2 Samuel 9 INVITED TO THE KINGS TABLE

 

Kids like Picture books / OT. Is one Giant picture book that illustrates for us principles that we find explained in the N. T.

A)Today we are going to look at one of the most touching stories in all of the O.T. / A story that is a great picture for us of the Grace of God / Rd 2 Sam 9

 

B) Several years earlier, David had made a covenant with his friend Jonathan

1) Jonathan was the son of Saul and the heir apparent to the throne, but God had rejected Saul as king over Israel and had chosen David

 

C) Realizing that the anointing of God was upon David, Jonathan did    NOT become jealous of David..... Great Friendship / COVENANT

1)    Where Jonathan asked David to treat his family with kindness after the Lord gave the throne to him   

 

D) Well David is now secure on the throne of Israel

1)    It was during this time that David remembered the covenant that he had made to his best friend, Jonathan

 

So David sent for a man named Ziba, who once served Saul, & asked him to see if there were any survivors of Saul's family / v.3

3Then 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.”

 

A)Now it is as if Ziba is saying to David – you know king you should think twice about sending for this guy – he is going to be no use for you – lame

 

B) But that didn’t matter to David & David sent for Mephibosheth that he might show kindness to him for Jonathan's sake

 

C) Now The 1st mention of Meph. Is in 2 Sam. 4 where We are told how he came to be lame in his feet

 

When David takes the throne Judah & Saul’s son Ishbosheth is ruling in Israel / Abner his General

A)The rule of Ishbosheth collapses - & Abner is killed/  at which time /Meph. Jonathan’s son was 5 yrs old

 

B) When Meph. Nurse heard that Abner was killed she panicked & grabbed Meph. & Ran thinking if David found him he was dead .

 

C) Because It was the practice in that time for a new king to seek out any      survivors of the previous dynasty for the purpose of WIPING them out

   1) All potential rivals were put to death

 

D) History records that in some of the neighboring cultures that the new rulers would seek out the surviving rivals and have them skinned alive.

 1) They would take the skins of those people and make couches or      chairs out of them

 

E) When people sat on those couches they would realize that they        were dealing with a king that should NOT be trifled with...        

 1) Should NOT be rebelled against

 

F) So the Nurse was AFRAID of the King and she took Mephibosheth to flee from the king..... Mephibosheth fell, perhaps injuring his spinal column

 

In our text, Mephibosheth is a striking illustration of lost man

A) NOTE several ways : 1st He could not walk because of a fall/ 

     

B) THAT is us. We can NOT walk right because of a fall../ WE are lame as the result of the fall in the Garden that has affected ALL of us

1)   Intimacy w/ God was broken Ability to live a righteous life –

    Impossible

 

C) No use to God / unable to walk w/ God / unable to serve God / all because of the fall.  Sin / Separation and death

 

2nd  The name Meph. means Shameful One

A)A perfect name for us WE are shameful

 

B) I DO NOT mean to pop anyone's bubble today, but we need to      see ourselves in the light of Scripture/ Mankind is LAME & Shameful

 

C) There is a  theory (Tabla Rasa) states that all of us come into the world like a BLANK PAGE

1)  we are then shaped for better or worse by our environment

    

D) But THAT is unscriptural and illogical

1)    The Bible declares that we are all born sinners That might come as a shock to you But it is the truth

 

D) You and I are shameful ones You and I apart from Christ can NOT walk in righteousness because of the fall

 1) There is no such thing as someone being born good and perfect and then only being brought down by environment

 

Any parent in their right mind KNOWS that their children are NOT innately good

A)From the moment they are born you hold them and care for them and provide for them

 

B)You never once give them a reason to do anything bad towards you or their siblings

1) Despite such tender and loving upbringing, their beginning     vocabulary is peculiar  / "NO"....... "MINE" {  Selfish to the Core }

 

C) Middle of the night – doesn’t matter how – tired you are – Cries feed me / Change me / hold me / walk me / take me for a drive !!!!

 

There is NOT a mother that I have ever met that has taught their children to lie or steal

A)But every mom here has listened to some amazing stories/

B) Every parent KNOWS that they have to INGRAIN the concepts of honesty  and generosity into their kids

1) There is no need for a parent to teach their kid how to be Bad – natural / we need to teach them to be good! / We ARE Meph. LAME & Shameful

 

3rd Comparison is found in Where Meph was residing!!V.4  Running away from the king and afraid of the king, he lived in LODEBAR

A)lodebar  = "not a pasture"    Some read it as the place of nothingness

    the place of bareness/ dissatisfaction & frustration

 

B)Again that is man apart from Christ – that is man w/ out God – Empty / / Barren / No Satisfaction / no purpose

 

C) Perhaps that is a good description of your life TODAY !  Find yourself in a   place of being barren spiritually / frustrated w/ your life /

1)   Dissatisfied  by what is going on or not going on ! 

 

D) Your life is marked by a sense of meaninglessness/ existing from day to day w/ no real purpose or direction !

 

But maybe not perhaps you are like the guy I spoke w/ one day who said My life is fantastic  I have fulfilled all dreams / have all I want / life is great !

My life resembles anything but barrenness / and emptiness

 

A)Consider these questions I asked him ! How are you when you are alone ? 

  It is the end of the day & no one else is around / party is over / how feel ?

 

B)Do you hate to be alone - / do you hate the silence / are you uncomfortable when there is no deal to be done / -

1)    Because it makes you think about the Loneliness & the emptiness that you feel inside

 

C) If you are so Satisfied – why are seeking after more toys every couple of months / more thrills / more adventures / Could it be not really satisfied?

Howard Hughes (  most miserable man alive )  Solomon - all vanity

THAT is life w/out Christ 

A)LAME in our feet...SHAMEFUL……Residing in the place of      NOTHINGNESS / afraid of our King and running from our King

 

B) But also want to NOTE: In our text, David seeking Mephibosheth is a powerful illustration to us of God the Father seeking the lost

1)     One day (Lk 19), Jesus went out of his way to go into the city of Jericho to seek out a man who was lost – man who had a lot but was empty

 

C) There was a very little man who lived there who was very curious      about Jesus/ Zach/ Tax Collector / hated / afraid of Crowd / Tree

         

To his amazement, Jesus went right to that tree

A)He said: "Hey Zaccheus, come down because I want to go to your house for dinner"

 

B) I love that... Jesus so loved to eat with people that he invited Himself to dinner

 1) The same holds true today: Re 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

                  

C) He desires the intimate fellowship of sitting around the table like family

   1) But When Jesus went to the house of Zaccheus, the Pharisees said:      "Look at Jesus, keeping company with sinners"

 

D) Jesus responded to their remark: Lu 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

1)   "Don't you understand - That is why I am here"

 

E) Now if the heart of Jesus is to be seeking after lost souls / shouldn’t that be our heart as well?

1)   We all saw the footage of heroic Fire fighters & Police officers rushing into a Burning Trade center Buildings to save lives from the fires

2)   Shouldn’t we be as FOCUSED  to save ….. from the fires of Hell  

A Christian organization recently  poled  10,000 Christians   about their pilgrimage in coming to Christ . What led them to give their lives to Christ ? Answers were: 2% Special need,/  6% talking w/ a Pastor, 1% a church Visitation, 5% by attending an  Evangelistic crusade, 79% Friend/relative.

 

In Luke 15) Jesus gave a parable about a man who had 100 sheep but lost 1 of them

A)He said: "Shall not that shepherd leave the 99 that are safe and go     out and search until he finds that 1 lost sheep? And when he finds him carries him on his shoulders and when he finds his friends he      says: 'Rejoice with me because my sheep that was lost is found'. "

 

B)Then He said: "So too, your heavenly Father rejoices when one that was lost is found"

 

C) NOTE: This is what makes Christianity different from religion In religion, you have man seeking God /

  1) In Christianity you have God seeking lost man

 

D) Well here we see a Picture of that in David seeking after Meph.

 

But  notice how Meph. Comes before David V 6– he is frightened & rightfully so – he knew the customs of the Kings / dead man 

A)NOTE: VERSE 7 So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake,

 

B) A lot of People are afraid of God & I think the reason is that most people misunderstand God-

 1) They think of God as being upset w/ them/ Disgusted w/ them & too often It is the ministers who are most to blame for that concept of God

 

C) Many people walk out of church feeling like one little boy, who      after church one Sunday turned to his mom and said: "Well. it looks like

      God is mad at us again"

 

D) We imagine that God is seeking us to blast us rather than seeking us to BLESS us

 1) NOTE: Jesus addressed this straight on

 

Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

 

E)Man was already condemned / DOOMED / Jesus came to SAVE MAN from that eternal condemnation

  1) THAT is exactly the picture set before us in 2 Samuel 9

 

David did NOT send for Mephibosheth to BLAST him... He sent for Mephibosheth to BLESS him

A)That misunderstanding of God causes us to run FROM God rather than run TO God

 

B) People think that if God gets a hold of them that all hell is going to      break lose

   1) But in reality, when God gets a hold of you, all HEAVEN breaks lose

 

C) Eph 1:3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

 

Lets Consider several things about The MERCY and KINDNESS of David towards Mephibosheth  / Parallel to our lives : v.7

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.”

 

1st  David wanted to restore to Mephibosheth his lost inheritance

A)He gave back to him EVERYTHING that the family had ever lost

 

B) Here we see a picture of how God wants to restore to us all that      was lost to us as a result of our father Adam's failure/  

  1) Adam enjoyed an Intimate communion w/ God

C) He gave to Adam dominion over the world and told him to enjoy it

     1) But Adam, through his disobedience to God..... through his           failure.....lost the intimate communion &  forfeited the world to Satan

 

D)Whom Jesus said was a thief who desires to steal, kill and      destroy

    1) But God desires to restore that which was lost through the fall

 

NOTE: Don’t confuse this w/ what is called DOMINION      THEOLOGY which states we need to claim dominion / usher in the kingdom

A)That is nothing less than an attempt to restore the kingdom              of God to the earth without the King

 

B) Listen One day, Jesus will come one day and establish His kingdom upon the earth   -

Mt 25:34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

 

TONIGHT SERIES-  Signs of the times { How close are we }

 

C) We are told to Pray Thy kingdom come But When I pray: Thy Kingdom come  I am NOT praying that I get a BMW and a mansion

1)   I am praying for Jesus to return to this earth and establish His Kingdom

     and His righteousness

         

D)So The 1st PURPOSE of God in seeking AFTER you is to restore to you   that which was lost by Adam/ Biggest thing is intimacy & fellowship

 

 

2nd thing note :David invited Mephibosheth to dine at the king's table

A)What a contrast: From the land of no pasture to the king's table

      The king's table was a place of spectacular abundance

 

B) The kings table was a place of Warmth & Blessing / abundance & Joy

 

C) So too Jesus calls us to HIS table - We too were residents of Lodebar..... the land of no pasture

 1) We were like the prodigal son who walked away from his      father's table and ended up eating pig slop that wasn't fit for human consumption

 

But Jesus said:  John 10:9   I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he                shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

 

Joh 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

 

C) We dine upon His love and His life{ Taste & See that the Lord is good

1)   Table of warmth & blessing / Loneliness is replaced by friendship/ emptiness by satisfaction / Family

 

D) When you have tasted of Jesus, going back to the world is      unthinkable / Peter likened it to a dog returning to its vomit

 

3rd Note David did all of this for Meph. for Jonathan's sake

A)It had NOTHING to do with what Mephibosheth had done

       When Mephibosheth came to the king's table he was lame

 

B) It was strictly for Jonathan's sake that David did this

     1) It was for the sake of that covenant and for the sake of      Jonathan that

        David invited Mephibosheth to the king's table

 

C) So it is with us God has sought us out to restore us and to invite us to His table NOT because of what we have done.....

 1) But for the sake of His Word      and for the sake of Jesus

 

D) In Eph 4:32 We are told that it was for Christ Sake that God has forgiven us 

.

Now the last thing I want us to note is the Reaction of Meph. To David’s Grace & Kindness – note 3 things  1ST is in v.8

8Then he bowed himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?”

A)1st It awoke in Meph. a sense of unworthiness.....I AM A DEAD DOG  All he could do was HUMBLY      receive

 

B) The invitation to David's table did NOT produce a sense of pride/ well it is about time – I have been waiting for you to call

 

C) So too... When Jesus invites you to dine at His table, there should NOT be a sense of inflated self-esteem

1)   But rather There should be a sense of unworthiness/ - I don’t belong here / Chuck Smith / Billy G./ Paul / Abraham – Sure / I am Lame

 

D) Our attitude should be Like Jacob who said: Gen 32:10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies of God

 

2nd thing we see is that There is a sense of acceptance v.13So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king’s table.

A)Although he didn’t totally understand the Kings Kindness & grace – he received it & enjoyed it !!!

 

B) That is us – we say to Jesus who invites us to dine w/ Him  "I'm lame Lord... I am shameful.... I've been living in      the land of no pasture....

  1) But you've accepted me just as I am

 

Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he has made us accepted in the beloved.

 

C) Don’t understand it – But I want to Enjoy it & experience it to the fullest

1)   Jesus heals us of our lameness so that we can BE OF USE TO HIM

 

3rd thing Meph. Was forever loyal to David

A)Later in David’s reign his son Absalom would rebel & try to take the Kingdom from him / David basically responds – wants it that bad …have it!!

B) SO David fled the city mainly because he didn’t want to fight against his own son

1) All who were loyal to David – fled the city w/ him – accept for Meph. But that was only because Ziba his servant tricked him

 

C) Well Ziba comes to David & tells him that Meph has forsaken him & David in Anger gives all of Meph. Land to Ziba & his family

1)   But as the Story goes on & Absalom is killed / David returns to the city where he is greeted by Meph. Whom he is surprised to see

 

D) And not only that David is surprised by his Appearance Turn 2 Sam Ch. 19:24 – 30

 

Meph appearance = mourning

A)Meph says - let Ziba have it all - all I want is you!

 

B) Really this is the heart of that person who comes into fellowship w/ Christ - focus isn’t on things/ Not Presents / but HIS PRESENCE …desire

  1) It is not what He gives that interest me – It is who He is !!!

 

C) Thirsty - living water / Hungry - Bread of Life

Direction - Light of world / Deadness in marriage He is the Rez and Life

 

Listen God has SOUGHT you out and has invited you to the table of the King of kings

A)You and I, like Mephibosheth, are lame and shameful and hungry

     But for the sake of His Son, you are invited to the table of the     King

 

B)You might think that God is after you to blast you / But he wants to bless you /  You can RUN or you can RECEIVE

 

C) Where are you today?   Lame and in Lodebar?

     Loved and fed at the King's table?

 

D) The Father sent the Son - to seek you out bring you into family

Now w hat if Meph declined - I don’t trust him I know catch! I’ll stay here in Lodebar

A)David force: - no - Meph would have missed out on incredible blessing

 

B) That would have been tragic - but what is even worse is the multiplied 1,000’s who have not excepted - God’s invitation - open heart –

 1) give him their life/ Let him heal their lameness / forgive their sins /remove their guilt – welcome them into the family