2 Samuel 9

Well good morning again, Saylorville! If you brought a copy of scripture with you this morning, you can find 2nd Samuel, chapter 9.

So we’re glad you’re all here, all you grandpas, and grandmas, and aunts, and uncles for these… the baby dedication, as well. And they were beautiful… That was a beautiful setup up here! Was it not?

And so, here at Saylorville Church we love the Word of God. It is the Word of God. It is exactly that, so we preach the Word of God. And so we don’t shy away from anything, and we’re going through the story of David right now. And we’re titling this, David, the Man Who Captured the Heart of God. And so we are at the apex of his life. This is at the mountaintop of David’s life right here, right now. After this, it’s all downhill. I know that’s a double edge… We say it’s all downhill. We normally mean, ‘Well, I mean, we’re going to skate from here on in.’ No, I mean it’s all downhill for David! But not right now. He’s in a great light right now. But as you get going, we’re just getting going…

Let me just ask you a question here. How’re those new years resolutions working out for you? I’m really glad that we’re into the third week of the year, because finally… the gym is, I’m finally finding places at the gym where I can work out! It’s gotta be the most eye-popping illustration of the fickleness of resolutions, the gym! But the truth of the matter is, God does want us to make promises. We’re told that in scripture, and it’s not that we should just make ’em, but we gotta keep ’em.

And last week, we were in the seventh chapter and we saw the promise that God made to David, and we titled it When God Promises. This week we’re inverting it, because it’s a promise that David didn’t make in this moment… literally made it over a dozen years earlier. But now he’s coming through with this. The kingdom of David is now firmly established. David has now… his enemies are on the run, he’s got the kingdom established, and now he has enough brain and heart band width to consider showing the kindness of God to others. In fact, in the very next chapter… we won’t go there… the 10th chapter, he tries to show kindness to an Amorite… Ammonite king when his dad dies. The Ammonite king misunderstands it, does something really stupid and pays dearly for it. But not here. Again, David, he makes this comment. We’ll show it to you in the very first verse.

2 Samuel 9:1

1 And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”

The word “still” there is the Hebrew word “ode.” It means “besides” or “still.” If you have an NLT, it says, “Is anyone still alive?” Why would David ask this question? Is he just sentimental? No! We have to go back in time at least 15 years back in time. Remember, when David was really close to Jonathan, the son of Saul? — He was a righteous man? — They were very close? —Their hearts were knit together? Well, David was on the run just a hair’s breath from death. Jonathan was constantly coming to his help, and it was in the midst of one of those times, here’s what it says in 1 Samuel, chapter 20. Jonathan says to David:

1 Samuel 20:14-17

14 If I am still alive, show me the steadfast love of the LORD, (That’s the word “hesed”) that I may not die;

15 and do not cut off your steadfast love (That’s that word again. It means the kindness, the covenant love of God) from my house forever, when the LORD cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.”

16 And Jonathan made a covenant (and some theologians believe, because the word “covenant” means “to cut,” they literally cut an animal in half and walked hand in hand between those animals to say, ‘This is how serious we’re taking this promise. So they made a covenant) with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD take vengeance on David’s enemies.”

17 And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.”

So this promise that David made to Jonathan was at least, it could have been as much as 20 years earlier.

Now, you need to know something about in Bible times. When a new king would come in, and the old king died, or was killed, or assassinated… didn’t matter… When the… they were total despots in those days, so if the king died, the new king would literally clean house, and it would be brutal! They would go to the old king’s house and decimate the entire house, kill everybody there, and anybody associated with them. That’s one way you could guarantee no reprisal would take place. And Jonathan, years earlier, had asked David not to do that to his house, not to do that to Saul’s house, but to show kindness out of love. And David made the promise to Jonathan that’s what he would do. Now, fast forward eight to ten years, and, if you’ll recall those of you who’ve been with us, Saul and his son, Jonathan, are in pitch battle with the Philistines, and the Philistines kill ’em both. And so David becomes king down south. Remember that? Down in the south he’s a king in Judah for seven and a half years. So just giving you a context here. Now, seven and a half years later, he’s king over ALL, united… both the north and the south. And here’s the point. 15 to 20 years has taken place between that promise that David made to Jonathan and now, and he’s still coming through with a promise.

So lots has happened in those 15 to 20 years in David’s life. He’s been running in those years from Saul, fighting. He’s been acting, he’s been mourning, he’s been ascending, he’s been fighting some more, he’s been uniting the kingdoms, he’s been re-establishing the worship by bringing the ark into the city… We saw that a few weeks back… and he’s been accepting the promise that God gave David. From his own body… and it’d be a thousand years… that the Christ, our Lord Jesus, would come.

So all that’s happened. And now David, kingdom established, enemies on the run, takes a collective breath… and remembers. And this is what he remembered. Remember in the first verse he asked, ‘Hey, is anybody left in Saul’s house I can show kindness on behalf of Jonathan?’ Verse two.

2 Samuel 9:2-13a

2 Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.”

3 And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness (This is that “hesed.” This is that covenant, unconditional love. The word “kindness” is sort of soft. It means much more than that. That I may show the kindness) of God to him?” Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; (Just imagine, now, David… Jonathan has been dead now some 20 years, and Ziba just brings up, “There’s a son of Jonathan’s. Just imagine David’s eyes widening! There’s a son of Jonathan, but he says , ‘but he’s crippled…’) he is crippled in his feet.”

4 The king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.”

Verse 5 Then King David sent and brought him (that is, the son) from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.

6 And Mephibosheth (Now we know his name, Mephibosheth) the son of Jonathan, (grand)son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage (probably shaking in fear!) And David said, “Mephibosheth!” And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.”

7 And David said to him, “Do not fear, (because that’s exactly what he would have been doing in the moment!) for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.”

8 And he paid homage and said, (And he’s just shocked! And he says) “What is your servant, (Mephibosheth says) that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?”

9 Then the king called Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson. 

10 And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master’s grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s grandson shall always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants (so a built-in staff)

11 Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so will your servant do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table, like one of the king’s sons.

12 And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba’s house became… (how many times do I have to say the word “Mephibosheth” anyway?) Mephibosheth’s servants.

13 So Mephibosheth (one more time, I guess!) lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king’s table…”

Now remember what I said happened during a transition of power back in Bible times. So, when Saul and Jonathan… Saul, the king, is fighting the Philistines, and word gets out, ‘The king is dead! Ding dong, the king is dead!’ — because he was such a tyrant, and Jonathan’s dead, that would have sparked panic throughout the entire royal household! And so, it’s time to get out of Dodge, which is exactly what they do. In fact, they flee! — And in the process of fleeing, Jonathan’s son is dropped by his servant. Somehow… he’s five years old, but somehow… it’s a tragic fall. He is crippled for life as a result, and they leave, and they go out to Lo-debar. Lo-debar… I’ll show ya where this is… and it’s east of the Jordan. It’s in the middle of nowhere. In fact, the word “Lo-debar” literally means “no pasture.” It means “to be barren.” So here is Mephibosheth at five years old, whisked away so that he doesn’t meet the knife. He’s lame and he’s unfruitful. Now, it’s interesting, if you look at the end of verse three….

[2 Samuel 9:3

3 And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?” Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.”]

Ziba emphasized that Mephibosheth was in a crippled state. Did you notice that? It was sort of his way of saying to David, ‘Dude, he’s a cripple. He’s no threat to you.’ Probably thinking that David planned on bringing him in and chopping his head off, probably thinking David was gonna execute him rather than exult him, which is what he did. And I’m guessing even Mephibosheth thought that. That’s why David said, ‘Don’t fear.’ In fact, look at verse seven again. It’s worth looking at one more time. He says:

2 Samuel 9:7

7 And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you (hesed) kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.”

This word “hesed” it’s translated in the EFV “kindness” is so much deeper than that word. It means “unconditional love.” Someone said it’s “un-earned,” it’s “un-deserved” and it’s “un-repayable.” And is it any wonder Mephibosheth’s response? He said:

[2 Samuel 9:8

8 And he paid homage and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?”]

… ‘What are you doing for me, David? I mean, I’m like a dead dog.’ I mean, dead dogs are on the same level as living pigs to a Jew. Why would the Bible focus on this man, Mephibosheth, like this? The answer is Mephibosheth is a picture of us. Notice, he’s an outcast, and the Bible tells us in Ephesians chapter two that we were all aliens. And some of you still are. You’re apart from God. He was a dead dog. He lived in a barren land. And Ephesians chapter two says:

Ephesians 2:12

‘… You were dead in your trespasses and sins…’

And dead people can’t respond. They don’t have a responding mechanism in them. And, spiritually speaking, all of us, some of you, maybe many of you in this room, watching online, you’re still dead in your trespasses and sins. You are Mephibosheth. And he was without strength. And this is exactly what Paul said in Romans 5 and verse 6.

[Romans 5:6 ESV

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.“]

‘And we, when we were without strength, Christ died for our sins.’ We are Mephibosheth! That‘s the point! And he is yet one of the most beautiful illustrations of God’s mercy and grace found anywhere in the Old Testament. In fact, I say shame on those commentators… and there are a few of them… who see all of this that David did as a political maneuver, because, remember, David was king down south in Judah for seven and a half years while the north was going nuts! And then now they’re together. They’re united, and some commentators are, ‘Well, this was all David’s way… you know, he’s going to show kindness to one of Saul’s grandsons, and this way, he’s kind of uniting everybody in heart and mind. It’s just a political maneuver.’ And I say, ‘shame on those who say that,’ because there is nothing in this narrative to lead us to that end. This is a man who kept his promise even after 15, 20 years.

And by the way, notice that in response to the revelation of Mephibosheth’s condition, remember he said, “Is there anyone left?” And remember Ziba? He said, ‘Well, you know, there’s… Jonathan’s got a son. He’s crippled,’ as if to say, ‘He’s no threat to you.’ Notice that David doesn’t say ‘No kidding? How did that happen?’ Wouldn’t that be the natural response of your… ‘Well, you know, there’s one over here, but he’s a cripple.’ ‘Whoa, how’d that happen?’ No! David doesn’t say, ‘How did that happen?’ What does he say? “Where is he?” [2 Samuel 9:4] “Where is he?“

If Mephibosheth is a picture of us, David is a picture of God. And how David pictured God is powerful, because we are Mephibosheth.

Number one: He sought out Mephibosheth! Mephibosheth was in hiding. He was running from David. David went after him. Just like you and me before we come to know God, we’re running away from Him. And Jesus gave one of His purpose statements of life when He said in Luke chapter 19 and verse 10:

Luke 19:10

10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

So David was like God in that he sought Mephibosheth, and He’s seeking you. God is seeking some of you right now.

Secondly, he overlooked Mephibosheth’s conditions. We’ve already said that. He didn’t say ‘How?’ He said, “Where is he?“

By the way, in bible times, in bible times, it was taboo to have anyone in your court that had a malady of any kind. Much less being lame in both legs. I mean, it was considered a reflection upon the king to have somebody that wasn’t beautiful, handsome, muscular, talented. That’s who you surrounded… that’s what you wanted the public to see. But David, being like God, ignores all of that for Mephibosheth’s … sake.

Thirdly, he extended Mephibosheth mercy and grace. That’s that word “hesed” there in verse seven: mercy and grace. And he… that’s why Mephibosheth was so overwhelmed! ‘Why would you do this for me? I’m a dead dog!‘

I can remember for the first several weeks after I became a Christian, I literally lived in a cloud! I lived in a cloud, I kid you not! Just… I remember thinking, “God, you’ve taken my sins away!” I just could not get over it! I still can’t get over it! — And neither should you. This is the reason why Jesus said in Luke chapter seven:

[Luke 7:47

47 “Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”]

If you’re forgiven much, you’ll love much. Amen? And here’s the deal, we’ve all been forgiven much! We just don’t realize it.

And fourthly, David was like God as he adopted Mephibosheth into his family. Do you see that in verse 11? I love this! He says to Mephibosheth, He said: “So Mephibosheth…” I’m sorry, at the middle verse 11:

2 Samuel 9:11b

“… So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table, like one of the king’s sons.“

And this reminds us of what the Book of Romans tells us that we don’t have a spirit of fear, but a spirit of adoption whereby we cry out, “Abba, Father!” Amen?

[Romans 8:15

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”]

We… if you become a child of God, You are adopted into the family of God. And just like the children in this room who’ve been adopted into families, they’re not different than any other. They are the children of those individuals.

Just the last… a couple of weeks ago, Michael Reagan died. Forget your political affiliations. He was the adopted son of President Ronald Reagan. But Michael Reagan said, once:

“My parents never referred to me as just adopted. I was always their son.”

Michael Reagan

And that’s the way God will treat you, if you place your faith in Him and in His Son.

Fifthly, He provided all of Mephibosheth’s needs. And this is my favorite part right here. So you know… as he’s telling Mephibosheth, ‘You’re gonna get all your father’s land back. I’m bringing Ziba and his people in.’ And he doesn’t say, ‘And, by the way, hey, why don’t you come over tonight for supper? Let’s just kinda, you know, let’s just have a drink over this.’ No! What does he say? He says it not once, not twice. He says it three times! ‘You’re gonna eat at my table… always! Always. And Jesus said in Matthew, chapter 8 and verse 11:

Matthew 8:11

11 “I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven…”

… that people are gonna be coming from the east and the west. The nations will gather together at His table with Abraham, and Isaac and Jacob. We’re gonna sit down, those of us who know God, and we’re gonna eat with them and enjoy fellowship with Him always! Amen? Always!

And David, even after 20 years, kept his promise to Jonathan. So how you doing on yours? How many of you without telling us… just by a show of hands… you made promises for this year? Raise your hand if you made some promise. Raise your hand. Okay, there’re several of ya. Most of you are like, ‘Ehh.’ How about a promise to read your Bible every single day? —to hear from God? How about a promise to respond in prayer to God every day? How about a promise to serve the Lord, not just fill up a pew, not just fill up a chair, but serve God? How about a promise to do so? How about a promise to give to the Lord instead of hoarding? How about a promise to share Jesus with others? You make those promises, that makes you accountable before God… and God is the greatest promise keeper of them all! Amen?

But let’s just conclude this time with promise keepers. I don’t mean the organization. I mean you. Promise keepers make promises. I mean, it does make sense talking about a promise that you’ve never made. I think God wants us to make promises.

I remember talking to a man once about reading their Bible. I was … “How many will promise to read their Bibles every day?” Many hands went up, and a friend of mine did not raise his hand. I asked him why. He said, “Well, Ecclesiastes 5:5 says, “It’s better not to make a promise than to make a promise and not keep it, so I think it’s too sacred. I can’t make that promise.”

[Ecclesiastes 5:5, “It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.“]

And while I admired his nobility, his humility in the moment, I guess, I could not admire his unwillingness to promise to read the scripture. Imagine applying that principle to your wedding day. You’re up there with your wife, with your husband, and the pastor says, “And you promise to love and cherish ’til…” — and you’re quoting back and forth, “… to love and to cherish ’til death do us part,” — And you stop. ‘Whoa!’ And you look over and say, ‘That’s a long time, sweetheart. Can’t we just say we’re good for right now?’

By the way, I thought of this… I didn’t have this in my notes. I thought… I did a wedding once, and I did not do the marriage counseling in this wedding, but there were some people in our church… many years ago now. And I was at his house that was packed with people, and I love… I always say… oftentimes… I’ll say that “Our life is hidden with Christ and God.” I so I said, “The wife loses her identity with her former last name into the identity of her husband’s name, and It’s a picture of salvation when we trust Jesus. He doesn’t look at us as sinners. He looks at us as children of God.” It’s beautiful! Amen? And I was in this wedding. I said to the wife-to-be, I said, “And in a few moments, do you realize you’re going to lose your identity as so-and-so into your husband’s?” And she looked at me and she went, “Unh-uh.” I said, “What?” She was, “No, I’m not. I’m keeping my name!” Wow! It was a really awkward moment!

Let me tell ya!

Bottom line is, when we make promises, we’re saying that we’re… these things are important. I’m going to stick to it. When I make a promise, I’m making myself accountable, probably to somebody else, but certainly to God. And that’s the reason why the Psalmist says:

[Psalm 76:11] “Make vows and keep them.”

Have you ever read that? So promise keepers make promises. They remember their promises. Remember this is what David did 15 years plus after the fact. He remembered a promise, and God led the way. Genesis… after the flood, the bible tells us that God remembered Noah. And by the way, when the scriptures tell us that God “remembered,” it’s not like He has a short memory, it’s not like…because He’s omniscient. He knows ALL things. And the Bible tells us that God remembers. It simply means that He’s about to do something. And so, that’s the idea… when you make a promise, it’s not just promissory. You’re promising to actually do something.

[Genesis 8:1

“But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided.“]

I remember making a promise shortly after I was saved. I felt called to the ministry. I read in Proverbs 30, ‘Lord, I’m gonna make a couple of promises to You, the writer of Proverbs said.

Proverbs 30:8b & 9

“Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with food, convenient for me, lest I be full, deny You and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal, and take Your name in vain.”

I memorized that, and I made that promise to God to live in that tension. Now, to be honest, every once in a while I’ve been tempted to say, ‘God, you didn’t have to take me so literally on that one!’

I had a guy come to my office one day. I could see that he’d been bitter for a couple of months… Really bitter. I didn’t know why. He was upset with me and with somebody else, if I recall correctly. And so he withheld his giving. He had made a promise to God to give, and he was… I wouldn’t say he was well to do, but pretty well off. He hadn’t been giving for like four months. He came into my office, confessed his sin, and then just gave a boatload of money as a result, because he had made a promise, and now he had to… and now God had brought it to his mind, and he did something about it.

Promise keepers make promises. No matter what area you make promises, you remember your promises, and the most important thing is, what? — You keep your promise, right? I love what Psalm 66 says. I’m gonna read it to you… verse 13:

Psalm 66:13

13 “I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will perform my vows to you, that which my lips uttered and my mouth promised (watch this) when I was in trouble.”

So the writer is saying, ‘I was under duress.’ That happens. Isn’t it true? You know, things aren’t going right, going well. We’re in a pinch, we’re struggling… we come to God, we make a promise, and then we get out of trouble, and the promise isn’t as important as it once was.

I’m reminded of an old movie. It was a comedy back in the ’70s. It was with Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise, and it was called “The End.” And Burt Reynolds was trying to figure out he wanted to die, and he wanted Dom DeLuise to help him die. It’s a big… it’s a big comedy thing. At the very end of the movie, Burt Reynolds goes out into the ocean, swims way out there, determined to drown himself. And as he goes into the water, he comes back up and says, “I want to live!” — and started swimming back to shore. He’s going, and the credits are coming up at the end of the movie… credits are going… “God, I’ll give you 50% of my life, 50% God!” He gets a little closer to shore. “10%! That’s all He asks for anyway.” “God… 10%!“

That’s the way some of your commitments look. Let’s make promises, remember ’em and keep ’em.

Just one more thing about the David and Mephibosheth story. After all that Mephibosheth had was given to him, the very last line in the chapter says this.

[2 Samuel 9:13]  “Now he was lame in both his feet.“

Now why would it do that? Why would we be told this at the very end? — because Mephibosheth’s deliverance didn’t take away his problem. It did change his position. And God didn’t come to take away your problems. He enters into ’em. He came to take away your sins and to give you a new position in Christ. And God is the ultimate promise keeper. Amen? — The ultimate promise keeper. In fact, the Bible tells us in Hebrews 6, verse 13:

[Hebrews 6:13

“For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself…”]

‘When God could not, when there was no one greater than Himself to promise to, He promised to Himself!’ And when God makes a promise, He keeps that promise. And this is the greatest promise you will ever hear. Jesus said:

John 6:37b

“… The one who comes to me, I will in no way ever cast out.”

That’s a promise! And you can count on the promise from God to take your sins away and make you a child of God. But you’ve got to believe Him. You’ve got to believe that Jesus died for your sins on the cross. And you’ve gotta believe that Jesus rose again from the dead to secure the fact that your sins could be forgiven. And “if you will confess with your mouth that He’s Lord, and if you will believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you… will… be… saved! [Romans 10:9] That’s a promise! And that’ll turn you into a promise keeper. Let’s pray.

Our Father in Heaven, thank You for this beautiful story of David and Mephibosheth and the kindness, that hesed, the un-conditional, un-earned, un-repayable love that You have for us as demonstrated in this story. I pray for those in this room who’ve never experienced Your love. They’ve never seen themselves as Mephibosheth, outcast, barren, without strength. Remind them, Lord, that when we were without strength, Christ died for us. And if that’s you, dear friend, and you would say, ‘That’s me. I am a spiritual Mephibosheth. I acknowledge it today, and I believe Jesus died for me. And I believe Jesus rose again for me. And I trust You, Lord Jesus, as my Lord and Savior.’ If that’s you, would you from your heart right now just say, ‘Lord, that’s me. I’m the lost, and I’m far away. Would You bring me near? Will you save me? Make me your child? Give me that position of being adopted into Your family? And for those of us who know You, Lord, help us in 2026 to be true promise keepers, just like the greatest One of all, our Lord Jesus. I pray this in His name. Amen. Let’s stand.