Mephibosheth – A Story of Grace
Vicky Moots
In II Samuel chapter 9, we find the story of Mephibosheth, which is a spiritual picture of salvation by grace. Mephibosheth was King Saul’s grandson through his son Jonathan. According to I Sam. 31 King Saul and Jonathan had both been killed in battle against the Philistines. After Saul’s death, David became king of Israel. David had loved Jonathan as he would a brother and had made a love covenant with him when they were younger.
II Sam. 9:1: “And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” In v.3 David asks Ziba, one of Saul’s servants, “…Is there not yet of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet.”
In these verses, we see that David is seeking for someone to show kindness to in order to honor his covenant of love to Jonathan. He sought and found Jonathan’s son who was lame on both his feet, and therefore unable to stand or walk. We learn from II Sam. 4:4 that Mephibosheth had become crippled when he was injured in a fall at age 5.
II Sam. 9:4-5: “And the king [David] said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir…in Lo-debar. Then king David sent and fetched him out of the house of Machir…from Lo-debar.”
In this story, David is a spiritual type of Christ who came to seek and to save that which was lost because of a love covenant that He had made with His Father. It was love that brought Jesus to this world to die on the cross to save sinners. Mephibosheth represents the sinner who is lame on both his feet and has no standing before a holy God. When Adam fell in the Garden of Eden, he lost his standing with God. Mephibosheth also lost his ability to stand when he fell.
Where was Mephibosheth found dwelling? He was found in the house of Machir, which means “to perish,” in Lo-debar, which means “barren wasteland.” This is where we are found as sinners before Christ rescues us. We are perishing in a barren wasteland of sin and unforgiveness. But Christ loved us enough to seek for us and to “fetch” us out of our hopeless condition and bring us unto himself.
Mephibosheth’s name means “shame out of his mouth.” We read in Rom. 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” All of us are in a shameful and helpless condition apart from the grace of God.
II Sam. 9:6-8: “Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence…And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake…and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?” Mephibosheth humbled himself before king David and acknowledged that there was nothing good in himself to merit the king’s favor. This is exactly what we must do in order to receive salvation. Salvation is by grace alone. None of us are worthy to receive it. We must accept it by faith.
In v.10 David tells Ziba, “…Mephibosheth thy master’s son shall eat bread alway at my table.” And in v.11 he states, “…As for Mephibosheth…he shall eat at my table, as one of the King’s sons.” Mephibosheth was raised up from being a “dead dog” to the same status as one of the king’s sons. When we are born again we also become one of the king’s sons, not just servants. Oh, what grace, oh, what love that He has shown to us, as declared in I John 3:1: “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God…”
II Sam. 9:13: “So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king’s table; and was lame on both his feet.” Jerusalem means “foundations of peace.” He was brought out of the house of Machir (“to perish”) in Lo-debar (“barren wasteland”) to a place of peace and rest. This is the place where we are brought spiritually by God’s grace, and we are made to dwell in the king’s house and eat continually at His table as His sons, as David said in Ps. 23:6: “…I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”
Mephibosheth never regained strength in his legs. He remained weak and dependent on the king’s grace. Spiritually, this means that we have no strength in ourselves or any of our own ability to earn salvation or to keep ourselves saved by our works. But God’s grace is sufficient for us, as Paul was told by God Himself in II Cor. 12:9: “And he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”
