Carried To The Table (2 Samuel 9)

Chandra and Zane talk about Mephibosheth and David's honor for his father, Jonathan.

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SPEAKER_00 0:06

Alright, we're gonna give you guys a second Clear Path Scripture episode in one week. You lucky dogs. Actually, I'm mostly doing it because I skipped last week, so I guess it's more of a makeup episode, but either way, it's good. Hi, Mom.

SPEAKER_01 0:24

Hello, Xany.

SPEAKER_00 0:29

I am excited to do another episode with my sweet mother here, and all of you will be lucky to hear whatever she has to say. But first, we will start by reading from 2 Samuel once again. Today we're gonna do chapter 9, and I think I'm just gonna read you the whole thing because it's not really very long. So here we go. David asked, Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan's sake? Now there was a servant of Saul's household named Zeba. They summoned him to appear before David, and the king said to him, Are you Ziba? At your service, he replied. The king asked, Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God's kindness? Ziba answered the king, There is still a son of Jonathan. He is lame in both feet. Where is he? The king asked. Ziba answered, He is at the house of Machir, son of Emiel, in Lodabar. So King David had him brought from Lodabar from the house of Makir, son of Emiel. When Mephibasheth, son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor. David said, Mephibosheth, at your service, he replied, Don't be afraid, David said to him, for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belong to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table. Mephibosheth bowed down and said, What is your servant that you should notice a dead dog like me? Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul's steward, and said to him, I have given your master's grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master's grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table. Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. Then Ziba said to the king, Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do. So Mephibosheth, always a hard one to say, ate at David's table like one of the king's sons. Mephibosheth had a son named Micah, and all the members of Zeba's household were servants of Mephibosheth. And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem because he always ate at the king's table. He was lame in both feet. All right. Well, I guess the first challenge for today is to say Mephibosheth five times fast.

SPEAKER_01 3:15

It's gonna be tough. Or spell it. Either way.

SPEAKER_00 3:22

Well, this is actually every time I come back and end up reading this chapter of the Bible, it's it always is one of my favorites. And I guess we could even just kind of start here in in verse one. What do you think about this? How this starts out? David asks, Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for David for Jonathan's sake?

SPEAKER_01 3:49

Well, it is the first verse, so it is the first thing that jumped out at me. But what I heard in my heart when I read that, besides thinking of this long-running relationship of David and Jonathan, was how this covenant, this old covenant, had been stirred in his heart. I just love that. How sometimes God just stirs not just an old memory, but like an old covenant, something that that has been really near and dear and deep, that he'd planted in us, a place that we had walked and he had really formed us, that it will come back in future times and direct our steps. That's the first thing I thought of when I saw it.

SPEAKER_00 4:35

Yeah, I think that God has done that with me many times. Um, even sometimes as simple as you're praying and something comes to mind, you kind of go back to a moment, maybe where you had a moment with God or a moment with uh other people, whether in worship or in ministry or friendship or whatever. And there's sometimes we get these moments locked in our mind that God will take us back to and remind us of what he taught us in that moment. And a lot of times, I don't know, this may be getting pretty off uh the trajectory of the scripture here, but a lot of times I notice that those moments help things be in my heart instead of just in my mind. You know, there's a lot of moments where I'm logically knowing or believing something about God, but I'm not experiencing them. And so I think there's certain moments with people or with God that we experience something that takes that takes it from our head to our heart, and then it sticks with us long term in a more real way.

SPEAKER_01 5:40

And then God will bring us back to that so that He can continually remind us of um what we felt or what we loved or what we cared about and who we are, because even when I look at David, I think of you know, he says for Jonathan's sake. So he's pulled all the way back to the covenant that he's made with Jonathan in earlier years. And I look at this and I'm like, this has been a lot of years, Zane. Like when I consider where David went following this covenant that he makes with Jonathan here and what his life looked like for those months or years or whatever they are before he comes full circle to where he is this day. And I'm like, I just have to think that he has played in his heart. Um, it has been stirred in him that it's because of this covenant, it is because of Jonathan that he sits where he is and and his loyalty to this relationship and this covenant, covenant and what it's boughting, you know, just the deep friendship with him.

SPEAKER_00 6:41

Yeah. Yeah. And as much as I love David's relationship with Jonathan, which I think is, you know, half the point of this scripture, the thing that I really can't get past whenever I read this is that I am confident that I am Mephibosheth.

SPEAKER_01 6:59

A thousand percent.

SPEAKER_00 7:01

And like I I've tried to figure out who's who in this story, like if David, David is a type of Jesus, which he he commonly is in the Old Testament or what he points to. But I I think that maybe the closest thing that I can say is that David's table is kind of like God's table. And Jonathan is kind of like Jesus actually in this moment. Like Jonathan is the reason that Mephibosheth gets what he gets. It's not because he did anything. In fact, he did absolutely nothing to earn this. He's confused when David calls him, he calls him in. He actually says, Why would you what does he call himself a dead dog or something?

SPEAKER_01 7:35

First eight. Yeah. He calls himself dead dog. He has no identity Zane at that moment. No, he doesn't even know who he was. He is the grandson of one of the greatest kings that has ever ruled this area. And he doesn't even know who he is.

SPEAKER_00 7:48

In fact, the only king. So definitely one of the greatest.

SPEAKER_01 7:52

Yes, exactly. Well, we have definitely obviously.

SPEAKER_00 7:54

Well, yes.

SPEAKER_01 7:55

You know, the first king, let's say that, right? But but a chosen individual, right? And really powerful. And I understand, you know, things shook out differently. Even so, he has no identity.

SPEAKER_00 8:06

No, and I I assume that it's from this injury that he had, right? And because from my understanding of anything in biblical times, when you get injured or terribly sick, diseased, etc., I mean, you mostly just get cast off from society as that uh, you know, commonly it's you must have done something wrong. God has punished you. And so you get kind of turned into this castaway of society.

SPEAKER_01 8:35

And you remember how he gets his injury, right? He's dropped by his nurse person, whoever he's he's like five, I think, or something. And he gets dropped. I don't know, I picture it on his head, but there must have been a spinal injury that's called him, caused him to be crippled in both of his feet when they're fleeing. Yes. Yes, with the whole, I mean, it all ties back all the way truly to this season of life that David has lived with Jonathan and Saul. You know, this this boy's life, the the starting of who he is and this identity that is forced on him of crippled and outcast. And truly, you know, when you look at the culture of the time, he's probably fled out here to fear, you know, subsequent kings a lot of times eradicated the previous king's line for fear of heirship coming up along the way, right? Yep. Even though this is very much an appointed kingship of God that we see in Israel, there's still this hierarchy, you know, even though it's just starting out, a lot of times they they took care, they protected themselves, you know, from anyone that would impede the and David's kind of doing the opposite, which is which is kind of why he he also relates to Jesus in my mind.

SPEAKER_00 9:52

When I think of Jesus as one who not only, you know, paid the price for us to have every spiritual blessing and provision, but also that the long-term intention is for him to share his his heirship with us, that we are to inherit an heirship to God's kingdom. And it's kind of like David's you know, giving that same kind of blessing here to Mephibosheth, who um, you know, he can't do any of this for himself. He has nothing, probably. I mean, obviously he doesn't have servants or anything, and all of a sudden he's gonna have uh all of a sudden he's gonna have what was that, 36 of them at least. Yes, right? And he's gonna have all this land. Yes. And and so there's actually a song by Leland that I've listened to many times over the years. And you should all, after you listen to this episode, you should go listen to the song Carried to the Table by Leland. And the chorus of it, I always assumed they had Mephibosheth in mind when they wrote it. Yes, because the chorus says, uh, I've been carried to the table, seated where I don't belong. I'm carried to the table and swept away by his love. And I don't see my brokenness anymore when I'm seated at the table of the Lord.

SPEAKER_01 11:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:10

And I'm like, man, every time I listen to the song, it gets me. Because I'm like, that is where we are spiritually. Even if you're the best person that any of us have ever met, spiritually speaking, you're still dead and crippled and lame, and you can't do anything to get yourself seated at the table of the Lord. It has to be done for you. You have to be carried to the table and you have to just receive God's goodness for you and accept that you are getting it without having done anything for it.

SPEAKER_01 11:41

Yep. You know, when I'm like you, you thought of the Leland song. I thought of Luke 14, I think is where it is. I looked it up actually when I thought, because I rarely just stay on track when I'm Bible studying. It always takes my heart somewhere else. Yep. And this is the parable that Jesus tells when he talks about a wedding feast. And he says, when you come in, seat yourself at the very back end of the table so that so that the host of the feast will look at you and will exalt you rather than demote having to move you down because someone else important came. So I look at this and I'm like, you know, Mephiboshev has come in such humility and need and lack of identity before David. And David's like, yeah, he just puts him right there, you know, he just moves him right on up. It's not like I'm, you know, no crumbs under the table for you, you know, that that we see people begging Jesus for throughout scripture, you know. Um, but but that's where my heart went. The Leland song is a great one, though.

SPEAKER_00 12:45

Yeah. Well, it's not scripture, but it's so good.

SPEAKER_01 12:49

It's a great one, though. It's a good image. I love the image of myself coming to a table that's been prepared for me, you know. And this is, I mean, how can you read this and not hear all of these components of who Jesus declares that he's been and the work that he says he's done, that he's prepared the table before us in the presence of our enemies, which he thinks he's walking into the presence of his enemies, you know. And instead he comes into a table that's been prepared for him, and not one for a moment, but one for a lifetime. And I love that part too, that he doesn't just give him honor for a day or let's just plan a parade for you or something, but he honors him and sets him up for his lifetime, you know, at this table when he goes and finds him.

SPEAKER_00 13:36

Yep, for sure. And I guess the last thing I'll say, which I mean, that Mefibish line of thinking is the one that always just gets me over and over. But the last thing I'll say is man, what what a great picture of what we can also learn about having relationships and and having people that we just tie our hearts to in the long term, you know. Jonathan and David are obviously one of the easiest, most beautiful pictures of that in scripture. But, you know, I have so many people at Clearpath that I feel like that my heart is tied to. And if we could just learn to commit to people for a lifetime and to constantly look for ways to honor those people that we've committed to and that are faithful to us, I just think there's there's basically endless, uh, endless open doors to God's kingdom through having those long-term relationships and clinging to that love and that honor that David is is exhibiting here.

SPEAKER_01 14:49

And it's easy to so actually when I read this scripture, the first covenant relationship I thought of was you and Jordan. Yeah. And maybe it's because I'm talking to you about this scripture, but it's the first covenant relationship that came to my mind. So sometimes I look around and I think, even if I don't see a covenant relationship I have, you know, with Kevin, um, a husband, you know, that's one kind, but this is this is even a covenant relationship different than that that you and Jordan share. And I look at it, but it has it has walked the years and has endured the years, much like I look at David and Jonathan. Maybe not always exactly parallel on the things, the challenges of your individual lives, but I just think when when I don't have a covenant relationship, I can look at, I can look at the one in scripture, I can look at the ones around me, and I can say, oh, this is something that God affords us, these deep covenant relationships that see us and not just us, but our kids and our kids' kids through for throughout their lives. Because this is a relationship that is generational that I'm looking at here. And I look at like the age of your and Jordan's kids, and I see these this covenant relationship that is going to continue to play out.

SPEAKER_00 16:10

Yeah, forever. They'll be friends forever.

SPEAKER_01 16:12

I mean, it was just Judah and Luke and Levi riding in the car with me, you know, up to the church, and we're we're talking about the things of God.

SPEAKER_00 16:22

Yeah, and I mean, just to acknowledge when we have those kinds of relationships, I mean, my relationship with Jordan is a perfect example of that. Um, and there are other people I could list, of course, but Jordan's been like just having another brother for for the last 17 years. And the number of times even that Jordan and I have had the discussion of what would life had been like had we not become friends or had we not started on this journey to follow to God together, I have no idea. I mean, like, you know, I'm that's now 17 years of my 38 years of living, but like it's also that's pretty much my entire adult life at this point, you know. And I can't imagine what life would have been like otherwise. But you know, Jordan's a very honoring person. The number of times that uh that I've gotten a call from him just saying, just like, hey man, I was just thinking about you and just want to tell you how much I love you. I'm grateful for you, and and I can't believe how many years it's been and how good it's been. Like, and I'm just like, man, me too, you know. And um we have those conversations regularly because we do see that God's building something long-term, you know. And I mean, if we could have just filled out a sheet of what this would have looked like 17 years ago, we probably would have said there'd be more people at our church for now. Like there are some things we probably would have written differently. But the amount of covenant relationship and the amount of our kids forming covenant relationship and the amount I would say that it has kept us on track of following God. If you just asked me, take that relationship away, do you think you would be following God the same way? I don't think it's even possible. Or if it was, God would have had to do another relationship like that one. Yeah. You know, I I think that if you're listening to this and you have friends, but you don't really have covenant friends who you talk to all the time, and together your your decided goal is to follow the Lord together, man, you are missing out, and you will you will not be able to grow in the same way that God would have you grow long term. Um, you you need one person and you need more than one person, you know. I have several people that fit into uh that inner circle of people who I just wouldn't be following Jesus the same without them in my life. So um, and that goes from from you, mom, like and my from my parents to my brother to close friends, uh even in and outside of ClearPath at times.

SPEAKER_01 18:56

And so you know what you're trying to describe. You'll know this word that just came to mind that I just stuck in my phone while you were talking. Is it Hesed H E S E D?

SPEAKER_00 19:07

Yeah, I've read about it before.

SPEAKER_01 19:08

It's an Old Testament word. They say it's in the Bible 245 times, and it speaks. I love words from the Old Testament, particularly, the Bible in general. And when you look them up, there's no one word that can represent the word. They have to give you a host of explanation to represent what this means. And that word is um, it speaks of a covenant relationship.

SPEAKER_00 19:31

I think it's in Ruth a lot.

SPEAKER_01 19:32

Yeah, it probably is, yes, for sure. And it says it's a steadfast love, it's a covenant loyalty, it's a loving kindness, and it speaks of um sacrificial selflessness and things of this nature. And I'm like, I think that God handpicks individuals for us that he knows we can go deep with like that. And um, I think getting to witness those relationships gives you understanding that you can be a covenant partner in those relationships. So I think it's really a beautiful thing to model before the world if you can have those covenant relationships. Because as we see even in Samuel, 2 Samuel 9 here, it changes the life of all the parties involved. And in that chapter 8, uh in that verse 8, where we were saying, um, he says, I'm a dead dog. How do you how would you notice me a dead dog? That's how Mephibosheth calls himself. You know, David has said, Who is there that I can show the kindness of God to? So he's not even just looking in in the opening verse, he says that I can show that I can honor Jonathan with, right? But a few verses down he says that I can show the kindness of God to. And I'm like, wow, this is the kind of covenant that it's not it's not limited by our own resources. Your covenant with those that you're in covenant relationship, even with me, Zane, our covenant is not limited by our own resources.

SPEAKER_00 21:09

No, certainly.

SPEAKER_01 21:10

Because we have the heart of God, the mind of Christ, the prophetic understanding of the spirit, like it just keeps going deeper and deeper when when you have this relationship, like for the explanation of that word, it entails this too. Not only your own resources, but the unlimited resources of the God that you're in covenant with, with the other.

SPEAKER_00 21:36

Yeah, that's true. And when we have God's love for each other, it goes beyond a lot of friendships are kind of uh for mutual benefit. But people people get in relationships a lot of times because of how that person is going to benefit them, right? And then when you have these covenant relationships that become long term, it does become that love of God, that kindness of God. It even comes to my mind the scripture where it says that love covers over a multitude of sins. Yes. You know, because the first line of this chapter, not only does David say for the sake of Jonathan, but he says, Is there anyone left of the house of Saul that I can show kindness to? Well, Saul tried to murder him and hated him. And so David's love for Jonathan and even for Saul, which I think he has early on. Absolutely. The love of God in David covers over all the multitude of Saul's sins enough to the point that David still wants to honor Saul's descendants. And I've experienced that so many times where, like, you know, these long-term friendships, you have to be committed, knowing that that person is going to do something wrong to you at some point. Maybe something significantly wrong. You know?

SPEAKER_01 22:50

Maybe you're hiding in a cave before you're exalted to king and looking for a Mephibia. Maybe you're fearing for your life and the life of your family too. I mean, yeah, it this relationship endured a lot.

SPEAKER_00 23:02

Yeah. And so anyway, we could talk all day about what the love of God will do in your relationships. If you're listening right now, I'd like to give you two pieces of homework. There's not always homework on this podcast, but but lucky you. Um, one is go sit before God today as think of yourself as Mephibosheth. Just carried to God's table and acknowledge that that you are there by God's grace, that you can't earn it, that you are are crippled and have no way to get there, and that He's just carried you there.

SPEAKER_01 23:35

So go and uh speak that identity over you while you sit there.

SPEAKER_00 23:40

Exactly. Yeah. Use the song too if you want to. But all right, uh, homework number two is just go and think about who you have these covenant relationships with and begin to pray for them. Tell that person how much you love them, whatever God directs you to do. Um, there could be some forgiveness that God prompts in this moment as well. I don't I don't know what all will happen out of this. But and if you think, start thinking about your life and you don't have these covenant relationships. I think there's a tendency to hear someone talk about how close they are to friends. And if you don't have that, then you can get really down. I'm gonna encourage you to not let that become a thing that is a disappointment or a depression or something like that. Instead, just start to pray and ask God to send that kind of relationship in your life. And I want you to become open to pursue that by finding someone not that you have common hobbies with, but that shares a love for wanting to seek after the things of God and let that become the thing that you talk about constantly. And if you have ever wanted to be tied closely to a friend, that is your way is you talk about the things of God and you chase after those together. So I'm gonna pray for you guys for we've been this is the probably the longest podcast we've ever done. Uh, I've tried to keep these short, but I'm gonna pray over you guys for a few seconds and um yeah, hope you all have a great rest of the week. Love all you guys, Jesus. We thank you that you are the one who closes the gap, that you're the one who makes us able to have a right relationship with the Father and to sit at his table, which is something that we could never earn. And so, God, we receive your mercy and your grace. We pray that your grace would empower us to love one another more, to operate in your strength, not our own, and that that would play out in our lives with constant honor, with constant generosity, with this constant habit and pattern of putting others above ourselves, and watching your love transform the people around us even as it transforms us. God, we love you. Please help us. Amen.