Mephibosheth – Moment to Moment (Bible blog)

Because we’ve experienced God’s faithful love

And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness (faithful love) of God to him?” (2 Samuel 9:3)

Those words struck me today, especially as I thought of chapter 7.

God showed his faithful love to David, and David was totally blown away by it.

But his response was not only thanksgiving toward God.

He wanted to be a channel of that love, and so he actively sought someone to whom he could show that faithful love to.

Because of his love for Jonathan and his promises to him (1 Samuel 20:14-15), Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth was a natural choice.

But David didn’t want to simply show his own faithful love to Mephibosheth. He wanted to show God’s faithful love to Mephibosheth. And so he did.

Lord, may I be a channel of your faithful love to those around me. Help me to actively look for people I can do that with, just as David did.

And together, may we be blown away by your faithful love, saying, “Who am I, that you would love me in this way?”

Always eligible for grace

As I read the part about Mephibosheth in this passage, his words to David struck me.

Apparently, Mephibosheth’s servant had wrongfully accused him of turning on David when David was fleeing for his life from Absalom.

But after offering his defense, and knowing he couldn’t prove his servant’s lies, he basically told David to do as he saw best, saying,

For my grandfather’s entire family deserves death from my lord the king, but you set your servant among those who eat at your table.

So what further right do I have to keep on making appeals to the king? (2 Samuel 19:28)

Those words are striking to me.

We too deserved nothing but death from God because of our sins. And yet, God has welcomed us into his house, not just as servants, but as sons and daughters, and one day we will dine at his table in glory.

But let us always remember that when bad things happen to us, whether through our own fault or not, we always have the right to keep coming to our King and making our appeals to him.

Why? Because he is not just our King, but our loving Father. And he never tires of seeing us or hearing our requests.

As Paul said,

He did not even spare his own Son but offered him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything? (Romans 8:32)

This doesn’t mean of course, that God will grant us everything we ask. After all, sometimes we ask for “snakes and rocks” thinking they are “fish and bread.” And God only gives us good gifts.

But we are always eligible to receive his grace and to come to him with our requests.

So as the writer of Hebrews says,

Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)