Scott Wiley here, the Executive Director of Wisdom International. We're celebrating our 25th anniversary this year. What began as a radio programme in a single city has grown into a global ministry now in sixteen languages. We're hosting a banquet to celebrate all that the Lord has done and you're invited. Please visit wisdomonline.org slash twenty five.
That's wisdomonline.org slash 25. There's a link in the show notes. And now here's Stephen with today's message from Wisdom for the Heart. In today's lesson, King David's on the hunt for relatives of his enemy, King Saul. but not for the reason you might think.
Verse 11, you'll eat at my table like one of the king's sons. You see, David is effectively making Mephibosheth a prince. in Israel. He is effectively including him as a member of the family of the king. This is grace.
But as many as received him, Jesus, To them he gave the right to be called children of God. Two years ago, the Associated Press. ran a moving story about unwanted girls in the region of Mumbai, India. In fact, at birth, their parents or grandparents had given them a common name, really more a word than a name. A name that sort of said it all though.
More than 280 girls in this particular region. had been given the name Nakusa. Or Nakisha. And it means literally Unwanted. District officials decided to do something about it and graciously offered the girls an opportunity to change their name.
In a public Ceremony.
Now in a country that aborts Hundreds of thousands of Female babies. Primarily due to, among other reasons, not just their religion, their economy, the financial costs of a dowry. typically will take the average Indian family deeply into debt. There are religious reasons. By their superstitious beliefs, the sun alone is allowed to light the funeral pyre that will send the parents into the afterlife.
So having a daughter is often met with sadness. At best, Abandonment at worst. Hundreds of thousands of girls around that country, which are kept and are reared by their families, are still reminded every single day that they are an unwanted. Burden. By their very name.
The AP article that I had come across said this. 285 girls in this particular District of Mumbai. where this idea of a new name was instituted. on that special day flocked. to the renaming ceremony.
This was a banner day for them. They were wearing their best outfits with berettes and braids and bows. decorating their hair. They lined up expectantly and joyfully. In fact, The friends, I was able to see a photograph of at least a dozen of these girls, anywhere from ages 8 to about 15 or 16.
holding their certificates. bearing their newly Chosen. Name. Can you imagine having a name? That meant Unwanted.
worthless. From your earliest memories, Being nothing more than a burden to your family or caregivers. unwanted by society at large. considered in the way or cast off from any hope of Normality.
Now, if your mind is already running ahead to an obvious spiritual analogy. Hold off for just a moment. We'll get there eventually. I want us to pause long enough today to consider. that one of the glorious gifts of grace is having your status changed.
From unwanted to discovering that you were chosen. From worthless. to priceless. From enemy. To friend.
From outcast to family. That's grace in biblical terms, isn't it? Grace is a demonstration of commitment and love that is undeserved. Unearned and unrepayable. In other words, the recipient of grace doesn't receive it because he deserves it.
Or because he earned it. In fact, he not only doesn't deserve it and can't earn it, He can do nothing about ever repaying it. That's why we call grace typically. Amazing. It's amazing.
Grace. We sing amazing grace. How sweet the sound! That saved a good guy like me. Oh wait, that's my version.
God's version is a wretch. Like me. If it's undeserved, it's grace. If it's unearned, it's grace. It's grace.
If it's impossible to repay, It's grace. The gift of grace is about to be given center stage in our biographical study of. The shepherd king, the singer David.
So turn. 2 Samuel. Chapter 9. And verse 1. 2 Samuel chapter 9, verse 1.
is where we find ourselves And David said, Is there still anyone? You ought to circle that word, anyone. Is there still anyone left? of the house of Saul That I may show him Kindness. You could translate that.
Covenant kindness. You could translate it. Correctly. Grace. Is there anyone left of the house of Saul that I may show him grace?
For Jonathan's sake.
Now, if we had a little longer, and we don't, but we could take the time to review and go back to 1 Samuel, where David makes this covenant commitment to Jonathan. Andy repeats it to David. He basically says, Look, when I get on the throne, I will not do what is customarily done by the kings, that is, kill every member of the former dynasty. I won't do that. I will allow you to live.
David and Jonathan made that covenant of grace. In 1 Samuel chapter 20. Where David agreed that he would allow Jonathan to live, and of course he loved him and would anyway, but to Saul it's even more dramatic. He even promised Saul the very same thing. But then, if you remember, Jonathan and Saul were were killed in battle in Jezreel.
You could imagine then that that would change everything. Wouldn't it? It would change, I would imagine. Over time, it's now 15 years between that covenant And where we find ourselves in 2 Samuel chapter 9. David is victorious.
In fact, chapter 8 is one victory after another. He settled into his kingdom. He is sovereign over a growing empire. He is served by a cabinet and a retinue of. of staff Now it would be, you would think, Every possible moment given over to enjoying, you know, sort of polishing your portrait.
I think I'll make a bigger one. Settling back and relaxing. Instead, this is the very time when David recalls this covenant of grace. And he wants to act it out. Is there anybody?
Left. I want to show him chesed. That's the word. I want to show him covenant kindness, covenant fidelity. Grace.
In fact, that word chesed or kindness or grace is going to show up three times in this chapter. In verse 1, you can circle it again in verse 3. And again over in verse seven. In fact, In verse 3, it's referred to as the grace or the kindness of God. God.
So this really is nothing more than David demonstrating God. In His grace. I made a promise to Jonathan. And I now want to demonstrate this covenant of grace. And when I do this...
I'll be demonstrating what God does. This chapter is, I believe, David's. Finest. Power. Would you note?
In fact, it's worth noting in verse 1 that David does not ask. Is there anyone qualified? Is there anyone worthy? He doesn't ask, is there anybody left alive from the house of Saul who's deserving? No.
Is there anybody who can be the recipient of my Grace. And I'm fairly convinced. that this would have surprised David's court. His cabinet His staff This wasn't a time when kings looked around to give gifts. Gifts to undeserving.
This is a time when they received gifts from everybody else who were less deserving than the king. And even more importantly, now that his kingdom is secured, why in the world would he do a search to bring someone into his good graces that belonged to his arch rival, that spear throwing, promise breaking King Saul? I mean, things have changed. It's 15 years. Let it go.
One author Older and now with the Lord in fact. Commenting on this text, what came to his mind is something I wasn't aware of, certainly, just one more trivia of history, but I thought it would be enlightening as well to you. He was reminded of the time when Franklin Roosevelt was running for president. This is before term limits. He would serve four terms.
This was when he campaigned for his first run at the White House for the presidency. And in this speech in Pittsburgh in 1932, he clearly committed himself to restraining, should he win the office, We're straining. government spending. You've heard that a few times in your own lifetime, I'm sure.
Well, he won the White House. Four years later, he's ready to pull out all the stops. He wins by a landslide again. He is now going to do something unthinkable. He's going to take the country off the gold standard.
He's going to allow Congress to regulate economy. He's going to give great power to government. He's going to send the country billions of dollars into debt. And he's got a trouble. He's got a problem though.
He had that speech. He had this promises, and so he actually asked his counsel. What he could do to manage an about face without seeming. Two-faced. What should he do about his earlier promise?
And the council was straightforward and unapologetic. He was told by his counsel. Deny you ever made that speech. Yeah. I I think that's a good illustration of what Could be.
If there was ever a time when David could, you know, kind of slide his covenant promise onto the royal rugs. It would be now. Who would complain? Times are better than ever. Who's going to even remember?
It's 15 years ago. Who would care? Just deny you ever said it. I mean, why muddy the waters by shaking hands with some relative to a king who hated you? But instead, what you have here in verse 1.
is you have David Ordering a nationwide search for any possible living relative from the house of Saul because of one reason. I want to show that living relative. Grace. It doesn't take long before they came across a guy farming. Squatting really.
on one of King Saul's former estates. Verse two.
Now there was a servant former staff member. of the house of Saul whose name was Zeba. And they called him to David, and the king said to him, Are you Ziba? And he said, I am your servant. And the king said, Is there not still someone of the house of Saul that I may show the kindness, there it is, the grace of God to him?
Zeba said to the king, There is still a son of Jonathan. But he's crippled in his feet. A star. Zeba will appear a couple of times in Scripture. He's one of those unsavory characters.
He's just kind of greasy. I think if this were a Broadway play, whenever he came out, he'd be wearing a black cape. Pointy shoes. And a gold chain on his vest, and a cane with a diamond tip. And whenever he came on stage, the music would change.
It's sinister. It would just kind of tremble. Here comes Ziba. If you met Ziba, you'd immediately want to check your jewelry. Make sure your wallet's still in your back pocket when he left the room.
That's Ziba. Several times he'll show up, and every time he does, the words, deceiving opportunist, need to flash on the screen of your imagination. Zeba is cunning. Later, when he does appear, he'll lie about Mephibosheth to try to alter the king's loyalty. And here's where you read in between the lines, which is fascinating to discover then that Ziba has just sort of squirreled away one of Saul's estates and he's living on it.
And he's tending the land, and he's got. A harem. He has 15 grown sons. He has 20 servants. He's living like a king, and he's hoping beyond hope.
David never finds out. See, when the transition had occurred from Saul's house to David's, Ziba didn't necessarily go to King David and said, Oh, by the way, the land I'm living on and tilling and all that household and all that, that's actually yours, so I just want to hand it over. Oh, he said nothing. Nothing. It is this nationwide search that surfaces.
This cunning man. All that to say If there was anybody in this demonstration of grace. who doesn't want a relative of Saul to be found. It's zeba. I couldn't help but think.
There are always Enemies. of greys. In fact, if you choose to demonstrate grace, it's going to be a bumpy ride. There will be obstacles. at difficulties.
I can't help as I study this passage that To think of the archenemy of grace that we all have. He hates the sound of what we rehearsed. That this is all of grace, that Jesus paid. Most of it. Yeah.
Jesus paid what? At all. He paid it all. He hates the sound of undeserved. Unearned.
Grace. Now, you can't help but notice here in the text, if you look back at the end of verse 3, how Ziba really tries to discourage David. He no doubt reluctantly admits: look, there is still a son of Jonathan. Oh, oh, but, but. But he's He's crippled in his feet.
Why throw that in there? Why had that last line? I agree with one Old Testament scholar who wrote: he's effectively implying, David, you really ought to think twice. on this quest of grace, This guy isn't gonna fit the court. He's not going to make you look more impressive.
He really doesn't fit the surroundings of your cedar-lined home and your capital city of Jerusalem. David has clearly asked, look, is there anybody I can give? To whom I could give the gift of grace. And this conniving staff member that dates back to the former administration admits that he's living on royal turf. And it really belongs to this young man, but You know, why bother with him, King?
Why bother with him? He's. Oh, I know. He's. On.
Worthy. You don't want to mess with him. Besides, he can't do anything for you in return. Listen, the zebas of the world Do not Get. Grace.
They just don't get it. They don't understand that grace is a gift. Given to unworthy people. I love David's response. Look at verse 4.
It's as if he ignores that line. Oh, he's crippled in both feet. And David just says: look. Where is he? I love that.
Where is he? Ziba effectively gives him the address. Notice he's in the house of Makir, the son of Amal at Lodabar. By the way, Lodabar means no thing. thing.
Nothing. It's another way of saying obscure. Unimpressive. Barren. You could render it woodenly, no pasture.
So, what you have ironically is a crippled young man hiding out in fear of the new king, living in Nowheresville. It all began, by the way, with the house of Saul and its tragic defeat and disgrace. In fact, hold your finger here and go back just a couple of pages to chapter 4, and let's. Let's discover how Mephibosheth. Who is this living?
Son of Jonathan was injured. Let's find out how. 2 Samuel chapter 4 and verse 4. Four. Jonathan, the son of Saul, had a son who was crippled.
in his feet. Look down at the end of verse 4, and it gives us his name. Methibisha. Let's find out how he was crippled, verse 4. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, that is where they were killed in battle.
And his nurse took him up. and fled, and as she fled in her haste, He fell. and became lame. Given the fact, beloved, that he's five years old, and able to run In fact Five-year-olds can outrun. They outrun their mothers all the time.
Right. More than likely she has taken him up. implied in a cart. of some sort. Perhaps they took a turn too fast in her terror.
She knew, assumed that David would do what new kings do, and that's kill the household of the former dynasty. That cart turns over, or maybe it just slips a little bit and he tumbles out. Maybe he's rolled over by the back wheel. Or maybe he's on the back of a horse and she's galloping away and turns, or something lurches him off the back of that horse. He falls and breaks both his legs, perhaps his feet.
When they arrive at their hiding place, the last thing she can do is call for a physician. The last thing she could do is expose that secret hiding place at least for a few weeks or months until they can leave again. Perhaps his legs or his feet were improperly or crudely set and They didn't mend to where he could ever walk Again. without the help of crutches. Fallen Disabled.
Listen, if that isn't a picture of the unredeemed community, Nothing is. Track back to where it happened. Adam and Eve They had a tragic fall. In sin, and everyone proves we belong to them by sinning. Spiritually now crippled.
for life, even physically. Dying. Nothing to offer. In fear of God, hiding away, and God comes along and says, Where are you? That's grace.
Here back in chapter 9. David demonstrates the grace of God toward the undeserving. Ziba says there's one living relative, but he's crippled, and he just says, Oh, where is he? Where is he? Don't miss this.
Only grace responds in this manner. After, at the end of verse three, Zima throws in that cynical footnote. You would almost expect David to ask, wouldn't you?
Well, how bad is it? Is it both feet? Truly both legs perhaps can he move at all? Is it going to be trouble? Is it going to be difficult?
You know, I think this changes everything. I mean, the palace isn't in compliance with the Disability Act. Maybe we're going to have to build ramps. or move rugs. We're going to have to change the bathroom around in the bathtub and lower the windowsills, and we're going to have to pay for physical therapy.
I didn't know this was going to cost. That's not grace. Grace doesn't hold back. Grace is ready to spend. Like Paul, who wrote to the Ephesians, we have been redeemed through his blood according to the riches of his grace which he lavished on us.
I love that text. Ephesians 1.8. He lavished his grace on us. Grace is gift-giving that can hardly wait. Grace is probably more evident in the way we act and feel at Christmastime.
Word birthdays. You don't give a gift to your child or spouse or family member. At their birthday, and on top of that box is a card that reads: Based upon what you did for me, October 15th, 2013, I hereby give you this gift. It's unearned. It's undeserved.
You don't read off the merits of those who receive them. You just give the gifts and. And you give them with joy. You're excited to see their happiness when they open that box. I can remember on one of my birthday occasions, When my youngest daughter was around five, There were a few gifts opened and then she had been sort of saving one.
So she ran off down the hallway and came back a few minutes later with a box. And she excitedly announced, Daddy, I picked this gift out for you all by myself. I held my breath. In fact, she said, I even wrapped the box, and I could tell there was a whole roll of scotch tape that had been wound around that whole box. Finally, she stood there dancing up and down on both feet, clapping her hands, and she couldn't wait.
Daddy, I picked this out by myself, and I finally made it through all the scotch tape and opened the box, and inside was a pair of socks. But I recognize them. They were my socks. Yeah. She'd gone shopping in my closet.
The good news it didn't cost any money. I kind of like that idea. She was dancing up. Daddy, I gave you a gift. I picked it out all by myself.
Listen, that's grace. Grace can hardly wait to give. Grace dances up and down on both feet. Grace claps its hands. smiles from ear to ear.
Don't give me all the merits and the details. Just tell me where he is. I'm ready to spend. David doesn't wait long. Look at verse 5.
And the king sent and brought him from the house of Machir, the son of Amael, at Lodabar. And Methibosheth, the son of Jonathan, Son of Saul. Came to David. Can you see this in the courtroom? And he fell on his face and paid homage.
Perhaps expecting David to say off with his head. And David said, The fibership. And he answered, Behold, I am your servant. And David said, Don't be afraid. For I will show you here it is Grace Loving 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. And he paid homage. And he said, What is your servant that you should show regard for a dead dog? Such as I. He has nothing to offer.
The king. And we have nothing to offer God. We deserve nothing. had nothing. There we are hiding.
In fear, Disabled. Sinful Dying. Condemned And he Found us! He found us. That was Stephen Davey, and this is Wisdom for the Heart, a production of Wisdom International.
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