1 David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
By this time David has learned he better speak very clearly. Many people have already killed Saul, and his other sons thinking they would gain favor with David. So David needs to make it very clear from the outset that he is looking for someone he can show kindness to unlike your typical king.
2 Now there was a servant of Saul’s household named Ziba. They summoned him to appear before David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”
“At your service,” he replied.
3 The king asked, “Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?”
Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet.”
4 “Where is he?” the king asked.
Ziba answered, “He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.”
5 So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel.
6 When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor.
David said, “Mephibosheth!”
Mephibosheth means “extermination of shame”. It literally means to cleave or split apart shame.
“At your service,” he replied.
7 “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.”
8 Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?”
9 Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul’s steward, and said to him, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. 10 You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master’s grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)
11 Then Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s[a] table like one of the king’s sons.
12 Mephibosheth had a young son named Mika, and all the members of Ziba’s household were servants of Mephibosheth. 13 And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table; he was lame in both feet.
According to our covenant with God we are blessed to be a blessing.
Genesis 12:2 I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.[a]
We have seen this progression in 2Samuel. When David is made King over all of Israel God established his house, He blessed him, and He made his name great. The next step in the blessings of the covenant is that we will be a blessing to others. In this story of Mephibosheth we see the gospel story. We were dead in our sins and offenses, that was our shame. Our salvation delivered us from that shame. Also, we are lame, our feet are out of place, unable to walk straight, unable to stand strong, unable to stand up straight like a man. But in our salvation we are seated together with Christ in the heavenlies, and we have an inheritance. When we become a blessing to others we express Christ in His saving grace.
By this time David has learned he better speak very clearly. Many people have already killed Saul, and his other sons thinking they would gain favor with David. So David needs to make it very clear from the outset that he is looking for someone he can show kindness to unlike your typical king.
2 Now there was a servant of Saul’s household named Ziba. They summoned him to appear before David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”
“At your service,” he replied.
3 The king asked, “Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?”
Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet.”
4 “Where is he?” the king asked.
Ziba answered, “He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.”
5 So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel.
6 When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor.
David said, “Mephibosheth!”
Mephibosheth means “extermination of shame”. It literally means to cleave or split apart shame.
“At your service,” he replied.
7 “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.”
8 Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?”
9 Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul’s steward, and said to him, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. 10 You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master’s grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)
11 Then Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s[a] table like one of the king’s sons.
12 Mephibosheth had a young son named Mika, and all the members of Ziba’s household were servants of Mephibosheth. 13 And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table; he was lame in both feet.
According to our covenant with God we are blessed to be a blessing.
Genesis 12:2 I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.[a]
We have seen this progression in 2Samuel. When David is made King over all of Israel God established his house, He blessed him, and He made his name great. The next step in the blessings of the covenant is that we will be a blessing to others. In this story of Mephibosheth we see the gospel story. We were dead in our sins and offenses, that was our shame. Our salvation delivered us from that shame. Also, we are lame, our feet are out of place, unable to walk straight, unable to stand strong, unable to stand up straight like a man. But in our salvation we are seated together with Christ in the heavenlies, and we have an inheritance. When we become a blessing to others we express Christ in His saving grace.