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.

Position in the Crowd

We have all been in crowds at different times of our lives.  Huge crowds that pushed in from all sides, small crowds that flowed easily, happy crowds, angry crowds, even sad crowds.  In each circumstance where we were positioned in the crowd impacted how we were engaged and what our emotional reaction was to the circumstances surrounding us.  Similarly, thanks to the wonders of technology we have witnessed the extreme spectrum of crowds lately.  The violent riots in Greece that resulted in death and destruction everywhere are contrasted against the peaceful, joyful gathering on August 28th of this year in Washington DC at the Restoring Honor Rally.  Remember back to a time when you were in the midst of a significant crowd and reflect on what you were feeling and doing at the time.  Where were you standing physically and where were you standing emotionally?

Recently as I studied scripture, I was struck with the different words used to describe those that were following Jesus during His ministry on earth.  Several different descriptors are used when crowds are mentioned.  As I reflected on each of these I could see the parallel to our church today and our society.  Luke 6: 12-13 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles.  Then verse 17 When they came down the slopes of the mountain, the disciples stood with Jesus on a large, level area, surrounded by many of his followers and by the crowds. There were people from all over Judea and from Jerusalem and from as far north as the seacoasts of Tyre and Sidon.There are four different types of people in this gathering.  First we have the twelve apostles which were a result of Jesus praying all night and hearing the voice of the Lord guiding Him in that selection.  (Can you just imagine that conversation with the Trinity?)  On the mountain top were disciples from which Jesus chose the twelve.  There is no indication how many there were.  We must assume that the number was at least greater than twelve.  Once chosen, the apostles and disciples led by Jesus went down the mountain to greet those that were waiting for them.  Now we see two distinct groups.  There are Jesus' followers and then there are the crowds (Note this is plural).

In this circumstance there are four distinctions between the people that were surrounding Jesus that day.  His newly appointed Apostles, His disciples, His followers and then the crowds.  The intensity with which individuals were pursuing Jesus and His teachings were characterized by how close they were to the man Himself.  Picture concentric circles.  The more distant one was from the center of the circle, the more distant from the core beliefs that Jesus was teaching.  When Jesus chose the apostles, He knew what they would experience for the rest of their lives.  Simultaneously He knew what their commitment would be to the Great Commission once He had departed from the scene.   He knew that it would be through their leadership that the multiplication effort of Christianity would be implemented.  Similar to farming, Jesus also knew that seed requires fertile soil and consistent cultivation.  Thus as He taught, he developed both through His disciples and through His followers.  But then you have the crowds, that great sea of onlookers who are very curious but short on commitment and understanding.  Out of the crowds some followers would develop, but also in those crowds were those whose intent was to destroy Jesus and His ministry.

In the church today (speaking of the entire Body of Christ) we still have these distinctions.  It will vary from region to region from denomination  to denomination, but the essential characteristics exist.  Consider those believers that surround you in your life.  Which ones would be identified as "apostles" and I am not referring to the anointed position of apostle, simply one that has surrendered totally to Christ and to pursuing the Great Commission at all costs?  Which ones would be classified as disciples?  How about followers?  Finally which are part of the crowds? Each of these groups of individuals has a different impact on the nature of the "larger crowd" that is surrounding Jesus today.  In visiting different churches, I have witnessed what the proportion of these inner groupings has on the general gathering itself.  This is in essence a small segment of the greater Body itself.  When the influence or size of one segment is more dominant than another, it sways the overall population in that direction.  Again think of the mob mentality that pervaded the riots in Greece compared to the unity and peace that surrounded the Restoring Honor Rally.  Whatever the core beliefs of the influential mass is the direction in which the crowd will be swayed.  

Once again, let's consider the Body of Christ, but reflect on those early years of the new church after Jesus was resurrected.  Without the aid of mass media, the gospels were spread throughout the land, to such an extent that by the fourth century, Constantinople was declaring it the official religion of the empire.  The willingness of people to move from the outer ring of the "crowd" into the inner circles of followers, disciples and apostles directly impacted the growth of the church.  The influence grew in an incredibly positive light in spite of persecution and direct attempts to sabotage this move of God.

We are living in similar circumstances today.  The move to snuff out the Word of God and the positive influence that it will project on society is tangible.  There has not been such a vehement objection and assault on God Himself in many centuries.  Yet this is the age in which God has intentionally placed each of us.  We have an assignment and we have a place in this "crowd".  We have a uniquely empowered ability to move the gospel out from the inner circles to the outermost circle of the curious crowd even to the antagonistic crowd.  First however we need to determine whether we have moved far enough into the center of the crowd to be fully empowered through Holy Spirit in order to move back through the crowd to make a difference.

So my challenge to each of us today is to truly seek where you are today in this crowd.  From one end of the spectrum in which one is simply a passive observer to all that is taking place to the other end in which one is actively committed and engaged in advancing the gospel, each of us has a place.  If we are in the fringes of the crowd, then it is time to make a decision to start working our way in.  If we are in the center then it is time to start working our way out to the fringes to impact the spirit of this crowd for Christ.  Today is not the time to stand still.  The crowd is going to change ~ in one direction or another.  The season for straddling the fence of belief is gone.  There will be no more "gray" when it comes to our beliefs in the very near future.  You will stand for Christ against all that will come at you, or you will fall to the wiles of this world ineffective in making a difference for the good of this world while we still have time.  Your choice; your life; but someone else's eternity.......

Seeing Ourselves in Others

A mirror is an instrument of evaluation to which we have all become accustomed.  Do you have any clue as to how many times a day you glance into a mirror to check out your appearance.  Hair straight?  Shirt buttoned right?  Any loose undergarments showing?  How is the 5 o'clock shadow progressing?  Is my lipstick still on?  Plus a myriad of other reasons.  Yes we use mirrors all the time to check on our physical appearance.  Recently I have had a revelation in which God explained to me that I was using other people as my mirror.  Perplexed?  As the Lord continued to gently nudge me into this understanding, my own confusion began to clear.  The clearer I understood His message, the more chagrined I became.

No matter who we are and no matter how far we have come in our walk with the Lord, we still have cracks in our armor, weaknesses in character and potential pitfalls in which we can somersault at any given moment.  Much as I would like to say the opposite, I am beginning to see as I age (yikes!) that some faults seem to become more distinct than they used to be.  What is up with that???  Perhaps it is because I am more aware of them and the impact they have on others.  Whereas when I was younger, there was a lot more gray (and not my hair!) in my life.  I don't believe that I possessed as deep a relationship with my Lord and consequently His Word was not rooted as deeply into my spirit.  The result was that some behaviors and some language would creep into my life and slip by unnoticed - well relatively speaking.

Today I find a very uncomfortable emotion slipping into my brain - judgment.  I find myself looking at others at times with critical eyes that I know are not of my Lord, certainly not walking in divine love as He did.  When I catch myself in this act, I loathe what I have just thought and find myself thinking, "What has happened to me???"  Through God's inimitable grace and love, He is beginning to open the eyes of my heart and show me.  I am looking through a future mirror when I look at others in certain aspects and I feel as if that will be me.  The aspects are not important.  They are different for all of us.  The root however is fear.  I know better than to allow the spirit of fear to run my life, however this was not a recognizable fear.  It is so subtle that it comes out as judgment and criticism.  

What are the things that disturb you the most about other people?  I am not going to presume to guess for you.  If you will just sit still and listen to Holy Spirit speak to you, I believe that He will reveal to you what frightens you the most about yourself when you look at other people.  Another person's downfall can just as easily be mine, except for God's mercy and grace in my life.  I am as weak as my brother or sister because we all depend upon His strength to carry us through life.  

Do you remember the comparison of the Pharisee and the tax collector? Luke 18:9-14 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'  "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'  "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." I have no doubt that each one of us when reading this is repulsed by the Pharisee's behavior.  Yet when I dig deeply into some of my thought patterns, I question if I am any better than that Pharisee.  What do we really mean in our hearts when we say in good "Southern speak", "Bless their little hearts"?  When I first moved to Atlanta, I would say that with a genuine spirit, but I have to admit that 7 years in the true South has slanted the intonation of my voice, much to my chagrin.  

The last thing that God has ever wanted from us was to compare ourselves to our fellow man.  He is clear that there is only one standard - His.  I know that I cannot match that standard.  So consequently, have I lowered my standards and started comparing myself to others in a vain attempt to not feel so inadequate?  The concept that we must grasp is that Jesus died so that we can enter into the presence of the Almighty, not because of what we have or have not done; not because we are good enough to be called His; and certainly not because we are better than someone else.  We are equal in His eyes.  We have to believe that He accepts us "as we are" striving to be more like Him in our every thought and deed. 

I am entering a period of 40 days of prayer and fasting beginning midnight tonight.  Although the Lord has been very clear that there are specific areas about which He desires for me to commune with Him, I also have a very clear sense that He is going to reveal much to me about going to the next level with Him.  There is a lot of work for this gal to do to prepare my heart, body and spirit to be at that next level with Him.  I am eager to empty myself of me and make more room for Him.  There is only one reflection I want to see when I look in any mirror and that is His.  It is a process.  Eternity will provide the resolution, but until that time, I am going to continue in the process of burning off the dross and progressing to refined silver that will give Him His reflection when He gazes upon me.  I hope you will do the same.