2 Samuel 19:24-30

2 Samuel chapter 19 verses 24 to 30 and Mapheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king and had neither dressed his feet nor trimmed his beard nor washed his clothes from the day the king departed till the day he came again in peace and it came to pass when he was come to Jerusalem to meet the king that the king said unto him, wherefore wentest thou not with me, Maphetheth. And he answered, My lord, O king, my servant deceived me. But thy servant said, I will saddle me and ask that I may ride thereon and go to the king because thy servant is lame. And he has slandered thy servant unto my lord the king. But my lord the king is as an angel of God. do therefore what is good in thine eyes. 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 thy own table. What right therefore have I yet to cry any more unto the king? The king said unto him, why speakest thou any more of thy matters? I have said, thou in Ziba, divide the land. And Maphithithet said unto the king, yea, let him take all, for as much as my lord the king has come again, in peace, unto his own house. May God bless to us the reading of his sacred and holy word of this evening. I read a story about a man named Isidore Zimmerman, who served 25 years. years in the penitentiary for a crime that he didn’t commit. He had been convicted because of false testimony of killing a New York police officer, and it was a terrible miscarriage of justice. Many years later, however, his innocence was proven, and his conviction was reversed, and he was released from prison. It was a terrible thing to have your name dismerched and to suffer hardship when you were actually innocent. Such is the case of Maphetheth in our text, the lame son of Jonathan, the son of Saul. You have not heard of Maphethetheth since chapter 16 of this book. And then, of course, it was a bad report that Ziba, his servant, told David, he said that Maphibibeth stayed behind because he wasn’t loyal. That’s why he stayed at Jerusalem. He somehow fancied that Absalom’s revolt was going to revive the kingdom of Saul, and royal power was going to return to his lap. The helpless cripple was classified as a treacherous traitor by Zebel. as you now see from this text of scripture, it was all a lie. A falsehood meant to blacken the name of Maphyseth and ultimately enrich Zyba the servant. Now, however, Mapheth gets to speak for himself. He gets to defend his cause. And this was necessary for Zyba was quick to arrive and to greet the return. King, according to verse 17, he met him at the river of Jordan as he was crossing over, where as Mapheth was still back at Jerusalem, he cannot travel very easily without help because of his lameness. In many ways, Maphiseth, I think, provides an example of the plight of the Christian. If we can look at Mephyseth here as the one who waits for the return of his king. And we can put ourselves in that same category as we wait for the return of our king, the Lord Jesus Christ. I want to talk about godly contentment in suffering. I’ll begin by saying this. You can expect times of weeping and mourning as you await your king’s return. Verse 24 tells us, Mapheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king. and had neither dressed his feet nor trimmed his beard nor washed his clothes from the day the king departed until the day he came again in peace. Mepheboseth was loyal to David, but had to watch Absalon’s triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem. He wanted to join David’s band of faithful men, but Ziba’s deception prevented him from doing so. and he sees the kingdom split and he sees that Israel’s true king has been despised. And all his inheritance has been given to Zyva and he has been branded as a traitor. And during this time, Ephibisath continued in a melancholy and a neglected state because he neglected the care of himself. We say today a person really let himself go. Well, here, he didn’t change the bandages on his legs. He didn’t trim his beard. He didn’t even wash his clothes, the Bible tells us, until David returned. It was a sign that even though he couldn’t go with David, he was saying, I’m being exiles in spirit with you. And it was a time of mourning. on Jonathan, er on Maphyseth’s part. Scripture tells us there’s a time to weep, at a time to laugh, a time to mourn, a time to dance. The practical lesson is found in the words of Christ when he said, the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, meaning the people of God, and then shall they fast. Matthew 915. right now Christ’s disciples were not fasting even though the Pharisees fasted. Why do you disciples don’t fast? Well, the reason why is that the bridegroom was present with them. But there’s a day coming when the bridegroom will be gone. We’re in this situation where our bridegroom is away. We await his return. And it becomes you as a child of God to mourn during the absence of your king, the Lord Jesus Christ. while you await his return. How can we not bemoan the fact that people are usurping Christ’s rightful place and that Christ is rejected and despised as the true king? That the kingdom of God is in sad shape and it appears that Satan’s kingdom is advancing. And the people of God are often maligned and persecuted. and even have their property confiscated as we find in many other countries in our world. And therefore, should you not abridge any delight you have in the carnal things to some degree in this life, should we not be grieving over the state of the affairs of things in this world, the Christian needs to face dark times soberly, mournfully. And so the person, present state of affairs around you bring sorrow, and that’s what the case was with Maphiseth. Now, despite all your handicaps, you do what you can. Maphoseth is lame. He’s very limited in what he can do. His servant, Zybe, has given him the shaft and deserted him, so he’s without any help. His feet and whiskers and his smelly collos testified of his loyal. to the true king, David. He made no secret of his loyalty by behaving in this manner. Even when Absalon became the king and entered triumphantly into the city, here he is, showing his loyalty to David. Indeed, his disheveled appearance showed that he had forced upon himself, he forced himself really to share in David’s exile, as I said in spirit. Jesus’ words come to mind concerning Mary when she anointed him with the precious ointment before his death and burial. In Mark 148, we read the words, she have done what she could. She has done what she could. That’s what the Christian should look as, that’s the way we should look at our situation. Do what you can. to further the kingdom of God. I read a story about O-Rope, who was a boy that lived near the mission station in Sudan. The missionary, Don McClure, tells how O-Rope loved to come to the school that he had there. He said the only problem was he couldn’t learn anything. Could even write the letters of his name in their proper order. Whenever he heard the stories of the Bible, he decided he would round up a group of boys and retell the stories, only got them all mixed up and never could tell them in the proper way. So McClure had to forbid O-Rope from telling the biblical stories or narratives to the children. However, Dr. McClure gave O-Rope a special task which he could do. Because when McClure went out to preach in the various village, villages, he would have O’Rope carry what he called God’s book. It was McClure’s Bible. And so he would, that was his job. He could do that. So he would meet the missionary at sunrise every day, ready to carry the Bible to the next village for him so that he could preach the Word of God. It’s something he could do. He was limited to. what he could do, but that was something he could do, and McClure found a job that he could do. And that’s what he did. And his dedication to this task actually had an influence on his mother, who saw how dedicated he was, and eventually began to seek the Lord and came to know Christ. Friends, you may not always be able to do what you’d like to do to advance the kingdom of God. Maybe you and I are hindered by our health. were hindered by our circumstances, our finances, whatever the case may be. Learn to do what you can’t, however small it may be, however mundane it may be, to aid the kingdom of God. Because the king knows your heart and your present circumstances. Don’t fret about your inability. What you can’t do. Focus on what you can do to help the kingdom of God and achieve something of value. You could expect times of weeping and mourning as you await your king’s return. Secondly, you could expect to be maliciously maligned by the wicked while awaiting your king’s return. And we see that in verses 25 to 28 here. Now, ungodly people are capable of doing you great harm. He tells us here in verses 25 in the first part of verse 27, what Ziba did to slander him, how he slandered him before the king. David surprised to see Maphibibibibet after the false impression that was given by Ziba concerning him. So David asked him why he, being one of the king’s family, had remained behind and didn’t accompany David in his exile. Phyipaseth explains the evil done to him by Zyba his servant. Zyba, who should have been caring for him, actually prevented him from going with David. Zyba took the ass himself, which evidently it had been made ready for his master. And his master was left without any helper to get him out of the city. And then Zyba slanders him and speaks about his dislo. loyalty. So by lying through his teeth, Zyba had managed to steal away from a Phibbetheth all his land. It becomes apparent here that one wicked person can do much harm in this life. Lying, slandering you. People will malign you, lie about you, spread false reports, and swindle you out of your possessions. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindlest and the tongue is a fire. A world of iniquity, James tells us. We see how the evil that it does in this case. But God promises in Psalm 101, verse 5, whosoever privily slandereth his neighbor, him will I cut off. I read a story many years ago, early in 1928. Hundreds of poison pen letters were written to the inhabitants of Robin Hood’s Bay, a village of 800 on the east coast of England. As each recipient thought he was the only person that was attacked, and the letters were so vicious and vile, they basically didn’t say anything to anyone else about the letters. It wasn’t until 1948 that it really was discovered that almost every person in the entire village had received a poison pen letter, if not several of them, over this period of time. These nasty, abusive, vulgar letters, without justification, they accused people of terrible offenses such as prostitution, infanticide, incest. For more than 20 years, these poison pen letters spread great unhappiness and misery, and no one ever did find out who said. at the letters. There was only one church in the village, and they had three pastors, and they all left. No doubt they too had received these letters. Ungodly people think nothing of doing such things, destroying lies, and even laughing about it when they do so. Ungodly people are capable of doing you great harm. Now, learned to leave your plight. in the wise and just hands of your king. On the latter part of verse 27, after he says that he’s been slandered, he says, But my Lord the king is as an angel of God, do therefore what is good in thine eyes. Nefiviseth expresses confidence in the wisdom and the knowledge of his king. He’s satisfied that the king would do the right thing. He’s not. afraid to leave the matter in David’s capable hands. He believed David certainly could discern who was telling the truth and who was lying in this situation because he says you’re like an angel of God, one that can know these things. Now as a believer, you need to have this kind of confidence in your king, the Lord Jesus Christ. When you were maligned and you’re mistreated in this life, the question is, are you willing to leave the matter in the Lord’s hands? Sadly, a few Christians are willing to say of the Lord, let him do to me what seemeth good unto him. In times of trouble and hardship, we want relief. We want a good outcome. We want a justification when we know that we’re innocent. But do we trust the wisdom of our king? Are you confident that he will eventually sort everything out? I think one of the reasons professing Christians retaliate is that we don’t want to leave the matter into his hands because I’m not sure whether he’s going to straighten the thing out for us or not. We’re not prepared to leave it in Christ’s hands. We want to take the matter into our own hands. I read a story about a young boy who had a told. a boat that he had made. He had carved it and put it together and he put it out on the pond. He was going to do a little sailing out on the pond. While he was playing with it along the water edge, the boat slipped away from where he couldn’t reach it and it got out further than he could go. And in his distress, he turned to one of the older boys that were there on the shore with him. Without saying a word, the older boys. boy when asked for help picked up some stones and began to throw them at the boat. The little boy became upset because this is not the kind of help he expected. Indeed, he thought the older boy was being mean in trying to sink his boat. But then eventually he noticed that instead of hitting the boat, the older boy was throwing the stones over the boat on the other side so that they would hit the water and they would make a small ripple, which would push the boat a little bit closer to the shore each time. And so he kept throwing the stones in such a way that the boat slowly, gradually was moved back and the boy could reach out and grab his boat. I told you that story to tell you this. Sometimes, it seems as if God brings circumstances in your life which seem wrong, which don’t seem to make sense to you. But we have to be. to learn to trust him. He knows exactly what he’s doing and what’s best for him, and we shouldn’t doubt him. Sometimes he looks like he’s throwing stones at our boat, but he’s not really throwing stones at our boat. Shall not the God of all the earth do what is right? Isn’t he wise and discerning? Doesn’t he have a good purpose in what he’s doing? So we have to learn to trust in him. Notice also tonight, regardless of what you suffer, gratefully acknowledge your king’s kindness. Verse 28, 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. Right right there, for have I to cry any more under the king. As a member of the formal opposing regime, Saul’s house, what could Maphetheth say? He had no right to expect any favor from David. because of David’s covenant with Jonathan, David certainly showed favor to Maphibibiseth, but it was undeserved. Mapheth pondering his present, distressing circumstances, looks back upon the blessings that have been granted to him by King David prior to this. How that King David had taken him like his own son, and let him eat at the king’s table, along with the rest of the family of the king. So what right does he have to complain? Even if he didn’t receive anything else from David, that was a real blessing that he had received in the past. You know, scripture reminds us as we go through this life, that we’re not to forget all the benefits of the Lord in Psalm 103, verse 2. In the dark times, it’s easy to be melancholy. It’s easy to be depressed. By a strange perversity because of the fall that we have, our mind seems to magnify the bad things that happen in our life and minimize the good things. And we’re always saying, woe is me. And your memory conveniently forgets all the blessings you have received from your king, the Lord Jesus. Christ. You tenaciously focus on your grievances and your mind is stirred up, has to be stirred up, to remember all the good things God has provided. Scriptures, don’t forget all his benefits. Stir up your mind. Think about these things. You know, during a long, dreary, rainy day, and at the end of the day, and the sun comes out, pops out, and finally you get some sun and some warmth. And as the sunshine pops through your living room window, you notice the dog begins to stir. And he gets up and he wags his tail and he shifts his position so that he goes to the living room window so he lays down in the sunshine. They can get the heat and the warmth of the sun coming in because all day he’s been without the sunshine. That’s what the dog does. He likes the sunshine. So he moves into the warm brightness of the sunshine. Here’s a lesson for us. Find a little bit of sunshine when you’ve been under the shadow of gloom. Find some brightness. Don’t just sit there in the gloom in your present dark circumstances. Stir yourself. Let your mind move you to a better, brighter place by reviewing all the benefits granted to you. by the Lord Jesus Christ and so I can say get in the spiritual sunshine in that sense. So you can expect to be maliciously maligned by the wicked while awaiting your king’s return. Third and lastly, you’d expect your love for your returning king to be tested. Versus 29 and third. Now you find Amaphethethetheth’s heart tested here. people have been puzzled by David’s response to Baphysse defense. He gives them the defense. I have been slander. And what does David say in verse 29? He’s well, okay, you and Ziba divide the land, he says. Now that’s not the response we expect him to say. We expect him to get it all restored to him and everything back to normal. So why does David offered to divide the land between Maphibiseth and Zyba. Didn’t he believe Mapheth? Obviously, he doesn’t confirm his previous granting of all Saul’s land to Zyba. That fact favors Maphetheth. Zyba, however, has been a big help to King David, bringing food and supplies, as we previously saw, while he was in exile. That favors Zyba. So it seems clear enough that Zyba is lying and really should be punished, according to Deuteronomy Chapter 19. But David is reluctant to do so. So why the compromise here? Well, can I say that one of the reasonable answers to this is perhaps David is testing Maph’s heart to draw out his affections. Did Mephiviseth have a mercenary spirit. Was his devotion to David greater than his love of possessions, the land, and all its crops, and so forth? Isn’t interesting. We have a similar situation that came up in David’s sons, Solomon’s reign early on as king of the land. Two harlots came before the king. Both of these women had given birth to a child and one accidentally at night had laid on the child or rolled over on the child next to her and smothered the child. But during the night, she swapped babies with the other heartlight. And so when morning came, one baby was dead and the other alive, but the mother suspected that something wasn’t right. This doesn’t look like my baby. You swapped the babies. And so they end up in court before King Solomon, each claiming to be the mother of the living baby. And what did Solomon say? Well, bring the sword, divide the living child and two, give half the one and half to the other. Isn’t that sort of the very proposal that David here makes here with regard to Maphyseth and with regard to Zyba? Divide the land. And how did matters work with the two harlots? While the imposter said, well, that’s a good idea. Let’s divide the baby. But the real mother said, no, don’t kill the child. Give it to her. And so King Solomon obviously knew who who the real mother was. In this response, David discerned who was telling the truth. Notice a similar response of Maphibiseth, who’s the truth teller here in verse 30. Let’s I keep all the land. I’m glad you’re back. And David knew, of course, of the love that Maphibibibib had for him. So this clearly indicates the genuineness of his devotion to David. Let him keep the land. The land’s not the most important thing. The important thing is your back. And you’re my king. Now we see that the king’s favor rested on Mithevicef the rest of his days because to the end of this book, there is a famine in the land. And it was because Saul Saul had slain the Gibianites with whom the Israelites had made a covenant long ago during the days of Joshua. And because he was killing off the Gibianites and his zeal, God brought this famine on the Israelites. Later on, years later. And so in order to get satisfaction for this sin in the slaughter of the Gimianites, it was expressly recorded that the Gibianites said, you know, give us seven sons of Saul that may be put to death for slaughtering us, symbolically saying evening things up in a way. And so the king agreed to do that, but what does the Bible say? He spared who? He spared Mephaviseth. Didn’t have him numbered among those of Saul’s house that were put to death. What about the wicked Zibir? Well, he’s allowed to escape punishment, sort of like Shimei, because David is in a forgiving mood at this point. So you find Maphivis’ heart tested. You know, Christ test the loyalty of your heart to him. What do you value more? The things of this world or the exaltation of your king, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the advancement of his kingdom on the earth. People show interest in Christ in his kingdom for a variety of reasons. If we’re honest, we look at situations, we begin to realize that people often do things with regard to the kingdom of God and what they say about Christ for selfish motivation. To get some advantage. Perhaps their interest in Christ in his kingdom mollifies aging parents, or maybe it pacifies a spot, or some have followed Christ for business purposes because the church have a lot of people. Churches have a lot of people in them normally, and that’s business contacts. So I go to church for that reason. Some in order to be able to marry the daughter of a Christian parents, well, she won’t go out with me unless I profess faith in Christ. So they make a profession of faith in feigned interest in religious matters. the emperor Maximilian show great zeal against idolatry. And wherever he could find idols, he would melt down the gold and silver images. He made a decree that they should do this. They should be confiscated by the state. And then they would melt them down. He was extremely zealous about this. Was he really, you know, promoting Christ? and attacking idolatry? Not really, he kept the silver and the gold when they melted it down and put it in his treasury. So really, it was all about money. It really wasn’t about advancing Christ in his kingdom. It was enriching himself. Some supposedly love Christ because they get to carry the money bag like Judas. Well, there’s some profit to be gained if I’m among the disciples. But the true Christian is, often tested to see if they’re willing to suffer loss in order to follow Christ. The loss of all things out of devotion for the Lord. To be like Maphibis here, okay, I will lose it all as long as I have my king. What is your motivation in following Christ? Is your heart as genuinely devoted to your king even if the cost is high. Isidori Zimmerman was falsely accused and spent 25 years in prison for killing a police officer that he didn’t kill. And he wasn’t guilty. He was living under the dark cloud of this lie in slander. So Maph had to live under this lie of slander here and we find that this is not always easy to do. It’s not always easy to clear yourself. Even when you’re completely innocent. be aware of the great harm that people can do as ungodly people in this world. Gratefully acknowledge your king’s kindness even during your days of difficulty and suffering. Learn to leave your plight in the wise and just hands of your king. He’s discerning. He knows what to do. And expect your love for your king to be tested to prove its genuineness. We’ll let us close.