Volume 25, Issue 9
Page 14
WisconsinChristianNews.com
Becoming a Man of God: Lessons from the Life of David (Part 1)
By Dr. Mike Spaulding February 2025
friend. I believe even the words of their covenant came back to him. 1 Samuel 20:12- 16 gives us the details. “Then Jonathan said to David, ‘The LORD, the God of Israel, be witness! When I have sounded out my father about this time tomor- row, or the third day, behold, if there is good feeling toward David, shall I not then send to you and make it known to you?’ “If it please my father to do you harm, may the LORD do so to Jonathan and more also, if I do not make it known to you and send you
she held in her arms was dropped and he be- came crippled in both feet from the age of 5. (Verse 4): David was overjoyed at this news and wanted to know where this son of Jonathan was. I find this interesting that this descendant had been so well hidden as to be forgotten. Remember that one of David’s wives was Michal, the daughter of Saul and thus the sister of Jonathan. Even she did not know of this nephew. (Verse 5): So David sent for this son of Jonathan to be brought to him. Can you imag-
Ziba, the servant in Mephibosheth’s house to tell him that from that day forward Saul’s pos- sessions including his ancestral lands would be Mephibosheth’s. (Verse 10): Notice that along with Mephi- bosheth’s ancestral wealth being restored he would also eat at the king’s table. Eating at the king’s table was an honor and represented the highest favor a king could bestow. David was in effect saying, “you’ll never have need of any- thing else again. You are now under my pro- tection and blessing.” (Verses 11-13): David looked at Mephi- bosheth as one of his sons. What a great story of kindness fulfilled. It demonstrates the heart of a man of honor and integrity. But there is so much more here that God wants us to see. Let’s look again at this same text from God’s perspective if we can presume to know it. The Bible tells us that God sent His Son into the world to save the world. It is God’s desire to save the people of the house of Adam, to show kindness to them for Christ’s sake be- cause of the covenant in Jesus’ blood. In this story of David and Mephibosheth, we see a picture of God the Father reaching out to us with salvation in His hands. Can’t you hear God asking, “Isn’t there one more of the line of Adam that I can show my mercy and grace to?” Here is the first mark of the man of God – he has been born again, transformed by the Spirit of God to enter into that covenant relationship established by Jesus Christ. In verse three, Ziba the servant identifies Mephibosheth not by his name but by his con- dition – “There is a son of Jonathan who is crip- pled in both feet.” Brothers, we should see in Mephibosheth ourselves first and then all of lost humanity. Just as Mephibosheth could not walk because of a fall, so too, we are unable to seek after God because we are fallen creatures. We were all lame at one time. It is interesting that Mephibosheth’s name means “shameful one.” What did he do to de- serve that? He was rendered lame by the ac- tions of someone else. What a picture of the fall of Adam and the stain of sin upon all mankind. King David, picturing God in this passage asks, “where is he?” Doesn’t that remind you of the Garden of Eden? God asked Adam and Eve where they were — not because He did not know where they were, but because He wanted them to understand the fall they had suffered because of their sin.
The Bible presents a picture of David that is both inspiring and perplexing. We know David as a magnifi- cent warrior, a man of
humility and integrity. We also know David as an adulterer and in the least an accomplice to murder. In 2 Samuel 3 we read that David had multi- ple wives. 2 Samuel 11 contains the story of Bathsheba and Uriah her husband. In 2 Samuel 13 & 18 we see that David was a neg- ligent father and this, in turn, caused much strife, heartache and even bloodshed. Yet in speaking to Saul about David the Bible declares in 1 Samuel 13:14: “But now your kingdom shall not endure. The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.” And in Acts 13:22 we read: “After He had re- moved him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I HAVE FOUND DAVID the son of Jesse, A MAN AFTER MY HEART, who will do all My will.’” What a statement from God! But the question remains: How could God declare David “a man after His own heart?” One of the keys to un- derstanding this declaration is to understand that God is not looking for perfection. That is only found in the Lord Jesus Christ. Instead, God is looking for men and women upon whom He can bestow His mercy and grace. God looks for people whose hearts are pliable and seeking to serve Him. God desires to pour out upon us His loving-kindness and that is the starting point for this series of arti- cles. In 2 Samuel 9 we see this picture clearly. This is a time in David’s life when God is very much blessing him. Militarily, he has expanded Israel’s borders. 2 Samuel 8 tells us that he waged war with and conquered the Philistines, the Moabites, and the Arameans (Syrians). He established military outposts in those and other nations to secure his borders and bring peace. Although God had already told him he would not build the Temple, he nevertheless collected precious metals, jewels, and building materials for his son, Solomon, who would build it. If we were to describe this time in the life of David and in the nation of Israel we would say that “life was good” or David was “living large.” As David sat on his throne, his mind began to recount God’s goodness toward him. No doubt his thoughts drifted to Jonathan, his best
away, that you may go in safety and may the LORD be with you as He has been with my fa- ther. “If I am still alive, will you not show me the loving-kindness of the LORD that I may not die? “You shall not cut off your loving-kindness from my house forever, not even when the LORD cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD require it at the hands of David’s enemies.” (Verse 1): Notice that David makes his inquiry because his heart has been stirred by remem- bering the loving kindness he and Jonathan made a vow to uphold. (Verse 2): Someone knew of a servant from the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. They called Ziba to come before the king and answer some questions. (Verse 3): This son of Jonathan became crip- pled in his feet when his father and his grand- father, King Saul, were killed in a battle against the Philistines described in 2 Samuel 4. It was customary and expected that when a new king ascended the throne, the former king’s family would be executed. When the house of Saul heard of his death, the nurse maid for Jonathan’s son scooped him in haste and at- tempted to escape. Unfortunately, the child
ine what must have been going through this young man’s life when David’s servants came for him? “The gig’s up. I made it a few years but it’s over now.” No doubt this child’s ser- vants told him that his life must remain secret or else David would kill him. After all, his grandfather chased David all over the desert trying to kill him so he could expect nothing less from David. (Verse 6): We finally hear the name of Jonathan’s son. Mephibosheth – “shameful one.” His name was Merib-baal at birth but perhaps was changed to Mephibosheth after he was crippled. Notice that Mephibosheth thought his life was over and so he fell on his face before David as if resigned to his fate. (Verse 7): “Fear Not.” I imagine that took sev- eral long, tense moments to sink in. Mephi- bosheth was there on his face before the king expecting at any moment to have his head cut off and instead he hears these beautiful words that brought indescribable joy. (Verse 8): So Mephibosheth did the most reasonable thing – he spoke of himself as an unworthy recipient of this kindness. I think he wanted to clarify what David had said and so he referred to himself as a “dead dog.” This was a Jewish idiom of the time that repre- sented the most worthless thing one could imagine. (Verse 9): To make it official, David calls in
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