2 So, it was one of these Hittites, - a Canaanite, - Abraham went to ask about purchasing a plot of land for a burial site. That was how Abram came to

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1 MEPHIBOSHETH Previously, in our series looking at some of the lesser known-about heroes of the Old Testament we were considering Jonathan. We looked at the relationship he had with his father which wasn t too good; then we looked at his relationship with David, which was very good. In fact, Jonathan s relationship with David impacted upon future generations for his family as we shall see. You know how sometimes you have a feeling something might happen? Well, that was how Jonathan entered a covenant with David. Somewhere in his heart he anticipated the future was not very bright for his father s family, - in a previous conversation, he had said to David, I Sam. 20:14 thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the LORD, that I die not: 15 But also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever. At the same time, though, he hoped I Sam. 23:17 And he [Jonathan] said unto him [David], thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee. And he would have made one of Israel s finest kings, if he had been granted the opportunity. Sadly, Jonathan was killed in the battlefield on Mount Gilboa (I Sam. 31:2), along with his father, King Saul, and two of his three brothers, - Abinadab and Malchishua. His remaining brother, Ishbosheth (or Eshbaal), was afterwards made king by Abner, who had been captain in Saul s army. This was during the same time David was king in Hebron. Ishbosheth only reigned two years until he was assassinated by two of his army captains. He was a nuisance, an irritant! Following Saul s death, David is crowned King of Judah in Hebron. He would reign there 7½ years before he would move to Jerusalem and make it his capital. Hebron was an historical city, even in those days, for it was where Abram had settled after Lot chose to dwell in the region of Sodom and Gomorrah. It was where Abram built an altar to the Lord (Gen. 13:18). It was also where his wife Sarah died, at the age of 127 (Gen. 23:1-2) and he went to ask the sons of Heth, who were the owners at that time, for a plot of land to bury his wife. Now, Heth was the second son of Canaan, who was the son of Ham, the son of Noah (Gen. 10:15). That means Heth was a Canaanite, - not a good stock to belong to! And from Heth came the people called the Hittites God had previously covenanted with Abram, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: 19 The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, 20 And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, 21 And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites (Gen 15:18-21)

2 2 So, it was one of these Hittites, - a Canaanite, - Abraham went to ask about purchasing a plot of land for a burial site. That was how Abram came to own his first piece of land in Canaan Gen. 23:3 And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying, 4 I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight. 5 And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him, 6 Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead. 7 And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth. 8 And he communed with them, saying, If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and intreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar, 9 That he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his field; for as much money as it is worth he shall give it me for a possession of a buryingplace amongst you. 10 And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth: and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying, 11 Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead. 12 And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land. 13 And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me: I will give thee money for the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there. 14 And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him, 15 My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead. 16 And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant. 17 And the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were made sure 18 Unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city. 19 And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan. 20 And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a buryingplace by the sons of Heth. Abram paid for the land, - he didn t conquer or steal it he paid for it and it is his, and so it has been passed on down through all the generations, and it continues to be his through Isaac s descendants nothing has changed! It doesn t belong to the children of Ishmael it belongs to the children of Abraham through Isaac. In this field, in the Cave of Machpelah/ the Patriarchs at Hebron, there is also said to be buried, - as well as Sarah, - Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Rebecca, and Leah. Hebron proved to be a popular place for Abraham s family. Jacob frequented Hebron (Gen. 35:27), and it was from where Jacob sent his son Joseph to look for his brethren (Gen. 37:14). Later, after their exodus from Egypt when the Israelites had entered the Promised Land, Joshua and his army fought against and conquered Hebron (Josh. 10:36). It was a city previously belonging to the Canaanites that God gave to the children of Israel. Joshua then gave it to Caleb (Josh. 14:13), - the only other man, along with Joshua, who had travelled the whole way from Egypt, over forty years earlier, v.14 Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel.

3 3 From then on, it was under the control of the Israelites and, following Saul and Jonathan s death, David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the LORD said unto him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron (II Sam 2:1). So, Hebron was God s chosen city, - it is where He settled Abraham and also David. In fact, Israel s first Prime Minister David ben Gurion, wrote, Hebrew history begins in Hebron. The beginnings of Israel s greatest king were in Hebron, the city to which came the first Hebrew about eight hundred years before King David... Hebron is worthy to be Jerusalem s sister. This, then, is where we are in Hebron, - with all its history and prophetic significance and it is the place where David honoured the covenant he had made previously with Jonathan, I Sam. 20:14 thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the LORD, that I die not: 15 But also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever. A number of years had passed, during which King David had been busy fighting battles and establishing his kingdom. One day, he asked, II Sam. 9:1 Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan's sake? Enquiries were made, and he found out from a servant of Saul s named Zeba, v.3 Jonathan hath yet a son, [which is] lame on [his] feet. Mephibosheth was Jonathan s only child, his sole descendant. When the king found out where he was, he sent someone to fetch him. The king invited him to the palace this disabled young man was welcomed to the table of the king as one of David s own sons, and he sat with the royal family at all the meals. Then David gave Mephibosheth the land that had previously belonged to his grandfather Saul (v.7), and he instructed Saul s former servants to work the land for Mephibosheth. David s kindness to this son of his friend was motivated by nothing less than gracious love, nothing more than covenant faithfulness. This is where we see a beautiful analogy of God s unmerited love towards undeserving sinners in whom there is nothing that warrants His mercy. The sole family member left belonging to Saul was the only son of Jonathan, a young five-year-old whose name Mephibosheth means shattering to pieces the shame. So, this little boy was left without a father. He had a nanny who looked after him. When she heard the terrible news from the battlefield that Mephibosheth s dad (Jonathan) was killed, she was frightened the Philistines would search for the child and kill him also. So she picked the young boy up in her arms, and began to run to somewhere she thought would be safe. In her mad rush, - and in her panic, - she dropped him and broke both his legs.

4 4 As a consequence, Mephibosheth was crippled for the rest of his life (II Sam. 4:4). He was taken away from that region and brought up in the land of Gilead in the house of Machir, at Lo-debar. He was probably living in Lo-debar with his mother s side of the family, and as the years went on I would not imagine he had any great dreams of returning to where he once had been. Many historians also suggest his mind might have been filled with how bad a man David was, and how his father and grandfather were so badly-done-by! I wonder if somewhere in the back of Mephibosheth s mind he was vaguely recalling what his grandfather had said about David, - it would have been none too complimentary! Saul would not have had too many good words to say about David! I wonder if Mephibosheth would have remembered. I wonder if he could remember hearing about how his grandfather threw the spear at David as David played him music. This home in which he lived, during his impressionable years, belonged to Machir, of the tribe of Manasseh. Mephibosheth was from the tribe of Benjamin (I Sam. 9:1), - that was his heritage and he was living among the people of another tribe He must not have really known who he was! Look at this young man. He was five years of age when his father died in battle (II Sam. 4:4), so he was at least in his late teens when David discovered him But look where the grandson of the first king of Israel was forced to live, - in exile, out in the hills. He had gone from splendour to squalor, from the palace to poverty. In his first five years of life, he had known what it was to be gently wakened in the morning, to have all the privileges and the highest standards. He had nothing to worry about because everything was provided for him. He had comforts and privileges galore. He belonged to the king s household and he lacked nothing. However, there came a day when his world collapsed. Not only his grandfather, and his uncles, but also his father was no longer there for him. If everything would have worked out for him as it ought to have, he would have been king. But life did not turn out the way. No longer was life secure. He could not plan from one day to the next. Then, one day, King David sent his emissaries to where he was They had come looking for him, and they weren t for going back until they brought him to their master. David started it all. He sought out Jonathan s son. He put in place all the preparations to bring him back to the palace. He welcomed him to his banqueting table. He did so even though it was for the grandson of Saul, Israel s accursed king and David s greatest enemy. Mephibosheth would never have considered going to the king s palace never living there never having the king s palace as his residence, The king would never want me! and yet, the king called for him and already loved him because he was the child of the king s friend.

5 5 When you look further into Mephibosheth s genealogy, you find he had a son named Micah, I Chron. 8:33 And Ner begat Kish, and Kish begat Saul, and Saul begat Jonathan, and Malchishua, and Abinadab, and Eshbaal. 34 And the son of Jonathan was Meribbaal [Mephibosheth]; and Meribbaal [ Baal is my advocate ] begat Micah Remember where Micah was brought up he was brought up in the land of Gilead, in the house of Machir, at Lo-debar. And Lo-debar means no pasture It was a place of barrenness and hopelessness and it was from such a place King David sent someone out to find him and bring him into his palace. Now, also bear in mind Mephibosheth means shattering to pieces the shame, and you could see how that relates to the catastrophe that came upon his family And Mephibosheth s other name was Meribbaal which means Baal is my advocate, a name he was most likely given in Lo-debar, the place of no pasture and it also shows the idolatrous influence there would have been in the land of Gilead, in the house of Machir, at Lo-debar. So you can see the absolutely hopeless state of this young man! Shame was written all over him. He had nothing going for him. And yet, through God s grace had a place for him in the family of David. If you like, God brought him out of the poorhouse in Lo-debar and brought him into the palace of the king. Previously he had to make do with crumbs, but the Lord took him to the table where he was eating the very best! In the land of Gilead, he was a pauper, but the Lord took him out and made him into a prince. However, do you know what David could have done if he felt he had to do anything? He could have sent Mephibosheth a pair of crutches, made out of the best wood, crafted by the best carpenter. He could have sent him a donkey-load of goodies every now and again, but he didn t. True, they were unrelated as far as natural relationships were concerned. David was nothing to Mephibosheth and yet, at the same time, he was for while Mephibosheth was not a member of David s family, as far as generations were concerned, Mephibosheth was a member of David s family because of grace, and that grace was because Mephibosheth was a son of David s closest friend, I Sam. 18:1 the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And when King David looked at Mephibosheth, he didn t see a potential enemy; instead, he saw someone he loved. It didn t matter that Mephibosheth was crippled, or that his grandfather was Saul David loved Mephibosheth regardless. What brings God to love someone? Why does God love you and me? Surely our sin should cause Him to turn His face away from us and show us no mercy? We are sinners, and we would never have made it to the cross. Like Mephibosheth, we have a handicap, which is our sin.

6 6 We would never have come to God unless He came to us first. Mephibosheth would have remained in Lo-dear, the place of no pasture if David had not sent his men and we would have remained in our sin if God had not sent His Son. You nor I would never would have looked at the food on the king s table, - there would have been nothing there of any interest to you, had it not been for grace. Besides, we never could have afforded a place at the King s table, and we are only there because He brought me to the banqueting house, and His banner over me [is] love (Songs 2:4). None would come without an invitation. Sin takes away a desire to be there because drags a person down, it drains all the hope out of them, and it makes them feel unworthy. Sin degrades and, - left unchecked, - it will inevitably crush the sinner However, grace humbles, - it does not humiliate you, - it humbles you and brings you to the knowledge that God in eternity set His love upon you that His Son would die on the middle tree of Calvary to pay the price to purchase your soul, to cleanse you from sin, and to fit you for Heaven. Mephibosheth could do nothing to repay David. Because of his disability, he could not offer the king any work whatsoever nothing that would match what David gave him. Nevertheless, David brought him into his family, invited him to his table, granted him an inheritance of the land to which he no rights legally, and in response Mephibosheth became a loyal servant of the king. Remember the covenant between Jonathan and David, where Jonathan said, I Sam. 23:17 thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee Well, here is the fulfilment of that covenant, Mephibosheth was next to King David, in the place of his father Jonathan. God had it all worked out He had it planned even before Mephibosheth was born! And that is how our salvation began. God loved you, believer, from before the foundation of this world and He carried out His plan to save you. You are saved, - not by accident, but by God s grace, and God s grace is what He gave to you that you do not deserve. It is not payment in any kind. It is totally unmerited and nothing you did produced it. In fact, grace is something once you have worked for it, it is no longer grace. It cannot be earned. Salvation through grace by faith alone is all of God s goodness and righteousness. Mephibosheth would have stayed in the poorhouse had the king not sent the invitation and the courtiers to carry him to the palace and it was David s grace that began the process. It was David s love for Jonathan that saved Mephibosheth out of his old life

7 7 Why did the Lord save me? Why did the Lord save you? Here is the only reason. The Lord saved us for the sake of His Son Who loved us and prayed for us. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He fell on His face before His Father the tears in His eyes His heart was breaking and here is how He prayed, Jn. 17:20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word. You see, in the Garden of Gethsemane He prayed one more time for your salvation for that was the purpose God sent Him into this world. It was for no other reason, - and for no less a purpose, - than to be nailed to the cross to redeem your lost soul That was His purpose decided in eternity and made effective in time, to His glory. Believer, Jesus prayed for you to be saved. Through grace, you were adopted into the royal family of Heaven I wonder what Mephibosheth thought when David s envoys knocked on the door of his home in Lodebar. I m sure he often sat and looked out through the window a cripple a prince with no kingdom. This was merely an existence! But you get used to it, don t you? You get used to expecting nothing out of life I wonder, though, what the thoughts were that went through his mind when he heard the king s personal invitation The king invites you to his banqueting table! What! The king wants me! Why would the king want me? I can t believe it! Many people cannot believe the invitation to receive Christ as Saviour and Lord. It is too hard to take in. Why does God want me? Those early years he had spent in Lo-debar would have been so impressionable.... I wonder if he was afraid when the message came that David was calling for him. If he had listened to all Saul had told him, - even as a young child, - he would have tried to stay away from David! Saul would have corrupted his mind. But, if he had listened to his father Jonathan, it would have been a great moment when the envoys came knocking on his door and he learned of the invitation to sit at the king s table. Mephibosheth had his lameness to contend with but the emissaries came to carry him to the king s banqueting table The king sent them straight to where he was even though it was out on a distant hillside. They had come looking for him, they would find him, and they bring him to their master. Jump a few hours later and you ll find Mephibosheth sitting at the king s table what was all had he to do? He simply had to come. He had to leave behind him Lodebar, the place of no pasture and he had to exchange it for the place of plenty at the king s table.

8 8 Notice too, when he came before the king who began the conversation? It was David, and he simply called his name, II Sam. 9:6 Mephibosheth to which he replied, Behold thy servant! That is what it means to be a Christian in the King s presence, - for the Lord Jesus Christ to come into your life and turn it around. Mephibosheth began to live in David s home, and he became a member of David s family for the rest of his days. This is a story of grace from beginning to end, built upon the love of his friend. It was grace that took him away from Lodebar, and it was grace that brought him safely into the palace. Unworthy am I of the grace that He gave, Unworthy to hold to His hand; Amazed that a King would reach down to a slave, This love I cannot understand. My sorrow and sickness laid stripes on His back, My sins caused the blood that was shed; My faults and my failures have woven a crown Of thorns, that He wore on His head. Unworthy am I of the glory to come, Unworthy with angels to sing; I thrill just to know that He loved me so much, A pauper, I walk with the King. This is the true story of a man who had nothing, but one morning he awakened to a day that changed the rest of his life. There is a verse in the Bible that talks about a similar awakening, it says, Rom. 5:8 God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. If you are not yet saved, believe in the Lord Jesus to take away your sin and He will bring you into His family. He will give you a promise He will keep you for all eternity and all that is His will be yours too. Let me tell you what that promise is, Jesus said, In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. It is an even greater promise than David s promise to Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth is a difficult name to pronounce, but I trust his story is a lesson that touches our hearts as to how God cares for His own through Sovereign and Saving Grace. Amen.