Mephibosheth's Son

One of my favorite stories in the Old Testament is only 13 verses long.  It is the story of Mephibosheth, the grandson of King Saul.  His father was Jonathan, son of King Saul and best friend to King David, long before he became king.  The story actually begins decades earlier when Jonathan and David made a covenant promise to each other.  1 Samuel 18:1-4  After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return to his father's house. And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt.  If one studies out covenant, it is understood that it is a pact to which one commits his/her life.  There are wonderfully complex aspects to covenant making that are illustrated in these few verses, but that may be a topic for another time.  The reason for stating it now is that it is the foundation on which Mephibosheth's future was established.  

In spite of the errors in judgment that King David made, he exemplified what covenant keeping meant.  On multiple occasions he could have taken King Saul's life and would have been justified given the fact that King Saul was determined to murder him.  Yet David would not harm God's appointed one.  Unfortunately, David did not consistently make wise choices, as we learn in later years with his adultery and then murderous behavior towards the husband of Bathsheba. Prior to this incident however, David was doing what was just and right for his people and operating in the favor of God. It was during this time of Shalom in the land that David sought to rectify an imbalance in his sight.   Three of Saul's sons, including Jonathan, had been killed in the final battle with the Philistines and then Saul killed himself.  Everything that King Saul had accumulated eventually came to King David.  Yet there was a nagging in King David's spirit.  There was a covenant promise he had made with Jonathan, Saul's son.  Covenant promises extend past the individuals that made them to the succeeding generations.

2 Samuel 9 is Mephibosheth's story.  King David seeks out anyone left of the House of Saul and discovers through an old servant of Saul's that Jonathan has a son still alive.  That son is living with another family in a different town and this son has crippled feet.  King David brings him to the royal palace.  One can only imagine what was going through Mephibosheth's mind.  Here is the dialogue: 2 Samuel 9:7-8 "Don't be afraid," David said to him, "for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table." Mephibosheth bowed down and said, "What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?"  From this point, Mephibosheth is given the land that was his grandfather's and gets to eat at the palace table with King David.  King David instructs the servant that identified him to work his land and harvest the crops and treat him well.

There is a little oh by the way to this story.  Verses 12-13 Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica. And from then on, all the members of Ziba's household were Mephibosheth's servants. And Mephibosheth, who was crippled in both feet, moved to Jerusalem to live at the palace.  Did you catch that?  Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica.  Nothing else is ever said about him.  We know that nothing in the Word is accidental.  God had a purpose for every word that was recorded.  Here we have just one piece of knowledge about Mephibosheth's family - he had a young son.  We don't even know why Mephibosheth was crippled in both feet, but we know that he had a son.  Why is this important to us?

It is all about covenant promises and the importance of keeping them.  The original covenant is between David and Jonathan, long before David becomes King.  That covenant is lasting throughout the generations.  Mephibosheth had no idea that his father and King David were close or that they were connected through a covenant.  He was most likely a young child when his father was killed and much water had figuratively gone under the bridge by then. With most of his significant relatives dead as a result of the war with the Philistines, he most likely lost connections that would have kept his family history in tact for him.  He was trying to survive is my best guess.  Then out of the blue King David calls for him.  We know what a surprise that was through the brief dialogue that occurred between King David and Mephibosheth.  He can't imagine what the King would want with him.  Then in a flash his entire life is reversed and brought into order again.

Who benefits the most from the honoring of the covenant?  I think it is young Mica.  What kind of future did this young man have before King David appeared on the scene?  His father is crippled.  We know how cruelly the society in those days treated anyone with a disability.  Since all of Saul's wealth had been transferred to David as King, most likely Mephibosheth and his son were barely making it.  We could make an assumption that he was being cared for by loyal servants of King Saul.  But we don't really know.  We can conclude with certainty though that young Mica was now enjoying a very different life than before due to his grandfather's covenant promise.  He was redeemed and restored.

Why is this important to us?  God has made a covenant promise with us, one that He intends to honor through the generations.  It began with Abraham and has extended through the centuries to us.  We have been chosen and all of the blessings of the Kingdom of Heaven are ours.  Jesus made a new covenant with us and has promised us even more.  We are heirs to the Kingdom of heaven and recipients of the full power of Holy Spirit.  His promises are true and He is trustworthy to keep His word.  However, just as David acted to keep the covenant alive and working, we too must keep our covenant alive with the Lord.  We can break the personal covenant promise with him.  The people of Israel did and Their lives were much more difficult as a result.  God wants us to honor our covenant with Him just as David did, and the outcome is the opportunity for generations to come to be blessed by our obedience.  Redeemed and restored - that is who we are and that is the potential for our children's children.