2 Samuel 9

2 Samuel 9

William MacDonald - Truths to Live By (2 Sam. 9:1) Mephibosheth was a grandson of King Saul, who had repeatedly tried to take David’s life. He therefore came from a rebel family that might have expected to be wiped out when David came to the throne. In addition to that, Mephibosheth was a helpless cripple, having been dropped by his nurse when he was young. The fact that he lived in someone else’s home in Lo-debar, meaning “no pasture,” suggests that he was impoverished. Lo-debar was on the east side of the Jordan and therefore “afar off” from Jerusalem, God’s dwelling. There was no merit in Mephibosheth as far as David’s favor was concerned. In spite of all that, David inquired concerning him, sent messengers after him, brought him to the royal palace, assured him that there was nothing to fear, enriched him with all Saul’s land, provided him with a retinue of servants to wait on him and honored him with a permanent place at the king’s table as one of the king’s sons. Why did David show such mercy, grace and compassion to one who was so unworthy? The answer is “for Jonathan’s sake.” David had made a covenant with Jonathan, the father of Mephibosheth, that he would never cease to show kindness to Jonathan’s family. It was an unconditional covenant of grace (1 Sam. 20:14-17). Mephibosheth realized this, for when he was first ushered into the king’s presence, he prostrated himself and said that “a dead dog” like he did not deserve such kindness. It should not be difficult for us to find ourselves in this picture. We were born of a rebel, sinful race under the condemnation of death. We were morally deformed and paralyzed by sin. We too dwelt in a land of “no pasture,” spiritually starved. Not only were we doomed, helpless and impoverished, we were “afar off” from God, without Christ and without hope. There was nothing in us to draw forth God’s love and kindness. Yet God sought us, found us, delivered us from the fear of death, blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies, brought us to His banqueting table, and raised the banner of His love over us. Why did He do it? It was for Jesus’ sake. And it was because of His covenant of grace under which He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. The fitting response for us is to prostrate ourselves in His presence and say, “What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?” 2 Samuel 9:2 Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David; and the king said to him, "Are you Ziba?" And he said, "I am your servant." BGT 2 Samuel 9:2 καὶ ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου Σαουλ παῖς ἦν καὶ ὄνομα αὐτῷ Σιβα καὶ καλοῦσιν αὐτὸν πρὸς Δαυιδ καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ βασιλεύς εἰ σὺ εἶ Σιβα καὶ εἶπεν ἐγὼ δοῦλος σός LXE 2 Samuel 9:2 And there was a servant of the house of Saul, and his name was Siba: and they call him to David; and the king said to him, Art thou Siba? and he said, I am thy servant. KJV 2 Samuel 9:2 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. NET 2 Samuel 9:2 Now there was a servant from Saul's house named Ziba, so he was summoned to David. The king asked him, "Are you Ziba?" He replied, "At your service." CSB 2 Samuel 9:2 There was a servant of Saul's family named Ziba. They summoned him to David, and the king said to him, "Are you Ziba?" "I am your servant," he replied. ESV 2 Samuel 9:2 Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, "Are you Ziba?" And he said, "I am your servant." NIV 2 Samuel 9:2 Now there was a servant of Saul's household named Ziba. They called him to appear before David, and the king said to him, "Are you Ziba?" "Your servant," he replied. NLT 2 Samuel 9:2 He summoned a man named Ziba, who had been one of Saul's servants. "Are you Ziba?" the king asked."Yes sir, I am," Ziba replied. a servant: Ge 15:2,3 24:2 39:6 Ziba: 2Sa 16:1-4 2Sa 19:17,27-29 DAVID SEEKS ANSWER FROM SAUL'S SERVANT Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David; and the king said to him,"Are you Ziba?" And he said, "I am your servant - David initiates the seeking. Mephibosheth was not seeking. He was hiding! One's character will eventually be shown for what it truly is in times of testing. In 2Samuel 9 Ziba appears in a good light, but subsequent events would show him for what he really was, a self-seeking conniving scoundrel. And so in this chapter David commands Ziba and his entire household to serve Mephibosheth (2Sa 9:9,10, 11), he subsequently proves himself to be a dishonest and disloyal servant to Mephibosheth. The King said to him - It is interesting that when David addresses Ziba the text refers to him as "the King" (2Sa 9:2, 3, 4, 9) but when he addresses Mephibosheth he is referred to as "David" (2Sa 9:6, 7) 2 Samuel 9:3 The king said, "Is there not yet anyone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?" And Ziba said to the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet." BGT 2 Samuel 9:3 καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεύς εἰ ὑπολέλειπται ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου Σαουλ ἔτι ἀνὴρ καὶ ποιήσω μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ ἔλεος θεοῦ καὶ εἶπεν Σιβα πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ἔτι ἔστιν υἱὸς τῷ Ιωναθαν πεπληγὼς τοὺς πόδας LXE 2 Samuel 9:3 And the king said, Is there yet a man left of the house of Saul, that I may act towards him with the mercy of God? and Siba said to the king, There is yet a son of Jonathan, lame of his feet. KJV 2 Samuel 9:3 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. NET 2 Samuel 9:3 The king asked, "Is there not someone left from Saul's family, that I may extend God's kindness to him?" Ziba said to the king, "One of Jonathan's sons is left; both of his feet are crippled." CSB 2 Samuel 9:3 So the king asked, "Is there anyone left of Saul's family that I can show the kindness of God to?" Ziba said to the king, "There is still Jonathan's son who was injured in both feet." ESV 2 Samuel 9:3 And the king said, "Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?" Ziba said to the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet." NIV 2 Samuel 9:3 The king asked, "Is there no one still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show God's kindness?" Ziba answered the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in both feet." NLT 2 Samuel 9:3 The king then asked him, "Is anyone still alive from Saul's family? If so, I want to show God's kindness to them." Ziba replied, "Yes, one of Jonathan's sons is still alive. He is crippled in both feet." the kindness of God: De 4:37 Dt 10:15 1Sa 20:14-17 Mt 5:44-45 Lu 6:36 Titus 3:3-4 yet a son: 2Sa 4:4 2Sa 19:26 Related Passage: Romans 2:4 Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? 2 Samuel 4:4+ Now Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the report of Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled. And it happened that in her hurry to flee, he fell and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth. DAVID'S SEEKING UNCOVERS A CRIPPLED SON OF JONATHAN The king said, "Is there not yet anyone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?" - David repeats his question from 2Sa 9:1, but here he says not just "kindness" but kindness of God, God's kind of kindness! What does the kindness of God look like? Paul gives us a glimpse into the incomprehensible, infinite kindness of God writing that all of us "once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit." (Titus 3:3-5) One could say much about this great passage but what screams out is a painful list of how wretched and wicked and undeserving we were to even be considered to be recipients of God's kindness. And yet in spite of all the reasons we should have have received kindness, God demonstrated His kindness to us! This calls for a "Hallelujah!" "Thank You Lord!" Kindness of God - David had asked Jonathan to show "the lovingkindness (hesed) of the LORD" (1Sa 20:14) and now desires to show the same to any in Jonathan's house. The Almighty God used David as a "vessel of honor" (2Ti 2:21-note, cp Acts 9:15) to convey His lovingkindness. Is this not the privilege the Everlasting God (Ge 21:33) has granted to us beloved, Paul writing for example… And so, as those who have been chosen (eklektos) of God, holy (hagios) and beloved (agapao), put on (enduo - in the aorist imperative = do this now!) a heart (splagchnon) of compassion (oiktirmos), kindness (chrestotes), humility (tapeinophrosune), gentleness (prautes) and patience (makrothumia) (Col 3:12-note) And be (present imperative = command to make this your supernatural lifestyle - only possible as we yield our will to His sweet will and enabling grace through His Spirit - see fruit below) kind (chrestotes) to one another (Study the "one anothers"), tender-hearted (eusplagchnos), forgiving (charizomai from grace - charis = when we "forgive" we in a sense bestow God's grace to others] in the present tense = make this your Spirit filled and enabled supernatural lifestyle!) each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. (Ep 4:32-note) Luke adds Jesus' exhortation… But love (present imperative = command to make this your supernatural lifestyle see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) your enemies, and do good (present imperative = command to make this your supernatural lifestyle see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey), and lend (present imperative = command to make this your supernatural lifestyle see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey), expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. (Luke 6:35+) Comment: God's children are never more like their Father (Ep 5:1+) then when they demonstrate His lovingkindness to those who do not deserve it (which of course is all of us)! God’s children are to bear the indelible stamp of His moral character. And Ziba said to the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet." - 2 Samuel 4:4+ says "Now Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the report of Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled. And it happened that in her hurry to flee, he fell and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth." We do not know exactly how old Mephibosheth was at this time but 2Sa 9:11 tells us he "had a young son whose name was Mica." So clearly Mephibosheth was married suggesting he is around 18-20 years of age as his son is not described as an infant. This means that he has been hiding out, in fear for his life, never experiencing a truly peaceful nights sleep, etc, etc, for about 15 years! What is sad is that he was unaware of the covenant his father Jonathan had made with David. Had he been aware, he likely would have contacted David. THOUGHT - Many people in the world are like Mephibosheth -- they are afraid of death, they have no sense of lasting peace, and they are not aware that the Son of David has cut a covenant in blood which they can enter into by grace through faith! TSK Note - That is, the highest degree of kindness; as the hail of God is very great hail; the mountains of God exceeding high mountains; besides which, this kindness was according to the covenant of God made between him and Jonathan. It is interesting that Ziba does not specify Mephibosheth's name but instead chooses to focus on his physical deformity. And David when confronted with the boy's disability, does not respond "Isn't there someone else who is not lame?" In so doing David once again shows why he is a man after God's own heart "for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (1Sa 16:7) THOUGHT - How often we too are like Ziba and look primarily at the physical appearance of others while we fail to see what is really of eternal value to God! Almighty God please give us Your eyes that me might be enabled to see others the way you see them for the sake of Thy Son. Amen. 2 Samuel 9:1-13 SPECIAL PEOPLE "Be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted." - 1 Peter 3:8 Hubert H. Humphrey, former senator, vice-president, college professor, and family man, spoke proudly and lovingly of his family in a television interview. Then his eyes moistened as he recalled the birth of a very special granddaughter with Down's syndrome. "It happened several years ago," he said, "and do you know, that little girl has brought more love into our family circle than had existed before." A few years later Humphrey died, and after the graveside service the family found it difficult to leave the cemetery. But it was this grandchild who lifted their spirits. "Grandpa is in heaven, not in this casket," she said. What a blessing that little girl with a disability has been to the Humphrey family! As king, David could have eliminated Saul's household for Saul's attempts to kill him. But he desired instead to show favor to any living member of Saul's family for Jonathan's sake. When told about Mephibosheth, who was "lame in his feet" (2 Samuel 9:3), David showed him special kindness. I believe his physical condition, as well as his place in Saul's household, brought out the best in David. They will not realize right away The leading role they're asked to play, But with this child sent from above Comes stronger faith and richer love.- - Massimilla People with a disability have a unique ability to teach us how to love. F B