THE KING'S INVITATION

There is something special about a king’s invitation. It has the power of death or life, acceptance or rejection, honor or dishonor. 

Who would not quickly respond to the summons of royalty? The thirteenth verse of 2 Samuel 9 offers such a summons that, when studied meditatively and prayerfully, will encourage and strengthen the believer in the good things of the Lord. It might be called, “The King’s Invitation.”

King David was a peerless and brilliant military strategist who subdued Israel’s bitter enemies and extended the boundaries of his kingdom, but he was also a man of tender, compassionate feelings. This chapter shows the heart and humanity of Israel’s beloved leader. 

David was perhaps sitting with his wife Michal, in the royal parlor amidst the golden glitter of the palace court, resting and relaxing from a long, hard day of executive responsibility. As they chatted enjoyably of old times and friends, David reflected with thanksgiving upon his friendship with Jonathan. 

How David and Jonathan had loved one another! Their godly friendship emblazons the pages of the Bible as a favorite narrative of young and old alike. 

So genuine was their love for each other that they would, without a moment’s hesitation, willingly have died for each other (1 Samuel’s 18:1,3).

The years had rolled by all too quickly, Jonathan had fallen in battle as a valiant soldier on Mount Gilboa at the hands of the wicked Philistines, bitter enemies of God’s people (2 Samuel 1:25).

So, there in the palace parlor, David’s happy thoughts of Jonathan’s friendship almost overwhelmed him. Whereupon, David vowed in his heart that, if in all Israel he could find a kin of Jonathan, he’d show him kindness. 

The kindly promise was backed by the power of the nation and all its armies to bring to pass the wish and desire of its beloved monarch. 

So the thrilling search for a relative of Jonathan began. Zina, one of the king’s servants and a specialist in family records, quickly consulted the rolls and informed the king, “Jonathan had a son. His name is Mephibosheth. He is crippled in both feet and makes his home in Lodebar.” 

Years earlier a courier had come to Jerusalem from the battlefield to announce that Saul and Jonathan had fallen in battle before the Philistines. 

Fearing for the life of five-year-old Mephibosheth, a nurse grabbed him up to carry him to safety. She dropped him, and his feet suffered a permanent injury. His name means, “destroying shame.” His place of residence, Lodebar, means “no pasture.”

Because Mephibosheth had such a handicap, he would normally everlastingly be barred from the king’s presence. But David had promised kindness for Jonathan’s age. That, of course, made all the difference in the world, Mephibosheth was called to stand before David. He was honored by the king simply because he was the son of Jonathan. The king’s invitation of kindness moved Mephibosheth from the poverty of Lodebar to the abundance of the king’s palace dining hall. Grace had granted Mephibosheth the highest place of honor and acceptance. Mephibosheth received: sonship, fellowship, and a bright future. 

David’s kindness to Mephibosheth for Jonathan’s sake is a graphic picture of God’s kindness to us for Christ’s sake. 

I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake.— 1 John 2:12

When God lavishes His redemptive grace upon us: we become sons of God, we have fellowship with God; and we have a glorious future.