PRIORITIZE THE INVITATION
Text: 2 Samuel 9:1-13
1 And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?
2 And 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, Art thou Ziba? And he said, Thy servant is he.
3 And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet.
4 And 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 Lodebar.
5 Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lodebar.
6 Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant!
7 And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.
8 And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?
9 Then the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said unto him, I have given unto thy master’s son all that pertained to Saul and to all his house.
10 Thou therefore, and thy sons, and thy servants, shall till the land for him, and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master’s son may have food to eat: but Mephibosheth thy master’s son shall eat bread alway at my table. Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
11 Then said Ziba unto the king, According to all that my lord the king hath commanded his servant, so shall thy servant do. As for Mephibosheth, said the king, he shall eat at my table, as one of the king’s sons.
12 And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Micha. And all that dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants unto Mephibosheth.
13 So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king’s table; and was lame on both his feet.
1. The King’s Invitation (vv. 1-11)
- v. 1 – The question – Who is there to whom I can show
Chessed (Hebrew) means giving oneself fully to another with love and compassion. By reason we conclude that if grace means giving oneself fully to another then by default it also means receiving another fully and that the reception is not based on deservedness, earning it, or the ability to return it.
Jonathan has a son, Mephibosheth, which is living in Lodebar (the place of no pasture). David invites Mephibosheth to eat at his table as a son (v. 11). He restores all the lands of Saul to Mephibosheth (v. 7).
2. The Invitation’s Illustration
1) Previous close relationship
- Like Adam, Mephibosheth once knew what it was like to be in close relationship to the
2) Suffering a great fall
- Mephibosheth was permanently disabled as the result of a fall.
- When sin came into creation, Adam and Eve took a great fall. What was once uninterrupted
3) Demonstration of
- David, for the sake of his love for Jonathan, acted in kindness and unconditional love toward Mephibosheth.
- God, out of love for His Son, Jesus, and the penalty He paid on the cross, demonstrates His grace to believing sinners.
4) Undeserving and nothing to offer
- Mephibosheth had nothing to offer David. He could never repay David for what David would do in his life.
- We deserve nothing and have nothing to offer God.
5)
- David restored Mephibosheth from a place of barrenness to a place of honor.
- He invited a broken man from the place of no pasture to a place of plenty.
- God invites us from where we are (were) to where He is – to a place of fellowship, to a place of restoration.
6) Adoption
- Mephibosheth became like one of the sons of the king. He had a place at the table, the king’s table.
- When God extends his grace to us in salvation, he adopts us into His family. He chooses us. He gives us the rights of
3. Our Participation
1) Share
2) Share
3) Share what
- The outcome of the story is determined by the choice made to accept or reject the invitation.
- The greatest blessing of coming to the table is being treated like a son or daughter of the king.