2 Sam 4:4, 2 Sam 9:8-11

Glyn Barrett

One of my favourite authors is Mark Twain, you may remember him from stories such as Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. He has an incredible ability to represent the realities of society in an exciting and seemingly fictitious way. I think this is best found in the classic piece, The Prince and The Pauper. The story is about a beggar boy and the Prince of England who are identical in appearance and decide to exchange roles for the day. In a series of twists and turns Twain captures brilliantly what it means to 'live in somebody else's shoes'. If you have ever thought that you too would like to be in 'someone else's shoes', if you've ever thought that 'the grass is always greener on the other side', then you too have fallen for The Prince and The Pauper syndrome.

In the Bible, Mephibosheth, son of Jonathon, son of King Saul, was both the prince and the pauper. He was of royal descent but at age five circumstances beyond his control left him a pauper. He was dropped by his nurse and crippled, robbed of the potential to run and to walk in an instant (2 Sam 4:4). Sometimes, we can fall into this trap with our lives in God. We are by definition a child of the King, yet so often circumstances beyond our control, leave us beneath our station. Why is it that we are the "head and not the tail" but we don't feel it? How come we are "more than a conqueror" but don't sense it? Why, when we have "more than enough," do we find ourselves asking, 'where is it?' I think we could learn a few lessons from Mephibosheth.

Lesson 1

You are never down and out - only down and in.

Mephibosheth was born with the potential to run, walk, and play just like every other five year old. As royalty, the world should have been his oyster but this was taken from him in an instant when he was dropped and made "lame in both feet." There is potential in all of our lives to lose in a moment that which we have been given. Yet, the truth with God is:

• When you are down - you are never out.


• When you are restricted - you are never condemned.


• When you are limited - you are never sentenced.


• When you are defined - you are never defeated.

What we notice about this story is that Mephibosheth is later invited to eat at the King's table "like one of the King's sons" (2 Sam 9:11). Our God has a way of restoring to us that which circumstances have robbed.

Lesson 2

Even crippled Princes can run

Even though Mephibosheth was crippled in both feet, he knew where to run (no pun intended!) The Bible tells us that Mephibosheth was "at the house of Makir, son of Ammiel in Lo Debar." 'Makir' means 'sold' and 'Ammiel' means 'God is my redeemer' so we find Mephibosheth residing in a place sold out to God as Saviour. If your conviction is that of God as your Saviour, Redeemer and Helper you will never loose out. Let's make sure we live as a child of a King, and press on to live in the fullness of life that God intended.

Lesson 3

The way has already been prepared

I find that people are very good at developing routine. We really are creatures of habit. You could set your watch by me sometimes - it's guaranteed I'll take an Americano at 9.05am and by 12.30am I've moved on to Coke Zero, with intermittent bottles of water because it's good for me! The way I always sit in the middle of the row, two thirds of the way up at the cinema. I'm pretty much sat in my seat before I know it because I've switched to autopilot. Think about your own life for a minute - think about how you do certain things at specific times, how you order the same meal at your favourite restaurant, how you wear a certain shirt because it's your 'posh' one. See, you do it too! We all have these routines and habits that make up our day to day lives.

Mephibosheth was exactly the same - except he'd become accustomed to a certain way of thinking about himself. When King David offered to show him kindness he was overwhelmed, unsure as to why he should "notice a dead dog like me" (2 Sam 9:8). The boy was so used to thinking negatively about himself that his poor self-image clouded his thinking. What Mephibosheth hadn't realised is that this wasn't King David bowing to an inferiority complex, but it was God staying faithful by restoring "everything that belonged to Saul and his family" (2 Sam 9:9). Mephibosheth would now never go without and he would always eat at the King's table (2 Sam 9:10). Whenever you have success, whenever it feels like things are just working out for you, be sure to remember the guys who went before you. The latest ministry you're a part of, the next building you buy, the recent favour you walked into, will no doubt be off the back of the guys who went before; their prayers, their diligence and their faith. You really are standing on the shoulders of giants!

I thank God for my Dad who started a church in Manchester in the 60s. I pastor one now in the same city and I know that for every new family we welcome in, for every decision made for Jesus, my Dad and his team played a vital part sowing seed all those years ago. They had already made a way for us to now build an incredible church.

The story of Mephibosheth serves to remind us that we are of royal descent, a child of the King. Thank God that he always sees the prince in us and never the pauper.