GOD’S GRACE…IT’S AMAZING!
God’s unmerited favor bestowed
lavishly upon us is revealed in a powerful array of scriptural portraits. I love the spectacular story of Mephibosheth
because it is so characteristic and revealing of the Father's nature. How special it is for God-in-Christ to touch
and transform us through agape love, thus making the ultimate sacrifice for our
safety, security and salvation! And how utterly
marvelous it is that the He encounters us in the places in which we reside, and
transports us to providential palaces of peace and provision.
Although David was a bona fide
champion of Israel, he had become increasingly despised by King Saul. The king was motivated by a fierce jealousy;
and, the Word declares that “jealousy is cruel as the grave.” (Song of Solomon
8:6) It fueled Saul’s dark determination
to seek David’s total destruction. However,
the principles of sowing and reaping apply in every arena of life. The Word declares, “Do not be deceived; God is
not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” (Galatians 6:7) Thus, Saul’s animus toward David eventuated in
his own death, and even in the death of Prince Jonathan, Saul’s beloved son and
David’s closest friend. There is a
definite correlation between our deeds and the welfare of those connected to
us; this we should never forget. Nevertheless,
I find it entirely fascinating that God provides refuge for His own in the
least likely of places. Who would have
thought that David would experience such a remarkable friendship, freely
bestowed by the offspring of his chief enemy?
I Samuel 19:1-3 (NKJV)
1 Now Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David; but Jonathan, Saul’s son, delighted greatly in David. 2 So Jonathan told David, saying, “My father Saul seeks to kill you. Therefore please be on your guard until morning, and stay in a secret place and hide. 3 And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak with my father about you. Then what I observe, I will tell you.”
1 Now Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David; but Jonathan, Saul’s son, delighted greatly in David. 2 So Jonathan told David, saying, “My father Saul seeks to kill you. Therefore please be on your guard until morning, and stay in a secret place and hide. 3 And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak with my father about you. Then what I observe, I will tell you.”
In the aftermath of King Saul’s
death, agape love motivated David to ask an unlikely and unexpected question:
“Is there anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness
for Jonathan’s sake?” (II Samuel 9:1) In
response, Ziba, one of Saul’s stewards, informed David of a surviving heir, the
grandson of Saul and the son of Jonathan. He bore a rather strange sounding name,
Mephibosheth. Not only was he dwelling
in the god-forsaken city of Lodebar, he was physically handicapped as well. Question: Why would the son of the prince of
Israel dwell in such a terrible place?
Answer: FEAR is the ultimate mind-killer and the destroyer of destiny. Mephibosheth’s fear of retribution, coupled
with anxiety regarding his physical state, moved him away from (not towards)
the place of his heritage. When summoned
by King David, he arrived with great trepidation and trembling.
Remember this: Fear aggressively distorts
the image of God in us. It is a highly
effective satanic strategy that encases our perceptions within perverted prisms
of doubt and despair, through which we come to view ourselves, others and the
world around us. Nevertheless, “God has
not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, of love, and of a sound mind.”
(II Timothy 1:7) The key to
understanding Mephibosheth’s state-of-mind is the fact that his adverse life
circumstances were caused by the negligence of others. At the age of five, his nurse dropped him
while fleeing in haste, resulting in his permanent foot disability. So Mephibosheth arrived (with a limp) for his
audience with the newly-crowned king. Incidentally,
whenever God calls us to His royal
courts, He is totally aware of our
limp, that is, He knows all about our sins, deficits and deficiencies. Mephibosheth was profoundly shaken because he
knew his grandfather had been King David’s archenemy. He had
the expectation that he would become a victim of revenge, based upon his
unfortunate lineage and his obvious physical challenges. Isn’t it characteristic of satanic deception
to motivate us to look ONLY at what is negative
or what is NOT present in our lives, as opposed to the power or
potential that IS present? Mephibosheth’s
fear caused a curious strain of spiritual amnesia. He totally forgot that the newly-crowned king
and his father, Jonathan, were the best of friends!
As Mephibosheth bowed before the
king, his very first words were a self-debasing question: “What is your servant, that you should look
upon such a dead dog as I?” What an
incredibly distorted self-portrait he had painted! Always remember that your first step toward
spiritual liberation and blessing is to start seeing yourself as GOD sees you! However, instead of pursuing anything that was
punitive, the king offered what I call a GRACE-REWARD. Summoning Ziba, King David decreed that
Mephibosheth would inherit all the lands that had belonged to Saul and
Jonathan. Ziba, along with his fifteen
sons and twenty servants, would be held accountable to farm those lands and to
pass along all profits to the self-proclaimed “dead dog,” Mephibosheth. And from that moment onward, Mephibosheth
would live rent-free in the palace and dine daily with the king. King David proclaimed “He shall eat at my
table like one of the king’s sons.” (II Samuel 9:11) What a miraculous manifestation of God’s
grace!
Although your past captivity in this
world system of sin and shame might make you feel at times like a “dead dog,”
THE KING OF KINGS “RESTORES” YOUR SOUL (your mind, will, intellect, imagination
and emotions) and extends to you His matchless, inimitable, everlasting and
amazing grace. (Psalm 23:3) And from
that point onward, you commune daily and
fellowship joyfully in HIS presence. David had received such amazing grace from his
HEAVENLY FATHER, and he paid-forward that same grace-legacy by demonstrating
mercy and kindness to his ‘apparently undeserving’ NEWLY-ADOPTED SON. Here’s how David would have visualized those
twin miracles of God’s grace: “You will show me the path of life; in Your presence
is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm
16:11) God’s
grace…it’s absolutely amazing!
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