Jonathan's son Mephibosheth: a picture of you and I in Christ.

Believers, see our Saviour Jesus Christ and His love for us in the Old Testament story of David (a picture of God the Father) who cut a covenant with his beloved Jonathan (a picture of Christ) and because of this covenant, showed grace to Jonathan's son Mephibosheth (you and I in Christ.) Mephibosheth got to eat at the Lord's table all the days of his life ONLY because of the covenant that David had with Jonathan. That's our life in Christ today!

Mephibosheth was lame in both feet but do you know how he became lame? When his grandfather Saul's house heard that Saul was dead, they feared for their lives. Was this not David that their father Saul tried to kill several times? They thought David was coming to exterminate them; this is a picture of the world and even believers today thinking that God is still angry with them and wants to punish them for their sins and those of their fathers. So they fled (a picture of doing things by human effort in a bid to escape God's judgment).

Jonathan's son, Mephibosheth (a picture of the world that God so loved) was dropped by his nurse as they were fleeing from David (a picture of God the Father) who was not even in pursuit, and the boy became lame in both feet; because he was made to do something that he thought was going to help him escape punishment from David! Mephibosheth's nurse is a picture of ministers of death: law preachers/those who preach that you have to "play your part" by keeping the Ten Commandments and doing "good things" before you can get right with God or escape judgment. Galatians 5:4 tells us this is how to get cut off from Christ:

"For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace."

Beloved of God, we are made righteous only by the obedience of Christ (Romans 5:19.) This is the only brand of righteousness that saves from the fiery judgment of the law and it is the gift of God to all who believe (Romans 5:17.) When you seek His (Christ's gift of) righteousness, all other things, including grace to live right and reign in life (reign over sins, sickness, oppression, whatever,) will be added unto you.

Beloved of God, God is not in pursuit of you to punish you. He is not waiting for you to mess things up so He can let the devil have a go at you or unleash a series of unfortunate events on you. He knows that only the death of the Innocent - Jesus Christ- can free you from the shackles of sin, the judgment of the law and eternal damnation, so He gave His own Son to die for us to set us free indeed! See the counsel of our Lord God in Isaiah 30:14-17 (MSG:)

...“Your salvation requires you to turn back to Me

and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves.

Your strength will come from settling down

in complete dependence on Me—..."

Trying to escape the judgment of the law by our own efforts (law-keeping, good works to get right with God) has dire consequences. Romans 7:5 says having this old nature, being under law and not under grace, leads to producing "a harvest of sinful deeds that result in death." The letter kills.

But check out David's heart to Saul's house that thought he wanted to exterminate them. In 2 Samuel 9:9 David asked,

“Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”

Many of us do not yet realise that our invitation to the Lord's table is ONLY because of the covenant that we have with God through our Saviour Jesus Christ. It is for Christ's sake ONLY that God saves us and shows us kindness, not because of our filthy rags righteousnesses from keeping the law and our carnal (fleshly/human) efforts at pleasing Him or avoiding His wrath, which will only cause lameness (remember Mephibosheth) and death! See Romans 7:5.

The account of the meeting between David and Mephibosheth is in 2 Samuel 9. See verse 7-8-

“Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.” 8 Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?"

David's kindness to Mephibosheth because of Jonathan is a picture of God's grace - undeserved, unmerited favour through Christ and Christ alone. Look what happened next - after David gave him all that he promised, 13 

"And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table; he was lame in both feet."

But wait. Shouldn't verse 13 read the reverse? Shouldn't it be: "Mephibosheth always ate at the king's table because he lived in Jerusalem?" How can always eating at the king’s table cause him to live in Jerusalem?This is like me saying "the boy lived in my house because he ate at my table." The ideal thing to say would be "The boy ate at my table because he lived in my house."

Beloved of God, lame (imperfect) Mephibosheth's living in Jerusalem is a picture of the salvation of we imperfect people in Christ: our holiness and our living a blessed and righteous life. Many believers think we must be holy and live right by our own efforts first before we can eat at the Lord's table (enjoy His goodness and mercy.) Not so! Eating at the Lord's table a.k.a hearing the word of faith, being conscious of His presence, His goodness, mercy and love for us, is what causes us to live right. It is the goodness of God that leads to repentance. 

When you continue to eat at His table, even with your lameness (sins, addictions, oppression, etc) you will be made whole! It is Christ's "Neither do I condemn you" that makes us "go and sin no more."

The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.

Believe Right and you will Live Right.