“I’M NOT CONNECTED TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE”: Mephibosheth

Sixth Discussion 2 Samuel 9:11 Then said Ziba unto the king, According to all that my lord the king hath commanded his servant, so shall thy servant do. As for Mephibosheth, said the king, he shall eat at my table, as one of the king sons.

God Uses People Who Want To Share Their Godly Passions

God gives some people a godly passion to champion a cause. Its often a problem they

personally experienced such as abuse, addiction, infertility, depression, a disease, or some

other difficulty. Sometimes God gives people a passion to speak up for a group of others who

can't speak for themselves: the unborn, the persecuted, the poor, the imprisoned, the

mistreated, the disadvantaged, and those who are denied justice. The Bible is filled with

commands to defend the defenseless.

God uses passionate people to further his Kingdom. He may give you a godly passion for

starting new churches, strengthening families, funding Bible translations, or training Christian

leaders, or you may be given a godly passion for reaching a particular group of people with the

Gospel: businessmen, teenagers, foreign exchange students, young mothers, or those with a

particular hobby or sport. If you ask God, he’ll burden your heart for a specific country or ethnic

group that desperately needs a strong Christian witness. God gives us different passions so

everything he wants done in the world will get done. You should not expect everyone else to be

passionate about your passion. Instead we must listen to and value each others life message,

because nobody can say it all. Never belittle someone else's godly passion.

According to the biblical narrative (2 Sam. 4:4), Mephibosheth was five years old when both his

father and grandfather died at the Battle of Mount Gilboa. When the report about the deaths of

Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, Mephibosheth’s nurse took him and fled in panic. In her

haste, the child had fallen, or been dropped upon fleeing. Since then, he was unable to walk.

For some years thereafter, Mephibosheth lived in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel at Lo-

debar in the land of Gilead. King David learned this from Ziba, a former servant in Saul’s house.

In order to fulfill his covenant with Jonathan, David wished to exercise loving-kindness toward

anyone “left over of the house of Saul.”

After David had subdued all the adversaries of Israel, Mephibosheth was brought before David,

and when the king explained that it was his desire to exercise loving-kindness toward

Mephibosheth by returning to him “all the field of Saul” and by having him “eat bread at my table

constantly,” Mephibosheth responded humbly: “What is your servant, that you have turned your

face to the dead dog such as I am?” However, in keeping with David’s determination in the

matter, Ziba and all those dwelling in his house (including 15 sons and 20 servants) became

servants to Mephibosheth, who was given Saul’s property. He thereafter resided in Jerusalem

and constantly ate at the table of the king.

Easton, Matthew George (1894). Eastons Bible Dictionary (Extended Annotated ed.).

Altenmünster: T. Nelson. p.

Five questions to ask yourself after going through this article

1. God is the God of Connections. What area of your life do you need to change focus?

After sharing with your group, pray together and begin to trust God that you are where

you are for a reason.

2. Just because we don’t think we’re connected to the right “Who’s” doesn’t mean we

are not connected to “any” who’s. Who are you connected to?

3. Who are “spiritual greats” that you admire? List 2-3 people. Share with the group.

4. What steps can you take to get connected to these spiritual leaders? (Reading their

books, listening to their teachings, and downloading their podcasts are a few ideas)

5. Write down the names of two people YOU can be the connection for?

Cornell Bunting