Walking With Christ

⚓ Floatie:  A Broken Man at a King’s Table

2 Samuel 9:7  And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.”(ESV)

This story isn’t just about kindness—it’s a living parable of grace.

Mephibosheth was royalty by birth, but broken by the fall.  He had a covenant claim he didn’t even know about—yet the king came looking for him not to destroy him, but to restore him.

It’s the Gospel, hidden in plain sight.

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✒️ Forge: Covenant Before the Cripple

2 Samuel 4:4  Jonathan, the son of Saul, had a son who was crippled in his feet.  He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled, and as she fled in her haste, he fell and became lame.  And his name was Mephibosheth.(ESV)

Before we meet Mephibosheth at the table, we meet him in tragedy.

• He was five.
• His grandfather and father died in battle.
• His nurse ran in fear—and dropped him.
• His legs never recovered.

The son of a prince became a crippled orphan in hiding.  But here’s the thread:  he didn’t fall because of his own sin.  He fell because of fear.  He was broken because someone else was running.

Now fast-forward.  David has secured the throne.  His enemies are subdued.  And he asks a single question:

2 Samuel 9:1  And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”(ESV)

David remembered the covenant he made with Jonathan (1 Samuel 18:3–4, 20:14–17).  And covenant doesn’t expire just because someone dies.  Covenant reaches into the next generation.

David seeks Mephibosheth not because of what Mephibosheth had done, but because of a promise made before he was even born.

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⚒️ Anvil: Grace Doesn’t Ask for Credentials

2 Samuel 9:6  And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage.  And David said, “Mephibosheth!”  And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.”(ESV)

Everything about Mephibosheth’s posture says “please don’t kill me.”  He expects wrath.  He knows the bloodlines.  A new king typically erases the old.

But instead, David calls him by name.  David doesn’t say, “Explain why you deserve this.”  He says, “Do not fear.”

Then he restores land, promises provision, and gives him a permanent seat at the royal table.  This is not reward.  This is redemption.

2 Samuel 9:8  And he paid homage and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?”(ESV)

Mephibosheth sees his brokenness.  But David sees the covenant.

That’s the Gospel.

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🔥 Ember: What Grace Sees That Guilt Cannot

You could spend your whole life in hiding because of what someone else did.

• The sin of a father
• The fall of a mentor
• The betrayal of a church
• The pain of a moment you didn’t cause but can’t forget

Mephibosheth didn’t fall because of personal rebellion.  He fell in the chaos of collapse.

He was raised in fear.  Taught to avoid the king.  Lived under a false name in a barren land (Lo-debar = “no pasture”).  And then the king calls him by name.

This is what modern Christianity forgets:  Grace doesn’t wait for your healing.  It seats you with your limp.

God isn’t looking for perfect walkers.  He’s looking for covenant children hiding in shame.  He’s looking for Mephibosheths.

And yes, the table is a symbol of abundance—but it’s also a place of exposure.  At the king’s table, your feet are still lame—but your seat is secure.

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🌿 Covenant Triumph: The Seat That Cannot Be Earned

2 Samuel 9:13  So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king’s table.  Now he was lame in both his feet.(ESV)

The last sentence is the most important.  He ate always at the table.  But he was still lame.

The Gospel doesn’t remove every scar.  It gives them meaning.

God’s kindness doesn’t depend on your strength.  Your seat at the table was paid for by another’s promise—just like Mephibosheth’s.

This is the story of every believer:

• Crippled by the fall
• Hiding in shame
• Called by name
• Given a place
• And seated for life—not because of what we’ve done, but because of who made a covenant before we were born.

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[⚓ Floatie] [✒️ Forge] [⚒️ Anvil] [🔥 Ember] [🌿 Covenant Triumph]
This post follows the Forge Baseline Rule—layered truth for the discerning remnant.