No Right To Grace

“For all of my father’s house were but dead men before my lord the king: yet didst thou set thy servant among them that did eat at thine own table. What right therefore have I yet to cry any more unto the king?” (2Sa 19:28 AV)

 

The one speaking here is a son of Jonathan whose name is Mephibosheth. The record here is a bit complicated but stick with it.  David’s best friend, Jonathan, made a covenant with David that when David rose to the throne, the king would show grace and mercy towards Jonathan and his descendants for the support Jonathan showed towards David.  When Saul, king of Israel, and his son Jonathan were lost in battle, David sought someone from the house of Jonathan to whom he might show favor.  David enquires after any and all descendants of the house of Jonathan and Mephibosheth is found.  Mephibosheth is placed in the royal palace and his every need is tended to as a show of grace from David to the house of Jonathan.  Forty or so years later, David finds himself fleeing from Absalom, his son.  While in flight, Ziba the servant and husbandman of Mephibosheth’s fields finds David and feeds him a lie that Mephibosheth allied himself with Absalom in hopes of regaining the throne for the house of Saul.  This results in bestowing all properties, possessions, and standing belonging to Mephibosheth upon Ziba.  Upon Absalom’s death, David returns to Jerusalem and the royal palace.  He confronts Mephibosheth over what Ziba had told him.  Upon learning the truth, the above scripture is Mephosheth’s response to David’s restoration of all things to him.

When we consider Mephibosheth’s question and the wrong he suffered, the question comes off as even more impressive.  He was a man, lame on his feet, whose only weakness was the family in which he was born.  He was at a disadvantage because he was born into the house of Saul – a sworn enemy of David.  He was born with the inability to make a living.  He was lame on his feet.  And he had a steward of his own tribe (probably a close relative) who manipulated David out of his inheritance.  If anything, Mephibosheth was the victim here.  If I was he, I would feel entitled to full restoration of all that was lost to my steward and a decision of justice placed upon him for his deception.  But that is not how Mephibosheth reacted.  In fact, if one were to read further, Mephibosheth was content simply to have the return of his father’s best friend to the throne.  He needed nor required no more than the presence of the dearest one he had ever known.  That was sufficient for him.

We live in an ungrateful and presumptuous generation.  We complain about the littlest matters.  We think we deserve better than we have.  Somehow, we feel victimized no matter how small or great the offense.  We cry and whine because life isn’t the way we want it and if we ever did have it the way we want it, we would discover it wasn’t what we thought it would be and whine again.  The true meaning of grace eludes us.  We cannot see how gracious God has been to us and we think life has to change.  This cripple was more grateful after losing everything and gaining nothing than we are when we suffer much less.  We make demands of others, and from God, and feel justified in doing so.  What tickles me is if we gave those who whine all they wanted, they probably wouldn’t want it once they had it.  Mephibosheth’s question, although rhetorical, is a good one.  What right do we have to be ungrateful towards anything or everything God has done for us?  We have no right.  God doesn’t serve us.  We serve Him.  We need to learn to appreciate the grace of God before His grace is forever removed.