Mephibosheth

"Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel; and his nurse took him up and fled. And it happened, as she made haste to flee, that he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth." (II Samuel 4: 4 NKJV)

"Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” He said, “At your service!” Then the king said, “Is there not still someone 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 lame in his feet.” So the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “Indeed he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar.” Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar. Now when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, “Mephibosheth?” And he answered, “Here is your servant!” So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.” Then he bowed himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?” And the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “I have given to your master’s son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. You therefore, and your sons and your servants, shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in the harvest, that your master’s son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s son shall eat bread at my table always.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do.” “As for Mephibosheth,” said the king, “he shall eat at my table like one of the king’s sons.” Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Micha. And all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth. So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king’s table. And he was lame in both his feet." (II Samuel 9: 1- 13 KJV)

This is a delightful story, and though literally occurring, nevertheless, like many such stories in the Old Testament, serve to illustrate spiritual stories, yea, the story of redemption in Christ, and of restoration and exaltation to eternal glory in Christ, yea, the story of the gospel.

Every sinner is like Mephibosheth; they are all spiritually lame from a "fall." Every believer in Christ, every saved and justified person, is additionally, one who is a spiritual Mephibosheth, for he has been (and yet will be, in a superlative way), graciously blessed and exalted to sit down with Christ at his table in his kingdom.

The following verses connect both present and future salvation with dining with Christ in his kingdom.

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." (Revelation 3: 20 NKJV)

"And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God." (Luke 13: 29 KJV)

"That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom..." (Luke 22: 30 KJV)

"And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God." (Luke 14: 14, 15 KJV)

Mephibosheth was "lame in both his feet" because of a "fall" in which he was what we would call today an "innocent victim" of "tragedy." His "fall" and becoming a cripple was not due to any personal negligence on his part, for he was only a child of five years, and was being carried by the nurse. She fell and he fell, both together. Thus, her fall became his fall. This serves to illustrate how every man became a sinner, how all spiritually "fell," at the same time that father Adam sinned and "fell" from his original pristine state. This is taught explicitly by Paul.

"Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned...Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5: 12, 18-21 NKJV)

"For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive." (I Corinthians 15: 21, 22 NKJV)

Redemption proceeds on a similar basis to that of condemnation. As all who are connected to the first Adam (all men) are condemned by and for that single act of his disobedience, so also are all who are connected to the second Adam (Jesus Christ) justified by and for his single act of obedience of death on the cross.

Sinners are condemned (declared unrighteous) because of what Adam did, he being legally constituted by God to that position of federal headship, and believers in Jesus are justified (declared righteous) because of what Jesus did. Just as death is universal, so also must the cause of death be universal.

Infants die, but this is not due to their own personal transgressions, but is due solely to their being accounted guilty, vicariously, of the sin of Adam. Adam's sin and fall became our fall, and thus, like Mephibosheth, we are all born spiritually lame, and spiritally blind and deaf to God and righteousness, and to true and saving faith.

"Why should you be beaten anymore? Why do you persist in rebellion? Your whole head is injured, your whole heart afflicted. From the sole of your foot to the top of your head there is no soundness—only wounds and welts and open sores, not cleansed or bandaged or soothed with oil." (Isaiah 1: 5, 6 NIV)

This is a metaphorical description of a sinner's sickly spiritual condition, resulting from his sins and from God's judgment of them upon his person. The unhealthy condition of the physical body is an image of the unhealthy condition of the lost soul or spirit within the sinner. Man has physical abilities, or a lack of them, as the case may be, but he also has spiritual abilities, and both are designated by the terms ear, eye, feet, hearts, etc.

All men are commanded by Lord God to "walk" in all his commandments, yet he has failed to do so, and having failed to do so in his head and legally constituted representative (first Adam), and having fallen in Adam (and personally too, in most cases), all men have, like Mephibosheth, become spiritual cripples, now unable to walk spiritually, to keep God's law.

"You shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess." (Deuteronomy 5: 33 KJV)

But, due to our "fall" in Adam, we have become like the lame man whom Peter and John healed, "a certain man lame from his mother's womb." (Acts 3: 2 KJV) We are all spiritual impotents because of sin. (Romans 5: 6)

"Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me." (Matthew 11: 4-6 KJV)

All this is true not only in the natural physical realm, but also in the spiritual. Just as the physically deaf and blind were healed, so were those who were spiritually deaf and blind healed, and given eyes to see and ears to hear. Just as the physically lame were healed, so too were those spiritually lame made to walk.

And for what reason does the Lord show such kindness to undeserving sinners? For what reason did David show kindness to Mephibosheth? In both cases, the kindness and blessings were bestowed "for the sake of" someone else.

David showed Mephibosheth saving kindess for the sake of his love for Jonathan, and the Father has shown saving kindness to repenting sinners for the sake of his love for his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

"For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake..." (Philippians 1: 29 KJV)

"God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." (Ephesians 4: 32 KJV)

Friends, though you are born into this world a spiritual cripple, yet Christ can regenerate and re-create you, giving you spiritual ears and eyes, and the will and power to walk faithfully in his word. Call upon him today to heal you of your spiritual impotency.