DEVOTION
2ND SAMUEL
MORE VALUABLE THE
GOLD
2 Sam 19:24-30
24 Mephibosheth, Saul's grandson,
also went down to meet the king. He had not taken care of his feet or trimmed
his mustache or washed his clothes from the day the king left until the day he
returned safely. 25 When he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, the king
asked him, "Why didn't you go with me, Mephibosheth?" 26 He said,
"My lord the king, since I your servant am lame, I said, 'I will have my
donkey saddled and will ride on it, so I can go with the king.' But Ziba my
servant betrayed me. 27 And he has slandered your servant to my lord the king.
My lord the king is like an angel of God; so do whatever pleases you. 28 All my
grandfather's descendants deserved nothing but death from my lord the king, but
you gave your servant a place among those who sat at your table. So what right
do I have to make any more appeals to the king?" 29 The king said to him,
"Why say more? I order you and Ziba to divide the fields." 30
Mephibosheth said to the king, "Let him take everything, now that my lord
the king has arrived home safely."
NIV
What reverence, honesty, and
humility can be seen in Mephibosheth toward his king. Of course, because he is
lame and thought he would go with David, when he left Jerusalem
because of Absalom’s desire to kill his father, he could not because of the betrayal
of his servant, Ziba. He humbles himself before his king, saying that David is
his lord and is like an angel of God, and he should do whatever pleases him.
When King David decides that Mephibosheth and Ziba, his servant, should divide
the fields, again, the humility of Mephibosheth is revealed as he tells the king to let his servant, Ziba, the one who betrayed him, have all the fields,
everything, because for him, the greatest possession is having his king arrive
home safely. This should be our story: that nothing belongs to us, all we have
can be given away in comparison to our desire for our Lord and King to return for
us and take us across to the other side, from this place to heaven. But do our
possessions claim too much of us? Are we too invested in things, even though
we always thank our Lord and God for all that he has given or provided for
us? We hwould much rather be at home with our Lord, but we are still in our bodies,
and still have the ability to serve our Lord, and we have asked him to do
whatever pleases him. If he is pleased to bless us with some possessions and
bless us with a purpose, a calling to serve his kingdom, then we are humbly
content to do whatever pleases him in us and through us. As long as we have
breath in our lungs and our hearts beat in our chest, we will serve our Lord.
Everything we have, all that we are, belongs to our Lord. He gives and he can
take away. He is completely sovereign in all things concerning us. Mephibosheth
felt his king was more valuable than all his fields, giving them all to Ziba,
his servant. We believe our King is more valuable than all the silver and gold
this world has to offer. He can have everything, and all of us. Let us always
keep our eyes on Jesus.
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