My Morning Meal

He really had no business being there. First, it’s not like he was family or anything . . . no blood connection . . . no obligation to include him. What’s more, he was lame in both feet . . . a cripple . . . not like he was going to contribute to the strength of the royal court, or anything. And finally, he was the grandson of a defeated rival . . . heir to a competing royal line who once occupied the throne . . . if anything, this stranger, cripple in both feet, might be considered an enemy, a threat.

But there he was . . . eating at the king’s table . . . just like one of the king’s sons.

The story of Mephibosheth (2Samuel 9) never ceases to move me. David, having secured his hold on the throne . . . king over all Israel . . . conqueror over Israel’s enemies . . . determines that he wants to show kindness to any survivor of Saul’s house, “for Jonathan’s sake.”

Jonathan, the son of King Saul — heir to the throne, had been David’s friend . . . Jonathan had been his number one cheerleader in the early days . . . Jonathan had shielded him from his father’s wrath . . . and had encouraged him in the Lord when things were at their most desperate. And Jonathan had died in battle . . . along with his father.

And so, for the sake of Jonathan . . . for the sake of another . . . David desires to show kindness.

Enter Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son . . . lame in both feet since age 5 . . . dropped by his nurse as they fled after the defeat and death of Saul and his dad (2Sam. 4:4). Could have been a somebody . . . ended up being a nobody. Grew up without a father . . . grew up without a future. He who might have been royalty, was destined to be a beggar. And then, someone determines to show kindness to him for the sake of another. Can anyone say, “Grace!”

Though a natural enemy to his throne, David instead spares his life . . . whew! And then, David restores to him an inheritance, giving him all the land once owned by the family of Saul . . . what? And then again, David says, “And you shall eat at my table always” (v.7) . . . no way!!!

Yup . . . that’s kind of how grace works. Enemies, deserving of death, given life . . . impoverished beggars, incapable of helping themselves, bequeathed an inheritance beyond imagination . . . those of another bloodline, undeserving of even looking upon royalty, invited to eat at the king’s table.

So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table, like one of the king’s sons. (2Samuel 9:11b ESV)

That’s how grace works . . . favor shown for the sake of another . . . I should know. I too have been invited to dine at the King’s table . . . not because of who I am . . . not because of what I bring to the table . . . despite that I was once an enemy. But because He, in His Sovereign purposes, has determined to show abundant kindness to this guy who’s “lame in both feet” . . . and has seated him at the table . . . seated together with Christ in the heavenlies (Eph. 2:5-7) . . . like one of the King’s sons.

To Him be glory alone!

They were playing with fire . . . and someone got burned. The action that resulted in the consequence was not the root cause . . . instead, disaster was waiting to happen because they were loose with the ways of God. It was a note in my study Bible that pointed it out.

I’m reading in 2Samuel 6 this morning . . . the story of Uzzah putting his hand on the ark of God . . . and God striking him down because of it. Seems kind of harsh. No malintent. The oxen stumbled . . . the cart dipped . . . the ark wobbled . . . instinctively, Uzzah reaches out to steady the ark. Bam! Uzzah’s on the ground . . . David’s upset . . . project “Bring the Ark to Jerusalem” is halted in its tracks.

Ok . . . so its not like the LORD hadn’t made it clear through Moses that when transporting the articles of the tent of meeting (that includes the ark) that “they must not touch the holy things, lest they die” (Num. 4:15). But, come on, it was going to fall over! What’s a guy supposed to do?

But, as the note in my Bible, points out, the real issue was in how they chose to transport the ark of the covenant . . .

And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the LORD of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim. And they carried the ark of God on a new cart . . . (2Samuel 6:2-3a ESV)

Yeah it was new cart . . . a clean cart . . . but that’s not how they were to transport the place where the glory of God resided . . . that upon which the Majesty of Heaven inhabited. The ark was to be carried by the Levites using poles placed through rings on the sides of the ark (Ex. 25:14-15). So where did the idea of using a cart pulled by oxen come from? The Philistines. That’s how they returned the ark to Israel after they realized the presence of God in their midst wasn’t working for them (1Sam. 6:7). They were using the methods deemed reasonable by people who were not the people of God.

That was the fire David & Co. were playing with . . . being careless concerning the holiness of God. Though they sought to worship the true God . . . they didn’t discern the holiness of the God they worshiped. They set themselves up for failure . . . and Uzzah was at the wrong place at the wrong time.

And I’m thinking it’s a warning to those of us invited into the Holy of Holies through the blood of Jesus . . . for us who have perhaps become somewhat familiar with hanging out in the presence of God . . . for us who might take our cue from the world in how to approach the God of heaven.

Don’t play with fire . . .

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:28-29 ESV)

Though Jesus would call me ‘friend” . . . though I have been adopted as God’s child and through the Spirit can call to Him, “Daddy Father” . . . though I am clothed with the righteousness of Christ . . . yet He is still God . . . Holy, Holy, Holy God.

. . . you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. . . . as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (2Peter 2:5, 1:15-16 ESV)

Father, You are holy . . . keep me from regarding You as anything less . . . keep me from playing with fire . . . by Your grace . . . for Your glory . . .

I’m thinking the order is important. Not that it’s a law or anything . . . but as I read it,it jumped out at me as making sense . . . that the one should come before the other . . . that to do the other would be hard to do without the one. Seems to me it might be a good principle to adopt . . . strengthen and pray.

Wrapping up 1Samuel. And towards the end of the book David’s kind of living on the edge. He has determined the only way to ensure protection from Saul is to move deep into Philistine country. He forms a covert relationship with a guy named Achish. David presents himself and his men as mercenaries . . . done with Saul and his kingdom . . . ready to serve Achish and the enemies of Israel.

Achish sets them up in a town called Ziklag. In order to perpetuate his cover, David and his men raid “the inhabitants of the land from of old” (1Sam. 27:8), utterly destroy everyone, return with the spoils, and tell Achish they have laid waste to a city of Israel. Works great until Achish invites David and his men to join the forces of the Philistines to go head to head with Saul and his army.

David reports for duty . . . what else is he going to do? But the other Philistine leaders don’t trust David and tell Achish to send David and his men back to Ziklag. Lucky, huh? (Whose hand is all over that one? The God who moves the hearts and reasonings of pagan kings, that’s Who!)

But when David returns to Ziklag only to find that it has been raided and burned by the Amalekites . . . and all the women, and all the children, and all the livestock have been taken. Bad scene. Not only has he suffered great loss, but his men are ready to stone Him (30:1-6). And then I read this . . .

But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God. And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.”. So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. And David inquired of the LORD.   (1Samuel 30:6b-8a ESV)

The bottom has fallen out of his world. His playing both sides of the fence has caught up with him. He dodges one bullet with the Philistines only to be nailed with a bat in the back of the head by the Amalekites. He’s reeling . . . his men are “bitter in soul” . . . what’s he going to do?

He strengthens himself in the LORD and then, he inquires of the Lord. Strengthen and pray . . . remember where your help comes from and then, lift your eyes to Him who made heaven and earth (Ps. 121:1-2) . . . quiet your heart enough to recall who has determined your steps (Prov. 16:9, Jer. 10:23) and then, cry out to the Lord for wisdom and direction . . . steel your heart and refocus on the all-sufficiency of God’s abundant grace and then, ask Him to make perfect His power in our weakness (2Cor. 12:9).

Too often, in unsettled times, I rush in panic to “911 heaven” . . . I’m prone to “Ready, Fire, Aim!” . . . rather than strengthen and pray.

O’, that by the presence and power of the Spirit’s inner working, I would always, especially in times of crisis, look up, be strong, and call out to Him who has promised never to leave me or forsake me.

By His grace . . . For His glory . . .

David would eventually call it an extraordinary love, “surpassing the love of women” (2Sam. 1:26). It was to be a friendship to the nth degree . . . through victory and defeat . . . marked by encouragement and self-sacrifice. It really is one of the great sub-plots of 1 Samuel . . . the friendship between David and Jonathan . . . the saga of two soul mates.

As soon as [David] had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father’s house. Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt.    (1Samuel 18:1-4 ESV)

At the least, they should have been competitors . . . and if they had been enemies, it would have been understandable. Jonathan’s the son of King Saul . . . naturally speaking, he’s the heir apparent . . . and a pretty impressive heir apparent at that. Read 1Samuel 13 and 14 and you’ll see in Jonathan a mighty warrior . . . a man of faith . . . and a man of conviction, not afraid to stand up to his dad. Not bad would-be-king material.

But then, out of nowhere, there’s a second warrior in the house . . . another alpha dog. I’m thinking that Jonathan may have come across the shepherd boy, slash, harp player, who had been making music in the house to sooth his dad’s troubled soul (1Sam. 16:23). But then, all of a sudden, the kid is a giant slayer . . . and soon David’s reputation and popularity will exceed even his dad’s (1Sam. 18:6-7) . . . talk about a threat! Talk about someone that you might develop a “healthy” distrust of . . . talk about someone who was elbowing in on the spotlight . . . talk about someone you might very well develop a bit of a dislike for.

Instead, the Scripture records, Jonathan’s soul was knit to David’s. Their lives were brought together . . . and their lives were bound together at the deepest of levels. I don’t think Jonathan knew of David’s secret anointing by Samuel (1Sam. 16) . . . of the prophetic word spoken over the son of Jesse that, one day, he would be king. But I wonder if Jonathan, the man of faith, saw in David the man after God’s own heart (1Sam. 13:14). Jonathan apparently sees beyond any threat David may have posed to him, instead sensing in David a kindred spirit . . . a man anointed by the Spirit. Jonathan, the man of God, is drawn to David, God’s man.

And, humbling himself, Jonathan honors David by arraying him in the clothes and armor of a would be king. His love for David is such that he doesn’t hesitate to submit to him. And their soul’s become intertwined . . . their friendship is sealed . . . a deep and rich fellowship is established.

Is it too much to want to see myself as a Jonathan . . . and the Lord, the Son of David as, well, David? To be encouraged again to relinquish any claim I think I might have to the throne of my life, and instead humbly hand over again the keys of my little kingdom to Christ? To acknowledge afresh that He is God’s anointed . . . to wonder anew that our lives could be inextricably joined together . . . to declare again that I love Him as I would my own soul . . . to marvel, with exceeding marvel, that He would desire to enter into covenant relationship with me? To think that the King of Kings and the chief of sinners would, by the grace of God, become soul mates?

No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends . . .   (John 15:15a ESV)