In that hymn, when he says, Here
I raise mine Ebenezer, that's taken from 1 Samuel 7, where
Samuel was delivered and all of Israel was delivered, and
he said, Ebenezer, which means hitherto the Lord hath helped
me. Turn to 2 Samuel 9. Now, I want to tell you the story
about a man by the name of Mephibosheth. His name means shameful thing. Now, I want you to put yourself
in his place. What if you had to introduce
yourself to somebody as the shameful thing? That'd be difficult, wouldn't
it? It's taken from the word which
means disappointment, that which causes shame. Can you imagine
going through life with a name like that? I suppose that if
they had therapists back then, he would have needed one. Shameful
thing. His daddy, Jonathan, gave him
that name, and Jonathan's name means he whom Jehovah gave. Jonathan was the son of King
Saul, and Jonathan was the best friend of David. Now, in chapter 9 of 2 Samuel,
verse 1, we read, And David said, Is there any that's left of the
house of Saul? Now, remember who Saul is. Saul
is the enemy of David. Saul wanted David dead. Now, this house of Saul was the
house of David's enemies. And he says, Is there yet any
that's left of the house of Saul? that I may show him kindness
for Jonathan's sake. He goes on to say, I want to
show him the kindness of God for Jonathan's sake. Now, when
David said this, he was a man without enemies. All of his enemies
have been vanquished. You can read about that in 2
Samuel 8. And he is the most powerful man
in the world. No enemies. And he says, from
this position of power and authority, the most powerful man in all
the world. Israel at this time was the most
powerful nation in all the world. Now you think of the place from
which he is speaking, and this powerful, powerful man, David,
says, Is there any that I can show the kindness of God to,
toward my enemies, the house of Saul, for Jonathan's sake? Verse 2, And there was of the house of
Saul a servant whose name was Ziba. He was a former servant
of Saul's when Saul was in power, and this man Ziba had the information
as to whether or not there was anybody that David could show
kindness to for Jonathan's sake. And there was at 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? He doesn't merely
want to show human kindness. He wants to show the kindness
of God. I'd like to know something about
the kindness of God, wouldn't you? I would like to enter into
that. I want that shown to me. the
kindness of God. And Ziba, verse 3, said unto
the king, Jonathan hath yet a son which is laying on both his feet. Now, he's not worth much. He
can't work for you. He can't do anything for you.
All he can be is carried. That's all he can be. Carried. If you read in 2 Samuel chapter
4, you read where Jonathan and Saul are put to death. And this
young man who's lame on his feet, he wasn't born that way. He didn't
originate that way. But when his nurse found out
that Saul and Jonathan would be put to death, she picked him
up to run because she thought if they find him, they'll kill
him. And while she was running, she dropped him and he became
lame on both of his feet through a fall. That's how he became
lame. Now, this man can't do anything
for you. He would have to be carried. Verse four. And the king said
unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king,
Behold, he is in the house of Maker, and that means ruin and
destruction. He is in the house of ruin and
destruction. The son of Amillel from Lodibar. Lodibar means the place of no
bread. The pastorless place, the place
you starve to death. It's a place where you can't
live. Now, this is this man was in a miserable condition. Verse
five. And before I read that verse,
considering the state of this man, what good would it have
done him if the king said, now you tell him to come to me and
he'll find mercy. You tell him to get here. And
he'll find mercy. What good would that have done
this man? Absolutely none. He was lame. He could not get
there. He was lame in both of his feet. He couldn't walk. He was a paraplegic,
I suppose. He could not walk. What good
would it have done if Jonathan, this Jonathan's son, heard from
the king and said, you're invited to the king's palace. Now, if
you get here, you'll be OK. Everything will be fine. It would
have done him no good at all, would it? Now, let's read what
took place. Verse five. Then King David sent
and fetched him. He fetched him out of the house
of Nacir, the son of Amaliel from Lodabar. He went and got
him to bring him to himself. Verse 6. Now, this man is brought
before David, and David looks at him. And he knows who he is. This is Jonathan's son. That one that I love so dearly. And he looked at that boy, Jonathan's
son. Verse 6. Now, when Mephibosheth
The son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come in to David.
He fell on his face and did reverence. He was afraid. All he knew was
that he was of the house of David's enemies, the one who wanted to
kill David, and he was afraid. He didn't know what was going
to take place. He didn't know if he was being brought there
to be executed. Finally, he's found me, and he's
going to put me to death. He was scared to death, and all
he knew to do was to fall on his face and do reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth, shameful thing. And he knew his name. And he
answered, Behold thy servant. And David said unto him, Fear
not. Now you can bet he was scared
to death. He didn't know what was going to take place. And
David said, 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. Now, this story actually begins
in 1 Samuel chapter 18. Would you turn with me there? Now, this is right after David
defeated Goliath. We considered that a couple of
weeks ago. And when David defeated Goliath, Jonathan witnessed every
bit of it. He heard the things that David
said. Look in 1 Samuel chapter 17.
Jonathan heard this. Then said David to the Philistine,
Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a
shield, but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts.
the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day
will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand, and I will smite thee,
and take thy head from thee, and I will give the carcasses
of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the
air, and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth
may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly
shall know that the Lord saveth not with the sword and spear,
for the battle is the Lord's. And he will give you into our
hands. He heard all this. And he was watching when David
ran at the Philistine with the sling, and the stone went through
his head. He saw him go down. He saw David
cut the head off of Goliath. He witnessed all these things. He didn't know him yet, but he
witnessed all these things. And we read in chapter 18, verse
1, after he witnessed all these things, And it came to pass,
when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, this is David speaking
to Saul, Jonathan was listening in, that the soul of Jonathan
was knit with the soul of David. And Jonathan loved him as his
own soul. Now in this, Jonathan is a type
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And this speaks of the son's
love to the father. Let's read these words again.
Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved
him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day, and
would not let him go no more to his father's house. Then Jonathan
and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.
And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him,
and gave it to David, and his garments even to his sword, and
to his bow, and to his girdle. How he loved David! How the Son of God loves his
father. There's no description of it,
is there? The love between the father and the son. Now look in verse 5 of 1 Samuel,
chapter 18. We find out when the trouble
begins for David. And David went out whithersoever
Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely. And Saul sent him over
the men of war. And he was accepted in the sight
of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul's servants.
Everybody loved David. And it came to pass, as they
came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine,
that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and
dancing, to meet King Saul, with tabards, with joy, and with instruments
of music. And the women answered one another
as they played, and said, Saul has slain his thousands, and
David his How do you think that's going to go over with Saul? He's
not going to like that. As a matter of fact, from this
day forward, he becomes the enemy of David. He's so moved with
jealousy. Look in verse 8, And Saul was
very wroth, and the same displeased him. And he said, They described
him to David ten thousands, and to me they've described it thousands.
And what can he have more but the kingdom? And Saul eyed David. from that day forward. And as you go on reading, on
numerous occasions, Saul did everything he could to kill David. Look in chapter 19, ìAnd Saul spake to Jonathan his
son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David,
this one who delivered This one who defeated Goliath, this one
who behaved himself wisely in all ways. All Saul wanted from
him was death. He wanted David dead. But Jonathan,
Saul's son, delighted much in David. And Jonathan told David,
saying, Saw my father seeketh to kill thee. Now therefore I
pray thee, take heed thyself unto the morning, and abide in
a secret place, and hide thyself. And I'll go out and stand beside
my father in the field where thou art, and I'll commune with
my father of thee, and what I see, that will I tell thee. He was going to let David know
what his father's intentions were. And as you go on reading,
he found out Saul's intentions were to kill him. He wanted David
dead. So we read in 1 Samuel chapter
20, And David fled from Naoth and Ramon, and came and said
before Jonathan, What have I done? What is mine iniquity? And what
is my sin before thy father that he seeketh my life? And he said
unto him, God forbid thou should not die, because behold, my father
will do nothing, either great or small, but that he'll show
it to me. And why should he, my father, hide this thing from
me? It's not so. He says, I'm going to let you know what's
going to take place. Now you go on reading and he finds out his
father is going to kill him. Now this is when they make this
covenant that we just read beginning in verse 11. And Jonathan said unto David,
Come and let us go out into the field." And they went out, both
of them, into the field. And Jonathan said unto David,
O Lord God of Israel. Now that is how Jonathan addresses
David. Obviously, David is a type of
God the Father. Jonathan, a type of God the Son. Let's go on reading. He says,
When I have sounded my Father about to-morrow, any time, or
the third day, and behold, if there be good toward David, and
I then sin not unto thee, and show it to thee, the Lord do
so much and more to Jonathan. But if it please my Father to
do thee evil, then I'll show it thee, and send thee away,
that thou mayest go in peace, and the Lord be with thee, as
he hath been with my Father. And thou shalt not only while
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 had cut off the enemies of David, everyone
from the face of the earth. He's prophesying at this time,
isn't he? He's telling what's going to take place. So Jonathan
made a covenant with the house of David saying, let the Lord
even required at the hand of David's enemies. And Jonathan
calls David to swear again because he loved him for he loved him
as he loved his own soul. Now, we see that they made a
covenant at this time. Jonathan says to David, I want
you to show mercy to my house, to my descendants, to my children,
after I'm long dead and gone and after the Lord has made you
the king of the world and all your enemies are vanquished,
I want you to remember this covenant and have mercy on my house. Now,
years pass. Jonathan has been dead a long
time. And just like he said, all of
David's enemies are put down. You can read about it in 2 Samuel
8. David becomes the most powerful
man in all the world. And he says, remembering that
covenant many years before. Are there yet any of the house
of Saul, my enemy, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's
sake? Now, in this story, David is
a type of God the Father. And that is so clear from how
Jonathan addressed him. He called him, O Lord God of
Israel. And Jonathan is a type of Christ. Salvation for Jonathan's sake. And Ziba, the servant, is a type
of the Holy Spirit who went and fetched Mephibosheth. And Mephibosheth,
shameful thing, is a type of the believer. that God saves
through the gospel. Jonathan loved David, Christ
loved his father, and they made a covenant together. You're going to have mercy on
my children. And what this speaks of is the
covenant that God made with Christ before time began. It's what we call the covenant
of grace. Now, in this covenant, in this
agreement, mercy was promised for a specific people. Not everybody, but those the
Father gave Him, the elect. Now, the big question is, am
I one of those people? That's what I'm mostly interested
in. Am I somebody that was included in this covenant, that mercy
was promised to me? There's one way you can tell.
Do you need mercy? Do you need mercy? I need mercy. I can't stand before God in my
works, in my doings, in anything that has my... I can't. I need
mercy. God, be merciful to me, the sinner. Now, wherever you find someone
who needs that kind of mercy, saving mercy, sovereign mercy,
there you find someone who is included in the covenant of mercy,
without any exceptions to that rule. Now, if you don't like
this kind of mercy, well, it's not for you. But if you need
mercy, you're in this covenant. Now, let's remember that as we
look at this passage of Scripture again. Let's look back to 2 Samuel
9. And David said, Is there yet
any that's left of the house of Saul that I may show him kindness
for Jonathan's sake? I love to think of David remembering
that covenant he made so many years before. He doesn't have
any enemies. He doesn't have any fears. He's
the king. But he wants to find somebody
from the house of Saul that he can show kindness for Jonathan's
sake. And I can hear God the Father
say, is there any of the house of Adam, fallen Adam, the enemy
of God, is there any of the house of Adam that I can show him kindness
for Christ's sake. Is that something that interests
you? Let's go on reading, verse 2.
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." Oh, I want that, don't
you? And Ziba said unto the king,
Jonathan hath yet a son, but he's worthless. He's lame on
his feet. He can't walk. He can't work. He can't do anything to pull
his weight. All he can do is magnify your
great mercy in having mercy on someone as useless as him. His name is Mephibosheth, the
shameful thing, the disappointment, a pure carry case. That's all he is, a pure charity
case. My soul, that's me. Verse 4, And the king said unto
him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king,
Behold, he is in the house of ruins, in a place of no bread. Then king David sent and fetched
him out of the house of ruins, the place of no bread. He fetched him. I like that word. Fetched him. Fetching race. It works something
like this. Whom he did foreknow, he fetched. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
them he also fetched. And whom he called, Then he also
fetched. And whom he justified and cleared
them of all guilt, then he also fetched. And whom he glorified,
then he also fetched. Now, fetching grace is irresistible,
invincible grace. And that's the only kind of grace
that will do him any good. Somebody says, are you saying that God's
grace cannot be resisted? That's exactly what I'm saying.
If God decides to save you, you'll be saved. And not before then. Fetching irresistible, invincible
grace. And that's the only kind of grace
that'll do this sinner any good. If all this is an invitation. If
God wishes me well and says, come on, if you can come to me,
if you come to me, then I'll have mercy on you. If you do
this, if you can make the move, that won't do me good because
I'm lame in my feet. I'm just like Mephibosheth, lame
through a fall. When Adam fell, I fell. When
Adam was lame, I was lame. I can't get there unless he comes
and fetches me. How about you? I need fetching. Then David sent and fetched him
out of the house of ruin, the place of no bread, verse 6. Now,
when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son
of Saul, was come in to David, can you imagine how afraid he
was? He was of the house of David's
enemies. And he was scared to death. He didn't know what David
was going to do to him. He didn't know if he was going
to have his head cut off. For all he knew, this was his last
day on earth. And he was powerless before David. There wasn't anything
he could do except hit the dirt, fall on his face, and do reverence. He understood he was in David's
hands, and David could do with him whatever he was pleased to
do. He understood that. And he fell
down on his face and he did reverence. And that is the word that's generally
translated worship. I know this about worship. Worship is falling on your face
before God. And doing reverence. Knowing
that you're in his hands. And He can do with you whatever
He is pleased to do. He can send you to hell, and
He's just. He can save you if He's pleased.
But you're in His hands. You can't control Him. You can't
manipulate Him. You can't get Him to respond.
You're in His hands. And He can do with you whatsoever
He's pleased to do. Now, there's a lot of folks that
find no safety in that. But if you're a believer, that's the
only place you find safety. In His hands. He fell down on his face and
did reverence. Didn't say a thing. And David
said, Mephibosheth, shameful thing. Behold thy servant. He knew his
name and he responded to his name. And David said unto him,
verse 7, 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. Now can you imagine what this
man must have felt when David says this to him? Now let's look
at his response, verse 8. And he bowed himself and said,
What is thy servant that thou shouldest look upon such a dead
dog as I am? He was amazed. Look at how he
viewed himself. Not just a dog, but a dead dog.
How worthless is a dead dog? Now, that's how he viewed himself. Why would you show such mercy
to me? Verse 9, Then the king called
Ziba, Saul's servant, and said unto him, I have given unto thy
master's son all that pertain to Saul, and to all his house. Thou therefore and thy sons and
thy servants shall till the land for him, and thou shalt bring
him the fruits that thy master's son may have food to eat. But
Mephibosheth, thy master's son, shall eat bread always at my
table." Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants, and said
Ziba unto the king, according to all that my lord the king
hath commanded his servant, so shall thy servant do. As for
Mephibosheth, said the king, he shall leave at my table as
one of the king's sons." He was made a son. He was made a son. sitting at the king's table.
And Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Micah, and
all that dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants unto Mephibosheth. So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem,
for he did eat continually at the king's table. And I think
that there's a very unusual way of ending this story. I've said
this before. If I was writing this story,
I would say, he was miraculously healed and no longer lame. But the last thing that God the
Holy Spirit mentioned regarding him is he was lame in both of
his feet. Now those lame feet were covered
at the king's table so that they couldn't be seen. Aren't you
thankful for that? But he was still lame on his
feet. And you know what I get out of
that? My soul, I'm still lame. And I'm forced to have no other
hope but Christ alone. Right now. Now, there's a closing chapter
to Mephibosheth's history. Would you turn with me to 2 Samuel
chapter 16? While you're turning there, can't
you see the gospel in this story? Mephibosheth's salvation was
determined before he was ever born through a covenant David
made with Jonathan. The salvation of every elect
sinner was determined before they were ever born because of
the covenant God the Father made with Christ. Mephibosheth was
lame through a fall. You and I are lame through a
fall. And Mephibosheth was lame in
both of his feet. An invitation, an offer of the
gospel would do him no good. He had to be fetched. Irresistible,
invincible grace. And the only reason that Mephibosheth
is shown mercy is for Jonathan's sake. But that's a reason enough. And the only reason Any sinner
is shown mercy, and he Mephibosheth, and his sameful thing is for
Christ's sake. But don't you find comfort in
that? Salvation for Christ's sake? What if he had to look
for a reason in you to save you? He wouldn't find one. But he
says, for Christ's sake. Now look in 2 Samuel, chapter
16, verse 1. Now David was fleeing at this
time, and when David was a little past
the top of the hill, behold Ziba, remember him? The servant of
Mephibosheth met him with a couple of asses saddled, and upon them
two hundred loaves of bread, and a hundred bunches of raisins,
and a hundred of summer fruits, and a bottle of wine. And the
king said unto Ziba, What meanest thou by these? And Ziba said,
The ashes be for the king's household to ride on, and the bread and
summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine that such
as be faint in the wilderness may drink. And the king said,
And where's thy master's son? And Ziba said unto the king,
Behold, he abided at Jerusalem, talking about Mephibosheth, for
he said, Today shall the house of Israel restore me the kingdom
of my father. Was Mephibosheth a traitor? after
all that David had done for him? Then said the king to Ziba, Behold,
thine are all that pertaineth unto Bephibosheth. Everything
I gave to him I am given to you, and he now has nothing. And Ziba
said, I humbly beseech thee that I might find grace in thy sight,
my lord, O king." turn to 1 Samuel 19. Absalom is now dead. All of David's enemies once again
are vanquished, and he returns, verse 24, 2 Samuel 19, and Mephibosheth,
the son of Saul, came down to meet the king. and had neither
dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes
from the day that the king departed into the day that he came again
in peace." He was so miserable over David being gone, he didn't
even wash. And it came to pass, when he
was come to Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said
unto him, Wherefore wittest thou not with me, Mephibosheth? And
he answered, My lord, O king, My servant deceived me. Thy,
but he deceived me. For thy servant said, I'll saddle
me an ass that I may ride thereon, and go to the king, because thy
servant is lame. And he hath slandered thy servant
unto my lord the king. But my lord the king is as an
angel of God. Do therefore what is good in
thine eyes. Put me to death, if that's what
you're pleased to do. For all my father's house were but dead
men. Before my Lord the King, yet didst thou set thy servants
among them that did eat at thine own table. And what right, therefore,
have I yet to cry any more unto the King? Whatever you do is
right. I'm not asking for a thing. Whatever you do with me is right.'
And the King said unto him, Why speakest thou any more of thy
matters? I've said, Thou and Ziba divide the land. I'm giving
you back this land that I'd given Ziba. And look at Mephibosheth's
response. And Mephibosheth said unto the
king, yea, let him take all of it. He can have it all. For as much
as my lord the king has come again in peace unto his own house,
that's all I need to satisfy me. You can have the world's goods
because my king has returned in peace. Having accomplished
my salvation, that's all I want. I don't need anything else. My King, my Lord, has returned
in peace, and I'm satisfied. He can have it all. Who wants
it? Since my King has returned in
peace, I have all. That's all I want, and that's
all I need. Now that's how Mephibosheth,
the shameful thing, felt toward his king. And that's the way
every believer feels toward the Lord Jesus Christ. You can have
all this other stuff. As he's returned in peace, he
is my peace. I have all that I want and all
that I need. Let's pray.