OK, work has been really rough lately with a new project rolling out so I haven’t been able to keep up with my writing but I have caught up to where I am supposed to be with the Bible reading for the year, I consider that to be more important.

Mephibosheth has particular importance to me and anyone who was in college with me or at our church at the same time.  Mephibosheth was the center of a book written by our Pastor called “No More Crumbs”.  I don’t know that he would be familiar to anyone else because he isn’t that spectacular and is only mentioned a few times in the narrative of the Old Testament but he holds a special place in my heart.

If you are not familar with him let me sum up.  Mephibosheth was the last remaining son of Jonathan the son of King Saul.  King David had made a covenant with Jonathan and in 2 Sam 9 after he has been established as king he asks  “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”  He finds the crippled boy living in Lo Debar and brings him back to the castle to live and be taken care of.

This is the part that my former Pastors book focused on, his narrative gave Mephibosheth a haughty almost arrogant attitude about the blessing he had recieved at the hand of the king, including the phrase “Don’t drop me on the way to the bath.”  We were to compare ourselves to the boy and know that God was seeking us out to bless us as well.

But this time through my reading I was struck by another passage about Methibosheth a very different picture than the one painted by my former pastor so long ago.  David has returned believing that Mephibosheth has betrayed him because of the report of Ziba.

And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king. He had neither taken care of his feet nor trimmed his beard nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came back in safety. ²⁵And when he came to Jerusalem to meet the king, the king said to him,”Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?” ²⁶He answered, “My lord, O king, my servant deceived me, for your servant said to him, ‘I will saddle a donkey for myself,that I may ride on it and go with the king.’ For your servant is lame. ²⁷ He has slandered your servant to my lord the king. But my lord the king is like the angel of God; do therefore what seems good to you. ²⁸For all my father’s house were but men doomed to death before my lord the king, but you set your servant among those who eat at your table. What further right have I, then, to cry to the king?” ²⁹And the king said to him, “Why speak any more of your affairs? I have decided: you and Ziba shall divide the land.” ³⁰And Mephibosheth said to the king, “Oh, let him take it all, since my lord the king has come safely home.”

The bold section shows a great understanding of the Gospel.  We were all doomed to death before the Lord.  Were it not for the grace of God and his son Jesus we would still be doomed but by his grace we have been saved, not of works  lest any man should boast.  It seems very often we forget that.  Godfidence originally came from the confidence we had as sons of God and came with a little arrogance as well.  I feel like the pendulem is swinging away from the arrogance I have seen to a greater humility before the Lord not only in my life but in the life of those around me.  I think that is a good thing.