David’s Kindness to Mephibosheth
As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.
Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.
2 Samuel 9:9-13
9 Then the king called Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson.
10 And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master’s grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s grandson shall always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
11 Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so will your servant do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table, like one of the king’s sons.
12 And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba’s house became Mephibosheth’s servants.
13 So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king’s table. Now he was lame in both his feet.
How big of an estate are we talking about here? Is this “estate” a nice little three bed two bath on a quarter acre corner lot on John Street, in one of the better neighborhoods?
Let’s consider Saul’s family condition before he was called to reign. He was the son of a man who the Word defines as wealthy.
1 Samuel 9:1 There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth.
Saul’s father was a wealthy man of lineage, one who was important in the nation, and whose son was destined to be king. Based on his background, Saul was a man set for life before he rose to power.
Upon Saul’s rise to power, it appears, he remained near Gibeah, in the tribal land of Benjamin. An archeological dig has identified his estate, and it has been called Tell el-Ful (translated as “Hill of Beans.) It is located on a prominent hill in the area, and provided a vast view of the surrounding areas.
It appears Saul had delusions of real estate grandeur during his reign, for at a time when David was ascending in influence, he began to speak of offering to the people of Benjamin fields for all.
1 Samuel 22:7 And Saul said to his servants who stood about him, “Hear now, people of Benjamin; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds,
Whatever his real estate holdings, it was a sizable estate, and most likely, it was completely assumed by David at the fall of King Saul’s house.
For David to willingly give this estate up to Saul’s grandson was a grand statement of generosity. Beyond that, for David to provide this land to Saul’s grandson, and with it the memory of King Saul, was the act of a king seemingly not considering a potential threat. Yes, Mephibosheth was crippled, and yes he was humble before David, but tables often turn, and this story is not the last we hear of Mephibosheth and his new servant Ziba in the life of David.
For this passage, we find Ziba being directed by King David to manage all the land of Saul for Mephibosheth, even while Mephibosheth sat at the kings table. Ziba became the servant of Mephibosheth, along with his sons and their servants, and Mephibosheth became a wealthy man by the word of King David.
Now catch that! Mephibosheth did not gain riches by his talent, or by his wisdom, or by his personality or appearance. Nothing of Mephibosheth – other than the fact that he was born into the family of Jonathon – was of any value to the King of Israel.
It was all about relationship. And Mephibosheth was a child of Jonathon, a man that David made promises to.
God made promises in Jesus. As a matter of fact, ALL God’s promises are in Jesus.
2 Corinthians 1:20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.
For us to benefit, we have to assume the same place as Mephibosheth. We need to be related to the Greater Jonathon, in whom all God’s promises are found.
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