Reading: II Samuel 19-20
And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king, and had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came again in peace(II Sam. 19:24).
Long before David became king, He had sworn an oath with Jonathon, son of Saul: And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the Lord, that I die not: But also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the Lord hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth (I Sam. 20:14-15). Jonathon had perished in the same battle as his father, but David never forgot his promise. After restoring peace to the nation, David sought to discover if any of Jonathon’s family still lived. Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant! And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually (II Sam. 9:6-7). Mephibosheth was physically disabled, but that didn’t dissuade David from restoring all of his familial land to him and ensuring that he had servants enough to work the land (9:10-11).
When David fled from Jerusalem ahead of Absalom’s approaching troops, he was shocked to discover that Mephibosheth had stayed behind in the city. And the king said, And where is thy master’s son? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he abideth at Jerusalem: for he said, To day shall the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father (16:3). The apparent rejection from Jonathon’s son had been difficult for David to accept, and his confusion had only deepened when, upon returning to the city, he was met by an obviously distressed Mephibosheth.
The younger man approached David humbly, in shame and grief. He explained how he had been hampered by his disability and betrayed by a greedy servant. Mephibosheth said he had been forced to watch Absalom’s grab for power without interfering, but he swore that his thoughts had never strayed far from David, his king. He presented himself as a man in mourning and had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came again in peace.
David was moved by the remorse he saw on the face of the man he had treated as a son. Although he had no way to determine the truth of the matter, David chose to act with compassion and once again honored his promise to Jonathon by restoring a portion of the family lands to his son. For his part, Mephibosheth appeared unconcerned about the dispensation of his lands. His joy was found in once again being in the presence of the king.
When we find ourselves distanced from God, whether through our own deliberate sin or because we have become caught in the wake of the sins of others, what do we crave the most? Do we seek to rejoin the world? Are we concerned with having our lives returned to ‘normal,’ or do we wish, first and foremost, to regain the peace brought about by the presence of God?
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost(Rom. 15:13).
Thought for Today: God’s truth is the one constant in a world of deceit; with it, we can never truly be fooled.
Christ Revealed: By David, who wished to be invited back as king (II Sam. 19:11). Our Lord Jesus wants to be invited into the hearts of all mankind. He comes in only by our invitation. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him (enjoy sweet fellowship together), and he with Me (Rev. 3:20).
Word Studies: 19:14 bowed = swayed; 20:3 ward = guarded house; 20:18 were wont to speak = used to say.
Pray For Staff:Kevin Jennings • Government Officials: Sen. Ron Johnson,(WI), Rep. Bob Latta (OH), Rep. Gwen Moore (WI) • Country: Laos (6,695,166) in Southeast Asia • Major Languages: Lao, French, English • Great suppression of all Christian activities • 67% Buddhist; 1.5% Christian; 31.5% Other/Unspecified • Prayer Suggestion: Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up (James 4:10).
Optional Reading:Acts 19