(2 Sam 9:9,10 NLT) Then the king summoned Saul’s servant Ziba and said, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. You and your sons and servants are to farm the land for him to produce food for your master’s household. But Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson, will eat here at my table.” (Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)
This morning we continue our series “Grace that is Simply Amazing.” I am going to take my time with the story of Mephibosheth because, quite honestly, I love it! This is one of the greatest stories of redemption in the Bible. Let’s pick up the story where we left off. King David called over one of his servants (Ziba) who used to serve Mephibosheth’s grandfather (Saul) and told Ziba that he and his entire house (15 sons and 20 servants) would now work for Mephibosheth. They were to work Mephibosheth’s newly restored land and bring him the provisions from it. Mephibosheth himself would take all his meals at the King’s table. I will speak about the significance of this later in the series.
Mephibosheth got back everything he had lost because of a covenant that had been established with his blood line. He was unable to tap into the benefits of the covenant while he was ignorant of it. However, once he was made aware of the covenant, once the covenant of blessing was revealed to Mephibosheth, he was able to receive from the covenant and he was restored to his rightful place. Life had dealt him a big blow and it seemed like all hope was gone, but a covenant that was already in place provided the means for total restoration and life transformation. Let’s stop here.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. The Blessing of Abraham and the Blessing of Jesus are available to us. We are all born ignorant of the covenants established in the Word of God. God made a covenant with Abraham and promised to make of him a great nation (Gen 12:2,3). That covenant also applied to Abraham’s seed (Gen 17:6,7). God blessed Abraham and made him very rich; everything he did was successful (Gen 24:1). God then extended and offered that same blessing to his descendants if they would hear His voice and obey His Word (Deut 28:1). Obedience unlocked the blessing and God promised to bless their businesses and farms (Deut 28:3). The descendants of Abraham were to have many children and large crops (v.4), they would have plenty of bread to eat and experience success in their daily work (verses 5,6); they would overcome their enemies (v.7), their harvests would be so large that their storehouses would be full (v.8), they would have plenty of money to lend to other nations and have no need to borrow (v.12), and they would be wealthy and powerful, not poor and weak (v.13). Paul taught us that every Born-Again believer has been baptized into Christ and has put on Christ. In Christ, there is no distinction between Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female. We are all one in Christ Jesus. Our connection to Christ makes us Abraham’s seed and heirs to the promises established for Abraham’s descendants (Gal 2:27-29). Furthermore, the writer of Hebrews tells us that the covenant we have in Christ is a better covenant with better promises (Heb 8:6).
2. We are able to access Blessing of Abraham and the Blessing of Jesus when we are made aware of the covenant. You have a covenant that offers you the blessing of Abraham (which is natural) and the Blessing of Jesus (which is spiritual). Now that you know about it, what are you going to do with this knowledge? Your knowledge of the covenant opens you up to the possibility of receiving the benefits of it. For it to change your life, however, you must believe that you are part of the bloodline and therefore and heir to a better covenant with better promises.
3. The covenant was established and offered to you by grace. Mephibosheth did nothing to earn the covenant that was established between David and his father. The covenant was established before his birth and it was offered to him by grace. All he had to do was to: 1) learn of it, and 2) receive it. His life changed forever when he did. Once he knew that there was a covenant of blessing attached to his bloodline, he was able to receive from that covenant and enjoy the blessing. Something similar happened with you. Before you were born the Lord established a covenant to bless Abraham’s seed in all their endeavors in the earth. He also established a covenant to bless Jesus’ seed with SuperNatural power. In Jesus we are able to access (by faith) the covenants that are offered to us (by grace) and we can enjoy both SuperNatural power and earthly success. Once you are aware of the covenant, you are able to tap into it and enjoy the blessing. Will you?
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for Your Word. You established a covenant with Abraham and it was the Old Covenant. Those who walked in it experienced natural blessings. They were blessed in their earthly affairs. You blessed them going out and coming in. Everything they put their hands to do was blessed. Father, You also established a New and better Covenant through Christ Jesus. Those who have walked in this covenant have experienced Spiritual blessings. With this New Covenant we are able to lay hands on the sick and watch them recover, we have direct access to You in prayer in the name of Your Son, we are redeemed from spiritual death, and we have eternal life in Christ Jesus. Furthermore, You said in Your Word that Christ Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us, and that He did this so that the blessing of Abraham would come upon the Gentiles through Jesus Christ. I am a Gentile. I was not born a Jew. However, in Christ I have access to the Blessing of Jesus and the Blessing of Abraham. They are offered to me because of a covenants established before I was born. The Blessings are offered to me by grace, because I don’t have to (nor could I ever) earn them. And I access the Blessings by faith. So Father, by faith I declare that I am heir and a joint-heir with Christ Jesus. The natural blessings of Abraham and the spiritual blessings of Jesus are all part of my inheritance. I receive them by faith and I will never be the same. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
