Mephibosheth
0 Amens
The Story of Mephibosheth
2 Samual 4:4; 9:1-13 “4 (Jonathan son of Saul had ason who was lame in both feet. He was five years old when the news about Sauland Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as shehurried to leave, he fell and became crippled. His name was Mephibosheth.)
1 David asked, "Is thereanyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness forJonathan's sake?" 2 Now there was a servant of Saul's household namedZiba. They called him to appear before David, and the king said to him,"Are you Ziba?" "Your servant," he replied. 3 The king asked, "Isthere no one still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show God'skindness?" Ziba answered the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan;he is crippled in both feet." 4 "Where is he?" theking asked. Ziba answered, "He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel inLo Debar." 5 So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house ofMakir son of Ammiel. 6 When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul,came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor. David said,"Mephibosheth!" "Your servant," he replied. 7 "Don't be afraid,"David said to him, "for I will surely show you kindness for the sake ofyour father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to yourgrandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table." 8 Mephibosheth bowed down andsaid, "What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog likeme?"
9 Then the king summoned Ziba,Saul's servant, and said to him, "I have given your master's grandsoneverything that belonged to Saul and his family. 10 You and your sons and yourservants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that yourmaster's grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master,will always eat at my table." (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twentyservants.) 11 Then Ziba said to the king, "Your servant will do whatevermy lord the king commands his servant to do." So Mephibosheth ate atDavid's table like one of the king's sons. 12 Mephibosheth had a young sonnamed Mica, and all the members of Ziba's household were servants ofMephibosheth. 13 And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at theking's table, and he was crippled in both feet.
Ministry – Lion’s Share –leadership evolvement ministry – Marketplace leaders; youth leadershipintensive in the summer; father’s leadership – men who have been father’s inkey leadership like Jack Hayford, Bill Bright, Billy Graham etc. – a placewhere some of these older leaders can share their heart – not many places wheredeveloping leaders can go to hear about heart issues
Just got back fromSingapore yesterday afternoon; great trip;
Last Sunday,speaking at Church of Our Savior in Singapore a woman brought Dan a gift – at aChurch Camp a while back, Dan talked about Jonathon’s crippled son Mephibosheth– Handicapped in Singapore are seen of as less – there is a stigma that goes with it; woman had adream for these people to create a company for the handicapped people to feel acontribution to society – the gift: a hand painted cup of the Golden Gate ofJerusalem with the company logo – the company is full of handicapped people;there is nothing like this in Singapore, or in Southeast Asia – her dream wasto touch handicapped people and share the love of Jesus with them – atremendous way of evangelism
It is an interestingpicture of a time when Solomon and all of his sons were killed and news getsback to the palace that the king and all of his sons are dead. The people are expecting a takeover –the heirs to the kings family and all of the servants are expecting death orslavery and are wanting to get out of there as quickly as possible – the nursepicks up Mephibosheth and starts to run and drops him, after he is dropped, heis crippled, and he is taken way out into the wilderness and into exile –growing up without a father or any tie to his lineage and listening to thestories of life at the palace. NowDavid is King and it would have been easy for the servants to project this allon David.
We live in a world where alot of people have been dropped – physically, spiritually, emotionally – bysociety, their families – by people who should have protected them and takencare of them – the ramifications of how that goes on generation to generationcan be great – people are crippled because of things that happened in theirfamilies or in the church – the nurse maid did not do anything deliberately –we drop a lot of people – the world is full of Mephibosheths – people that aredropped and crippled.
We get too busy with church– with producing our program (important things) but in doing so, people fallthrough the cracks – if they do not fit into our program, they just fallthrough the cracks or get put aside
Then Mephibosheth went intoexile – a lonely, isolated, desolate place – in that society, being crippledwas associated with shame and some great sin – he or his family did somethingwrong; when David brought him into the palace, a cripple was not allowed by lawinto the palace because he was crippled by an event he had nothing to do withand now exiled and being raised by servants in the house of a Baal worshipper –the servants did not feel a “king” responsibility for him – he is totally atthe mercy of another; you can imagine the hurt and resentment and bitternessand how he would begin to feel about himself
All the years pass and nowMephibosheth has a child of his own and David remembers his covenant withJonathon. Most likely, there wereno rumors of survivors of Jonathon
Ÿ We need to Remember - what the church is all about
The covenant waswith Jonathon that if anything happens to me, you will take care of my family –a commitment of a love relationship
The definition of the churchis doing what Jesus did – through the power of the Holy Spirit
WE NEED TO BEGIN TO BEINVOLVED WITH TOUCHING OUR WORLD IN A STRONGER WAY – WITH BEING INVOLVED WITHTHE BRUISED AND THE BROKEN!!!!!
Ÿ We need to Respond
David responded toremembering the covenant
David goes to his staff andasks if there is anyone still alive – he said something is stirring me,troubling me – and took steps about it
Zibba says that there isMephibosheth and David sends his servants to go get him
We are moving from a churchculture to a missions culture
The church is thecenter of our world – that is the way it was even 50 years ago – people wouldcome to the church; today, most people see the church as irrelevant, not aplace where the answers are
A missions culture asks“how do I get them? How do I fitinto their world?”
We cannot take the“Christian” culture and force it on them
David went afterMephibosheth – who would have never come to the palace on his own, he wouldhave been afraid for his life and ashamed
Ÿ We need to Receive
They went andbrought Mephibosheth back to the palace; Mephibosheth throws himself on thefloor before David (Mephibosheth has no knowledge of the covenant between Davidand Jonathon); the name Mephibosheth means “destroying shame”; a cripple wouldnot have been allowed in the palace – David receives him and accepts him justas he is – I want you to be one of my sons – absolute, total and completeacceptance
We may see something we donot like in someone, but we can accept them completely – there is no such thingas an unimportant person to God
Ÿ We need to Restore
David restored everythingto Mephibosheth – David did not need to do this – Mephibosheth did not deserveany of this, it was because of David’s Covenant with Jonathon
Our challenge is to havethe heart of King David
To remember whatthis is all about
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