The opening chapters of 2 Samuel provided a time of remarkable change in the scenery of the land of Judah and of Israel. In chapter 1, we read of how David learned about the defeat and death of Saul and Jonathan in the battle against the Philistines at Mount Gilboa. And that defeat left the land in upheaval and in turmoil. On one hand, you had David and those of the people of Judah. Then on the other hand, you had those who were followers of the family of Saul. I'm sure you'll know well how, after that defeat, Esh-bosheth, one of Saul's sons, rose up and revolted against David. And there was war between the house of Saul and against the house of David. War between Judah and Israel. Conflict ensued. But David triumphed over his enemies. Ish-bosheth was defeated. Abner's plans were defeated. And David was victorious, and he became king over all the nation of Israel. You see, David is a wonderful type and picture of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He defeated all His enemies. He reigned victorious in the land, ascended to the throne. He was exalted to a position of power and authority. He was one who was victorious. And yet, while He was victorious and prospering and saw His kingdom advance, yet there were those in the land who were not so blessed. Those who were going through trial, those who were going through difficulty, those who were not enjoying the victory. You know, David wasn't one who just thought upon himself. He didn't sit back and think to himself, well, now that I have accomplished this great victory, well, I will just take my ease and I will sit down now upon my throne and I'll just look out over the world. Oh no, he was a man who had the Savior's heart. He was a man who was filled with compassion and filled with love, and he sought to do good to those under his authority. See, it's a lovely type of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He's ascended into glory. He's at the right hand of the Father, and he seeks to do good for all of his people. How did David seek to do this? Well, you see in verse 1 of the chapter, he asks a question, well, is there any left of the house of Saul that I might show kindness for Jonathan's sake? See, David remembered the covenant which he had made with Jonathan. He had promised Jonathan, I will do kindness to you. Even once you're dead, I will do kindness to your family. I will bless them. I will be gracious to them. And He seeks here to uphold and to keep the covenant which He had made. And there again we see something of our Savior Jesus Christ, for did He not come into an eternal covenant with the Father, promised to die upon the cross for His people, promised to bless them with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places? That's what Christ has promised to do. He's promised to do His people good. And so David seeks out Mephibosheth. He was told by Ziba, yes, there is one left, his name is Mephibosheth, and he's been lame from his birth. And you'll know the story well, I'm sure, and it's recorded in chapter four of the book about how, when there was this conflict in the land, the servant who looked after Mephibosheth heard about all that was going on and picked Mephibosheth up fled to take him to safety, but as they were fleeing, he fell from her back and he became lame on both feet. And so he went into hiding, went to the Lodibar, and he was there until this time when David calls him forth and brings him to his palace. See, David wanted to do good to Mephibosheth. He wanted to bless Mephibosheth in a special way, and he wants to bring him there, and he invites him to come to the palace, and it's such a warm and encouraging portion for us to read. And many times when we turn to this portion, it's often preached in the gospel about one who sought out the wanderer, one who brought him into his fold, and that is true, but yet I see many blessings here which the Lord gives to his people. See, David blessed Mephibosheth above measure. Now, if you're saved here today, the Lord has blessed you in many, many ways, ways which we can see in the passage before us in which David blessed Mephibosheth. And so, as we consider this portion before us, we're wanting to think upon benefits from the King. because David gave Mephibosheth many blessed benefits that only the king could give to him. I want you to notice, first of all, that like David with Mephibosheth, the Lord communes with us personally. The Lord communes with His people personally. You see, David did not simply inquire of Ziba, well, is there any left of the family of Saul, and leave it there. He didn't just ask the question, and then Ziba comes to him and says, yes, Lord, there is one called Mephibosheth. He didn't say, well, that's lovely to know, well, I'll leave it there. No, he went further than that, and he wanted to commune with him in a personal manner. David wanted to bring Mephibosheth into his courts so that he could fellowship with him. Look at verse 5, "'Then King David sent and fetched him out of the house of Macher, the son of Amiel, from Lodabar.'" David sent for Mephibosheth. He wanted to bring him to himself. He wanted to see him face to face. He wanted to commune with him on a personal level. And can you imagine Mephibosheth in this setting? There he is, fled off to Lodabar, hiding from the king. Now the king sends for him to come and fellowship with him. Where was it Mephibosheth was staying? It was Lodabar. It means pastureless. A place where even the sheep could not survive. There was no pasture for them. And we all know sheep are very hardy animals. They need very little to survive. But even here, sheep would not have been able to live. There was no pasture for them. Signifies he was outside the place of blessing. But David says, come to me. I want to bless you. I want to bring you from the place where there's no blessing to the place where I can shower my blessings upon you. sends to bring him to the palace of the king, the place where he can meet with him, where he can fellowship with him, where he's one-on-one with Mephibosheth and he can speak to him as friend with friend. What a privilege it was that Mephibosheth was brought before the presence of the king. And is that not what the Lord has done and does do for His people? The Lord communes with us on a personal level. You know, we do not have a God like the gods of the religions of this world. They're all far off. They're distant. Those who serve them, they don't know, well, is it well with me? Is my God satisfied with me? Is my God appeased with me? Am I doing enough for my God? And their gods are so far off from them. But our God is near. and he desires to commune with his people. You know, we don't always know what the Lord has planned. And the Lord's ways are wonderful. And sometimes a preacher doesn't know, well, have I got the right message for the day? But I believe this is the right message, for this verse was quoted even in the prayer time beforehand. If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another. See, the Lord wants to commune with His people. He desires to have that fellowship one with another. And He brings us into the banqueting house, and His banner over us is love. Now, how is this possible? Well, we have access with boldness into the holiest through the blood of Jesus Christ. You see, it's all because of what Christ has accomplished that we are enabled to have this fellowship with the Lord. It's because we have been made nigh by the blood of Christ. It's because our sins have been dealt with that God communes with us nigh on a personal level. You see, David brought Mephibosheth to him and then communed with him. The Lord has brought us unto Himself, and therefore He meets with us on a personal level. Didn't the Savior say, abide in me and I in you? There's that close and personal communion which the Lord desires to have with His people. He says, well, I'll abide in you if you abide in me. Well, are we abiding in Christ today? Are we resting in Him? Are we seeking Him in all our ways? Are we desirous to meet with our King? You see, David desired to see Mephibosheth personally. It wasn't enough just to know, well, yes, there is one left of the family of Saul. He wanted to meet with Him. He knew Him personally. He spoke to Him personally. See, in verse 6, whenever he came and he fell on his face and did reverence to David, then it says, and David said, Mephibosheth. Oh, there is a personal welcome to Mephibosheth from the king. David had never met him before in his life. David did not know, well, what does Mephibosheth look like? What does Mephibosheth sound like? What is it to be in the presence of Mephibosheth? I don't know anything about him. I just know he's the son of Jonathan. And yet here is an open welcome from the king. As soon as he was before him, he knew this is Mephibosheth. Doesn't that remind us of the Lord today, how the Lord knows each and every one of his people? The Lord knows you on a personal level. He says, I have called thee by thy name. Thou art mine. The Lord calls his people by their own name. The Lord knows you. The Lord knows you better than you know yourself. How well do you know the Lord? Can you say that He is your friend, that He is your beloved? Do you desire to have this communion with Him? You see, David wanted to commune with Mephibosheth personally. He brought him to himself. And the Lord desires to meet with us as well. Yes, corporately as we're doing this morning. He desires us to gather together. We're not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, but the Lord desires to meet with us personally too. And so we see, like David with Mephibosheth, the Lord communes with us personally. But notice also that like David with Mephibosheth, the Lord comforts us particularly." If you look at verse 6, you'll see that Mephibosheth answered, "'Behold thy servant.' And David said unto him," in verse 7, "'Fear not, for I will surely show thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake.'" See, after bringing him into his presence, bringing him into his palace, we see that Mephibosheth was a man who was fearful and afraid. For the first thing David says to him is, Fear not. Mephibosheth had cast himself down before the Lord. He did him reverence. He was afraid. Well, we've mentioned already why he would be afraid. It's because of the fact he was from the house of Saul. The house of Saul had been at war against the house of David. Mephibosheth was essentially an enemy of David's. And here he is, he's been brought before the king, and he thinks, well, how could I ever stand in the presence of the Lord? After all my family has done, how could it possibly be the case that I could stand in the presence of the king? In 2 Samuel chapter 3, we read of this war. For in verse 1, it tells us there in 2 Samuel 3 and the verse 1, now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. But David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker. There was long war. There was enmity between the two houses for a long time. Mephibosheth had been away in hiding for many years, and now all of a sudden the king has bidden him to come to his palace, and I'm sure you can put yourself in Mephibosheth's shoes. I begin to wonder, well, why is the king bringing me to his palace? After all these years, after all that my family has done, why is it that I am being brought to the court of the king? Maybe he's going to execute judgment upon me. And Mephibosheth, he clearly recognized, well, here is one, he can do whatever he desires to me. Here is one who, well, I have done wrong and my family has done wrong to him, and he has all power in the land. I'm defenseless. Therefore, he simply cries, Behold thy servant. What reverence, what respect. what awe he had of the King that day. He recognized, here is one who is good, one who is of the mind of the Lord, one who has done his utmost to live for the Lord, and he has control over my life, whether I live or die. I wonder, do we have such reverence for the Lord today? It's off the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed. It was off the Lord's mercy that we're in this church building this morning. Mephibosheth reverenced David as a king. And he felt, well, perhaps I am going to meet my end now. The king's going to finally pour his judgment upon me. But David said, fear not. Mephibosheth, you've nothing to worry about. Mephibosheth, don't worry. I have brought you to myself. I have brought you into my palace, therefore no harm will fall upon you." Isn't that the blessed promise for the child of God today? That those who are in Christ, condemnation shall not come unto them, for they have passed from death unto life. That's why the Apostle Paul could say, there is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. You see, for the believer, there's no need to fear. Judgment's been removed. Your sin has been dealt with. There's no more need to fear God's wrath and God's judgment because of your sin, because it's all under the blood. And therefore, he says, fear not. What does Paul say at the end of Romans 8? Who is he that condemneth? Yea, it is Christ rather that die. You see, there is no condemnation for the believer because our great High Priest died in our place. Therefore, there's no need to be fearful. See, David knew, well, Mephibosheth has a particular fear. He's afraid that, well, I might kill him now that he's come here. I might execute my judgment upon him as king, and will I need to settle his fears here and now and say, naethaseth, fear not? Does the Lord not do this for us in many ways, not simply regarding our salvation, but on many levels He tells us to fear not? Over and over again in the Word of God, that sort of terminology occurs over and over and over again. The Lord says, fear not, fear not, for I am with thee, for I will help thee. I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Does the Lord not tell you today, if you're in any kind of trial or any kind of trouble, why are you fearful? Couldn't the psalmist say, why art thou cast down, O my soul? Why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God. They recognized, well, there's no need to be concerned, there's no need to be cast down, there's no need for all these fears, just hope in God. See, the Lord comforts particularly. Couldn't you think of the example of the disciples? Mark chapter 6, you'll remember how they were in their boats and the storm came upon the The sea and the waves were tempestuous, and the wind was howling. And lo and behold, the disciples looked out from the boat, and they saw the Savior walking on the water. And in their state of panic and fear, the disciples thought, well, this can't be the Savior. It must be a spirit. It must be a ghost. It must be an apparition. And they became to be afraid. What was the words of the Lord to them that day? He said, be of good cheer. It is I. Be not afraid. The Lord saw their particular concern, and He said, there's no need to be worried. There's no need to be concerned. I have it all under control. You might say, well, I have a very big burden upon me this day. I have something that, well, it's just weighing down upon my shoulders. I just can't bear it, and I'm so concerned, and I don't know what's going to happen, and there's all these unknowns." The Lord says, "'Fear not, for I am with thee.'" See, the Lord comforts His people particularly. The Lord is not far off. but He knows your burden, He knows your concerns. Doesn't the hymn writer say, Jesus knows all about our struggles? He will guide till the day is done. There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus. No, not one, no, not one. He knows your burdens. He knows your cares and concerns, and therefore, He comforts you particularly. Therefore, you ought to understand you can cast all your care upon Him. for he careth for you." Oh yes, the Lord communes with us personally and cares, comforts for us particularly, but notice thirdly that like David with Mephibosheth, the Lord caters for us plentifully. Look again at verse 7 with me, where David said unto him, Fear not, for I will surely show thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father, and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. There's David's promise to Mephibosheth. Yes, you don't need to be fearful. I'm going to cater for all of your needs. Oh, I know that you're lame on your feet. I know that you can't care for yourself. I know you can't provide for your own needs, but Mephibosheth, don't worry, for I will cater for you above measure." Oh, such a wonderful verse, illustrating the kindness of the king to his subjects. He saw Mephibosheth's needs. He understood his burdens, and he says, Mephibosheth, don't worry. Mephibosheth, I will do everything that is necessary for your own good and for your own benefit. He says, He will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father, and he'll eat bread at the table of the king continually. What a turnaround for Mephibosheth, from living in the place where there was no pasture, to being brought in before the king to eat bread at his table continually. What love, what blessing. All he could ever need was his. The king provided. Doesn't this remind us of those familiar words in Psalm 23 in verse five, where the psalmist said, thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup, runneth over." You know, often we can have discussions and say, well, is the glass half-full or is the glass half-empty? Well, perhaps as an engineer, I'd say the glass is twice as big as it needs to be. But really, whenever we think about what the Lord does for us, it's never half-full or half-empty, but it's overflowing. The Lord doesn't just give us enough, the Lord gives us more than enough. The Lord blesses us in abundance. And David said to Mephibosheth, well, Mephibosheth, you will live under my roof, and you will eat at my table, a table that has always got food upon it for the rest of your life. There's wonderful provision. We see three things in this verse about David's catering for Mephibosheth. Notice that David gave to Mephibosheth an inheritance. He promised Mephibosheth that he would restore all the land of Saul thy father. There's a promised inheritance for Mephibosheth. He says, Mephibosheth, you see all those things that you lost that would have been yours by birthright? All those things which your father would have given to you, well, I will restore them all to you. Mephibosheth, you see, what Saul lost by his sin, they will now once again be yours." And that is what the Lord Jesus Christ does for His people. You see, whenever Adam, our forefather, fell, he lost so many things. He lost communion with God. He lost his concreted holiness and righteousness and knowledge. He lost the possibility of everlasting life because he sinned against the Lord. But whenever we're saved, all those things are restored to the believer. We're brought back into fellowship with the Lord. We receive again that knowledge and understanding of the Lord. We're brought back into His fellowship, and the Lord gives to us eternal life and an inheritance in heaven. That's what the Lord says He does for His people. First Peter chapter 1, we have reserved for us an inheritance that is undefiled, incorruptible, that is, that fadeth not away forever, that is reserved in heaven for us. There's the inheritance. David gave to Mephibosheth a residence. You see, while the inheritance was something enjoyed in the future, David gave to Mephibosheth a residence that could be enjoyed in the present. He said to him, well, now you will come to my house, and you'll live with me in my palace, and you'll have this enjoyment in the present. But Phibisheth, I will be with you for the rest of your life. I will commune with you from now and forevermore. And that's what the Lord promises for His people. He promises, I will be with thee. I will never forsake thee. promises to be with us for all of time. See, David gave to Mephibosheth an inheritance and a residence. He also gave to Mephibosheth sustenance. It says, thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. Mephibosheth would receive the best of the best. Now, I am sure there's some here this morning, and you like your food, and you like your eating and your dining. But I am pretty sure that no one here has ever eaten at the king's table, that table which receives the absolute finest and best food and produce that you could find in the whole land. David says, Mephibosheth, this will be your lot. I'll give you the best. I'll not give you the scraps which fall off the table which the dogs eat. I will not give you the things that are the leftovers, which I don't want, but, Mephibosheth, I will give you those things that I enjoy myself." Doesn't the psalmist say in Psalm 34 in verse 10, the young lions do lack and suffer hunger, but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. See, the Lord provides for His people in a marvelous way. He caters for us plentifully. He says, My God shall supply all your need, all your need, not some, not part. He says, Paul says, My God shall supply all your need according to the riches and glory by Christ Jesus. There's the plentiful provision of the Lord. And so we see that The Lord communes with us personally. The Lord comforts us particularly. The Lord caters for us plentifully. We notice, finally, the Lord cares for us perpetually. David said to Mephibosheth at the end of verse 7, Thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. This was a continual blessing. It wasn't something that was going to end. It wasn't something that he would do for a short season and take away, but he says, Mephibosheth, this will be your lot forever. It's reiterated again in verse 13. So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he did eat continually at the king's table. This was a perpetual, a continual blessing from the king. David didn't say, well, I'll bring you in for a month and once you're on your feet, well, I'll let you go on your way again. No, he says, Mephibosheth, you'll be with me forever. I'll care for you forever. Mephibosheth, you will not want any more, but you will be under my roof and you'll be at my table as long as you shall live. And that is what the Lord does for each and every one of His people. He does not just save us for a short period of time. He saves us for eternity. He cares for us for all our life, and we shall be with Him forever in glory. There are so many examples of the Lord's perpetual care throughout Scripture. Couldn't you think of Elijah by the brook Cherith? There he was, the Lord sent the ravens to bring him flesh and there was water for him in the brook. Then when the brook, it dried up, the Lord sent him to Zarephath and there he was cared for by the woman who gave him sustenance there. The Lord cared for Elijah perpetually. Couldn't you think of the children of Israel walking through the wilderness? The Lord sent manna from heaven and quails as well and water from the rock, a provision which is beyond imagination. Two million people, and yet the Lord cared for them perpetually through the wilderness. The Lord will do the same for us. He's promised, I will never leave thee. I will never forsake thee. The Lord says, well, I shall be thy God. and you will be my people." That is a promise that can never fail. See, God's promises are everlasting promises. And when the Lord says, well, I shall care for you forever, then we can take Him at His word. That's what David said to Mephibosheth, I will care for you for the rest of your life. And he did so. We don't read of David going back on his word and having to find Mephibosheth again. No, he was there in the palace of the king. Oh, do you see all the wonderful blessings the Lord gives to His people? The Lord comes and deals with us in great mercy and compassion. He desires to commune with us personally. He desires to care for us and to cater for our needs and to comfort us particularly, and He does all these things for us. Though we could say, like Mephibosheth, why shouldst thou look upon such a dead dog as I am? What a God we serve. A God who cares, a God who comforts, a God who provides. Oh, look to Him for all your needs, for He will never fail. He will never let you down, for He is the covenant-keeping God. May the Lord bless these thoughts to our hearts this morning. Let us all pray. Our Lord and heavenly Father, We come before thy presence once again. We do rejoice that we come before one who is filled with compassion. We thank thee for a God who is not distant and far removed from us, but one who sees us in all of our need. One who caters for us plentifully. One who gives the best that we could receive. One who cares for us perpetually. One who will never cast us off. One who will never leave us. one who will be with us until we reach the promised land. So, Father, we pray that thou has blessed these words to our hearts. Comfort the downcast, lift up the brokenhearted, edify thy saints, challenge the lost, and glorify thy son. We pray in Jesus' name, amen.