As we continue in verse 7, we find out why David pours grace, Hesed, out onto Mephibosheth.
2 Samuel 9:7 (NKJV)
7 So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, …
Listen, David is saying, Mephibosheth, this has nothing to do with you. I know you’re lame. I know you’re crippled. I know you’ve been in a dark and desolate place. This doesn’t have anything to do with you. This is about Jonathan. This is for Jonathan’s sake.
I want you to see the great peace and confidence there is in that because God’s going to say to you, this isn’t about you. I know you’re lame. I know you’re crippled. I know you came from a dark and desolate place. This is about Christ. And I’m showing you my grace for Christ’s sake. You can’t earn it. You can’t add anything to Christ. You can’t take anything away. My love to you is perfect for Christ’s sake, not because of anything you have or haven’t done. That’s God’s grace. When God pours his grace out on you it’s for Christ’s sake. It’s not because you deserve it. It’s not because you’ve earned it. And you’ll never be able to repay it. It’s for Christ’s sake. Just like David is pouring out grace on Mephibosheth for Jonathan’s sake.
Mephibosheth was right in expecting judgment from God. Instead, what he got was grace beyond what he could imagine. We are Mephibosheth.
2 Samuel 9:7 (NKJV)
7 …and (I – inferred) will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.”
Not only will I pour out grace unimaginable to you, but you are going to become family. Mephibosheth is laying in the dirt, face-down, waiting for the sword to come across his neck. And David says, fear not. For I will show you grace, returning blessing upon blessing to you. And not only that, get up because you are family now.
We need to understand that. The only response that Mephibosheth is left with – there’s no other way to respond – is the exact same response that we must get to in order to understand grace. Mephibosheth’s response is in verse 8. And when we understand (and we can never understand truly or fully because we don’t work that way – only God does) God’s grace we’ll say what Mephibosheth says here.
2 Samuel 9:8 (NKJV)
8 Then he bowed himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?”
That’s understanding grace. Who am I, God Almighty? Who am I that the Creator of the Universe who would rightly be perfectly just and holy in executing eternal judgment upon me, who am I that God would show me grace abounding? Eternal grace. That he would not only pour out grace upon me but that he would make me to eat at his table. I am lame. Crippled. And I come from a dark and desolate place. I deserve judgment. I’ve done nothing to earn this grace, and there’s nothing I can do to earn it. All I can do is receive it. And I don’t understand why God would pour his grace out on me.
Mephibosheth didn’t understand. Mephibosheth says, who am I that you would show this lovingkindness to when I’ve done nothing to deserve it. And while Mephibosheth is in the midst of unbelieving, David says, I’m just getting started. And God says the same thing to us when we understand God’s grace. He says, you haven’t heard anything yet!
David does the same thing to Mephibosheth that God does to us. We see it in verse 9.
2 Samuel 9:9-10 (NKJV)
9 And the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “I have given to your master’s son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house.
10 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 Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
You have got to see this picture. Mephibosheth is face-down in the dirt in front of the king. He is lame. He is not kingly, there is no royalty in him. He’s come from a dark and desolate and a barren place. And simply from laying on his face before the king, suddenly he’s got so much grace poured out on him that it takes thirty-six servants just to manage it. Ziba, fifteen sons, twenty servants – all set to manage the things that the king is about to pour out on Mephibosheth for no reason except the king’s covenant with Jonathan.
All we do is lay there in awe. And God says, For Christ’s sake I’m going to pour out so much upon you that it’s going to take thirty-six servants just to manage it. But for you, you’re going to eat at my table. You’re going to eat bread at my table continually. That’s God’s grace.
You’ve got to understand the exaltation that happens at the end of verse 11 to Mephibosheth.
2 Samuel 9:11 (NKJV)
11 Then Ziba 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 (in the same way as) one of the king’s sons.”
It’s not enough that David didn’t execute Mephibosheth like he deserved to be executed. It’s not enough that David poured out blessings on Mephibosheth that it takes thirty-six servants to care for them. It’s not enough that Mephibosheth gets to eat at the table of the king. David is making him a son!
THAT’S US!!! That’s what grace does! We don’t get what we deserve and God starts pouring out grace upon us. And then he says, not only am I giving you all this, but you’re going to sit at my table – at the banqueting table. And by the way, you’re not going to be a guest. You’re going to be just like one of my own sons. We’re still face-down in the dirt, we haven’t done anything because we can’t. There’s nothing we can do. What can Mephibosheth do for David? Nothing. He’s lame. He’s crippled. He has come from a barren place. He’s got nothing to offer David, nothing to repay him with. He’s just receiving what God is pouring out on him.
That’s a picture of grace.
Mephibosheth becomes a joint-heir with David’s sons, sitting at his table with full rights and privileges as David’s own sons. Just like us.
2 Samuel 9:12 (NKJV)
12 Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Micha. And all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth.
Guys, verse 13 is for us. If you have received the saving grace of God in Christ Jesus (and trust me – that’s your only role is to receive it), then verse 13 is for you. Verse 13 is about you.
2 Samuel 9:13 (NKJV)
13 So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem (that is the City of God), for he ate continually at the king’s table. And he was lame in both his feet.
The king of grace went searching for one who was lame, who was crippled and living in a dark and desolate place. And he brought him in, and not only did he not give him the judgment he deserved, but he poured out grace upon him. So much that it took three dozen servants to manage it. And then he brought him to his own table, but not as a guest, he made him a full-fledged son. Mephibosheth had done nothing except receive the grace of the king. That’s grace. That’s a picture of grace.
I’d like to give you one more picture back up in chapter 8. I want to introduce you to King David’s cabinet. Just like the President would have a cabinet of his top leaders. This is a list, an invitation list (if you will), of King David’s cabinet.
2 Samuel 8:15-18 (NKJV)
15 So David reigned over all Israel; and David administered judgment and justice to all his people.
16 Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army (the Commander of the Armed Forces); Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder;
17 Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were the priests; Seraiah was the scribe;
18 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over both the Cherethites and the Pelethites (those were the elite Guard of David, this was the Commander of the most elite Army in David’s cabinet); and David’s sons were chief ministers.
I need you to imagine a full-dress dinner at the palace. And in the foyer of the palace, the chariots and the entourages begin to arrive. Out of the first one steps Joab, the Commander of the Armed Forces in full dress. After him, Jehoshaphat, the recorder. Then Zadok and Ahimelech the priests come in full garb. Seraiah, the scribe comes. Benaiah the Commander of the Elite Forces of the King shows in full color. And then David’s own sons, chief ministers, come to this invitation-only full-dress dinner.
And as they’re standing in the palace, King David, himself, comes in. But they don’t sit down yet. It’s as if they’re waiting for something or someone to come. And then down the hall, the dignitaries begin to hear, shhhhh-clunk. Shhhhh-clunk. Shhhhh-clunk. And the door of the banquet room opens, and in walks Mephibosheth. And Mephibosheth limps to the table and sits down (and listen carefully), the tablecloth of the king covers his feet. Then the dignitaries sit down. And then the feast to the king is brought.
I want you to know that’s how it’s going to be in heaven. There’s a banqueting table in heaven, and there are dignitaries of Christ that will be there. Abraham will be there. Noah will be there (smelling a bit musty, maybe). Moses will be there. King David, himself, will be there. Elijah, Elisha, the prophets will be there. The Disciples will be there. The Apostle Paul will be there. Jesus Christ, himself, will be there. But they’ll be waiting because someone is not there yet.
And then you and I show up, minus the limp. And as we move to the table, then the dignitaries sit down. And the wedding feast of the Lamb takes place. And we’re there not as a guest. They were waiting for us because we are full-fledged sons and daughters of the King, with all rights but no reason.
That’s a picture of God’s grace. Nothing we can do to deserve it. Nothing we can do to earn it. Nothing we can do to repay it. God’s grace is unmerited, undeserved favor. It is lovingkindness that never ends. It is a faithful love that is a perfect love. And it is God pouring his grace out upon us for Christ’s sake. We haven’t done anything to be there, except to receive his grace.
There are people listening who need to hear that. Maybe you think that there is something you need to do to deserve God’s grace. That somehow you have to earn the grace of God. Or that if you do receive it, there’s something you have to do to repay it. Please hear me, there’s one person listening that is worse off than you. If you think you have to earn, that you have to do something to deserve God’s grace, let me tell you the person who is in worse shape. That’s the person who thinks they have earned it. Or thinks they do deserve God’s grace.
God’s grace is unmerited, undeserved. It is poured out for the receiving by any lame, crippled Mephibosheth who comes in from a dark and barren place, and lays prostrate before the King, expecting judgment, but instead, receiving life. And not only life but blessings. And not only blessings but a seat at the King’s table. And not only a seat at the King’s table, but full-fledged child worth and right. Sonship. Daughter-ship. Full-fledged because of God’s grace.