You may have heard a pastor or two mention the word “typology” as it relates to the Old Testament and how it foretells Jesus as the Savior and Messiah. What does typology mean? It’s when you have…
- a real person, a place, object, or an event that is true, real and factual and
- that is God-ordained resembling Jesus’ person or work, not by mere chance, but by divine plan
- a predictive pattern or resemblance of Jesus
- the same truth found in the Old Testament and is fulfilled in the New
- a picture of Jesus’ person or work enlarged and clarified in the fulfillment
- even a picture of Jesus’ enemies
In today’s 2 scriptures, we have that very clearly. Let’s dig in….
2 Samuel 9 – Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s Son
One day David asked, “Is anyone in Saul’s family still alive—anyone to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 He summoned a man named Ziba, who had been one of Saul’s servants. “Are you Ziba?” the king asked.
“Yes sir, I am,” Ziba replied.
3 The king then asked him, “Is anyone still alive from Saul’s family? If so, I want to show God’s kindness to them.”
Ziba replied, “Yes, one of Jonathan’s sons is still alive. He is crippled in both feet.”
4 “Where is he?” the king asked.
“In Lo-debar,” Ziba told him, “at the home of Makir son of Ammiel.”
5 So David sent for him and brought him from Makir’s home. 6 His name was Mephibosheth; he was Jonathan’s son and Saul’s grandson. When he came to David, he bowed low to the ground in deep respect. David said, “Greetings, Mephibosheth.”
Mephibosheth replied, “I am your servant.”
7 “Don’t be afraid!” David said. “I intend to show kindness to you because of my promise to your father, Jonathan. I will give you all the property that once belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will eat here with me at the king’s table!”
8 Mephibosheth bowed respectfully and exclaimed, “Who is your servant, that you should show such kindness to a dead dog like me?”
9 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. 10 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.)
11 Ziba replied, “Yes, my lord the king; I am your servant, and I will do all that you have commanded.” And from that time on, Mephibosheth ate regularly at David’s table, like one of the king’s own sons.
12 Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica. From then on, all the members of Ziba’s household were Mephibosheth’s servants. 13 And Mephibosheth, who was crippled in both feet, lived in Jerusalem and ate regularly at the king’s table.
2 Samuel 9 NLT
Points to Ponder
- Remember in yesterday’s Psalm 60, David didn’t see Saul as his enemy. Usually, a king would want to make sure there were no heirs of the former king who could claim the throne.
- David discovers that Saul indeed has a living grandson, Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth.
- Back in 2 Samuel 4:4, we learned that when news of King Saul’s death reached his home, Mephibosheth’s nurse, grabbed him and ran. The child was 5 at the time, and she dropped him, crippling him for the rest of his life. We, like Mephibosheth, fell. We fell from God’s Grace and are crippled with our sin. (For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Romans 3:23 NLT)
- Just like Mephibosheth felt unworthy, we are unworthy to be in the presence of God.
- David loved Jonathan and he blessed Mephibosheth on behalf of his father. We are blessed by God the father on behalf of Jesus.
- He adopted Mephibosheth, just like we are adopted into God’s family and eat at the Lord’s table when we take communion.
- Instead of eliminating Mephibosheth as a possible threat, David exalted him. We deserve elimination because of our sin, but we are exalted into God’s Kingdom in Heaven!
Psalm 23 – The Good Shepherd
We’re going to take this psalm verse by verse from the NLT…
1 The Lord is my shepherd;
I have all that I need.
Everything we have is because God allows us to have it. He is our provider. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.(Matthew 6:33 NLT)
2 He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
Sheep don’t lie down and rest unless they feel safe, are not hungry and aren’t pestered by flies. They also won’t drink from a rushing river. It has to be a calm stream or still water.
3 He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. (Isaiah 53:6 NLT) If a sheep falls and lands on its back, it can’t get back up. The blood stops flowing to its legs. The shepherd has to massage its legs to stimulate the blood flow so it can stand again. God renews our souls with His strength. He also guides us with His wisdom through the Holy Spirit.
4 Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.
It’s a dark valley, it has shadows. We cannot be afraid of shadows. Shadows can’t hurt us. Death is but a shadow. Believers can’t be afraid of death, because Jesus gave us eternal life and He walks close beside us!
A shepherd uses his rod as a weapon to fend off predators. Satan is our predator and we know what Jesus does to him in the end! Furthermore, He uses his staff, which has a hook, to pull sheep back who are wandering too close to a cliff.
5 You prepare a feast for me
in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.
We are blessed over and over again. We are anointed with the Holy Spirit.
6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
forever.
Jesus told this parable…
12 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? 13 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away!
Matthew 18:12-13 NLT
Meet the Good Shepherd
Jesus assured us…
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”
John 14:1-4 NLT
Do YOU Know the Way to Where He Is?
He is in Heaven preparing a place for YOU! When it’s all ready, when God, the Father, says it’s time, Jesus will come back to get His flock. That, friend, is the Rapture. And it can happen at any moment! We are living in the end times, the last days. If you are not born again, you will be LEFT BEHIND!
Sure, you may survive the Rapture, and you can accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior then, but you’ll also have to endure the Great Tribulation. For sure, that’s not going to be fun.
It’s YOUR CHOICE!
If you’re not sure if you’re saved or not, if you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, feel His Shalom — a peace that surpasses all understanding, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven after you die, or that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, which can happen at any moment, this is what you have to do…
Invite Jesus into Your Heart and Receive the Gift of Grace, Joy, Peace, and the Confident Hope of Eternal Life…
Shepherd of My Soul
Soli Deo Gloria! To God Alone Be the Glory!
Top image by Sweet Publishing from FreeBibleImages.org, (CC BY-SA 3.0)
