2 Samuel 9 - God’s Mercy Turns Enemies Into Family

https://www.facebook.com/ablossombiblechurch

Transcript

David’s Story And God’s Promises

SPEAKER_00 0:12

Second Samuel chapter eight. All right, well, we have been considering uh the life of David. Um pretty thorough study through the books of first and second Samuel, but we are jumping around a little bit. Uh, really just looking at this this way that God worked in David's life through David's life. Um, so chapter seven, you might recall, um, was a momentous covenant, promise made uh between God and David. That God told David, I'll establish your kingdom forever. And and pointing to that eternal kingdom of Jesus. And David is floored, he worships God over that. He's grateful. Um, we come to chapter eight, and we see God uh working through David's life for, well, my Bible says David's further conquests, it gives him victory over his enemies. Um, in verse one of chapter eight, we see the Philistines. David subdued them. Verse two, it's Moab, and David exacts some kind of judgment on them. Um verse three, um, another king, Hadadazer, king of Zobah, is defeated there. Verse five, the Syrians. Verse nine, there's a peace treaty that's signed with the king of Hamath. Uh, and in verse 14, also Edom. So there's the conquest. But the other thing we notice here is the spoils, uh, kind of glossing over chapter eight here. The spoils, they're in verse eight, a large amount of bronze. Notice verse 10 bronze, silver, and gold. Now, just think about that for a second as David is uh, you know, leading in conquest and victory and treaties and and such, he's acquiring bronze, a lot of it, silver and gold. Now, we want to see that because where does that bronze, silver, and gold go? Well, it goes into the treasuries and he stores it away for Solomon, right? Solomon will build the temple and it will involve more bronze than they could even count, right? Uh, it would involve silver and gold all over the place. And this is where it comes from. David sets that up for his son. Um, so in light of these blessings, God's hand on David, it seems that he wants to bless now others. Notice chapter nine, and that's where we'll spend our time today, is chapter nine. Now David said, Is there still any uh one who is left of the house of Saul that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake? And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Zeba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, Are you Zeba? And he said, At your service. Then the king said, Is there uh not still someone at the house of Saul to whom I may show kindness of God? And Ziba said to the king, There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame and his feet. So the king said to him, Where is he? And Zeba said to the king, Indeed, he is in the house of Makir, the son of Amiel in Lodabar. So here we see as David is experiencing blessing in his life, he wants to bless someone else. That's the really the natural response as we look at this. Um, it should be as we notice God's blessing in our life, it should cause us to want to worship and bless someone else. Um now he goes and he asks, is there anyone left of the house of Saul? And that should be a little surprising to us, right? Because Saul chased David around in the wilderness for what 12, 13 years? Made his life miserable. And here, David honestly says, I'm gonna bless the house of Saul. Now, this is what we understand that David wants to bless the house of Saul, but culture in those days, there probably would have been a different take on this. If David was asking around for anyone of the house of Saul, it was expected that David, as the the conquering king there, would have looked to do them in. Um that was very common because you knew that the previous king and their family would just be problems for your new rule. Um, so likely that's what most people would do is look to end that family line. But here, David wants to show kindness. Now, now, here in our account, we meet first a man named Zeba. And I don't know, I mean, I know how the story ends with Zeba. Later on, we'll see him again, but I really don't like this guy, right? But I don't like him at the first get-go. David says, Are you Zeba? And he says, At your service, you know, and you know, he's an opportunist, I think, in my mind. But he passes on this information. Yes, there is someone left of the household of Saul. It's Jonathan's child um name Mephiboshef. Now, we're giving a cameo of this Mephiboshef back in 2 Samuel chapter 4, verse 4, you might remember, um, that Mephiboshef was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came, and his nurse, this child's nurse, took him up and fled. And it happened as she made haste to flee, that he fell and became lame. His name was Mephiboshef. Um, so that's where we first see Mephiboshev is in this kind of retaliation time of ending the previous dynasty. Um, Mefiboshef's nurse grabs him, this little five-year-old, and runs. And as she's running, something happens and he falls and becomes lame for the rest of his life uh in his legs. And and so we've met him before, but David somehow doesn't know about him. Even though him and Jonathan are best of friends, that time there wasn't a whole lot of communication, and David was unaware of this child. And he does some detective work. Ziba lets him know Mephiboshef, that's the person you're looking for. Now, notice here what happens next. Verse 5. Then the then King David sent and brought him, Mephibosheth, out of the house of Mekir, the son of Amiel, from low to bow. Now, when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Here is your servant. So they fetch Mephibosheth, right? And they bring him. Now, picture this. Lodabar is 50 to 70 miles, depending on its location, 50 to 70 miles from Jerusalem. This is back in the days of you know, mules and and and horses at best, you know. So 50 to 70 miles, Mophibosh is taken from his house, thrown in a cart, perhaps, and he travels for days, right, to come to David. Now, what is he thinking all this time? I mean, he's heard stories, right? How did I how did I get this way? Well, the next king came around and we wanted to save your life, so we ran and fell, and this is how it happened. Mephiboshef is probably thinking the worst. David wants to end my life. 50 to 70 miles, he's thinking, I'm gonna get what everybody expects to get in my position. I'm gonna get death, right? The expected judgment of being related to Saul. And here he comes to David, and we see the fear there in him as coming before David, he falls on his face and prostrates himself. The word prostrate there is the same idea we get in the Old Testament for worship. It's like Joshua when he comes to the captain of the Lord's hosts, and he falls on his face with his face to the ground and he worships. And and that's what Mophibosheth is doing. No power in his own legs, he just throws himself on the ground in front of David and not expecting anything good at that moment. Now, what follows is one of the most beautiful stories in all of the Bible, and picture it as he's there on the ground. David says, Mephiboshev, is that you on the ground there? He answered, Here's your servant. So David said to him, Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan, your father's sake, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul, your grandfather, and you shall eat bread at my table continually. He bowed himself and said, What is your servant that you should look upon such a dead dog as I? The king called to Zeba, Saul's servant, and said to him, I have given to your master's son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. You therefore and your sons and your servants shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in the harvest that your master's son may have food to eat. But Mephiboshef, your master's son, shall keep bread at my table always. Now, we see it's a change of events, right? It's probably not what Mephiboshef was thinking, right? He was thinking, I'm gonna get what I've always expected I'm gonna get. I'm gonna get what I deserve. And we consider that to be justice, even in this situation, it's what's expected, it's justice. But instead, now follow. Instead, he gets mercy. He doesn't get what he deserved, but he gets mercy and kindness from David, and it's amazing, isn't it? It's amazing how merciful David is not to kill him, but then we'll find he also has he's also very gracious. Not only does he spare Mophiboshef, but then he gives him, right, uh Saul's land. He gives him provision through Ziba there, and then he invites him to his table to eat food like one of his own children, and it's a beautiful story, isn't it? Um, but what we see here is what you expected to find. David is looking a lot like Jesus right here. Look at verse 7, even his response uh do not fear. Man, that is so Jesus, isn't it? That is such a Jesus thing to say. Don't be afraid, right? When Jesus appeared to his disciples after he rose, they were freaked out. And Jesus says, Hey, don't fear, it's me, don't be afraid, right? And and then he just goes on to show this amazing mercy as Mofiboshev is there just groveling, right? He shows him this mercy, and Mofiboshev says, What what does a dead dog like me deserve stuff like this? You know what I mean? And that's pretty picturesque, right? A dead dead dog, right? You wouldn't pay much for a dead dog, you know, especially in that culture. And and yet Mofiboshev knows what I deserve is what I thought I had coming. And you showed so much mercy. And David goes further in verses 9 and 10 and sets him up, right? Provides for him. Um, verse 13. We jump to verse 13. So Mophibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king's table, and he was lame in both of his feet. He ate continually at the king's table. Man, that was a big switch from what some kings did, right? In the book of Joshua, we're given insight into this one king who the Israelites conquer, and he says, you know what? I get what I deserve. I used to take kings, cut their thumbs off and their big toes off you, and and they would grovel at my table for food like dogs, right? Just to humble them. And here, Mophiboshef, he's treated like one of the king's sons. It's just like Jesus who blesses us. Now let's turn to Ephesians chapter 2. We'll leave 2 Samuel and turn to Ephesians chapter 2. We see this parallel uh so clearly in Jesus. Chapter 2, verse 1. Just a little side note, I encourage you to spend some time. If you need some encouragement in your life, read the book of Ephesians, because the first two, three chapters of Ephesians tells us everything that we have in Christ, all the good things that God has done for us. But chapter two is huge. Let's look at it. What has God done for us? And you, this is verse one, you he made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, uh, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of our flesh and of the mind. Check this out we were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. So, Paul here lets us know where we were in sin. We were children of wrath. That doesn't sound good, right? That's not the way you refer to your own children. You are my child of wrath, you know. No, but but that's who we were, right? We were dead in sin. The Bible says the wages of sin is death. And and here it's presented in such a way that we were without hope. We were like dead dogs, as Mefiboshev says. And and that's where we were honestly at. We deserved now listen, we deserved justice for the sin in our life, the way that we live, we deserved hell without any reservation. We deserved hell, every single one of us. But, and there's a great conjunction but here in verse 4, but God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, he made us alive together with Christ, by grace you have been saved, and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that into ages to come we might show the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. So goes on to say here, but God, when we were lost, judgment was we deserve death. But God, who's rich in mercy, let's think about mercy again for a second, right? Mercy is not getting what you deserve. It's when you're pulled over and they say, you know what, I'm gonna let it slide this time. You go, oh, mercy, thank you for mercy. I didn't get what I deserved. And and and that's what God does. He offers us mercy uh and and pays the price for our sin. So kind, mercy. But then there's grace, we read here, verse 7, the exceeding riches of his grace. Grace, the word is really a gift, right? It's something you don't earn or deserve. Grace is God just giving you every good thing. And look at your life right now. You may have some difficult things going on, but if you take a deep breath, oxygen, that's grace, right? You add another breath, right? You wake up and the sun is up, God's grace. You come here and there's friends to hang out with and people that love you, God's grace. Every good thing in our life is God's grace, and he just buckets of it, he throws on us every single day, and most of the time we don't even realize it. So we're dead in sin, and God has mercy on us, but then in Christ, he offers us so many good things in life, his grace. Now, this is how good God has been to us. Um, and we really see that picture there in 2 Samuel that David just has mercy and he shows him such amazing grace, he brings him in as one of his own children. Now, again, you can go ahead and read Ephesians. Um, but here's one more, one more. Look at chapter 1, verse 3. This says so much. This is how it starts. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. And he goes on to list it, but every blessing, every good blessing in our life, God just throws it on us because he's just that good. Now, consider though, a strange thought, maybe, um, Mephiboshef, he received that, didn't he? We read there that he lived in Jerusalem, he ate at the king's table every day, just like one of David's sons there and just experienced amazing blessings. But in a weird kind of way, what did Mephiboshef have to do to experience that? He had to receive it, he had to live in it, right? He had to accept it just like a gift that David was offering. Theoretically, theoretically, Mephiboshef could have said, you know what? That's great, David, but you know what? Keep it. I don't want your goodness, I don't want your grace, I don't want your mercy, I'm still at odds with you. He could have spat in David's face. Now he didn't because that would be ridiculous, but he could have. And we look at the salvation that God's offered to us, you know, Romans says, wage of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. And God just says, Here it is. Everything I did for you at the cross, do you want it? You know, that's just too simple, right? And yet, even as God offers that free gift of salvation, forgiveness, peace, being brought into his family, so many of us spit in God's face. Say, you know what? I don't need your mercy, I don't want your grace, keep it, and we walk away. It seems ridiculous, but in order to experience it, you have to receive it. Right now, I think there comes certain things that go along with that repentance. You turn from your old life, but so many times we like our old life and we just continue in our old life. You repent from your sin and you come to God, I think. Um, but really it's a gift. We can't say anything else about it. God just says, but do you want it? And yet, so many of us turn up our noses at God's grace. And yet, what a beautiful picture here. As David says, You know what? I'm full of kindness. God's been so good to me. Can I bless somebody in Saul's family? Mophibus chef, you're it. Man, I want to bring you in and make you one of my kids. I want to bless you every way I could bless you. Do you want it? And Mophibashef said, Yeah, man, I don't deserve this. But I'll take it. And he lived there in the presence of the king. Our story, way more beautiful than that, what God's done for us. But we got to receive it. God, I don't know how to get past this next part. God, if there's anyone here who's never received that, taking it personally, just your goodness, your mercy and grace. God, I don't know how to get past that and making one believe. I don't know how to make someone receive that. But God, your spirit is a better servant than Zeba ever would be. It brings us to you and you draw us in and you bless us with every good thing. Even when we turn our nose at you, you bless us. God, I just pray for my friends, especially those that maybe have never received that and taken that forgiveness personally in their lives. I pray that you'd give them understanding into that. God, that we would know you and experience that wonderful life of just being one of your kids. God, do that work in our hearts. I know it takes a miracle, and I pray that you would do that in each one of us today. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.