And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?” Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?” Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.” The king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.” Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar. And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, “Mephibosheth!” And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.” And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.” And he paid homage and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?”
Then the king called Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master's grandson. And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master's grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth your master's grandson shall always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so will your servant do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David's1 table, like one of the king's sons. And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba's house became Mephibosheth's servants. So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king's table. Now he was lame in both his feet. (2 Samuel 9)
1. Christ typology in the Old Testament is NOT allegory. Christ said that all of the scriptures were about him, and so, if we are able to find Christ in the Old Testament, and the doctrines that we discover in said passage are consistent with the rest of scripture, then we can reveal those doctrines to our congregations without being accused of allegorizing.
2. In this passage David is not standing in for Christ but for the Father in the trinity.
3. Saul is standing in for Adam. He is the father of all sinful humanity. His sin is passed down to us. Saul sinned against God, and the kingdom was taken from him. He was "kicked" out, as Adam was from the garden of Eden.
4. God wants to show one of Adam's progeny kindness for Jonathan's sake. Jonathan is standing in for Christ. Christ is also a descendant of Adam, but he is the firstborn of a new creation. Just as David wants to show kindness to one of Saul's progeny for Jonathan's sake, God wants to show kindness to sinners for Christ's sake. All who are IN CHRIST are included in this act of kindness.
5. This son of Jonathan, Mephibosheth, is lame in both feet. In other words, he is UNABLE to walk in the ways of the Lord.
6. In the presence of David, Mephibosheth falls to his face. In God's presence, his children repent.
7. David shows kindness for the sake of Jonathan, and the land (as in the promise to Abraham) is restored to Mephibosheth (through Christ).
8. Mephibosheth is to eat at David's table always. Likewise, God's children will be eating at his table for eternity.
9. Mephibosheth calls himself a "dead dog." Indeed, we are all dead in sins and in no way can save ourselves.
10. All that belonged to Adam is restored to us through Christ.
11. Angels will serve God's children.
12. Mephibosheth is considered one of David's sons now. Likewise, we are adopted as sons and daughters of the most high God. All for the sake of Christ.
13. Mephibosheth had a son, Micah, and the implication is that he was included in the covenant that David made with his father. Likewise, our children are included in the divine covenant of Christ.
14. Finally, we are reminded again that Mephibosheth was lame in both his feet. The most important takeaways from this chapter are 1) we are unable to save ourselves and 2) we are restored to God's grace by the merits of his son, Jesus Christ. Only through Christ can this restoration take place. We are lame and unable to walk in his statutes, but his obedience, even unto death on the cross, are sufficient for salvation. Let us repent of our sins and approach the throne of grace with confidence in what Jesus has done for us.
