Mephibosheth Part 2

 

"Our Jonathan"

 

    The blessing of King David descended upon Mephibosheth solely because he was the son of Jonathan, David's dear and departed friend.

 

    "And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?" (II Samuel 9:1).

 

    This foreshadows the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Jonathan, and the sole basis of God's blessing in our lives.  Our Savior is the "heir of all things" (Hebrews 1:2).  As we would expect, His perfect character and doings result in the abundant bestowal of His Father's favor upon Him.  The unexpected and undeserved wonder of grace is that those united to Him by faith become "joint heirs with Christ" (Romans 8:17).  As a free gift of the most magnanimous grace, God the Father blesses us because we are rightly related to His Son.  Our own character and doings cannot be the means by which we merit such favor because God's standard is perfection (II Samuel 22:31).  Instead, we are blessed as the fruit of knowing and trusting the Lord Jesus, and thus receiving the grace-given favor that changes us into His image.  We "freely receive" and thereby become those who more and more "freely give" (Matthew 10:8).

 

    Mephibosheth became an ardent devotee of David after being received to the King's table, a point we will address in a future consideration.  Little wonder, and even less wonder that the born again believer in Christ grows in devotion to the Lord Jesus as we progressively discover in Scripture and in our lives the grace that redeemed us.  This is why the Apostle Peter commanded that we "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (II Peter 3:18).  Just as day by day Mephibosheth dined at the king's table, so are believers called to become "partakers of Christ" in every aspect of our lives (Hebrews 3:14).  As we avail ourselves of such grace, the "Bread of life" we eat becomes the spiritual and moral characteristic of our being.  Christ is "formed in you," as the Apostle Paul taught, meaning that we increasingly think, speak, act and relate by the leading and power of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Galatians 4:19).  And all because of grace, all because the King freely calls those to His table who by grace and faith are related to "our Jonathan."

 

"Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.  Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ."

(Galatians 4:6-7)