Dead dog at the king's table

David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”  –2 Samuel 9:1 (NIV)

When a new king came to power, it was customary to locate and execute remaining members of the family of the former king to discourage any plans of a potential coup. But David had made a promise….

Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.’” Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town.  –1 Samuel 20:42 (NIV)

As it turned out, there was a survivor of the house of Saul, a grandson. Unfortunately for him, his nurse, hearing news of the demise of her master in battle and anticipating what would probably happen next, had attempted to flee with the five-year-old and stumbled, causing an injury that left the boy crippled. This condition would, in many ways, come to define the rest of the man’s life.

The king asked, “Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?”
Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet.”
“Where is he?” the king asked.  –2 Samuel 9:3-4a (NIV)

The boy’s name was Mephibosheth, and he grew up in exile, far from the trappings of royalty. He didn’t know it, but his fortunes were about to change.

When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor. David said, “Mephibosheth!”
“At your service,” he replied.
“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.”
Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?”  –2 Samuel 9:6-8 (NIV)

David restored possession of the ancestral lands that had once belonged to the family of Saul to Mephibosheth, assigned the family of Saul’s servant to work the land and produce income for Mephibosheth’s family, and moved Mephibosheth to Jerusalem to live in the palace compound and eat at his own table as a son of the king. But that wasn’t the end of it. Mephibosheth had a son, Mika. Consider the change in trajectory for Mika’s life. Once the son of a cripple scraping out a living in exile, he became heir to a prince.

Mephibosheth had a young son named Mika, and all the members of Ziba’s household were servants of Mephibosheth. And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table; he was lame in both feet.  –2 Samuel 9:12-13 (NIV)

I have been familiar with this story since childhood, aware of this noble act carried out by David in memory of his dear friend. This week, I was struck by the Messianic foreshadowing found in the narrative. For the observant Bible student, it’s a technique God uses frequently throughout the Old Testament.

You see, I am Mephibosheth – no longer an exile, adopted as a child of the King, given a seat at the table and hope for future generations. Not because of anything of value I brought to the party, but because of the love and mercy of the King who was committed to keeping His promise.