While fleeing with his men, David encountered Ziba, who was leading a caravan of donkeys laden with food for David's household. Was David’s decision to divide the land a just and fair ruling. We ought not to confuse Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan and grandson of Saul, with Mephibosheth, the son of Saul and daughter of Rizpah (cf. 8:34; 9:40. What a change this must have been for Mephibosheth. When Saul and his sons died in battle at Mount Gilboa, Mephibosheth was only five years old. In Hebrew the word “bosheth” means “shame.” We may think it is a terrible thing to name someone with that word “bosheth,” but even before this Mephibosheth we find a son of Saul named Ish-Bosheth. Saul's servant Ziba told him of Jonathan's son Mephibosheth, who was living in Lo Debar, which means "land of nothing." When Mephibosheth appeared before David in 2 Sam. Instead of planning to kill the previous king's line, as was the custom in those days, David wanted to honor them, in memory of his friend Jonathan and out of respect for Saul. Gal. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! His nurse picked him up and was fleeing, but in her haste she dropped him, injuring both his feet and making him lame for life. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window), Follow The Redeemed Mind on WordPress.com. David turned them over, but one man he spared, the son of Jonathan, the grandson of Saul: Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth was the last male descendant of Saul with a strong legal claim to the throne of Saul. In 2 Sam. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Enter your email address to follow this website and receive notifications of new posts by email. Whom do you think was telling the truth at the time of Absalom’s treason: Ziba or Mephibosheth? Bosheth (=“shame”) has been substituted for the detested name of Baal, as in the name Ish-bosheth for Esh-baal. At 2 Sam. had a son that was lame of his feet; of both feet, which were broken or bruised by a fall, as later related: and. See note on ch. If so, how did this shape your theology? David’s further victories over the Syrians and Ammonites is reported in 2 Samuel 10. Would you consider making a small donation, via PayPal, to help cover the costs of hosting this website? His nurse picked him up and was fleeing, but in her haste she dropped him, … Eph. 18:3; 20:14–15, 42; 24:20–21. Nevertheless, David hastily gave Saul’s estate to Ziba. Mephibosheth was humble to the point of being self-abasing about his claims on Saul's legacy, calling himself a "dead dog." 8:15–18, in 2 Samuel 9 the author of this book narrates the interaction between David and Mephibosheth. 1 Chron. In short, David’s reign as King of Israel is summarized in the observation, “So the Lord preserved David wherever he went” (2 Sam. They asked for seven of Saul's descendants so they could execute them. 9:6). Mephibosheth, a sermon by Rev. After listing David’s political cabinet in 2 Sam. The disabled man said Ziba had betrayed him and slandered him to David. Mephibosheth would eat at David’s table, like one of the king’s own sons, and govern his estate for the next 17 years. The unique and profitable story of Mephibosheth unfolds in three parts: I. MEPHIBOSHETH WAS THE RECIPIENT OF GRACE GIVEN THROUGH COVENANT. Mephibosheth was a son of Jonathan and also the grandson of King Saul, Israel's first king. Every year the Bible teaching on this website is read by tens of thousands of people in more than 150 countries around the world. he was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel: that is, when the tidings of their death came from Jezreel, the place where the battle was fought in which they died, to Gibeah, and the royal palace there; so that he was now twelve years of age: and his nurse took him up and fled; fearing the Philistines would come thither and destroy the family of Saul; and this child being the son of Jonathan, the eldest son of Saul, was by birth heir to the crown, his father and grandfather being both dead, and which might make the nurse the more solicitous to save his life by flight: and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame; in her hurry and fright he dropped out of her arms, and had some bone broken or dislocated, which was never rightly replaced, or had some contusion, of which he was never cured: and his name was Mephibosheth, called Meribbaal, 1 Chronicles 8:34; of the change of such names See Gill on 2 Samuel 2:8.