by Rev. Adam Demetros
There’s a lesser-known story in the Old Testament about a young man by the name of Mephibosheth that doesn’t get as much attention as it should. Mephibosheth’s story begins back when King Saul’s dynasty began to tragically fall apart. The Philistines had just killed King Saul and Prince Jonathan (Mephibosheth’s father) in battle, and the members of King Saul’s household were terrified because they assumed that the Philistines would come for them next and kill everyone they found, as was their custom. And there was also David and his guerilla army of nomads to worry about, because David was the next in line to be king.
After the battle, the managers and stewards of King Saul’s household quickly grabbed anything that wasn’t nailed down and they fled for the hills. A nurse grabbed ahold of baby Mephibosheth, but in all of the chaos and hurry to get out of the house she dropped him, and for the rest of his life he was crippled in both of his feet. But thankfully the story doesn’t end there.
Many years later, David is firmly established as the new king. He’s well-liked and secure in his position, but he has never forgotten about his dear friend Jonathan who died in battle. So, one day he asks his advisors, “Is there anyone left in the household of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God?” And they bring before the king a man named Ziba, who was the former chief steward for Saul, and he responds to David’s question by saying, “There’s only one person that I can think of, he’s a son of Jonathan who’s crippled in both feet.”
It’s interesting that this is the only description that Ziba gives of the son of Jonathan. He never calls him by his name. He never utters the name Mephibosheth. It’s almost as if his disability has taken over his identity. He’s only known as Jonathan’s crippled son. Nothing more. But when King David meets him, the first thing he says is, “Mephibosheth!” As if to say, “You have an identity. You are more than how people define you. You are more than what’s happened to you. You are more than your limitations.”
King David doesn’t care that this young man has a disability. What he cares about is that he made a promise to his dear friend Jonathan to always care for his household, and he intends to keep that promise. So, he commits to showing Mephibosheth the kindness of God.
After Ziba gives this description of Mephibosheth, David doesn’t waste any time asking a bunch of questions. He just asks, “Where is he?” Which is basically the same question that God asked in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve hid from God in shame after eating the forbidden fruit. And it’s the same question that echoes throughout the Gospels when Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Because the truth is that we have all be made lame by the pain and conflicts of life, and we have all been dropped into something.
Notice that the question is not, “Who’s to blame for your problems?” or, “What’s wrong with you?” or even, “What happened?” No, the only question is, “Where are you?”
Ziba responses to the king’s query by saying, “He’s in Lo-debar." Which translates to “a place without pasture," or to put it more simply, “a barren place.” That’s where Mephibosheth has had to live all those years after his father’s death, a barren place. And it’s also where we find ourselves anytime we allow others to define us by our disabilities or shortcomings. It takes us to a barren place without hope.
Like Mephibosheth, many people in our society have physical disabilities. They don’t hear, or see, or speak, or walk, or look like everyone else. So, our society has decided to label them by these categories. And as a result, many have lost their God-given identities and have been left to limp around in Lo-debar, a barren place. Which is why, like King David, we’re called to show the kindness of God to those who have been hurt by the harsh realities of this world. We’re called to seek them out, call them by name, and show them kindness because it’s what they deserve.
The Hebrew word for kindness that’s used in this biblical text is “hesed," and it’s used throughout Scripture primarily to describe God’s kindness and love for us. Which is important because it’s a much stronger understanding of kindness than we’re used to. It invokes the kindness of a God who’s steadfast, faithful, and binds us to himself through sacrificial giving. It depicts a kind and caring God who’s determined to keep us under his protecting care and goes out of his way to show us love, even when we don’t deserve it. That’s hesed and it’s what we desperately need in our society today.
There’s a lesser-known story in the Old Testament about a young man by the name of Mephibosheth that doesn’t get as much attention as it should. Mephibosheth’s story begins back when King Saul’s dynasty began to tragically fall apart. The Philistines had just killed King Saul and Prince Jonathan (Mephibosheth’s father) in battle, and the members of King Saul’s household were terrified because they assumed that the Philistines would come for them next and kill everyone they found, as was their custom. And there was also David and his guerilla army of nomads to worry about, because David was the next in line to be king.
After the battle, the managers and stewards of King Saul’s household quickly grabbed anything that wasn’t nailed down and they fled for the hills. A nurse grabbed ahold of baby Mephibosheth, but in all of the chaos and hurry to get out of the house she dropped him, and for the rest of his life he was crippled in both of his feet. But thankfully the story doesn’t end there.
Many years later, David is firmly established as the new king. He’s well-liked and secure in his position, but he has never forgotten about his dear friend Jonathan who died in battle. So, one day he asks his advisors, “Is there anyone left in the household of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God?” And they bring before the king a man named Ziba, who was the former chief steward for Saul, and he responds to David’s question by saying, “There’s only one person that I can think of, he’s a son of Jonathan who’s crippled in both feet.”
It’s interesting that this is the only description that Ziba gives of the son of Jonathan. He never calls him by his name. He never utters the name Mephibosheth. It’s almost as if his disability has taken over his identity. He’s only known as Jonathan’s crippled son. Nothing more. But when King David meets him, the first thing he says is, “Mephibosheth!” As if to say, “You have an identity. You are more than how people define you. You are more than what’s happened to you. You are more than your limitations.”
King David doesn’t care that this young man has a disability. What he cares about is that he made a promise to his dear friend Jonathan to always care for his household, and he intends to keep that promise. So, he commits to showing Mephibosheth the kindness of God.
After Ziba gives this description of Mephibosheth, David doesn’t waste any time asking a bunch of questions. He just asks, “Where is he?” Which is basically the same question that God asked in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve hid from God in shame after eating the forbidden fruit. And it’s the same question that echoes throughout the Gospels when Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Because the truth is that we have all be made lame by the pain and conflicts of life, and we have all been dropped into something.
Notice that the question is not, “Who’s to blame for your problems?” or, “What’s wrong with you?” or even, “What happened?” No, the only question is, “Where are you?”
Ziba responses to the king’s query by saying, “He’s in Lo-debar." Which translates to “a place without pasture," or to put it more simply, “a barren place.” That’s where Mephibosheth has had to live all those years after his father’s death, a barren place. And it’s also where we find ourselves anytime we allow others to define us by our disabilities or shortcomings. It takes us to a barren place without hope.
Like Mephibosheth, many people in our society have physical disabilities. They don’t hear, or see, or speak, or walk, or look like everyone else. So, our society has decided to label them by these categories. And as a result, many have lost their God-given identities and have been left to limp around in Lo-debar, a barren place. Which is why, like King David, we’re called to show the kindness of God to those who have been hurt by the harsh realities of this world. We’re called to seek them out, call them by name, and show them kindness because it’s what they deserve.
The Hebrew word for kindness that’s used in this biblical text is “hesed," and it’s used throughout Scripture primarily to describe God’s kindness and love for us. Which is important because it’s a much stronger understanding of kindness than we’re used to. It invokes the kindness of a God who’s steadfast, faithful, and binds us to himself through sacrificial giving. It depicts a kind and caring God who’s determined to keep us under his protecting care and goes out of his way to show us love, even when we don’t deserve it. That’s hesed and it’s what we desperately need in our society today.
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