Thursday, April 5, 2012

Message from Brandon Harris, Development & Varsity Football Coach

2 Samuel 9:1-13

1 Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
2 And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”
He said, “At your service!”
3 Then the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God?”
And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet.”
4 So the king said to him, “Where is he?”
And Ziba said to the king, “Indeed he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar.”
5 Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar.
6 Now when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, “Mephibosheth?”
And he answered, “Here is your servant!”
7 So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.”
8 Then he bowed himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?”
9 And the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “I have given to your master’s son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. 10 You therefore, and your sons and your servants, shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in the harvest, that your master’s son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s son shall eat bread at my table always.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
11 Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do.”
“As for Mephibosheth,” said the king, “he shall eat at my table[a] like one of the king’s sons.” 12 Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Micha. And all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth. 13 So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king’s table. And he was lame in both his feet.

I love these obscure stories in the Bible that basically encapsulize a person's entire life in a single chapter. This person is Mephibosheth who was the son of Johnathan whom David loved. He showed kindness to Mephibosheth after his father's death. What I like about this story is it is clear to me that there is emphasis placed on the deficiencies of this person. He was crippled, but the fact he was crippled is a metaphor for our deficiencies today. Crippled can also mean he wasn't "high class," he didn't come from the right schools or the right side of the tracks, didn't wear the finest of clothes or have the best things, he didn't have the connections or resources, didn't talk with proper English and wasn't "perfect" like all of us, but David went to Lo Debar, which means some interesting things (hiding place, no pasture, no word) ouch!!! When we are struggling--when we are down--when we are having a hard time or a rough day-- do we hide? We turn our cell phone's on silent, don't respond to email and just don't want to talk about it? This isn't a new phenomenon. It was happening before Mephibosheth. When Adam ate from the tree and God searched the garden calling out for him what did Adam do? He turned his Iphone off and hid!!

So Mephibosheth was "crippled" in a place of hiding, shame, no pasture (nothing fruitful there at all) and no Word (Bible). Basically in a place that was an afterthought. But David asked for Johnathan's remnant, sought him out and actually sent men out and got him. I can see David's men saying come on out and Mephibosheth saying "he didn't feel like it" or "didn't want to get up." How many blessings have we missed because we wouldn't just get up? But David didn't take no for an answer and sent his men for him and brought him back; restored everything to him and more and here is the real cool part…underneath that table cloth Mephibosheth was still crippled. But as you look across the table at him, he looks the same as anyone else--that table cloth hides his imperfections!!! So the question is, who is your Mephibosheth? Who do you know is hiding, ashamed and don't think God has love for them? Do you need to send for them? Actually go pick them up and bring them to church or to pray with them? Are you struggling with some Mephibosheth challenges of your own? Well Jesus is our David and he is reaching out to get us out of that hiding place where we are alone and exactly where the enemy wants us to be, isolated and without the word (Lo debar) so he can work on our minds telling us how imperfect we are and no one cares…but remember Jesus does care and is sending for us so we can take our seat with him at His table no matter what we look like under the table cloth.

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