Let's take our Bibles and turn together in 2 Samuel chapter 9. This is one of those chapters that has become one of my favorites in the Old Testament. 2 Samuel chapter 9. And this study has to do with Mephibosheth. That's a little bit of a difficult name. To pronounce perhaps, it actually means out of the mouth of shame. And so here in this story, Mephibosheth is a type of sinners that God is pleased to save by his grace. This is why it's one of my favorites to read, along with others, of course. We often say that this is one of my favorites, The key there is one of my favorites. There are many others as well. And we're moving forward a little bit. As we last time saw how Israel had demanded a king, and God gave them Saul as that king, but sent Linus to their own souls. And God had purposed all along that David be that king to sit upon that throne in Jerusalem and that Christ should come from the seed of David, not of Saul. But here's an example of God's mercy towards sinners in that Mephibosheth was actually of Saul's house and Jonathan's son. So we begin here in 2 Samuel chapter nine, my text is from verse one, down to the end of the chapter, verse 13. It says, and David said, is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake? David and Jonathan had made a pact that when Jonathan was gone, that David would be merciful to Jonathan's seed. And so David here asked that question, is there one of the house of Saul? You can imagine that here he is a brand new king, David, ascending to the throne, and knowing that Saul had been his enemy, pursued him all his lifetime, now was asking if there was one for whom he could show kindness not for the sake of that individual necessarily, but for Jonathan's sake. And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba. And when they had called him unto David, the king said unto him, art thou Ziba? And he said, thy servant is he. And the king said, is there not yet any of the house of Saul that I may show the kindness I want to see this three times. That word kindness is the word mercy. One to whom mercy may be shown. And it was to be the kindness of God unto him. And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son which is lame on his feet. And the king said unto him, where is he? And Zippo said unto the king, behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Amiel, in Lodabar. Lodabar means a desert place. You can see the setting here in a desert place, one to whom David would show kindness for Jonathan's sake, whose name, Mephibosheth, means out of the mouth of shame. Then King David sent and fetched him out of the house of Machir. I love that term, fetched him. Lephibosheth didn't come on his own, but he was fetched according to David's purpose and desire to show mercy. And the son of Ammion from Lodabar. Now when Lephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face and did reverence. You can imagine Mephibosheth trembling, not knowing exactly why it was that David would fetch him, for all he knew was to take off his head, as David had done with others of Saul's house. And David said, Mephibosheth, and he answered, Behold thy servant. And David said unto him, Fear not, for I will surely show thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake. And we see an example here of the mercy of God in the Lord Jesus Christ. It's not for anything in us, but where he does show mercy, it's for Christ's sake. And will restore thee all the land of Saul, thy father, and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. And he bowed himself and said, what is thy servant? This is exact, that the purpose for God drawing us as sinners to himself through his son to show kindness. Who am I? Who are we? What is thy servant that thou shouldst look upon such a dead dog as I? Then the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, said unto him, I have given unto thy master's son all that pertain to Saul and to all his household. and thy sons and thy servants shall till the land for him, and thou shalt bring in the fruits that thy master's son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth, thy master's son shall eat bread always at my table." What a beautiful picture here. Called of David that he might show him mercy, kindness for Jonathan's sake. but not to keep him at a distance, but to bring him and to set him at his very own table, right along with the rest of his sons. No distinction. Now Ziba had 15 sons and 20 servants. Then said Ziba unto the king, according to all that my lord the king hath commanded his servant, so shall thy servant do. As for Mephibosheth, said the king, he shall eat at my table. as one of the king's sons. And Lefebesheth had a young son whose name was Michael. And all that dwelt in the house of Zippo were servants unto Lefebesheth. So Lefebesheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he did eat continually at the king's table and was lame on both his feet. So here was Saul, the people's king. one that they had chosen, but rejected by God. He was a natural man, he was unconverted, he had not the spirit of God in him. We see in 1 Samuel chapter 15 and verse 26, where Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee, for thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel. Remember we saw that last time, he did not wait for Samuel to appear in order to offer sacrifices, he took matters into his own hands. And we saw how that is the gravest sin, the greatest sin is presuming to approach unto God is one mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ. And we dare not take that into our hands. But also how David was a man after God's own heart. In 1 Samuel chapter 13 and verse 14, this is how David is described. This was God's king. This is one that God's purpose should sit upon the throne and did. It says in 1 Samuel 13, 14, but now thy kingdom shall not continue. Speaking again to Saul for what he did, acting foolishly. The Lord has sought him a man after his own heart. Now let's be careful in that expression because many preach that and say, ah, that was David's heart after the Lord. That's not what it says here. The Lord has sought him a man after his own heart. In other words, after God's own heart sought this one. That he should set him on the throne. We know David was as much a sinner as anybody else. We see that throughout his lifetime. And yet he was called and preserved and enthroned because of God's purpose on his behalf, and that through him, many years later, he should bring his seed, his son, through that one David. This is according to God's purpose, and that's why then that David reigned over all Israel. But here we find in 2 Samuel chapter nine, one of his first acts, was to inquire of the house of Saul. That might sound surprising to some of us, but when you stop and think, where is it that God has chosen out sinners? Is it not it out of a fallen world? Is it not out of a world that is at enmity with God? That's why we see an example here, not only in David, of how God the Father purposed to show mercy to sinners, but where they were to be found, here in the house of Saul, the rebel. And not only that, but that it be one who had no capability even of approaching unto David. Not only was he an enemy, being of Saul's house, but as we read twice, In this portion, verse three, he was lame on his feet. He could not come on his own. And the chapter ends up that way in verse 13. He was not chosen because of any physical beauty or capability. This is why Mephibosheth is a good picture of sinners that God has pleased to save by his mercy. There's nothing in them. they could not come unless they were fetched, just like David sent and fetched this one here. And when Ziba, who was a former servant, even there we see an example of David's mercy because he was a servant of Saul. And yet he also benefited for Jonathan's sake because he was sent to bring Mephibosheth and Mephibosheth being lame on both feet, unable to come himself, when he was brought, it was that David might give him a portion of his estate and in the end put Ziba and all of his children and service under Mephibosheth's authority. Again, this is a beautiful picture of grace and mercy. In the Lord Jesus Christ, how God shows that mercy to unworthy sinners for Christ's sake. And that's the story that's told here. That it's not just a matter of bringing sinners to himself but establishing them, literally, in his kingdom. Making of sinners such as we are a kingdom of priests unto God. Heirs with God and joint heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ. What a beautiful picture. So all of this can be stated in this chapter here through seven words. seven phrases that we're going to look at as the Lord gives us the time. And the first begins in verse three, and the king said, underscore that. Here where the word of the king is, there's a power, there's authority, and there's total absolute sovereignty. This is who a king is. The idea of a king today is being a figurehead king, and that's how God is represented. has the authority to reign, but he doesn't necessarily have the power to reign, because in men's minds, they share an equal authority with God. I've heard some preachers say that, that God would never violate man's will. Well, they don't know God, and they don't know man, because as the king, that's where this all begins, As David, he didn't seek any counsel here. He did not seek advice of anybody else as to who he should show this mercy to. He didn't bring Mephibosheth to negotiate with him and see what terms there could be for them to get along. Now here, very simply it says, and the king said. I like that. He's speaking here from his throne. and he's decreeing what is to be done, such as God. God is infinitely sovereign over all of creation, not only men, but beasts. In Psalm 115, in verses one through three, this is a scripture that the Lord used particularly in my own life at a time great sorrow and distress when it pleased him to take twins that he had given us years ago when we were in Africa. And this was a scripture that the Lord brought to my attention back then. And my wife and I read it together as we bowed to God's authority and sovereignty and even taking of our children, not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy and for thy truth's sake. Wherefore should the heathen say, where is now their God? Listen here, but our God is in the heavens, and he hath done whatsoever he pleased. That states it all right there, doesn't it? God is sovereign over all his creation, God's sovereign in providence in the unfolding of what he is purposed to do. And he sent his servant, Ziba, to go and fetch Mephibosheth. This was the unfolding of David's purpose. It went exactly as David's purpose, he's the king. In 1 Samuel chapter two, This is where we see God's sovereignty, not only over all of creation, but in his providence. This is Hannah's prayer. And what do we read here in verses six through eight? The Lord killeth and maketh alive. He bringeth down to the grave and bringeth up. The Lord maketh poor and maketh rich. He bringeth low and lifteth up. And in Mephibosheth's case, he raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set him among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory, for the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and he hath set the world upon them. Who can question God's authority, not only in creation and in providence, but particularly in salvation and in judgment? All of these things, determining who lives and who dies, all of this is according to God's purpose and will. When you read earlier, there were those that were of the household of David that David slew. And justly so, they were enemies of Saul. But here we have an example also of one that he spared, Show mercy, salvation's of the Lord. And so is condemnation of the Lord. So that's the first word there. And the king said, everything that we have is according to what God, the king, has to declare. This is his word that we're reading here. This is his declaration. But secondly, the key phrase here is where he says that I may show the kindness of God unto him, verse three. That word, as I said, kindness means mercy. And here is David the king being a man of mercy. He was a man of war. A man who had fought many battles and slew many enemies, and yet to see here this attribute of mercy in him, whereby he would show one of Saul's house, David's enemies, that deserved no mercy. That's the sense of the word mercy there. Deserved no pity. But David found it in his heart to show mercy to some. He knew something of God's mercy toward him. And that same spirit now was directing him to show mercy to this one Mephibosheth. Here's where we see the beauty of God's attributes. His essential attribute is holiness. He's holy. He's righteous. He's just. This is where the world has it wrong. They want to put love there as the hub of the wheel. But then they can't explain out of love how it is that God can show grace and mercy. You can explain God's justice from His holiness. You can explain God's righteousness from His holiness. You can explain His wrath from His holiness. But when it comes to His love, it's not just a general love for anybody. Oh, He's such a loving God. He really wants to save everybody. No, we see here In this text in 2 Samuel 9, a particular love of David for a particular person of the household of Saul. So here we have an example of just how it is that God shows kindness to anybody. It's not to deserving sinners at all. We're all of Adam's fallen race and therefore we're rebellious by nature. and not deserving of mercy. God did not look down from eternity and see who was living a good life and say, okay, well, I think I'll choose that one or I'll choose that one. No. His choice was exactly that of David's. It would be out of the household of a man who pursued David and hated him all his lifetime. And yet David now would purpose to show God's not indebted to sinners. He doesn't owe sinners anything, but if he does show mercy, he does so because he has determined to do so. In Exodus chapter 33, this was what our Lord clearly showed to Moses. Moses desired to see the glory of the Lord. In Exodus 33, 18, Moses had asked to see God's glory. The Lord said unto Moses, verse 17, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken, for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name. Our Lord is telling him plainly why it is that the Lord was even being merciful to him. And he said, I beseech thee, show me thy glory. Well, how did God reveal his glory to Moses? It says, and he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee and will be gracious, notice here, to whom I will be gracious and will show mercy. That's that word, kindness. But how will he show it? On whom I will show mercy. This is the God of the Bible. It's not just out there for the grabbing. An open invitation for any to come and find that mercy. No, it's the Lord who must reveal it and it's the Lord who must give it. So this is not a language here of merits or rewards or service, but it's the language of God's true sovereign grace and redemption in Christ. Paul declared that in his own testimony knowing What a wretch he was, and yet he told Timothy there in 1 Timothy 1, I obtained mercy. And what is it that the publican who was in the temple, who dared not even look toward heaven, but beat his breast and cried out, God be merciful to me, a sinner. What was it that he was caused to seek? Mercy. There is the word of the king that I may show the kindness of God to him. But then the third expression here in verse three is what I touched on earlier. It speaks of Mephibosheth being one who was lame on his feet. So Ziba came and reported to David that Jonathan See, all of this was for Jonathan's sake. This was the love that God had given David for Jonathan and Jonathan for David. And now that Jonathan was gone, David was purposing here to show mercy to one of his household. And Ziba reports that there is one. And the key word for David in hearing it wasn't just any son, just like with regard to God's mercy toward sinners. It's not toward any, just any sinner, no. For Christ's sake. Here you can imagine when David heard Ziba say unto him, the king, Jonathan hath yet a son. Oh, how that would have caused David to rejoice. Then he says, which is lame on his feet. That's not a disqualifier, by the way. Everything about Mephibosheth from man's perspective would have been a disqualifier. He was of the household of Saul. He was lame on his feet. He lived in a remote place called Lodabar. Yet none of that mattered because the key there was Jonathan. And the word lame here, when it says he was lame on his feet, actually, it was because he was lame through a fall. It not only describes Mephibosheth, but it describes our condition since the fall of our father, Adam. And so Mephibosheth, when a nurse was carrying him, fleeing that she fell, and when she fell, he fell. And he became lame. Lame through the fall. And not just one foot, but was lame on both feet. That just shows what effect, even ourselves, the fall has had upon us. Paul said, in our flesh there dwells no good thing. But here again, we see the picture of how God is merciful to sinners. But then fourthly, the word here in verse five is that the King David sent and fetched him. See that word there, he fetched him. It's not necessarily a word that we use all the time today, but I like it. It's an old English word. It means to go and actually find them and bring them. And this is how the Lord purposes that any of us as sinners should come to him. We must be brought. Christ said, all that the Father has given me shall come to me. Well, how do they come? They don't come on their own. It's the very spirit of God that draws them. And so here we see David as a representative of the Lord of glory. in his love and affection for lame sinners to such a point where he spared not his son. In the fullness of the time, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law, that he might redeem them that are under the law. He came to where we are, that we might be brought to him where he is, such as the beauty the gospel here, and by his perfect obedience unto death, honoring the law, satisfying all that the father required, that those sinners that he purposed might justly be fetched. You see, all of this had already been worked out on Mephibosheth's behalf before Mephibosheth even knew anything about it, because this was a covenant between David and Jonathan. And so it is with us when the spirit of God fetches, calls those that God the Father has purposed to save through his son for whom Christ has already paid the debt and they stand justified before him. See Mephibosheth didn't have to get himself all fixed up. He was already one of those objects of David's love for Jonathan's sake. It was a matter of just now bringing drawing it, and that's how it is with any of us. When the Spirit of God comes and seeks us out, we find out that everything pertaining to our salvation has already been worked out for Christ's sake, and thereby we rejoice and give God the glory. So that's a key phrase there, that King David sent and fetched him, none of us would come on our own. None of us would know to come, except that God, by his grace and by his spirit, has fetched, the word is called, summoned. It's not just an invitation to come, no, it's fetching. They didn't ask Mephibosheth, well, would you really like to go, or do you want to stay? No. The king has said, and therefore, you will come. That's how many of us are the lords. But then fifthly, as I said, there's seven key phrases in here, and I know I'm just touching on these rather briefly, but in verse seven, when Mephibosheth was brought, it's clear that he trembled. When it says he fell on his face in verse six and did reverence, it was in the sense of fearing this king, not knowing whether David at this point would speak peace to him or whether it would be for his condemnation. So that's why David said, verse seven, fear not. How many times did our Lord say that to his disciples? Mephibosheth would have feared in the presence of the king because he was of the house of the enemy. That's why he fell on his face. There's no fear of God today in those with whom we speak. There's a presumption If they made a profession and they said their prayer, they made their little confession that somehow all is well, where are those that have been brought on their face before the Lord and done reverence to know that should he condemn, he'd be just in doing so. But if he saves, it's for Christ's sake and Christ alone. That's what's missing today. Men and women don't know anything about God's holiness. And even in how they teach their children. They make God's name to be such a familiar name. Even in how they teach them to bow their head and fold their hands and say some little memorized citation that they call prayer. There's no concept of what it is to address a holy God. No concept. either of just how sinful man, woman, and child are, and how the law and justice of the king demand satisfaction. Otherwise, if God has not punished your sin or mine in the person of his son, the Lord Jesus Christ, then there remains nothing but condemnation. That's why the scriptures say that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. How do you know that the Lord has begun that work of wisdom in the heart of the sinner? Because all said in 1 Corinthians 1.30, he was made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, redemption. That he that glorieth let him glory in the Lord. Well, how do you know that one has been taught the wisdom of the Lord? The scriptures say the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. We take this word and we read it with reverence. We see what God has declared and we buy. And we looked at none other than his hand of mercy through his son, the Lord Jesus Christ for our standing. But David said, fear not. There again, it's not A general statement that's just given to anybody, but this is addressed to those that God has purposed to save, just like Mephibosheth here. The words of Christ to his disciples, fear not. And then a sixth statement, there in verse seven, David said unto him, fear not, for I will surely show thee the kindness of Jonathan thy father's, for thy Jonathan thy father's sake. I know we saw this already in verse three, but just the fact that it's repeated is of significance. Lest we should forget, even in a short reading like this, as to why it is that God shows mercy and grace to any sinner. It's as if David is saying, I did not fetch you, Mephibosheth, to destroy you, so fear not. He says, I will surely, see that? Fear not, for I will surely show thee kindness. For Jonathan thy father's sake. I love that word surely, don't you? That talks about the certainty of it and the reason for which he was being fetched. God doesn't play games with sinners, to draw them and then play cat and mouse. When I say that, it's like you see a cat that plays with a mouse before he destroys it, kills it down. That's not how God acts. I will surely, certainly show you mercy for the sake of Jonathan, your father, whom I love. That's really why he was doing it, because of the love that he had for Jonathan. and that covenant that he had made with Jonathan. Even before Mephibosheth was born, David had made that covenant. I've been referring to it, but you can look at it back here in 1 Samuel chapter 20. And verses 11 through 17, it says, and Jonathan said unto David, come and let us go out into the field And they went out, both of them, into the field. And Jonathan said unto David, the Lord God of Israel, when I have sounded my father about tomorrow any time, or the third day, behold, if there be good toward David, and I then send not unto thee, and show it thee, the Lord do so, and much more to Jonathan. But if it please my father to do evil, then I will show it thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace, and the Lord be with thee, as he had been with my father. And thou shalt not only, while yet I live, show me the kindness of the Lord, that I die not, but also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house forever. No, not when the Lord hath cut off the enemies of David, every one from the face of the earth. So here it is. So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David saying that the Lord even require it at the hand of David's enemies. And Jonathan caused David to swear again, notice, because he loved him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul. Isn't that a beautiful picture of the love of God for his son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and for any that he has covenanted to save for Christ's sake, such as that love? It's only for Christ's sake. And To himself, we learn more and more just how great is that love. Unconditional, what Jonathan said. It's not for anything in us. But this covenant was made with Mephibosheth before he was even born. And so it is before the foundation of the world that God the Father entered into that everlasting covenant of mercy with his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Gave him a people. Adam's race, and Christ was made the surety of that people. Surety is what the word means. The redeemer of those people. A lot of portions we could be reading to support that, but none greater perhaps than Ephesians chapter one, verses three through 14. You can underline that, read that later, but one final verse 13 that I think is worth underscoring, and that is that he did continually eat at the king's table. The beautiful thing about him eating at the king's table, yes, he was lame on both his feet, but as he sat at that table, and you had a view of that table looking around, he looked no different than any other of the sons of David sitting at that table. You couldn't see his lance, it was hidden. And there he sat. And this is how David fulfilled every promise to Mephibosheth, even as God has fulfilled every promise to his elect for Christ's sake, that none would perish. And that all would be made to enjoy the very presence Christ, just like Ephibosheth here, enjoyed the presence of David and being among his sons forever. Such is the mercy and grace of God. In Romans chapter eight, great chapter, which we had time to read all the way through it, but that's what we see here in verses 33 to 39. Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? There was nobody that was gonna enter into that dining room or that palace or that place where Mephibosheth sat and questioned why he was there. He was there because God purposed that David should show him mercy for Jonathan's sake. Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. And then the question's asked, who shall separate us from the love of Christ? He didn't bring Mephibosheth in to set him off in a corner as if he was somehow less than the other sons of David, no. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? No tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword as it is written, for thy sake we're killed all the day long. We're counted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we're more than conquerors through him that loved us. David's love for Mephibosheth was because of his love for Jonathan. God's love for sinners is because of his love for his son. And he gave sinners to his son out of all Adam's fallen race that he might be their redeemer and their savior and that they might enjoy his presence forever. Paul said, I'm persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor power nor things present nor things to come nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God." But don't stop there, it says, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. What a beautiful portion of scripture. And I pray that as we've heard it, the Lord would indeed strengthen and encourage the heart of each of his own. For Christ's sake, amen. you