The Cripple at the Table

A disabled boy, a gracious king and an amazing act of mercy next on Renewing Your Mind incentive similarly read about the young grandson of King Saul.

After years of war and chaos.

When was the only descendent of Saul left alive wasn't in the exalted position a new king was thrown boy's life was now in danger today on Renewing Your Mind we will hear echoes of the gospel in this ancient story as we continue our study of the life of David. We come to the place in that history where Saul, the king is dead. What would we expect to happen next. We would obviously think that now without any further incident. David would simply ascend to the throne that was reserved for him by God that had been initiated by the anointing of David by the hand of Samuel. That's not what happens. Yes, David does ascend to kingship over the tribe of Judah that tribe which, remember, from ancient times was the tribe to whom kingship was promised back when the patriarch Jacob gave his blessing to his son. He said that the scepter would not depart from Judah, until Shiloh come.

It was the tribe of Judah that was given the promise of the kingdom.

It was from the tribe of Judah that Jesus came to be the king of the kings and so it's certainly fitting that the first tribe in the Old Testament that embraces and receives David as their king is the tribe of Judah, but what about the rest. There was still son of Saul, that was left who had not been slain in battle. His name was issue process. Now I'm going to say his name, probably more than once. Today I'm going to apologize in advance because no one can say that name too many times without listing. I certainly can't.

But in any case, issue process was the surviving son of Saul who was anointed king of Israel.

So again David is passed over, and Abner, who was Saul's leading general put his military support behind this process and what happens now is civil war breaks out in Israel.

One of the darkest chapters in Jewish history, is this war doesn't just last few days or a few months but it endures for years and all kinds of intrigue and conflict ensues.

After this time we read of how Abner killed the brother of the chief military commander of David who was Joab and then how Abner who was so powerful in the royal court of this process had a falling out with the king over a woman oversexed over a sexual scandal and he became so upset that Abner left the service of this process and came over and change sides and tried to become part of the Army of David, but Joab didn't trust them.

And so then Joab was involved in the killing of Abner and shortly thereafter some of the Israelites gathered together and descended upon the place where is Bo. Seth was sleeping and in his sleep. They murdered him. And even then, David is upset at the treachery of his own man who would go and murder. His opponent in his bed and in his sleep, but finally after all this intrigue and all this war in all of this conflict, the nation is consolidated under the kingship of David.

Now it's at this point that something dramatic takes place, sort of, almost as a concluding unscientific postscript to this whole blood. He story now before I tell you this dramatic moment may tell you another story leading up to it. Back in the days of the Blondie and oppressive regime of Idi Amin whose name has become synonymous with monsters in the 20th century there was a Christian bishop in his nation who dared to speak out against Idi Amin's bloodthirsty policies. His name was Bishop fest though of injury. One of the great Christians of our H and fest of Coventry was forced to flee from the pursuit in the wrath of Idi Amin. Even as David had to flee from the wrath of Saul and he made his way to America and I had the privilege of hearing the very first sermon that fest oak avenger he preached in the United States and broken and halted English.

He stood up before this large multitude of people and he started to speak but all that came out was stuttering and he he was embarrassed and he said excuse me, me, shake shake too much. We want our arts and I am may shake shake too much.

He said I must pry and so he prayed right there in front of everybody and asked that God would deliver him from his nervousness and from his fear and give him peace and when he finished his prayer, he lifted up his head and he looked at the audience and he said may shake shake no more, and then he gave a sermon he gave a sermon from the book of second Samuel, that I have never forgotten, in which fest oak avenger. He captured a motif of sacred Scripture that is been precious to me and it's that dramatic moment that I want to share with you today. If we move ahead in the text of second Samuel to the fourth chapter beginning in verse four we read this brief account. Jonathan, Saul's son had a son who was lame 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 it happened this he made haste to flee that he fell and became Lane. His name was in the for process I made it through this process.

I don't know if I'll make it through. But for process that's another name it's a real tongue twister, but we get this little introduction this brief biographical bit of data about the laying son of John, whom, after its bow. Seth has been killed becomes the last surviving person from the house of Saul and of Jonathan. Now do you remember when Saul was pursuing David and David had the opportunity to kill Saul and when David told Saul that he could have killed them, and Saul repented of that and promise that he wouldn't do anything to him and he said David, I know that you're going to be the king and I pray that you will preserve my household and we recall that on that occasion, David took a bow. He swore an oath before Saul saying that he would protect Saul's house and now we find that there is only one person left the protect and though is mentioned just briefly in chapter 4 we don't read the story of this until chapter 9 of second Samuel, which chapter begins with this announcement now. David said, is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake not only to fulfill the bow he made to Jonathan's father Saul, but out of his love for Jonathan's he wants to find somebody from that house that he can honor that he can respect to show his on dying love for Jonathan as far as David knows at this point there is no such person left alive but we read in verse two that there was a servant of the house of Saul, whose name was Eva. And so when they called in the David, the king said to him, are you zebra set at your service, and the king said, is there not still someone about. Also, Saul, and whom I may show the kindness of God.

Zebra said to the king. Believe me, this was risky business for zebra. He said there is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet. So the king said to him, where is he in Zebra said to the king. He is in the house of Medicare, the son of MEL and load the bar and King David sent, and brought them out of the house of Medicare, the son of a meal from load bar that when the figure set, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself and David said for process and he answered, here is your servant so David said to him, do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan. Your father sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather and you shall eat bread at my table continually. When fest oak avenger.

He came to this country and preached on this text is that it is easy for us to look at this narrative. In the Old Testament is one isolated example of the love of a man for another friend and his family and of the good fortune of a disfigured, marred, crippled, human doing being rescued from his poverty rescued from his oppression rescued from his pain and brought into the king's house and allow the state of the king's table.

He said, but that story speaks of us in its fullest extension is the bishop then looked at the audience of the congregation assembled there and said which of you is not a cripple in the sight of God, who among us is not crippled in our souls lame in our hearts.

Why has God ever stooped and condescended to save any of the answer given in the New Testament is that we are saved, not because we deserve it, not because we've merited not because we've earned it. But the reason the only reason I can find it all in the New Testament that God saves any of us is out of his love for his only begotten son. Our salvation is in Christ, it is by Christ and it is for Christ in a very real sense we as believers are the gifts of love that the father bestows upon the son in Jesus. High priestly prayer in John 17. He thanks God for those whom the father has given to and praise that no one will ever be able to snatch them out of his pain, Christ prays for the preservation of his sheep because they are the gift that the father has given to him.

We tend to think of our salvation is a gift that God gives to us and certainly and we overlook that our salvation is a gift not only that God gives to us, but it is supremely a gift that he gives to his son that Jesus might see the travail of his soul and be satisfied we remember in the New Testament when Jesus dies, he's not married. He has no children. And in Hebrew terms the dirge and lament that follows that is taken from Isaiah 53 Fed who will declare his generation is been cut off from the land of the living that mournful dirge from Isaiah 53 complains about the death of one who is left without any descendents that it is applied finally and fully to Jesus dies childless who will declare his generation but that the son might see the travail of his soul. It's a word borrowed from the pangs of births and be satisfied God gives him children see David is concerned to move, not out of any virtue he finds in the process, not any particular love that he has for fibber Seth, but he is moved slow for John. Is there anyone I can find my king that I can honor for the sake of Jonathan is this not typical of our own redemption that God honors Christ by giving Christ us. We who are crippled but not only is he spared by David in the Old Testament, in the sense of escaping the sore but he is invited to come and live in the house of David that not only is he allowed to come and live in the palace. As if he were under some kind of house arrest back in some obscure corner of the palace but he is given access every day to the king's table. Do you realize what a privilege it is among royalty and the protocol that goes on within a monarchy to be allowed to die at the king's table. I've had people I've never had this express what I know people who have been invited to the White House for dinner and they come back there shaking knows they were so afraid they were in a folder napkin the wrong way. They were there were so intimidated that they didn't know what to do with themselves because it was such an officious moment in such a glorious honor to be invited to the table of the present United States will here's my fibber Seth, who was invited to the table of the king every day.

As an honored guest on fest oak of injury told the story. He said two things.

First of all, we have been given access the very family of God by being members of his church, not just the visible church, but the invisible church we've been brought into the house of God. The very house of our king because of the father's love for the son he is gone out into the highways and the byways. Not many wise, not many great people.

Has he chosen, but he's taken us those of us who are crippled and brought us into his house brought us into his family given us a title to his inheritance made us heirs with Christ joint heirs of God and adopted us as his sons and as his daughter.

But not only that, he brings us to his table. I have to tell you something. Ever since I heard that sermon from festive Coventry I think about again and again every time we celebrate the Sacrament of the Lord's supper is I can't get over with Christ would invite me to his table to eat with him to drink with him. There is something extremely intimate about the fellowship of table in a person's home. I know all kinds of people. I have all kinds of friends who've never been in my home. I know all kinds of people. I have all kinds of friends who have been in my home, but never for a meal.

There is something uniquely intimate and personal about breaking bread somebodies table. One thing to go out for dinner together. It's another thing to go to the house and Jesus invites his people, not simply into his house to his table where he is the host he's the one who's made the provisions he is the one who feeds us and who nurtures us with his own sustaining power with the process in the household of the king.

Christians in the household of Christ cripples together, who in ourselves have no claim to son ship, no claim, no right to be at the table. Christ is said come my beloved, we should remember that when we come into the house of the Lord and to the table of our God that it is because of the father's great love for what the New Testament says is his beloved Christ is the beloved of the father, Christ is supremely the apple of the father's and it's because of the father's great love for the son that we are invited to this extraordinary privilege of fellowship in his presence, your listening to Renewing Your Mind in a message by Dr. RC Sproul from his series on the life of David I'm Lee Webb in the thank you for being with us today. I had to tell you that that the story found in second Samuel chapter 9 resonated with me the first time I read it as a husband and father and the head of my householder. I thought about how rewarding it must've been for David to extend that kindness and then the witness but for the shifts. Humility and gratitude. It has to be one of my favorite passages in the Old Testament, and it was one of several motivating factors for me. When my wife and I made the decision to adopt a 13-year-old girl to be our daughter to bring her into our household. Note that it really points to what Paul writes in Ephesians. Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ weird RC connect the gospel to this Old Testament story and it's why I recommend our resource offer today. It's the special edition of Dr. scroll series duster glorious with 57 part study tour in RC points to the to the stream of grace that runs from Genesis to Revelation. In this special edition set provides an extra disc containing the study guide for the series so request duster glory with your gift of any amount to litigator ministries. You can do that online at Renewing Your Mind God word work.

You can call us at 800-435-4343 we also remind you to take advantage of linking your connector online learning community that provides a way to link up with small groups around the world with the study groups feature you have a private online classroom where you can invite friends or family members to take any course in our library. It's a great way to connect with them and with us. You can explore the courses and learn more. When you go to connect the linear.org Bell with a quorum. Dale thought for the day. Here's RC again.

I want us to think for a moment of how this Old Testament narrative instructs us who live in New Testament times. I've already referred to the analogy that exists is Bishop festive Coventry pointed out between my fibber Seth in the Old Testament, and we who are cripples in the New Testament, in that we are able to have access into the family of God and to the table of our Lord.

But more than that. I want us to understate the kind of love and care and concern that this story exhibits about the character of God that there is nothing in us that commends us to his love is become a cliché and filled with Triton us that God loves everybody. As if somehow it's his duty to love us what he does love us. But the thing that's astonishing is that there's no reason for him to love us because, in and of ourselves.

We are not intrinsically worthy of that love.

We are not lovely but it's on the basis of our connections that we are accepted in the presence of God that God loves us in Christ Jesus, that in Christ Jesus appears almost every page of the New Testament, but it talks about the spiritual union that God has brought the bear and brought the pass between Christians and their Lord and Savior.

And as long as Christ is in you and you are in Christ. There is a place for you at the table of the king and you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. As we continue the series in the life of David. Next week we will enter one of the darkest periods in his life. I hope you'll join us for the message titled David and Bathsheba next Saturday on Renewing Your Mind