HT: Challies.com
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
The Kindness of the King
EvenSong is our monthly evening communion service at church. The seminary interns are asked to take turns preaching the homily and this week was my turn.
I spoke on II Samuel 9:1-13. It is the story of David's kindness to Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth was crippled in both his feet. He was the son of Jonathan, grandson of Saul, David's enemy. He was living in exile at Lo-Debar. The picture the author paints of Mephibosheth is that of a person with no real value in society...yet, David is loyal to his covenant with Jonathan and showed kindness to him. This story is a beautiful picture of the loyal kindness Christ has for us. There is nothing worthy in us, but Christ in his faithful covenant kindness offers us grace.
Mephibosheth's story ends with him no longer fatherless and an outcast, but sitting and eating at the table of the King as one of his sons.
The key to interpreting this story is seeing David not just as a great man, but a picture of the King whom God will call to rule his people. If we fail to make the connection of these two, then we will be tempted to think the point of this story is to be nice to disadvantaged people. We should be nice all people...but not because of this story. The message of II Samuel 9 is much deeper than that. David is not the promised one, but that King will come from his seed. That King is Jesus. Those who come to Christ in faith and repentence also enjoy this kindness:
Eph 2:4-7 (ESV) 4But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— 6and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus
We are left with the picture of Mephibosheth reclining at the table of the King where his infirmities are completely covered by the kindness of the King. And because of the kindness of the Greater King we can come to His table and see our infirmities covered.
I spoke on II Samuel 9:1-13. It is the story of David's kindness to Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth was crippled in both his feet. He was the son of Jonathan, grandson of Saul, David's enemy. He was living in exile at Lo-Debar. The picture the author paints of Mephibosheth is that of a person with no real value in society...yet, David is loyal to his covenant with Jonathan and showed kindness to him. This story is a beautiful picture of the loyal kindness Christ has for us. There is nothing worthy in us, but Christ in his faithful covenant kindness offers us grace.Mephibosheth's story ends with him no longer fatherless and an outcast, but sitting and eating at the table of the King as one of his sons.
The key to interpreting this story is seeing David not just as a great man, but a picture of the King whom God will call to rule his people. If we fail to make the connection of these two, then we will be tempted to think the point of this story is to be nice to disadvantaged people. We should be nice all people...but not because of this story. The message of II Samuel 9 is much deeper than that. David is not the promised one, but that King will come from his seed. That King is Jesus. Those who come to Christ in faith and repentence also enjoy this kindness:
Eph 2:4-7 (ESV) 4But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— 6and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus
We are left with the picture of Mephibosheth reclining at the table of the King where his infirmities are completely covered by the kindness of the King. And because of the kindness of the Greater King we can come to His table and see our infirmities covered.
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