2 Samuel 9:1-6 – Reason to Hide Because Nothing to Offer
Melchizedek had reason to hide from the king because of who he was descended from. But he also had reason to hide from the king because he had nothing to offer him. Why? Because he was a cripple. Mephibosheth says in v6 ‘Behold I am your servant’. But even if David spared him – what sort of service would he be able to offer? In a society that was based around farming and fighting, there wasn’t really a role for a cripple. Mephibosheth himself realises that. In v8 he says: ‘What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?’ That’s not false humility – he means it.
Mephibosheth says later on in the book, in chapter 19, ‘For all my father’s house were but men doomed to death before my lord the king, but you set your servant among those who eat at your table’. And that’s us, or at least, that’s what we were. We were men, women, boys and girls who were doomed to death, not simply physical death, but eternal death, the second death, as it’s called in Revelation, Hell itself.
So we have every reason to hide from the king. We’re born into the old order, and we demonstrate that every day of our lives. Even if he were to overlook that – we have nothing to offer him. And that’s where the gospel always has to start, with our utter helplessness. Without God we’re in a completely hopeless situation, and there’s nothing we can do about it. This crippled man, lying on his face before the king, unable to offer him anything, and expecting nothing but judgement, that’s us. Our world is, as someone has put it, hiding from God, and yet crying out for him. And we have reason to hide from him. But then comes the absolutely unexpected and astonishing good news of the rest of the chapter!
Questions
- What did Mephibosheth have to offer?
- How is Mephibosheth like us?
Prayer Points
- Pray that those around us would see the serious situation they are in.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.