Ep. 86. 2 Samuel 4-5 | David - King in Israel

EPISODE 86

DAVID MADE KING OF ISRAEL: 2 SAMUEL 4-5, 1 CHRON 11,14

Two of my favorite things are in the reading today. One, we get to meet Mephibosheth. He was only five when his father, Jonathan, was slain. You will learn more about him if you take the time to read 2 Samuel 9. By the time David becomes aware of him, Mephibosheth has a son. This tells us that David is well into his forty years as king. Remember, the same year David became king in Hebron, Mephibosheth would have only been five years old. Twenty years are likely to have passed, and maybe more than that.

David moves Mephibosheth from Lo-Debar, a city whose name means "nothing," and gives this crippled man a place at his table. How could this not cause us to pause and reflect on the mercy Christ has shown to us? Has Jesus not taken us from "nothing" and brought these crippled, broken sinners near to himself? It is certainly a beautiful picture of the grace of the king.

The second thing I adore about this section also deals with the crippled as well as the blind. In Chapter Five, we see that after more than four hundred years, the people of God have still not taken control of Jerusalem. The Jebusites mock David, insisting that "even our lame and blind could ward you off." When David takes Jerusalem (Zion), which is the city of David, he declares, "The blind and the lame shall not come into the house."

This wasn't unusual. We know that the lame and blind were prevented from ministering in the tent of meeting and that the rules for who could and could not enter the presence of the Lord were many. That they should be excluded from the holy city is no less surprising.

Thankfully, the New Testament shows that Jesus specifically ministers to the lame and blind. The master of the house specifically invites them to his banquet. Remember, in the gospels, it was not the well who sought after God but those who knew they were not well.

These two stories can encourage us greatly, as they remind us that God has brought us near to Himself.

ADDITIONAL READING: 2 Samuel 9; Joshua 15:63; Deuteronomy 23; Luke 14