“Do not fear,” God tells us more than once in scripture, because we have a tendency to be afraid.  Sometimes it’s just our humanness that drives it, but it’s magnified by our ignorance. When we act in ignorant fear, consequences can be profound, and that was the case with the Nanny of 2 Samuel. If she only knew …

The biologically rightful king-to-be Jonathan cut a covenant with the divinely annointed king-to-be David in 1 Samuel 20. Jonathan promised his life to David, and David promised forever protection of Jonathan’s family when he became king. Ultimately, they were both yielding to God’s plan for His people. The covenant agreement they made included all of Jonathan’s descendants, but when he and his father (Saul) were killed, those descendants didn’t act as if they knew about the promise. They were afraid, and they were ignorant.

“Jonathan, the son of Saul, had a son who was crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled, and as she fled in her haste, he fell and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.”  2 Sam. 4:4

But David did not forget his promise to his covenant friend; in 2 Sam. 9 he wanted to know if any of Jonathan’s descendants remained … not so he could eliminate threats to his throne, but so he could fulfill the “hesed” (lovingkindness) love of the covenant. When the grown, but still crippled, Mephibosheth was brought to David, the handicapped man called himself a “dead dog,” realizing he was totally helpless apart from the King. Raised by the Nurse who was ignorant of the covenant, he expected to be treated like the royal threat he still thought he was. Instead, David granted him back all of his grandfather’s land, many servants, and a place at the King’s table. 

The King took the cripple from the floor to the table because of his covenant faithfulness and love. 

In her ignorance, the nurse who once fled in fear and dropped a small boy raised him to see himself as “just a cripple.”  She didn’t know that the King wanted to protect and receive and bless him. 

What were you like in your “Mephibosheth” state?  When you were crippled, what did you look like? Yesterday, our group described ourselves with words like: 

• proud
• angry
• empty
• dead dog (We like Mephib’s description!)

And what WOULD you have been like?  We used words like:

• alcoholic
• arrogant
• abusive
• hurtful

But we do not have to stay afraid, ignorant, and crippled spiritually on the floor of helplessness. Through the New Covenant of His Son’s blood, God wants to lift us from the floor to the table, to wrap us into His Kingdom and seat us at His table.   If we’ve come into a relationship with Him through Jesus, let’s not live like we’re still crippled on the floor!  

Let’s live today with the hopeful attitude and radiant gratitude of one who belongs at the King’s table!

See the first Covenant Study posts here:
Intro – Never Again
Covenant #1 – Knowing the Covenant Maker
Covenant #2 – Put on Your Robe

If you know someone who would be encouraged by knowing that they don’t have to stay “on the floor” in fear, I hope you’ll send them the link for today’s post and let God use His Word to bring them to the table.

“Do not fear,” God tells us more than once in scripture, because we have a tendency to be afraid.  Sometimes it’s just our humanness that drives it, but it’s magnified by our ignorance. When we act in ignorant fear, consequences can be profound, and that was the case with the Nanny of 2 Samuel. If she only knew …

The biologically rightful king-to-be Jonathan cut a covenant with the divinely annointed king-to-be David in 1 Samuel 20. Jonathan promised his life to David, and David promised forever protection of Jonathan’s family when he became king. Ultimately, they were both yielding to God’s plan for His people. The covenant agreement they made included all of Jonathan’s descendants, but when he and his father (Saul) were killed, those descendants didn’t act as if they knew about the promise. They were afraid, and they were ignorant.

“Jonathan, the son of Saul, had a son who was crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled, and as she fled in her haste, he fell and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.”  2 Sam. 4:4

But David did not forget his promise to his covenant friend; in 2 Sam. 9 he wanted to know if any of Jonathan’s descendants remained … not so he could eliminate threats to his throne, but so he could fulfill the “hesed” (lovingkindness) love of the covenant. When the grown, but still crippled, Mephibosheth was brought to David, the handicapped man called himself a “dead dog,” realizing he was totally helpless apart from the King. Raised by the Nurse who was ignorant of the covenant, he expected to be treated like the royal threat he still thought he was. Instead, David granted him back all of his grandfather’s land, many servants, and a place at the King’s table. 

The King took the cripple from the floor to the table because of his covenant faithfulness and love. 

In her ignorance, the nurse who once fled in fear and dropped a small boy raised him to see himself as “just a cripple.”  She didn’t know that the King wanted to protect and receive and bless him. 

What were you like in your “Mephibosheth” state?  When you were crippled, what did you look like? Yesterday, our group described ourselves with words like: 

• proud
• angry
• empty
• dead dog (We like Mephib’s description!)

And what WOULD you have been like?  We used words like:

• alcoholic
• arrogant
• abusive
• hurtful

But we do not have to stay afraid, ignorant, and crippled spiritually on the floor of helplessness. Through the New Covenant of His Son’s blood, God wants to lift us from the floor to the table, to wrap us into His Kingdom and seat us at His table.   If we’ve come into a relationship with Him through Jesus, let’s not live like we’re still crippled on the floor!  

Let’s live today with the hopeful attitude and radiant gratitude of one who belongs at the King’s table!

See the first Covenant Study posts here:
Intro – Never Again
Covenant #1 – Knowing the Covenant Maker
Covenant #2 – Put on Your Robe

If you know someone who would be encouraged by knowing that they don’t have to stay “on the floor” in fear, I hope you’ll send them the link for today’s post and let God use His Word to bring them to the table.