The Blood Covenant Part 3

Mephibosheth

1. Saul had four sons. Jonathan had three brothers.

2. Jonathan had a son - Merib-baal. This is Chaldean for Mephibosheth.

3. David and Saul were in a struggle for the kingdom. David eventually won.

   a. Saul was killed.

   b. Jonathan was killed.

   c. Jonathan’s three brothers were killed.

“Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled. And it happened, as she made haste to flee, that he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.” 2 Samuel 4:4

4. The nurse heard of Saul and Jonathan’s death and ran in fear for the possible heir.

a. As she ran, she dropped Mephibosheth and he became lame from that time on. There would be no cure for his feet.

b. He grew up in Lodibar in the house of Machir.

1. Mephibosheth means “shameful thing.”

2. He lived in Lodibar which means “dry place.” He lived in a small, dirty house with nothing nice.

3. He lived in the house of Machir - “salesman.” He was told continually David was mean and would kill him. He grew up hating and cursing the man he thought so evil of.

4. He did not know of a covenant between David and his father.

Mephibosheth Discovers How Deep the Covenant Was

“Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”

And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”

He said, “At your service!”

Then the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God?”

And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet.”

So the king said to him, “Where is he?”

And Ziba said to the king, “Indeed he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar.”

Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar.

Now when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, “Mephibosheth?”

And he answered, “Here is your servant!”

So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.”

Then he bowed himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?”

And the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “I have given to your master’s son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. You, therefore, and your sons and your servants, shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in the harvest, that your master’s son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s son shall eat bread at my table always.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.

Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do.”

“As for Mephibosheth,” said the king, “he shall eat at my table like one of the king’s sons.” Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Micha. And all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth. So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king’s table. And he was lame in both his feet.” 2 Samuel 1-13

1. David went after Mephibosheth. He did not ask Mephibosheth to come to him.

2. Mephibosheth saw the scar of the covenant and better understood it.

3. He accepted a covenant drawn up before he was born.

4. This had nothing to do with his ability or working for David as Ziba.

5. A crippled young man who could not work or be a soldier was given the status of a son in David’s house.

Our Covenant With Jesus

1. We have a covenant because of the scars in Jesus’ hands.

2. We do not have the strength, speed, or intelligence of angels.

3. Angels cannot join in when the redemption’s song is sung.

4. At the marriage supper of the lamb, we will sit with Jesus as a child of God and the angels will wait on us.

5. Until then, angels wait on us as ministers to those who are heirs of salvation.

6. Our crippled feet came over from the fall.

   a. We still have the nature of the flesh.

   b. The only time you can see feet is when we push away from the table. Until then, they are covered as we fellowship with God.