Good evening. Open back with
me to 2 Samuel 9. Be our text this evening. I know everyone in here has experienced
this. getting ready to leave, and you
walk in, and you tell a young child, get your shoes on. And
you give them playing time, because it's towards the first time they're
learning to tie their shoes. And they're trying their best.
They're struggling. They've been shown, they've been
told, they kind of know but the fingers don't work right. They just can't get the shoes
tight. And sometimes it can be painful
to watch, right? Especially if you're in a hurry.
Come on, just get it done. And you finally say, here, let
me help you with that. And they scoot away, turn their
back. No, me do it. as mankind in a nutshell. In our pride, in our arrogance,
we say with Israel of old, all that the Lord hath said we will
do and be obedient. As if to say, God, I see what
you've said there, and it's not a problem. I'll take care of
it. I can do this. We can't do it. Adam, our father, had but one
command to obey, and he failed. Utterly and miserably, he failed. And yet, we in our pride say
that all you've commanded, I'll do it, it's not a problem. Consider that child, those of
us who know how to tie shoes, know that if the child would
just stop struggling for a moment, just be still, it would be taken
care of. We'll tie your shoes, we'll get
you ready, and we'll go. Those of us who the Lord has
been gracious to and shown mercy to, we look at the multitudes
around this world who are going about to establish their own
righteousness, and we say, just stop. Be still. Christ has done it all. Just
rest. Go to him. He'll receive you. He has mercy and he freely gives
it to all that are in need. Here's the question. Do you need
mercy? Do I need the Lord's mercy? Well, I'm not sure. What do you mean by the Lord's
mercy? Who needs the Lord's mercy? All those who stand guilty before
the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, who when looking upon
themselves, see absolutely no redeemable quality. Who know
when the Lord looks on them, he sees nothing pleasant. Do I stand in need of God's mercy? Here in 2 Samuel 9, we see a
man who is in need of mercy. And Lord willing, from this passage,
we'll see the Lord's mercy revealed to guilty sinners in six points. The covenant of grace, our natural
condition, the call of grace, the effect of that call, the
covenant revealed, and the end of the story. Let's read the
first seven verses again. And David said, is there yet
any that is left of the house of Saul that I may show him kindness
for Jonathan's sake. And there was of the house of
Saul a servant whose name was Ziba. And when they had called
him unto David, the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he said, Thy servant is he.
And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul
that I may show the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said
unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his
feet. And the king said unto him, Where
is he? And Ziba said unto the king,
Behold, he is in the house of Maker, the son of Amel, in Lodabar. Then king David sent, and fetched
him out of the house of Maker, the son of Amel, from Lodabar. Now when Mephibosheth, the son
of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell
on his face and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth? And he answered, Behold thy servant. And David said unto him, Fear
not, For I will surely show thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's
sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father.
And thou shalt eat bread at my table continually." First thing
we'll look at is the covenant. Verse 1 says, and David said,
is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul that I may
show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?" What prompted David, king
of Israel, to ask this question, to inquire after a son of Saul? He remembered his covenant with
Jonathan. Hold your place here and turn
over to 1 Samuel 20. 1 Samuel 20. First Samuel 20, Jonathan and
David are meeting for one of the last times that they'll see
one another alive. Jonathan knows that David has
been appointed of God to be king over Israel. But these two men
meet together and they make a covenant. Verse 14, Jonathan speaking says,
And thou shalt not only, while yet I live, show me the kindness
of the Lord, that I die not, but also thou shalt not cut off
thy kindness from my house for ever. No, not when the Lord hath
cut off the enemies of David, every one from the face of the
earth. Notice that Jonathan is not short-sighted
in his covenant. He entered into this covenant
not just for himself, but for his children as well. Verse 15,
he says, thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house forever. When, as concerning Mephibosheth,
was this covenant made? The Thompson Study Bible, at
the beginning of each chapter, it has a date, a year next to
it. Someone's gone through and figured
out about what time frame the events of that chapter took place. Based on those marketings, this
covenant was entered into at least a year before Mephibosheth
was born. Do you grasp what that means?
In all probability, Jonathan didn't even know his wife was
pregnant with Mephibosheth when he entered into this covenant.
Mephibosheth had no part in the making of this covenant, But
in about 20 years' time, this covenant would be the reason
David sought him out to show him kindness. For us ruined sinners,
before God laid the foundation of the world, before life was
breathed into Adam, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit
entered into a covenant. That covenant concerned a rebellious
people whom God had chosen. God the Son said, I'll redeem
them. And if I redeem them, thou, God
the Father, shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house forever. What could have possibly motivated
the eternal, all-sufficient, living God to consider His rebellious
creatures and purpose to show them kindness? 1 Samuel 20, verse
17, And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved
him. for he loved him as he loved
his own soul." What was God's motivation? Our Lord said in
John 3, the Father loveth the Son and hath given all things
into his hand. The love of the Father to the
Son bound the covenant of grace before Adam was even formed. Just as Mephibosheth had no influence
or responsibility in the covenant between his father and David,
we sinful souls bear no responsibility to that covenant entered into
by God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. Mephibosheth
was covered by the covenant because he was Jonathan's boy. Turn back to 2 Samuel 9. The covenant and the love David
had for Jonathan resulted in David seeking Mephibosheth out. And listen to what he says. Is
there yet any that is left of the house of Saul? not the house
of Jonathan, the house of Saul. Consider what David asked here.
2 Samuel 3, 1 says, now there was long war between the house
of Saul and the house of David. In chapter 9, about 16 years
have passed since Saul and Jonathan died. And David inquires to show
kindness to those who were his enemy, to those who rebelled
against God's appointment of him as king, to those traitors
against him who had lifted their hand in malice towards him. He seeks to show kindness to
rebels for Jonathan's sake. The covenant of grace is motivated
by love, concerns a house long at war, and those found in the
covenant have no part in its initiation or its application. As David inquired, one is found. Look at the end of verse three.
And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which
is lame on his feet. And the king said unto him, where
is he? And Ziba said unto the king,
behold, he is in the house of Maker, the son of Amiel, in Lodabar. Here we have declared our natural
condition. Mephibosheth has lived all his
life affected by a fall, and this fall resulted from the death
of his fathers. When news came of Saul and Jonathan's
death, in the hurry to get him to safety, Mephibosheth fell
and became lame. Do you see our condition in this
fall? When our father Adam rebelled
against God, he fell, and he didn't just become lame on his
feet. He fell and he died. His fall was a great fall. His soul, which had communion
with God, died, and he was no longer accepted in the presence
of life. We are all the children of a
rebellious man, and there has been long war between the house
of Adam and the house of Christ. Mephibosheth, at the time we're
reading about, is probably about 20 years old. He's married, has
a son of his own, Due to the long war that waged between David
and Saul's houses and the fact that David was the victor, I
very seriously doubt that Mephibosheth went about publicizing the fact
that he was the grandson of Saul. In fact, in some recess of his
mind, he feared that someday word may reach the king that
one of Saul's sons yet lived. For if that word reached the
king, the king would be justified and well within his rights to
have Mephibosheth and all that pertained to him slain for the
actions of his rebellious family. Yet I imagine, especially as
a young child, Mephibosheth had a lot of pride in his lineage. He was the grandson of the first
king of Israel. Saul had done great things for
Israel. He was the son of Jonathan, heir
to the throne. Jonathan had done many wonderful
things for Israel. But look at Mephibosheth's condition
now. He's lame on his feet, living
in the house of maker, which means sold. We've seen how we
are more than lame outside of Christ. We're dead in trespasses
and sins. But are we sold? As Esau sold
his birthright for some pottage, Each of us born of Adam's line
are born a debtor to the law. Adam rebelled, and the price
for that rebellion was greater than he could pay. He sold himself
into bondage under sin. We inherit from our father what
he had, his bondage, his nature. And not happy with that, I've
broken God's law myself. I've sold myself under that debt
with no means of making the payment. I am sold under sin. Now, Mephibosheth, for all appearances,
has a pretty good life down there in Lodabar. He's like all of
us. He's going about his merry way,
living life day to day. And if the thought of David came
to his mind, he would just kind of push it aside. I'm staying
out of his way. There's no reason for him to
concern himself with me. Let him do his thing. As long
as I'm not living in absolute open rebellion to him, there's
no reason for the king to look in my direction. That's the same for all of us.
When we're living in sin and rebellion, we do all that we
can to appease the God of our imagination. Our conscience bears
witness against us, and we can't hush that nagging notion that
I just haven't done quite enough. So we make promises to ourselves
and to that God of our imagination Promises that are feeble, but
we're pretty sure we can keep them. And if we can keep that
one, we're accepted, right? Promises such as, tomorrow, I
won't lose my temper. That will show that I'm holy
enough to be accepted. And first thing in the morning,
The alarm clock goes off, and I grab it and pitch it across
the room because I'm angry at that stupid alarm clock for going
off. But that's OK, I say. Yeah, I
lost my temper there, but I wasn't really awake yet. That doesn't
count. We'll just brush that under the rug. All the while,
the conscience is saying, guilty, guilty, guilty. You stand guilty. One day, there is coming a reckoning
with the almighty, ever-living God. And that reckoning is either
going to be found in the day of grace or in the day of judgment. In a nutshell, our natural condition
is the same as Mephibosheth's before his king, a rebel, dead,
sinners, without concern and without desire to know and be
known of the true king. One day, as Mephibosheth went
about his daily activities, unbeknownst to him, the call of grace was
commanded. This is our third point, the
call of grace, verse 5. Then King David sent and fetched
him out of the house of Makar, the son of Amel, from Lodabar. Very often as we read, we neglect
to take time into consideration, at least I do. David was in Jerusalem,
Mephibosheth was in Lodabar, and it was roughly 60 miles in
a straight line from one city to the other. But between these
two cities was mountainous terrain, so there was no straight route
from one to the other. To get there would have been
several days' journey, and returning would have taken at least that
long, but probably longer. On the journey there, those that
had the command to fetch Mephibosheth would be strong and able of body. On the return, You have a man
with you who cannot do for himself. It's going to take longer to
get back. A couple of things to consider
here. We have no reason to believe Mephibosheth knew anything about
the covenant between Jonathan and David. And most likely, those men sent
to fetch Mephibosheth probably didn't know David was intent
on showing him kindness. David would have told a man,
fetch Mephibosheth. He might have told that man why
he wanted him. That man would have been a high-ranking
officer who would have told somebody, told somebody, told somebody,
until you got down to the person that fetched. The person that
fetched wasn't given the reason. They were told go fetch. Whether that man knew or not,
I don't know. Or those men. But one thing we
do know. Those that were sent to fetch
Mephibosheth arrived suddenly at the house of Maker. And they
said to Mephibosheth, the king commands you come. There was no gentle invitation. No, if you would like, get your
house in order, take your time, we're gonna go see the king.
No, this was a command from the king, come now. Mephibosheth's heart had to drop. His courage was gone. All at
once, his doom was upon him. I'm found out. My rebellion,
my heritage has come before the king, and I am undone. The days that he traveled with
those that were sent to fetch him, what did he do? Was he in such distress and so
anxious of heart that he couldn't hardly even speak to him? Or
was he making inquiries of them? What kind of king is David? What
kind of man is he? Who am I going to face when I
get there? But one thing I can be certain
of, that that king, who had had such little thought before, now
consumes Mephibosheth's every thought. Who am I going to face? For those whom God the Father
chose, God the Son shed His blood to redeem, God the Spirit shall
call. As we, being ignorant of God's
grace to us and lost in our sin, go about our daily lives, one
day the Lord crosses the path of His elect with a preacher
of righteousness. One day the Holy Ghost comes
and calls us. Every experience from that point
is different. Some, like the thief on the cross,
are called and receive immediate assurance. Some, like Mephibosheth,
go many days in uncertainty before hearing the sweet declaration
of mercy and grace. But all that the Spirit calls
shall come to the knowledge of the grace of God in the Lord
Jesus Christ. At last, Mephibosheth arrives
at the court of the king. Verse 6. Now when Mephibosheth,
the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David,
he fell on his face and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth?
And he answered, Behold thy servant. Here we see the effect of the
Spirit's call of grace upon a sinner. The man who has spent no time
considering the king has been made to see his true guilt and
condition before him. And when he sees the king, the
true king, not the king of his imagination, but this is the
sovereign king, all that that man can do is say, behold thy
servant. You are the true king, and I
deserve, and you are right should you administer judgment. I deserve
the just reward for my rebellion." Mephibosheth displays here the
result of the call of grace. He repents. Previously, he lived
believing he could outwit, fool, hide his rebellious nature. Now
he knows who is king, and he bows in submission. It's almost
as though he said to David, against thee, thee only have I sinned
and done this evil in thy sight, that thou mightest be justified
when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. every sinner
saved by God's grace will become as Mephibosheth. And when he
sees God as he is, God in truth, we will fall down before him
and cry, Not my will, O God, but thine be done. and will plead
the only thing a guilty sinner can plead. God, be merciful to
me, a sinner." Now let's see the covenant revealed.
Verse 7, And David said unto him, Fear not, for I will surely
show thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake. and will restore
thee all the land of Saul thy father, and thou shalt eat bread
at my table continually." Perhaps a week or more has passed since
David gave the order to fetch Mephibosheth. And now the king
is in his court, the soldiers have returned carrying Mephibosheth,
and David sees him for the first time. What did David see? It's been roughly 20 years since
David and Jonathan entered into the covenant, 20 years since
David last saw Jonathan, and now Jonathan's son is presented
before him. David looked on him and all he
could see him was every feature that cried out, I am Jonathan. Is there any wonder that David
said to him, fear not? It isn't recorded here, but you
can be sure David let Mephibosheth know all about the covenant he
entered into with Jonathan, how he loved Jonathan. When the work of the Spirit is
done in the redeemed sinner, after that sinner is convinced
of sin, who and what we are by nature, of righteousness, who
God is, and judgment, not that all the world is guilty, but
that I am guilty, as if I alone have lifted up my hand in rebellion
to God and slain His beloved Son. After the Spirit has caused
the sinner to know, I am guilty and deserve nothing but God's
wrath, then, being brought by the Holy Ghost to that point,
the sinner is brought before the true King. And when the king's
eyes fall upon him, he sees only his perfect, holy, just son in
whom he is well pleased, and he declares, fear not, for I
will surely show thee kindness for Christ's sake. The end of
the story. Look at verse 13. So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem,
for he did eat continually at the king's table and was lame
on both his feet. Every sinner saved by God's grace
has the same end. We will dwell in the king's city. We will be provided all our nourishment
at the king's table. And more than any just base nourishment,
There were foods there Mephibosheth couldn't even dream of asking
for, for the king's table is well provided. As Mephibosheth
was in David's presence that first time and David saw all
those features that reminded him of Jonathan, his beloved
friend, there was one feature In the image that David couldn't
get past, Mephibosheth was lame on both his feet. David said, what can be done? I know what I'll do. I'll cover
those feet. He'll sit at my table and we'll
cover that imperfection. Man, even the best of men, judged
by other men, is nothing like the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ
is life, we are dead. Christ is good, we drink iniquity
like water. Christ is light, we love darkness
rather than light. Mephibosheth had one infirmity
David was able to hide under the table. We, from head to toe,
are wounds and bruises and putrefying sores. How can we be covered? God the Son, according to the
covenant with God the Father, came to where we are, made himself
in our likeness, walked his creation fulfilling his own law, and thus
obtained for us what we couldn't, a righteousness. And He did so
in our stead for our sake. Then He who knew no sin was made
sin for us. And on the cross, He suffered
the just condemnation and wrath of God that should have fallen
on us, fallen on me. He died my death. He was buried
in the tomb that was rightfully reserved for me. and He arose
after having borne our sin away and fully paid the price of death. Death no longer had a claim upon
Him. He arose and He has robed us
completely in His own garment of righteousness. He thoroughly
washed us from our sins in His own blood and He has covered
us from head to toe. so that when God sees one of
his ransomed people, he sees only his beloved son, and our
end is the same as Mephibosheth's. We shall be with him who loved
us. We shall dwell in his city. We
shall behold him whom we love, and we shall be like him." Oh,
what a glorious day that will be. Do you need mercy? Are you yet trying to satisfy
your conscience before God? Are you constantly making bargains
between yourself and the God of your imagination? Every time
you look back on the day that has passed, you think, didn't
quite get there today. I'll do better tomorrow. I know
you do, because I do the same thing. And I keep building more
and more demands and burdens upon myself. And I keep trying
to carry on myself, just like that child working so hard to
tie their shoelace. Just stop. Stop trying to satisfy
God with your doing. Listen. Oh, may God give us ears
to hear. Listen to our Savior. Come unto
me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest." Come to Christ, beg Him for mercy, and in coming,
let us continue to come. May God be pleased to keep us
from moving one jot beyond, God be merciful to me, a You know.