Our Favorite Bible Stories (PT 1)
Editor’s Note: All Scripture is “God-breathed and useful” for us (2 Tim. 3:16), but there are passages that seem to stick with each of us in special ways for various reasons. Our Arrowhead Church staff has been asked to share their favorite Bible stories or passages and write about why that portion of Scripture is so meaningful to them. Today’s entry is from John Combs.
God’s Love As Seen In 2 Samuel 9
When considering all of the stories and passages contained within Scripture, my favorite is the story of David and Mephibosheth found in 2 Samuel 9. I hold this story so dearly for the picture that it paints of the love of God revealed in the Gospel. Here is a brief outline of the chapter, containing how this is so beautifully revealed:
1) God’s love is a seeking love (vv. 1-5).
At the beginning of this chapter, King David seeks any living relative of Saul. In v. 3, we see an important fact. Mephibosheth was crippled, or lame. This meant that he could not walk. So the King didn’t wait for Mephibosheth to crawl to him. Instead, he had him carried to him. In a similar way, God looks upon us who are weak and crippled, unable to do anything for ourselves. We, like Mephibosheth, cannot do anything to earn the king’s love. God loves us with a seeking love, and just as King David sent a servant to carry in Mephibosheth, so God the King sent His Servant Jesus to carry us to Him, that we might know His love and kindness.
2) God’s love is a restoring love (vv. 6-7).
The King doesn’t merely bring Mephibosheth in, but he restores Saul’s possessions to him. Mephibosheth, a poor and lame man, is here granted the land of the King. David does this, as v. 7 says, “for the sake of your father Jonathan.” In a similar way, God shows us His love through Jesus, who died and was raised again for us. Through Jesus, God brings us into His presence, and because of Jesus, God lavishes upon us the riches of His love and kindness.
3) God’s love is a humbling love (v. 8).
When King David does this, Mephibosheth does not understand. He likely thought he was being brought to the king to be killed, but instead, he received land and a seat at the king’s table! Mephibosheth is humbled at this, meaning that he saw the greatness of the king’s love and understood that he had done nothing to earn it. He was lame, so he could not work for the king, and he was from the lineage of Saul, who had tried to kill David. Because of this, he realized that the king’s love was undeserved. In a similar way, we do not deserve God’s love. We have sinned against God. We have turned from Him and forsaken His commandments. We have nothing to offer God, but He gives us the gift of His love. When we recognize this, we are humbled, and we see the greatness of God.
4) God’s love is an exalting love (vv. 9-12).
King David’s love, though, continues to give. Ziba, one of Saul’s servants, is given to Mephibosheth, along with all of Ziba’s household. So now, Mephibosheth has land, people to work it and tend to his needs, and then in v. 12, he receives a son. Mephibosheth, a lame man, goes from being poor to rich nearly instantaneously, because of the king’s love. In a similar way, the love of God lavishes upon us riches immeasurable. These riches aren’t necessarily gold and silver or a house or a car. Rather, we receive God Himself. Through Jesus Christ’s death on the cross and resurrection from the grave, we not only are saved from our sins, which would be good enough, but we are also made sons and daughters of God and coheirs with Christ. God’s love exalts us, meaning it takes us from a low status and raises us up. He loves us, through Jesus Christ, with the same love that He loves His Son!
5) God’s love is an enduring love (v. 13).
In this verse, we read that Mephibosheth ate “always” at the table of the king. The king’s love for Mephibosheth never turned away. It never ended. It continued for all of his days. In a similar way, God’s love endures forever. Once he has loved, He never stops. If you belong to God through Jesus Christ, there is nothing that could ever separate you from His great love. This love will sustain you for all of your days and even into eternity. God’s love is faithful, and it is steadfast, meaning His love is unchanging and constant. We are like Mephibosheth. We are lame, broken, sinful, and poor. There is nothing which we have done or ever could do to earn the love of the King. But God the King loves us with a seeking, restoring, humbling, exalting, and enduring love.
To learn more about Mephibosheth’s story, check out Pastor Lee’s recent sermon on this passage.