Our scripture reading this morning is taken from the Old Testament. It can be found in your Bible in 2 Samuel 9, if you would please stand for the reading of God's Word. 2 Samuel 9. And David said, Is there still anyone left in the house of Saul that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake? Now there was a servant in the house of Saul whose name was Zeba. And they called him to David and the king said to him, Are you Zeba? And he said, I am your servant. And the king said, Is there not still someone in the house of Saul that I may show the kindness of God to him? Zeba said to the king, There is still a son of Jonathan. He is crippled in his feet. The king said to him, Where is he? And Zeba said to the king, He is in the house of Macker, the son of Amiel at Lodabar. Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Macker, the son of Amiel at Lodabar. And Mephibashat, the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, Mephibashat, And the answer be, Hold, I am your servant. And David said to him, I will not fear for, I will show you kindness for the sake of your father, Jonathan. And I will restore to you all the land of Saul, your father. And you shall eat at my table always. And he paid homage and said, What is your servant? That you should show regard for a dead dog, such as I. Then the king called Zeba, Saul's servant and said to him, All that belonged to Saul into all his house, I have given to your master's grandson. And you, and your sons and your servants, shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce. That your master's grandson may have bred to eat. But Mephibashat, your master's grandson, shall always eat at my table. Now Zeba had 15 sons and 20 servants. Then Zeba said to the king, According to all that my Lord, the king, commands his servant, So will your servant do. So Mephibashat 8 at David's table, Like one of the king's sons. And Mephibashat had a young son whose name was Micah. And all who lived in Zeba's house became Mephibashat's servants. So Mephibashat lived in Jerusalem, For he ate always at the king's table. Now he was lame in both his feet. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God, you may be seated.
Just a few short years ago we traveled to Pasadena To attend a sporting event known as the Rose Bowl. There were some folks from the University of Texas Who had a dog in the fight that year. And we had a little bit of a problem. We had two tickets and three people. So I took Jordan and Sarah along with me. And we arrived in Pasadena. And I let the kids go on in to the Rose Bowl. And I figured I would just smooth a little bit And possibly purchase someone's extra ticket. Well in the process of doing that, I stood behind the University of Texas fan Who paid out 12 crisp $100 bills for his ticket. And I quickly resigned myself to trying to find A television set in the parking lot. So I started working in the parking lot. And as I worked the parking lot, I saw a man who had the trunk of his Buick open. And inside that, he has inserted a wide screen television. And I don't know how, but he had perfect reception Of the Rose Bowl. And so I watched the Rose Bowl in the parking lot. Had a wonderful spread of food. A number of beverages available. Around the fourth quarter, I noticed that people started to leave the Rose Bowl. And I'm thinking in my brain, what are these people doing? And so I had this sense that the game was really just about to begin. Having watched it on television for three quarters. And so I walked up to one of the security personnel And simply said, you know, that person is leaving. May I have their seat? And they said, you're going in. So I walked into the Rose Bowl without a ticket. I found myself standing at the 50 yard line in the middle of the fourth quarter As Vince Young took over the football game. And we were screaming and laughing. I'm not particularly a University of Texas fan. I cheered for the University of Tennessee. They unfortunately were unable to be involved in a bowl this year. But I stood at the 50 yard line And I just said to myself, what am I doing here? How in the world did I get into the Rose Bowl without a ticket? And I'm standing on the 50 yard line. You know, I believe that at some point in Mepheboshet's life As he was eating at King David's Table. He said, what am I doing here? How did I get from low to bar to eating every day at King David's Table As one of his sons? The history of this text is fantastic. We have finally found David to be the crowned king of Israel and Judah. It took some doing. You remember he was anointed king back in the book we referred to as first Samuel. And it took all these years until he finally in a number of military, a number of political moves established Jerusalem as the united city, if you will, the capital city. And he had taken care of the enemies around him. And then in chapter 7 we find this pinnacle of the Old Testament. Someone even say the entire Bible. When we find the Davidic covenant, this amazing promise, this covenant God makes with David and says, I will in you and through you and after you create a dynasty. There will always be your son on the throne. And David is pondering that. And as he ponders it, he actually begins to act as a king. And he begins to take steps. He moves on into chapter 8. And as you remember, he continues to conquer his enemies. And then he comes to chapter 9. And in chapter 9 he is musing about his past relationships with Saul and with Jonathan. And I would imagine in some ways David is saying, I have finally made it. I have finally made it to the throne. And as he is thinking, he begins to ponder this relationship that he had with Jonathan. And he wants to show kindness. He wants to show kindness to somebody in the house of Saul. And he asks, is there anyone? Is there anyone? I might have an opportunity to show kindness. And if you look in verse 3, he modifies that a little bit. He said, is there not still someone? This sense of, isn't there anybody out there? Is there not still someone of the house of Saul that I may show and listen to how he modifies this? He says, the kindness of God to him, the kindness of God. You see, as a recipient of God's grace, David is now in a position to dispense God's grace. Because he's meditating, he's absorbing, he's believing the word of God spoken to him by God. He has this sense of destiny. He has this sense that his future has laid out that the hand of God, if you will, has been placed on his shoulder. He has that sense of blessing in God's grace. Generous people, gracious people, are first of all people who've received grace. They've experienced the grace of God. And we find King David as that very person. We find King David, although he was a great sinner, he was also a great saint. He was a man who had received the grace of God. And now he's going to dispense the grace of God. And I want you to, if you will, turn your attention for a moment upon the man that David dispenses this grace, to Mephibasheth. Mephibasheth is somebody who, when he's referred to in the Bible, he's almost always referred to as being lame. He's crippled in both his feet. And so, if you will, you see the literary artistry of this passage as the author, under the power of the Holy Spirit, has brought together this sense of this odd couple. David, the king, gracious, kind, merciful, and Mephibasheth, this heir apparent to the throne. He was Jonathan Sun, Saul, Jonathan Mephibasheth. After Isbasheth was killed, it's Mephibasheth, who's next in line. And David has him eating at his table, lame in both his feet. You see, when Saul and Jonathan were killed back in 2 Samuel 4, you'll find this account. And as they were killed, there's now the possibility of some sort of a coup, some sort of a takeover. And so Mephibasheth's nursemaid picks him up. And as she's running for safety, the prince falls from her arms and becomes lame in both his feet. He's hiding, if you will, down in low debar. In the home of Macker, this bi-partisan wealthy man, who later refined in 2 Samuel, actually helped to harbor David when he was escaping from Absalom. And in the home of David, Mephibasheth languishes. He's hiding. He has nothing to do with his life. And God finds him by expressing the kindness of God through David for Mephibasheth. There's a particular phrase in this passage that has grit my heart in the last few weeks. And it's the phrase that's repeated, it says, is there still someone left? Is there not still someone of the house of Saul? And I would ask you this morning, is there not still someone in this room this morning? Is there not still someone left who could enjoy the grace of God? Who could enjoy the covenant promises fulfilled in Christ and given to you freely? You see, under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit, we understand that this passage is a magnificent, historical piece explaining the relationship between the high and anointed king and the lowly Mephibasheth, who's lame in both his feet. There's a bit of a triangulation going on in this passage that I want you to ponder before we come to the Lord's table. We have three prominent characters, one is King David. The other is his servant, Ziba, who is actually the servant from the house of Saul, and then we have Mephibasheth. Now many people believe that Ziba was a bit of a deceiver, and Mephibasheth was an innocent, lowly humble man stumbling along, if you will. I'm going to argue the exact opposite. I believe that Mephibasheth was a conniving man of self-interest and mixed motives. If you would look in chapter 16 of 2 Samuel, we'll hear this story of David fleeing from his son, Absalom, looking for refuge. Verse 1 of chapter 16 of 2 Samuel, when David had passed a little beyond the summit, Ziba, the servant of Mephibasheth, met him with a couple of donkeys, saddled, burying 200 loaves of bread. A hundred bunches of raisins and a hundred of summer fruits and a skin of wine. And the king said to Ziba, why have you brought these? Ziba answered, the donkeys are for the king's household to ride on. The bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for those who faint in the wilderness to drink. And the king said, and where is your master's son referring to Mephibasheth? Ziba said to the king, behold, he remains in Jerusalem, for he said, today the house of Israel will give me back the kingdom of my father. Then the king said to Ziba, behold, all that belonged to Mephibasheth is now yours. And Ziba said, I pay homage. Let me ever find favor in your sight, my lord, the king. Now the little editorial comment, which by the way is not found within the original Hebrew scriptures, at the beginning of that passage says Ziba lies to David. The editorial comment and the commentator is convinced that Ziba is indeed an underhanded servant, a conniving underhanded servant. I don't think David completely believes that. If you'll turn to chapter 19 with me. I want you to recognize that now David has completed a exile. He's returning to Jerusalem, and he has an opportunity to pardon some of his enemies. He first of all meets with Shame, the son of Gera in verse 16. I want you to notice verse 24. And Mephibasheth, the son of Saul, came down to meet the king. And he had neither taken care of his feet nor trimmed his beard nor washed his clothes from the day the king departed until the day he came back in safety. Reminds Bible students a little bit of the Gibbianites, verse 25. And when he came to Jerusalem to meet the king, the king said to him, why did you not go with me Mephibasheth? And he answered, my Lord, O king, my servant deceived me for your servant said to him, I will saddle a donkey for myself and I may ride on it and go with the king. For your servant is lame, Mephibasheth reminds David of his lameness. Verse 27, he's slandered your servant to my Lord the king. But my Lord the king is like an angel of God. Do therefore what seems good to you. For all my father's house were but men doomed to death before my Lord the king. But you set your servant among those who eat at your table. What further right have I then to cry to the king? And the king said to him, why speak any more of your affairs? I've decided you and Zibashel divide the land. And Mephibasheth said to the king, oh, let him take it all since my Lord the king has come home safely. The Lord doesn't buy Mephibasheth's story completely. In fact, David believes that Mephibasheth isn't telling the truth. David knows the heart of Mephibasheth though he's eaten at his table daily. He's seen Mephibasheth's heart. Mephibasheth watched as Absalom set about conspiring to take over. He developed that conspiracy with Mephibasheth sitting quietly at David's table, quietly moving about David's abode, listening to the stories from the servants. He listened to all that and did nothing. Mephibasheth was a man who in some way was hoping to replace David. His big moment came when Absalom sought to overthrow his own father and take over the kingdom. And while David and left Jerusalem and an Absalom pursues him, who's left in Jerusalem? Who's left to enjoy? Who's left to look as though he indeed has been anointed king, none other than Mephibasheth? Before I continue to beat up Mephibasheth, as I've been meditating on this passage for a while I want to confess to you that I share the heart of Mephibasheth, a heart of self-interest, a heart of jealousy, a heart underneath the grace of God's merciful kindness. A heart that does indeed seek self-interest. Is it possible to eat at the Lord's table and still be one who is of mixed motives? Do you ever come to the Lord's table and say, what am I doing here? There's such a big gap between the people we want to be and the people we really are. And how you fill that gap is critical in understanding what you really believe. Do you fill that gap with earnest little efforts at self-righteousness? Or do you fill that gap quietly and yet confidently with the work of Jesus Christ and His righteousness? Do you see yourself as spiritually lame in both feet when you come to the Lord's table? Do you mumble in your heart so that no one but the Holy Spirit can hear and say, what am I doing here? Do I really belong at this table? You know, I'm surrounded by these saints and what am I? Who am I? Who do I think I am, your poor lost sinner, in need of a Savior? In need of a Savior as described in Romans, chapter 5, beginning in verse 6, for while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person, though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die. But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us, since therefore we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son much more. Now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life? More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. David's table was a table of reconciliation. It says that Mephibasheth ate their daily. He enjoyed the varied foods, prepared each day, succulent, wonderful treats. But somewhere deep in his heart, I believe he was brooding. He was brooding over David and how this usurper had taken his place. I want you to know that sometimes as we ponder the gospel, we have a sense of resentment toward the Lord, a sense of resentment because he continually affirms in us our weakness. The Holy Spirit is faithful and diligent and loving to reveal to us that we are spiritually lame in both our feet, and that there is only one who runs the race of righteousness. And that is none other than our King Jesus, the one who fulfilled the covenant that was given to David. He is the captain of our souls. We worship him today. We eat at his table today. Partake humbly with your spiritual eyes wide open and feed on him by faith in your heart. Amen.