One of My Favorite Stories!

So the king asked, "Is there anyone left of Saul’s family I can show the kindness of God to?"

Ziba said to the king, "There is still Jonathan’s son who is lame in both feet."

Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem because he always ate at the king’s table. He was lame in both feet.

2 Samuel 9:3, 13 (HCSB)

The word “kindness” translates the Hebrew chesed, which, to me, is the equivalent of the Greek word charis, translated in New Testament as “grace.” David wanted to show God’s grace to someone of Saul’s household.

Typically one of the first orders of business for a new monarch was to “clean up loose ends.” This meant eliminating all contestants to his power… killing off any challengers to his throne. This, I’m sure, is what Mephibosheth expected. He was hiding out in a place called “Lo-debar,” which meant “without pasture.” It was a distant, deserted, dismal place. No one would choose to live there—unless they were hiding from something. That is exactly what Mephibosheth was doing when soldiers came knocking on his door. The day he dreaded had now arrived.

But instead of finding his head on a chopping block he found himself eating at the king’s table like one of this own sons!

Oh yes, and I have not mentioned he was handicapped. In a hasty get-away his nurse dropped him. Both his feet were broken and not properly set. The bones had healed, but not cleanly. Hence he was crippled in both his feet.

This is a picture of the Christian. We are Mephbosheth in this story. We are the ones crippled by our parent’s hasty attempt to run away from God. We are the ones living in Lo-debar, a deserted place, hiding from God. We will not come to God on our own. We expect the worst from Him—Divine judgment. Faithful servants must come looking for us with tidings of good news! They must carry us by prayer and faith into the King’s presence, the only place where we can experience God’s favor. We are afraid, but how quickly does perfect love cast away all fear! We bow—poor, undeserving sinners, spiritual cripples incapable of doing anything for God at all—but we rise as sons of the King! We experience the amazing grace of God! From that day forward we sit at the King’s table like the King’s own Son, enjoying the bounty of His glory.

I am Mephibosheth—and happy to be him! Are you?