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Good morning, church. It is always a pleasure to be with you, and a little bit of a special surprise that I'm with you on this side of the pulpit this morning.
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Surprise to me, of course, not a surprise to the Lord. So we'll be taking an unexpected and humanly unplanned break from our exposition of the Gospel of John this morning.
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We'll be in prayer for Nathan.
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Mr. Reminder will be on the lookout for ways to help the Rainers as Nathan is on the mend.
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Please be in prayer for me this morning, as this preparation had to be done in only a couple hours.
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Thankfully for me, God is all-wise and powerful. It is only my responsibility to let the lion of God's Word out of its cage this morning.
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So join with me in prayer before we examine God's Word together.
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Dear Lord, thank you for the breath in our lungs this morning.
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Thank you for gathering us together to sing your praises, to bear with one another through this life as you grow and sanctify us to the image of Christ,
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to celebrate the greatness of the Gospel and to cherish the depth of your kindness and wisdom shown to us through the testimony of your Word.
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It is an abundant gift that we have your Word to explore and to see how you've revealed yourself to us in it.
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Help us to see your working today and obediently follow where you lead us.
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I pray that you would take this brief sermon and multiply its effects beyond what I think is possible,
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because we know that you give the growth.
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Thank you for your faithfulness to us, that we can count on it, and it is our hope everlasting.
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We pray this and come to you in Jesus' name. Amen.
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Today, we will be looking at a powerful prefigure of Jesus Christ,
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as well as a name that I do not expect to be announced on Slack anytime soon.
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Of course, that means we will be studying David and Mephibosheth this morning.
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I invite you to turn to 2 Samuel.
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The focus of our time today will be in chapter 9,
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but we will have some quick touch points earlier in the story
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to help frame our understanding of the situation in chapter 9.
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So, at the end of 1 Samuel, in chapter 31,
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we read about Saul and Jonathan falling in battle against the Philistines.
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In chapter 1 of 2 Samuel, this news makes its way to David,
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and he weeps and mourns the death of his best friend and king.
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David's poetic lament was captured and recorded.
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A few verses in the middle summarize it well.
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Verse 23 and 25 of chapter 1 of 2 Samuel says,
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David loved these men.
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God used Saul to put David in the position to bring much glory to God
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as David led campaigns and battles and defenses against people that hated God and Israel.
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Jonathan was a faithful friend and brother in arms with David
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as God preserved them through those many battles.
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And despite Saul's determined murderous chase against David,
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David still loved and respected Saul,
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as we can see here clearly in David's mourning of Saul.
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There are many biblical phrases that have permeated English,
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and we read one, we see a common one here,
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how the mighty have fallen.
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This was a genuine tragedy.
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I often hear this phrase used facetiously or sarcastically,
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so I want to be sure that we are not anachronistically reading that notion back into this.
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This was a real tragedy, a real mourning that David says in his feeling.
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He repeats this rephrase how the mighty have fallen three times during his lament.
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This was a deep, impactful loss for the nation.
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So in the power vacuum of Saul's death,
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the nation of Israel starts to crack politically,
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not unlike it was in the time of the judges.
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David is appointed king of Judah in the south,
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and Ish-bosheth, son of Saul, is appointed king of Israel in the north.
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Saul's general, Abner, took Ish-bosheth and endorsed him as king.
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In these politically unstable situations,
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people tend to listen to the guy who has control of the army,
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so Ish-bosheth became king.
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We also read about David's general, Joab,
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and his actions during this politically unstable time.
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A while later, Abner, Saul's former general,
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defected and went and joined with David.
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David, Joab, David's general, voiced his distrust of Abner to David.
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Load full transcript
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And he also, Abner, had a personal vendetta against Joab
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because Joab killed Abner's brother, Asahel, earlier in these conflicts.
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So Joab quickly set about his plan to murder Abner, which he does.
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David publicly mourned Abner's death
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and confirmed that he had no role in the murder.
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News of this murder gets back to Israel and Ish-bosheth,
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and the city starts to go crazy,
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and Ish-bosheth loses his courage.
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At the same time, in Israel,
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two raiding band captains were with Ish-bosheth in the city,
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and they take this tumultuous moment of this uncertainty
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following Abner's death
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as a moment for them to have opportunity for gain.
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So they assassinate Ish-bosheth and take his head to David,
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hoping that David will give them a reward
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because they took out David's enemy.
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David sees the men for what they are,
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murderers, and puts them to death for their wickedness.
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In the middle of this account, in 2 Samuel chapter 4,
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in verse 4, the narrator kind of flashes back about Mephosheth,
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likely so that the reader would understand
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why the next of kin was not appointed king
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after Ish-bosheth is murdered.
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So this is 2 Samuel 4, verse 4.
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Jonathan, the son of Saul,
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had a son who was crippled in his feet.
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He was five years old.
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So, okay, that's the headline.
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Jonathan had a son who was crippled in his feet.
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This is how he got crippled.
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He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan
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came from Jezreel, the battlefield.
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And his nurse took him and fled.
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And as she fled in her haste,
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he, Mephibosheth, fell and became lame,
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and his name was Mephibosheth.
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So in the chaos about hearing about a leader's death,
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in this case Saul's death,
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Mephibosheth has an accident and can no longer walk.
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Years later, in the chaos about another leader's death,
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in this case Ish-bosheth,
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his uncle is assassinated.
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So no one tried to take up this young crippled Mephibosheth
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and put him on the throne,
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as had been done for Ish-bosheth.
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So the political dust settles,
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and David is anointed king over a reunited Israel.
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The chapters that follow this are generally quite positive.
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God gives David victory over the Philistines.
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David brings the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem.
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God makes a covenant with David to uphold his house forever.
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And God gives many more military victories
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around the land to David.
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And there is a repeated phrase there in chapter 8,
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in verse 6 and 14.
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The Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.
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And the narrator follows this latter verse,
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in verse 15, with this,
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So David reigned over all Israel,
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and David administered justice and equity
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to all his people.
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So to be clear, at this point,
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this is a mountaintop, high point moment
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in the life of David.
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He has brought the Ark with him.
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God has made him victorious wherever he went.
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God has made a covenant with him
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that will last forever.
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I mean, this is the top of the top.
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There's justice and equity for all the people.
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This is a huge sigh of relief for this nation.
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We must remember that this has been,
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what came before David
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was the reign of Saul,
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selfish, murderous,
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and at times pretty insane.
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And before Saul was the time of the judges,
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a very dark and depressing time
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in Israel's history,
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full of sin and wickedness.
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So this had been since the time of Moses and Joshua,
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that the people would have known justice and peace like this
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about 350 years before.
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Now, we just celebrated the 250th anniversary
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of the United States independence earlier this year.
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So with that context,
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350 years feels like a long, long time indeed.
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So with that lengthy introduction,
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we now arrive in chapter nine,
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where we will consider first,
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David's intention in the first five verses.
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So read with me in 2 Samuel chapter nine,
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verses one through five.
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And David said,
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Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul
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that I might show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?
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Now there was a servant of the house of Saul
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whose name was Ziba.
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And they called him to David.
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And the king said to him,
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Are you Ziba?
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And he said,
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I am your servant.
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And the king said,
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Is there not still someone of the house of Saul
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that I may show the kindness of God to him?
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Ziba said to the king,
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There is still a son of Jonathan.
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He is crippled in his feet.
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The king said to him,
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Where is he?
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And Ziba said to the king,
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He is in the house of Mekir,
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the son of Amiel at Lodabar.
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Then King David sent and brought him
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from the house of Mekir,
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the son of Amiel at Lodabar.
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So from the very beginning of this account,
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we can see David's true and stated intention.
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Is there anyone left that I may show him kindness
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for Jonathan's sake?
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And then again,
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Is there anyone left that I may show
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the kindness of God to him?
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As we've already covered today and more
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beyond that and recorded in scripture,
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David knows well the enduring, faithful kindness of God.
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And that is what he is looking to show.
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It is out now,
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out of an overflow of God's kindness to him,
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that he seeks out who else he can lift up
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and bless to honor the promises
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that he made to Jonathan and Saul.
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So once again,
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getting back some other context,
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in 1 Samuel 20, verse 42,
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Jonathan summarizes the covenant
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that he and David made together.
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Then Jonathan said to David,
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Go in peace,
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because we have sworn both of us
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in the name of the Lord,
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saying,
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The Lord shall be between me and you,
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and between my offspring
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and your offspring forever.
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And after David spares Saul's life
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in 1 Samuel 24,
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David swears this to Saul.
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So Saul said to David,
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Swear to me,
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therefore,
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by the Lord,
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that you will not cut off my offspring after me,
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and you will not destroy my name
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out of my father's house.
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And David swore this to Saul.
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The difference in flavor
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from these two promises
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is telling about the difference in character
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between Jonathan and Saul.
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Jonathan's covenant is mutual
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and founded on their mutual faith in God
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and God's kindness to both of them.
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Whereas Saul's is a little bit more,
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Hey, you could have just killed me,
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but promise you won't kill my sons
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after I die kind of thing.
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And it's very one directional.
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And yet David still agrees to it.
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So I think that's noteworthy
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to see the difference in character
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between Jonathan and Saul.
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So, continuing.
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Likely since Saul's death,
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Ziba, who is Saul's former servant,
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had assumed the leadership
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and stewardship of Saul's estate
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and was probably sending the prophets to David
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as the new king
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like the other land managers would have done.
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Now, later on in 2 Samuel,
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after this account,
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we see Ziba deceive David
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in an attempt to actually undo
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what happens in this chapter.
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Even still,
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here in chapter 9,
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Ziba does what he is told.
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So then the attention turns the other way
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from David to Mephibosheth in verse 6.
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And we can glean how he expected
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this summons to go.
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So now in verse 6 through 8,
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we'll consider Mephibosheth's expectations.
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And Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan,
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son of Saul,
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came to David and fell on his face
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and paid homage.
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And David said,
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Mephibosheth.
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And he answered,
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Behold, I am your servant.
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And David said to him,
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Do not fear,
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for I will show you the kindness.
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I will show you kindness
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for the sake of your father, Jonathan.
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And I will restore to you
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all the land of Saul, your father.
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And you shall eat at my table always.
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And he paid homage and said,
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What is your servant
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that you should show regard
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for a dead dog such as I?
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So Mephibosheth comes in
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humble, lowly, and respectful
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before David the king.
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Then even after,
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David brings him in
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on his own intentions,
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brings him in on his own plan,
00:12:44.120 --> 00:12:45.320
that he will show him kindness,
00:12:45.480 --> 00:12:46.980
restore to him Saul's estate,
00:12:47.060 --> 00:12:48.420
and invite him to eat at his table.
00:12:49.259 --> 00:12:50.259
Mephibosheth continues
00:12:50.259 --> 00:12:51.780
his own self-abasement
00:12:51.780 --> 00:12:52.460
in verse 8,
00:12:52.560 --> 00:12:53.360
referring to himself
00:12:53.360 --> 00:12:54.740
as a dead dog,
00:12:54.860 --> 00:12:56.120
seemingly not believing
00:12:56.120 --> 00:12:57.560
that this could truly
00:12:57.560 --> 00:12:58.540
be a real offer,
00:12:58.660 --> 00:13:00.560
a real invitation to him.
00:13:01.100 --> 00:13:02.700
The subtext that we can infer
00:13:02.700 --> 00:13:03.600
is that Mephibosheth
00:13:03.600 --> 00:13:04.560
expected David
00:13:04.560 --> 00:13:05.900
to carry out the norm
00:13:05.900 --> 00:13:08.639
when a reigning family regime
00:13:08.639 --> 00:13:10.460
changed to snuff out
00:13:10.460 --> 00:13:12.179
any chance of rebellion
00:13:12.179 --> 00:13:13.620
or treachery
00:13:13.620 --> 00:13:15.259
from the deposed family.
00:13:15.779 --> 00:13:17.159
This political pattern
00:13:17.159 --> 00:13:18.580
happens all the time
00:13:18.580 --> 00:13:19.259
in stories,
00:13:19.439 --> 00:13:20.480
as it has happened
00:13:20.480 --> 00:13:22.120
repeatedly in history.
00:13:22.659 --> 00:13:24.059
It's a common story trope
00:13:24.059 --> 00:13:24.559
that a member
00:13:24.559 --> 00:13:26.159
of a wrongfully deposed family
00:13:26.159 --> 00:13:27.399
comes back to avenge
00:13:27.399 --> 00:13:28.840
his family against the usurper.
00:13:29.620 --> 00:13:30.519
However, clearly,
00:13:30.960 --> 00:13:32.120
Mephibosheth
00:13:32.120 --> 00:13:33.500
is in no position
00:13:33.500 --> 00:13:34.500
to lead a rebellion
00:13:34.500 --> 00:13:35.340
against David.
00:13:35.340 --> 00:13:37.600
And he has definitely
00:13:37.600 --> 00:13:38.780
heard already
00:13:38.780 --> 00:13:39.300
that the Lord
00:13:39.300 --> 00:13:40.460
gave victory to David
00:13:40.460 --> 00:13:41.320
wherever he went.
00:13:42.220 --> 00:13:42.740
Understandably,
00:13:42.860 --> 00:13:44.040
Mephibosheth likely assumed
00:13:44.040 --> 00:13:45.220
that he was about to be
00:13:45.220 --> 00:13:46.399
another victory
00:13:46.399 --> 00:13:47.460
in that long
00:13:47.460 --> 00:13:48.360
and growing list
00:13:48.360 --> 00:13:49.660
of David's victory.
00:13:50.680 --> 00:13:51.820
But David chose
00:13:51.820 --> 00:13:53.000
not to repeat himself
00:13:53.000 --> 00:13:54.780
and answer Mephibosheth's
00:13:54.780 --> 00:13:55.639
confused question.
00:13:56.220 --> 00:13:56.560
Instead,
00:13:57.220 --> 00:13:57.980
David moves forward
00:13:57.980 --> 00:13:58.720
to carry out
00:13:58.720 --> 00:13:59.780
his promise
00:13:59.780 --> 00:14:00.960
and declaration
00:14:00.960 --> 00:14:01.940
to Mephibosheth.
00:14:02.600 --> 00:14:04.240
So, verse 9 through 13
00:14:04.240 --> 00:14:04.820
we'll consider
00:14:04.820 --> 00:14:06.360
the king's table.
00:14:08.180 --> 00:14:09.259
Starting in verse 9.
00:14:10.580 --> 00:14:11.500
Then the king
00:14:11.500 --> 00:14:12.320
called Ziba,
00:14:12.840 --> 00:14:13.440
Saul's servant,
00:14:13.560 --> 00:14:14.200
and said to him,
00:14:14.639 --> 00:14:15.480
All that belong
00:14:15.480 --> 00:14:16.159
to Saul
00:14:16.159 --> 00:14:17.299
and to all his house
00:14:17.299 --> 00:14:18.220
I have given
00:14:18.220 --> 00:14:19.399
to your master's grandson.
00:14:20.240 --> 00:14:21.680
And you and your
sons
00:14:21.680 --> 00:14:22.379
and your servants
00:14:22.379 --> 00:14:23.399
shall till the land
00:14:23.399 --> 00:14:23.860
for him
00:14:23.860 --> 00:14:24.680
and shall bring in
00:14:24.680 --> 00:14:25.139
the produce
00:14:25.139 --> 00:14:26.440
that your master's grandson
00:14:26.440 --> 00:14:28.019
may have bread to eat.
00:14:28.740 --> 00:14:29.580
But Mephibosheth,
00:14:29.740 --> 00:14:30.639
your master's grandson,
00:14:30.840 --> 00:14:32.080
shall always eat
00:14:32.080 --> 00:14:33.000
at my table.
00:14:33.000 --> 00:14:35.139
Now Ziba had 15 sons
00:14:35.139 --> 00:14:36.299
and 20 servants.
00:14:37.519 --> 00:14:38.519
Then Ziba said
00:14:38.519 --> 00:14:39.100
to the king,
00:14:39.580 --> 00:14:40.320
According to all
00:14:40.320 --> 00:14:41.159
that my lord the king
00:14:41.159 --> 00:14:42.000
commands his servants,
00:14:42.159 --> 00:14:43.539
so will your servant do.
00:14:44.259 --> 00:14:44.980
So Mephibosheth
00:14:44.980 --> 00:14:46.419
ate at David's table
00:14:46.419 --> 00:14:48.600
like one of the king's sons.
00:14:49.679 --> 00:14:50.460
And Mephibosheth
00:14:50.460 --> 00:14:51.320
had a young son
00:14:51.320 --> 00:14:52.220
whose name was Micah.
00:14:53.440 --> 00:14:54.620
And all who lived
00:14:54.620 --> 00:14:55.379
in Ziba's house
00:14:55.379 --> 00:14:57.340
became Mephibosheth's servants.
00:14:57.980 --> 00:14:58.779
So Mephibosheth
00:14:58.779 --> 00:14:59.700
lived in Jerusalem
00:14:59.700 --> 00:15:01.179
for he ate always
00:15:01.179 --> 00:15:02.399
at the king's table.
00:15:02.399 --> 00:15:04.519
Now he was lame
00:15:04.519 --> 00:15:06.240
in both his feet.
00:15:07.199 --> 00:15:08.100
So I want to consider
00:15:08.100 --> 00:15:08.919
three aspects
00:15:08.919 --> 00:15:10.899
to this chunk,
00:15:11.079 --> 00:15:11.919
this fulfillment
00:15:11.919 --> 00:15:13.799
of David's promise.
00:15:14.000 --> 00:15:14.399
So first,
00:15:14.559 --> 00:15:15.019
restored.
00:15:15.879 --> 00:15:17.000
David gives the land
00:15:17.000 --> 00:15:17.480
and the servants
00:15:17.480 --> 00:15:18.539
back to Mephibosheth
00:15:19.079 --> 00:15:19.740
as they were
00:15:19.740 --> 00:15:20.360
to Saul
00:15:20.360 --> 00:15:22.899
that the land
00:15:22.899 --> 00:15:23.500
and the servants
00:15:23.500 --> 00:15:24.639
would provide for him.
00:15:25.399 --> 00:15:26.340
As I mentioned earlier,
00:15:26.439 --> 00:15:27.259
this would not sit well
00:15:27.259 --> 00:15:28.259
with Ziba in the long term,
00:15:28.759 --> 00:15:29.819
but David is meaning
00:15:29.819 --> 00:15:30.379
to do right
00:15:30.379 --> 00:15:31.259
by Mephibosheth
00:15:31.259 --> 00:15:32.200
for the sake
00:15:32.200 --> 00:15:32.840
of Jonathan
00:15:32.840 --> 00:15:33.700
and Saul.
00:15:34.639 --> 00:15:35.460
The second aspect
00:15:35.460 --> 00:15:36.860
that he's provided for.
00:15:38.100 --> 00:15:39.259
Men who could not walk
00:15:39.259 --> 00:15:39.860
in this time
00:15:39.860 --> 00:15:40.879
did not have much,
00:15:40.960 --> 00:15:41.299
if anything,
00:15:41.419 --> 00:15:41.879
they could do
00:15:41.879 --> 00:15:42.860
to provide for themselves.
00:15:43.299 --> 00:15:43.980
Computer programming
00:15:43.980 --> 00:15:44.899
was not an available
00:15:44.899 --> 00:15:45.740
career path.
00:15:46.439 --> 00:15:47.000
Of course,
00:15:47.159 --> 00:15:47.759
God had kept
00:15:47.759 --> 00:15:48.799
Mephibosheth alive
00:15:48.799 --> 00:15:49.960
one way or another,
00:15:50.120 --> 00:15:50.840
but now,
00:15:51.179 --> 00:15:51.759
Mephibosheth
00:15:51.759 --> 00:15:52.879
was always welcome
00:15:52.879 --> 00:15:54.039
to eat at the king's table.
00:15:54.139 --> 00:15:55.500
Now he was secure,
00:15:55.500 --> 00:15:56.399
not begging
00:15:56.399 --> 00:15:57.759
from one house
00:15:57.759 --> 00:15:58.319
to another.
00:16:00.980 --> 00:16:01.419
Mephibosheth
00:16:01.419 --> 00:16:02.259
is adopted,
00:16:02.860 --> 00:16:03.459
so not only
00:16:03.459 --> 00:16:03.939
was he welcome
00:16:03.939 --> 00:16:04.600
to eat at the table,
00:16:04.679 --> 00:16:05.279
but he did so
00:16:05.279 --> 00:16:07.059
like one of the king's sons,
00:16:07.139 --> 00:16:08.279
not as a beggar.
00:16:08.919 --> 00:16:10.500
This is a world-flipped,
00:16:10.679 --> 00:16:11.840
upside-down change
00:16:11.840 --> 00:16:13.220
in Mephibosheth's life.
00:16:13.639 --> 00:16:14.480
He was likely forced
00:16:14.480 --> 00:16:15.179
to beg for food,
00:16:15.299 --> 00:16:15.519
water,
00:16:15.559 --> 00:16:15.939
and shelter
00:16:15.939 --> 00:16:16.939
for the many years
00:16:16.939 --> 00:16:18.819
that he roamed the land
00:16:18.819 --> 00:16:21.539
in a land of civil war
00:16:21.539 --> 00:16:22.720
and political turmoil,
00:16:22.720 --> 00:16:24.259
and now the man
00:16:24.259 --> 00:16:24.940
that he thought
00:16:24.940 --> 00:16:25.840
would kill him
00:16:25.840 --> 00:16:27.040
has welcomed him
00:16:27.040 --> 00:16:29.620
like one of his own sons.
00:16:30.460 --> 00:16:31.740
So this is a beautiful
00:16:31.740 --> 00:16:33.060
account of
00:16:33.060 --> 00:16:35.220
an overflowing
00:16:35.220 --> 00:16:36.600
kindness and faithfulness
00:16:36.600 --> 00:16:37.220
before God
00:16:37.220 --> 00:16:37.600
that we see
00:16:37.600 --> 00:16:38.519
exampled by
00:16:38.519 --> 00:16:39.580
King David.
00:16:40.259 --> 00:16:41.160
But this is not
00:16:41.160 --> 00:16:42.279
the end of the story,
00:16:42.360 --> 00:16:42.899
it's just
00:16:42.899 --> 00:16:43.899
the foreshadowing.
00:16:44.779 --> 00:16:45.680
God promised David
00:16:45.680 --> 00:16:46.340
that his son,
00:16:47.040 --> 00:16:47.860
that his house
00:16:47.860 --> 00:16:48.379
would uphold,
00:16:48.560 --> 00:16:49.540
that he would
00:16:49.540 --> 00:16:50.259
uphold his house
00:16:50.259
--> 00:16:50.660
forever.
00:16:51.420 --> 00:16:52.120
David fulfilled
00:16:52.120 --> 00:16:52.980
his promise,
00:16:53.519 --> 00:16:55.179
and God will also
00:16:55.179 --> 00:16:56.620
fulfill his promise
00:16:56.620 --> 00:16:57.120
to David.
00:16:57.799 --> 00:16:58.799
So let us see
00:16:58.799 --> 00:16:59.620
how the son of David
00:16:59.620 --> 00:17:00.840
acts when meeting
00:17:00.840 --> 00:17:01.860
a man that could not
00:17:01.860 --> 00:17:02.320
walk.
00:17:03.279 --> 00:17:03.899
If you would turn
00:17:03.899 --> 00:17:04.799
in your Bibles with me
00:17:04.799 --> 00:17:06.079
to Mark chapter 2,
00:17:06.640 --> 00:17:07.200
we're going to read
00:17:07.200 --> 00:17:08.140
the first 12 verses
00:17:08.140 --> 00:17:08.599
together.
00:17:09.680 --> 00:17:10.859
And here we will see
00:17:10.859 --> 00:17:12.279
a greater restoration,
00:17:12.839 --> 00:17:13.799
a greater provision,
00:17:14.299 --> 00:17:15.680
and a greater adoption.
00:17:15.680 --> 00:17:23.799
So starting in Mark chapter 2,
00:17:23.799 --> 00:17:26.519
and when Jesus
00:17:26.519 --> 00:17:27.660
returned to Capernaum
00:17:27.660 --> 00:17:28.720
after some days,
00:17:28.840 --> 00:17:29.580
it was reported
00:17:29.580 --> 00:17:30.600
that he was at home,
00:17:31.160 --> 00:17:32.360
and many were
00:17:32.360 --> 00:17:33.180
gathered together
00:17:33.180 --> 00:17:33.820
so that there was
00:17:33.820 --> 00:17:34.560
no room,
00:17:34.840 --> 00:17:35.980
not even at the door.
00:17:36.440 --> 00:17:37.580
And he was preaching
00:17:37.580 --> 00:17:38.380
the word to them,
00:17:38.720 --> 00:17:39.620
and they came,
00:17:39.740 --> 00:17:40.299
bringing to him
00:17:40.299 --> 00:17:40.880
a paralytic
00:17:40.880 --> 00:17:42.519
carried by four men.
00:17:43.160 --> 00:17:44.019
And when they could
00:17:44.019 --> 00:17:44.639
not get near him
00:17:44.639 --> 00:17:45.339
because of the crowd,
00:17:45.420 --> 00:17:46.220
they removed the roof
00:17:46.220 --> 00:17:46.740
above him,
00:17:46.900 --> 00:17:47.440
and when they had
00:17:47.440 --> 00:17:48.059
made an opening,
00:17:48.200 --> 00:17:49.220
they let down the bed
00:17:49.220 --> 00:17:50.639
on which the paralytic lay.
00:17:51.639 --> 00:17:52.359
And when Jesus
00:17:52.359 --> 00:17:53.319
saw their faith,
00:17:53.420 --> 00:17:54.559
he said to the paralytic,
00:17:55.039 --> 00:17:55.500
Son,
00:17:55.740 --> 00:17:57.139
your sins are forgiven.
00:17:58.599 --> 00:17:59.819
Now some of the scribes
00:17:59.819 --> 00:18:00.420
were sitting there
00:18:00.420 --> 00:18:01.460
questioning in their hearts,
00:18:01.579 --> 00:18:02.539
Why does this man
00:18:02.539 --> 00:18:03.639
speak like that?
00:18:03.799 --> 00:18:04.940
He is blaspheming.
00:18:05.299 --> 00:18:06.279
Who can forgive sins
00:18:06.279 --> 00:18:07.000
but God alone?
00:18:07.660 --> 00:18:08.319
And immediately,
00:18:08.480 --> 00:18:09.180
Jesus perceiving
00:18:09.180 --> 00:18:09.819
in his spirit
00:18:09.819 --> 00:18:11.000
that they thus questioned
00:18:11.000 --> 00:18:11.859
within themselves,
00:18:12.319 --> 00:18:12.980
said to them,
00:18:13.460 --> 00:18:14.400
Why do you question
00:18:14.400 --> 00:18:15.680
these things in your hearts?
00:18:16.119 --> 00:18:17.619
Which is easier to say
00:18:17.619 --> 00:18:18.740
to the paralytic,
00:18:19.059 --> 00:18:20.259
Your sins are forgiven?
00:18:20.660 --> 00:18:21.160
Or to say,
00:18:21.259 --> 00:18:21.559
Rise,
00:18:21.720 --> 00:18:22.420
take up your bed,
00:18:22.480 --> 00:18:23.099
and walk?
00:18:24.059 --> 00:18:25.319
But that you may know
00:18:25.319 --> 00:18:26.180
that the Son of Man
00:18:26.180 --> 00:18:27.119
has authority
00:18:27.119 --> 00:18:28.759
on earth to forgive sins,
00:18:29.140 --> 00:18:30.339
he said to the paralytic,
00:18:30.740 --> 00:18:31.579
I say to you,
00:18:31.960 --> 00:18:32.380
Rise,
00:18:32.579 --> 00:18:33.380
pick up your bed,
00:18:33.759 --> 00:18:34.460
and go home.
00:18:35.500 --> 00:18:36.519
And he rose,
00:18:36.640 --> 00:18:37.839
and immediately picked up his bed
00:18:37.839 --> 00:18:39.240
and went out before them all,
00:18:39.240 --> 00:18:41.180
so that they were all amazed
00:18:41.180 --> 00:18:42.420
and glorified God,
00:18:42.839 --> 00:18:43.099
saying,
00:18:43.200 --> 00:18:45.920
We never saw anything like this.
00:18:47.839 --> 00:18:49.400
So David did the best
00:18:49.400 --> 00:18:50.720
that he could do.
00:18:50.799 --> 00:18:52.019
He gave the best blessing
00:18:52.019 --> 00:18:53.779
that he could give
00:18:53.779 --> 00:18:54.620
to Mephibosheth,
00:18:54.700 --> 00:18:55.620
but he was only
00:18:55.620 --> 00:18:57.200
an Israelite king.
00:18:57.440 --> 00:18:58.380
As we read at the end
00:18:58.380 --> 00:18:58.859
of the story
00:18:58.859 --> 00:19:00.539
in 2 Samuel 9,
00:19:01.480 --> 00:19:02.940
Mephibosheth was still lame
00:19:02.940 --> 00:19:04.099
in both his feet.
00:19:04.339 --> 00:19:05.259
He was fed now,
00:19:05.339 --> 00:19:06.420
he was clothed,
00:19:06.460 --> 00:19:07.200
he was sheltered,
00:19:07.200 --> 00:19:08.400
all good things,
00:19:08.500 --> 00:19:10.519
but he was still lame.
00:19:12.160 --> 00:19:13.500
Jesus sees this man's
00:19:13.500 --> 00:19:14.220
greatest need,
00:19:14.700 --> 00:19:16.360
his sin that separates him
00:19:16.360 --> 00:19:17.360
from the love of God.
00:19:18.460 --> 00:19:19.759
Jesus not only identifies
00:19:19.759 --> 00:19:21.059
this greater brokenness
00:19:21.059 --> 00:19:22.120
than his physical body,
00:19:22.660 --> 00:19:23.860
Jesus has the solution
00:19:23.860 --> 00:19:24.799
and authority
00:19:24.799 --> 00:19:26.000
to carry it out.
00:19:26.700 --> 00:19:27.480
And to demonstrate
00:19:27.480 --> 00:19:28.700
that spiritual authority,
00:19:28.840
--> 00:19:29.920
Jesus shows his authority
00:19:29.920 --> 00:19:31.140
over the physical as well,
00:19:31.319 --> 00:19:32.400
and heals the man
00:19:32.400 --> 00:19:33.440
so that he can walk.
00:19:33.440 --> 00:19:35.720
Jesus does not give
00:19:35.720 --> 00:19:37.460
the crippled man food,
00:19:37.620 --> 00:19:38.980
he gives him himself,
00:19:39.200 --> 00:19:40.200
the bread of life,
00:19:40.600 --> 00:19:41.340
that he may never
00:19:41.340 --> 00:19:42.320
have to hunger again.
00:19:43.220 --> 00:19:44.080
Jesus does not only
00:19:44.080 --> 00:19:46.019
restore his physical body,
00:19:46.740 --> 00:19:47.559
Jesus restores
00:19:47.559 --> 00:19:48.460
his relationship
00:19:48.460 --> 00:19:49.320
to his creator,
00:19:49.460 --> 00:19:51.080
the source of all life.
00:19:52.059 --> 00:19:52.880
Jesus does not invite
00:19:52.880 --> 00:19:53.660
the man for dinner,
00:19:53.820 --> 00:19:54.840
he brings him
00:19:54.840 --> 00:19:56.019
to his true father
00:19:56.019 --> 00:19:57.640
so that he can be adopted,
00:19:58.140 --> 00:19:59.320
called a son of God
00:19:59.320 --> 00:20:01.140
and a co-heir with Christ,
00:20:01.140 --> 00:20:02.800
to share in the riches
00:20:02.800 --> 00:20:04.560
of God's grace forever.
00:20:06.860 --> 00:20:09.420
This is a greater David,
00:20:10.160 --> 00:20:11.400
that as David did
00:20:11.400 --> 00:20:13.020
the best that he could do,
00:20:13.080 --> 00:20:14.380
he did fulfill his promise.
00:20:14.980 --> 00:20:15.780
Jesus doesn't have
00:20:15.780 --> 00:20:16.960
any promise to this man,
00:20:17.420 --> 00:20:18.500
and yet he showed him
00:20:18.500 --> 00:20:19.920
this abundant kindness.
00:20:21.440 --> 00:20:22.820
David was following through
00:20:22.820 --> 00:20:23.600
on his word,
00:20:24.340 --> 00:20:26.040
Jesus is going out of his way
00:20:26.040 --> 00:20:27.740
to fulfill and restore
00:20:27.740 --> 00:20:29.180
this man to life,
00:20:29.180 --> 00:20:30.299
not just physically,
00:20:30.720 --> 00:20:31.560
but ultimately,
00:20:31.880 --> 00:20:32.400
spiritually.
00:20:34.279 --> 00:20:35.680
And it is in this way,
00:20:35.740 --> 00:20:36.420
and it is later through
00:20:36.420 --> 00:20:37.120
the life, death,
00:20:37.160 --> 00:20:37.580
and resurrection
00:20:37.580 --> 00:20:38.900
of Jesus Christ
00:20:38.900 --> 00:20:39.820
that God would fulfill
00:20:39.820 --> 00:20:41.259
his promise to David
00:20:41.259 --> 00:20:43.779
to uphold his house forever.
00:20:45.480 --> 00:20:47.880
So, for some closing applications,
00:20:48.680 --> 00:20:50.080
first, we must see ourselves
00:20:50.080 --> 00:20:51.640
rightly within these stories.
00:20:52.860 --> 00:20:54.860
We are the Mephibosheth
00:20:54.860 --> 00:20:55.980
and the paralytic.
00:20:56.220 --> 00:20:57.500
We have nothing to bring.
00:20:57.500 --> 00:20:59.299
We can often be confused
00:20:59.299 --> 00:21:00.819
by the great mercy of God
00:21:00.819 --> 00:21:01.680
toward us,
00:21:01.920 --> 00:21:03.299
expecting the natural consequences
00:21:03.299 --> 00:21:03.980
of our sin,
00:21:04.240 --> 00:21:05.539
but by faith in Jesus Christ,
00:21:05.660 --> 00:21:06.559
we can be restored,
00:21:07.000 --> 00:21:07.339
forgiven,
00:21:07.900 --> 00:21:08.980
restored to new life
00:21:08.980 --> 00:21:10.420
and everlasting life
00:21:10.420 --> 00:21:11.079
with God.
00:21:11.539 --> 00:21:12.980
Always welcome to be with God
00:21:12.980 --> 00:21:14.160
like his own son.
00:21:15.140 --> 00:21:15.920
Once we have placed
00:21:15.920 --> 00:21:17.039
our faith in Christ,
00:21:17.140 --> 00:21:17.920
we are compelled
00:21:17.920 --> 00:21:19.039
by the love of God
00:21:19.039 --> 00:21:20.920
to tell the other beggars
00:21:20.920 --> 00:21:22.519
where the bread of life is.
00:21:23.259 --> 00:21:24.559
God's grace is not only
00:21:24.559 --> 00:21:25.740
abundant for me,
00:21:25.740 --> 00:21:27.480
it is abundant for all
00:21:27.480 --> 00:21:28.180
that would place
00:21:28.180 --> 00:21:29.240
their faith in Christ.
00:21:29.680 --> 00:21:30.880
So, if you have been
00:21:30.880 --> 00:21:31.720
so richly blessed
00:21:31.720 --> 00:21:32.839
to know God's forgiveness
00:21:32.839 --> 00:21:33.440
in Christ,
00:21:33.680 --> 00:21:34.880
you must understand
00:21:34.880 --> 00:21:35.940
that this blessing
00:21:35.940 --> 00:21:36.680
and goodness
00:21:36.680 --> 00:21:37.819
is not for you
00:21:37.819 --> 00:21:38.920
to keep for yourself.
00:21:40.579 --> 00:21:41.700
Let's close in prayer.
00:21:41.700 --> 00:21:42.019