Day 53: 2 Samuel 9:9–13

Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do all my lord the king commands.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table just like one of the king’s sons (v. 11).

I see two wonderful pictures in the story of Mephibosheth. First, I see an image of myself. Like Jonathan’s son, apart from Christ I am broken, outcast, and crippled in both feet. I could never even crawl into God’s presence, but in Christ I put my feet under His table as His child.

Have you ever felt like a Mephibosheth? Surely everyone who ever accepted Christ as Savior has crept before Him, crippled from the fall of sin, overcome by our unworthiness against the backdrop of His Majesty’s brilliance.

The second picture in the story is God Himself. In the encounter of Mephibosheth and the king, we see several characteristics of the Father. Consider the following virtues of God:

1. David displayed God’s loving-kindness. David searched for someone of the house of Saul to whom he could show God’s kindness, not his own (v. 3). The Lord is, first of all, kind. Compassionate. He desires to deal with us first in mercy. If we refuse to accept His mercy, He often deals with us in the way He must; but He is above all kind. As a man after God’s own heart, David was tender. His heart was full of loving-kindness, and he was eager to pour it out on a willing vessel.

2. David initiated the relationship. “Where is he?” David inquired. Then he summoned Mephibosheth immediately. Note that Mephibosheth did not seek David. David sought Mephibosheth. David was the king! What could he possibly have needed? But he wanted someone to whom he could show God’s kindness. God is always the initiator of the relationship, always looking for someone who will receive His loving-kindness!

3. David completely accepted Mephibosheth. He did not hesitate when Ziba informed him of Mephibosheth’s handicap. In the Old Testament, people considered physical imperfection to be shameful, but David summoned Mephibosheth exactly as he was. How reflective of the heart of God! Many people wait until they can get their act together before they approach God. If only they could understand that God calls them just the way they are; then He empowers them to get their act together!

4. David displayed God’s calming spirit. As Mephibosheth practically came crawling before the king, David exclaimed, “Mephibosheth!” He knew him by name . . . just as Christ knows us (John 10:3). David’s next words were, “Don’t be afraid” (v. 7). How many times have we seen those words come from the precious lips of our Lord: “It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

• To the twelve as He sent them forth (Matt. 10:31).

• To a bunch of scaredy-cats in a storm (Matt. 14:27).

• To Peter, James, and John, overcome by His glory (Matt. 17:7).

• To the father of a dying child (Mark 5:36).

“Don’t be afraid.” How very Christlike David was in this moment.

5. David delighted in restoration. “I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather” (v. 7). David’s first desire was to restore Mephibosheth. This son of Jonathan had been so hurt by the fall. He had lived with such shame. The king could hardly wait to see Mephibosheth’s shame removed and his life restored. David knew about restoration. He penned the words, “He restores my soul” (Ps. 23:3). Perhaps the most grateful response we could ever offer God for our restoration is to help another be restored. I was nearly overcome when I looked up the name Mephibosheth and found that it means, “shame destroyer” or “image breaker.”15 What a precious portrait of our Savior! He has been my shame destroyer and my image breaker!

6. David had a desire for another son. Mephibosheth came stooped as a servant before the king. The king came before Mephibosheth to make him a son. He was family—invited to sit at the king’s table to partake of his fellowship as one of his own! Imagine the sight when he first limped to the table set with sumptuous delights, surrounded by festive activity, and sat down, resting his crippled legs at the king’s table. Hallelujah! We are like Mephibosheth! No matter how many sons the Father has, He still wants more to conform into the image of His first and only begotten. “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1).

That’s us, all right. One day, when we sit down to the ultimate wedding feast, the lame will be healed, the blind will see, the restored will leap and skip with ecstatic joy! We will be surrounded by the ministering servants of heaven! He is a God of loving-kindness. He’s just searching for someone with whom to share it. Not just the moment when we first bow before Him and acknowledge that He is king, but every single time we sit at His table. Joint heirs. Sons. Daughters. He is the shame destroyer. The lover of the lame.

I would never have learned to walk with God on healthy feet had I never experienced sitting at His table as a cripple. My emotional and spiritual healing has come from approaching God in my handicapped state and believing I was His child and worthy of His love.