2 Samuel 9:6-8 – Don’t Be Afraid
As Mephibosheth falls on his face at the king’s feet, he expects only judgement. Instead he hears words that he would never forget as long as he lived. In fact, we could sum up David’s gracious invitation to Mephibosheth in this chapter in 3 commands. So what is the gospel as Mephibosheth hears it from David?
3 commands:
Don’t be afraid.
Eat at my table.
Be like a son.
Firstly: Don’t be afraid. Mephibosheth, as we’ve seen, had plenty of reason to be afraid. So do we, when we realise our position before God. Yet the most frequent command in the Bible is ‘do not be afraid’. The gospel is fundamentally good news!
When Jesus is born, the shepherds are terrified when they see an angel. But what does he say to them? ‘Fear not, for behold I bring you good news of great joy’.
33 years later, when Mary Magdalene and the other Mary run from the empty tomb and the angel to tell the disciples, they meet Jesus himself who says to them: ‘Do not be afraid’.
We don’t have to be swallowed up by the culture of fear all around us, because we have a Saviour who repeatedly says to us: ‘Do not be afraid’. Mephibosheth, contrary to all his expectations, meets a kind king who says to him ‘Do not be afraid’. So do we, if only we face up to the seriousness of our position before him and throw ourselves on his mercy. From the garden of Eden onwards human beings have tried to hide from God. Yet when he comes looking for us, it’s in order to expose the sin, that it might be dealt with. So the first gracious command from the kind king is: Don’t be afraid.
Question
- What does David tell Mephibosheth?
Prayer Points
- Give thanks that Christ tells us not to be afraid.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.