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Again I find myself wandering through 2 Samuel 9 and I am fascinated by the way the Old Testament story of Mephibosheth casts light on New Testament truth and provides some inspiring comparisons.
For example, in my last log entry, I suddenly saw a comparison between the incredible acceptance that Mephibosheth found with King David and the acceptance that the prodigal son found with his father (Luke 15). Both men knew what it was to be separated from a "very significant other" in their lives. One by choice, the other by birth. Either way, alienation was the result.
Neither man held on to any hope that they would ever be reconciled or restored to a meaningful relationship with that significant other person. Mephibosheth probably expected death, given his relationship to his grandfather, the now-deceased King Saul. The prodigal son's highest hope was that he might be allowed to serve as a hired hand; certainly restoration to full sonship was not even on his radar.
They both lived an impoverished lifestyle in their respective alienation. As previously noted, Mephibosheth lived in Lo-debar which means "a house of no bread" or "a place of scarcity". The prodigal lived in a land a long way from home - geographically and relationally - where he was so hungry he wanted to eat the swill he used to feed the pigs.
In the light of these two stories, I am seeing in a new way the heart of God as expressed through David's treatment of Mephibosheth and the father's treatment of his wayward son. In telling the story of the prodigal son, Jesus challenged and contradicted the almost universally accepted belief that, if God seeks us at all, it is to expose our sin and sentence us to some form of punishment.
Well, David did seek Mephibosheth but he did so to "show kindness to him for Jonathan's sake". Not retribution but kindness. Mercy. Grace. Similarly with the prodigal's father. He just wanted to welcome his son home. Not punishment but reconciliation. Mercy. Grace.
For Mephibosheth this meant being welcomed into the palace and eating regularly at David's table "like one of the King's own sons". For the prodigal it meant being welcomed home as a son in full standing and sharing at his father's table at his own "Welcome Home" party!!
These reflections over the past few log entries leave me feeling a fair degree of concern for the people who live around me. As best I can discern, most (if not all) of them keep their distance from God by avoiding those places and situations where they might run into Him - like Church and religious conversation. I note how quickly they change the subject should it gravitate in a God direction.
How do I tell them that there is a party going on and it's their "Welcome Home" party?
