Saturday, October 03, 2020

2020.10.03 Hopewell @Home ▫ 2 Samuel 9

Read 2 Samuel 9

Questions from the Scripture text: What does David ask in 2 Samuel 9:1? Whom do they bring in 2 Samuel 9:2? What does David ask him (2 Samuel 9:3a)? What does Ziba answer (verse 3b)? What does the king now ask (2 Samuel 9:4a)? What does Ziba answer (verse 4b)? Then what does David do (2 Samuel 9:5)? What does Mephibosheth do when he comes to David (2 Samuel 9:6)? What does David ask, and how does Mephibosheth answer? What does David say he will do (2 Samuel 9:7)? What does Mephibosheth ask (2 Samuel 9:8)? What does he call himself? Whom does the king call in 2 Samuel 9:9? What does he tell him he has done? What does David tell Ziba to do in 2 Samuel 9:10? But where does David say Mephibosheth will eat? How many sons and servants did Ziba have for obeying this command? How does Ziba answer in 2 Samuel 9:11a? What does David repeat in verse 11b (cf. 2 Samuel 9:10)? What did Mephibosheth have (2 Samuel 9:12)? What role did all in Ziba’s house have? Where did Mephibosheth stay (2 Samuel 9:13)? What did he do? What comment concludes verse 13?

In 1 Samuel 20:14–15, Jonathan had told David “you shall not only show me the ḳessed of Yahweh while I still live, that I may not die; but you shall not cut off your ḳessed from my house forever, no, not when Yahweh has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” 

So as soon as David is given rest from all his enemies (2 Samuel 8), he asks in 2 Samuel 9:1, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him ḳessed for Jonathan’s sake?” Mephibosheth is a wonderful candidate for this covenanted love, precisely because he is lame in his feet (2 Samuel 9:3), which is why the passage concludes with this fact in 2 Samuel 9:13. Indeed, he himself puts it most colorfully, when he calls himself a “dead dog” in 2 Samuel 9:8. Unclean when alive, useful primarily for cleaning up corpses, and now longer alive: less than useless and doubly unclean—a dead dog.

But David raises him up to the status of a king (2 Samuel 9:7), marshals others to be his servants (2 Samuel 9:10), and brings him into personal and continual fellowship and favor (2 Samuel 9:11-12).

In all of this, David is a picture to us of Christ, and Mephibosheth is a picture to us of ourselves. 

Since Christ and our Father have made covenant concerning us from before time began, Christ shows us steadfast/covenant love. He gives us the status of a kingly heir. He makes everything in creation and providence into a servant to do us good. And He brings us into personal and continual fellowship and favor with Himself!

And what have we contributed to this? Being doubly and completely disabled; less than useless and doubly unclean—lame in both feet and dead dogs. Behold, God’s covenant with us in Christ; how completely it is of grace, and how complete are the benefits of that grace!

How has your “lameness” been appearing lately? What are some of the benefits of God’s covenant that you have been enjoying in the Lord Jesus?

Suggested songs: ARP32AB “What Blessedness” or TPH23A “The Lord’s My Shepherd”


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