Sermon Notes (9.25.22)
Week No. 3 – You are Desired
2 Samuel 9:1–13
The Commitment
2 Samuel 9:1 – And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
[14] If I am still alive, show me the steadfast love of the LORD, that I may not die; [15] and do not cut off your steadfast love from my house forever, when the LORD cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” [16] And Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD take vengeance on David’s enemies.” [17] And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul. – 1 Samuel 20:14-17
HESED – sacrificial love in action
The Condition
2 Samuel 9:2-5 – 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.” 3 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.” 4 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.” 5 Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.
“There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.”
“He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.”
Then King David sent and brought him…
Imagine
The Costly Compassion
2 Samuel 9:6-13 – 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.” 7 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.” 8 And he paid homage and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?”
9 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. 10 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. 11 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’s table, like one of the king’s sons. 12 And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba’s house became Mephibosheth’s servants. 13 So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king’s table. Now he was lame in both his feet.
David is not merely fulfilling the letter of his promise to Jonathan. Mephibosheth is not merely tolerated. He’s not just given provisions. He’s invited into a relationship with David. Eating is a powerful symbol of friendship…God’s king was eating with God’s enemies as a sign of God’s grace. It is the same today. Christ does not merely tolerate us. He invites us into a relationship of intimacy and friendship. And that is powerfully symbolised in the invitation to eat at his table in the Lord’s Supper. Christ says to you, Eat at my table. – Tim Chester, 2 Samuel for You
Are you believing the LIE or the TRUTH?
If you fail to live into your true spiritual identity, into the gift-you-are, you will suffer a sickness of soul. Your soul cannot endure the constant striving to establish your worth in any way other than in God…Our identity is given by God; we do not have to search for significance. Significance has found us, and living then becomes a process of discovering and living into that significance. – James Bryan Smith, The Good and Beautiful You
We are Mephibosheth.
How could David show such kindness?
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.” – 2 Samuel 9:7
David had a friend who loved him covenantally. David had a friend who put himself in harm’s way to take David out of harm’s way and who lost his throne so David could ascend the throne. What a friend! David had a friend like that, and so do you…David could risk his life to love Mephibosheth because of what Jonathan had done. God can love you, and God can receive you. Even though he has the right to smite you, God can bring you into his presence and adopt you and empower you for the sake of an even greater Friend. – Tim Keller
and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—Philippians 3:9
How will you respond?
A Prayer for Salvation
“Heavenly Father, I admit that I am weaker and more sinful than I ever before believed, but through your Son Jesus I can be more loved and accepted than I ever dared hope. I thank you that he lived the life I should have lived and paid the debt and punishment I owed. Receive me now for his sake. I turn from my sins and receive him as Savior. Amen.”