July 2, 2023 - Generational Blessing

6 Then David put garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Syrians became servants to David and brought tribute. And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.

Blessings here certainly flowed to David...

But there’s another side to God’s blessings being worked out in our lives…that we see in the following text

2 Samuel 9:1–13 ESV

1 And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” 3 And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?” Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.” 4 The king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.” 5 Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar. 6 And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, “Mephibosheth!” And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.” 7 And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.” 8 And he paid homage and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?” 9 Then the king called Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson. 10 And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master’s grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s grandson shall always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. 11 Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so will your servant do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table, like one of the king’s sons. 12 And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba’s house became Mephibosheth’s servants. 13 So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king’s table. Now he was lame in both his feet.

What we see here - in this passage - is a case of Generational Blessing!

David has just come out of...

Hearing about the Promises of God…in God’s COVENANT with David...

David then spends time SITTING before the Lord in WORSHIP and prayer...

He then EXPERIENCES victory after victory after victory on the battle field…

FROM THERE - David says this...

2 Samuel 9:1 ESV

1 And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”

So David here is looking to BLESS someone - of the house of Saul...

For what reason??

For Jonathan’s sake…!

NOW - why Jonathan?

Do you remember how Jonathan lived his life?

Remember this?

1 Samuel 14:6 ESV

6 Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the Lord will work for us, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.”

Jonathan was in battle...

And he was in a STICKY situation...

He wasn’t in the best spot!!

The ODDS - were stacked against him…!!

So what does he decide?

Let’s go over to the Garrison (Governor) of the Enemy...

And - - “Perhaps (It may be that) God will work for us!”

What is Jonathan saying here??

“Perhaps the Lord will work for us”

He’s saying -

YES - I AM 100% CERTAIN that God - CAN do it.

YES - God is ABLE to DO IT

YES - God MAY WELL be PLEASED to do it...

and because THAT’S true...

We’ll NEVER KNOW unless we - STEP OUT and - - SEE!

In saying “PERHAPS” - He’s confessing the POWER of God (God CAN do this)

But ALSO in saying “PERHAPS” - He’s acknowledging the FREEDOM of God to do as He pleases!!

Faith is NOT the MASTER of God!

Faith recognizes its own - ignorance!

Jonathan was willing to walk INTO - the “Perhaps” of God!

THIS is who Jonathan was...

Who in here would LOVE to be a person who LIVED that way??

I hope we ALL would...

So David..........WHY Jonathan?

THAT’s why - Jonathan!

Jonathan had endeared himself to David...

David had endeared himself - to Jonathan. (they were friends)

The Bible tells us that David was a man after God’s own heart...

Could we say the same about Jonathan?

Yes.

NOW - was Jonathan a perfect man?

Of course not - YET - God chose to extend generational blessing - on account of him.

And so David was an AGENT of God - used to bless the house of Saul - on account of Jonathan.

And so when we go back to that WORD we started off this sermon with...

LEGACY...

We see how this concept - applies to God’s economy.

How God works!

Jonathan’s choices...

Jonathan’s life...

His faith...

IMPACTED the life of his offspring.

SLIDE:

Our choices, our lives, and our faith will impact the lives of our kids and generations to come.

So what Blessings came - and to whom?

Back to our text...

2 Samuel 9:3 ESV

3 And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?” Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.”

So one of Jonathan’s sons was still alive - he was crippled in his feet.

2 Samuel 9:4–6 ESV

4 The king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.” 5 Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar. 6 And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, “Mephibosheth!” And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.”

So Jonathan’s son (Mephibosheth) - comes to David…And David tells him his fortune...

2 Samuel 9:7 ESV

7 And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.”

NOW - this verse will be our PILLAR we’ll come back to - for the rest of the sermon.

HERE we begin to see - the blessings that came to Jonathan’s son...

What I want to do is - AS we walk through these - i want to also look at the CORRELATING blessing that comes to us - due to OUR FATHER’s work…God’s WORK - for us!

See - Jonathan’s son was being blessed DUE TO HIS FATHER’s life.

WE ALSO - are blessed DUE TO OUR FATHER’s work.

We also are blessed - due to Christ’s work on the cross...

Looking at this verse on the screen - what’s the first blessing that we see?

SLIDE: Generational Blessing: Peace

Generational Blessing

2 Samuel 9:7 ESV

Do not - fear.

Mephibosheth had lost his grandfather in battle...

He had lost his father in battle...

And in DOING SO - he lost many other things as well.

ONE of them - PROBABLY being - peace.

But David here says - right off the bat...

Do not - fear.

David was saying - Do not FEAR - Restoration is coming!

DUE TO SOMEONE ELSE - Do not fear!

DUE to your father Jonathan - do not fear...

Kindness is coming.

And so - where there is NO FEAR - there is - - PEACE.

David is saying - Be at peace!

In this case - David had the power to bring either - Wrath and fury on this man....

OR...

Peace and kindness

David chose peace and kindness…

But like we said - there’s another side to this coin.

God bestows generational blessings - to those whom are His.

Of course - this is God’s choosing...

He is FREE to do as He pleases...

BUT - His word does speak to this very thing.

Deuteronomy 30:19 ESV

19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,

Psalm 100:5 ESV

5 For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 145:4 ESV

4 One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.

Here in Proverbs 4 we read of a Father’s instructions for his son...

Proverbs 4:10–11 ESV

10 Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. 11 I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness.

Luke 1:50 ESV

50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

Here we see BLESSINGS - but it seems there can also be - Consequences to poor choices...

Numbers 14:18 ESV

18 ‘The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.’

IN CHRIST - there is therefore now no condemnation...

BUT - there can be consequences to poor choices...

We will REAP what we SOW - in this fallen world!

And so KNOW THIS....

SLIDE:

Everyone leaves behind a legacy. Ultimately, it will either be a legacy of heartache and pain, or a legacy of faith.

And so if I am - as a DAD - discipling my kids to LOVE and FOLLOW Jesus...

then that means I’m leaving behind a legacy of PEACE.

As we know - ONLY in JESUS - is true - PEACE found.

What kind of peace?

Romans 5:1 ESV

1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Peace with GOD!

Is there a more important KIND of Peace??

Jonathan’s pursuit of God in his life - led to his son - finding PEACE under King David.

Parents - your pursuit of God in this life - can lead to your kids finding peace under King Jesus!

But what else?

Back to our text...

2 Samuel 9:7 ESV

What’s the next generational blessing we see from David…?

SLIDE: Generational Blessing: Kindness of God

Generational Blessing

In our passage today - it was David who was bestowing this blessing on Jonathan’s son...

NOW - in CONTEXT - why is that significant?

It’s significant because of who Mephibosheth’s grandfather was...

SAUL

David was King over all of Israel.

He could have wiped out Saul’s household if he wanted to…right?

Saul was constantly trying to kill David...

But instead of taking matters into his own hands - David was constantly saying what?

He was constantly saying - I will not take out who God had anointed!

I will not take control of the situation...

I will let God CONTROL it!

David knew what EVERYONE else was saying - THEY ALL thought he should have killed Saul when he had the chance.

But he wouldn’t!

Instead - he showed Saul - Kindness!

AND NOW - following God’s BLESSING on Him - DAVID was now extending blessing to Saul’s household - DUE TO JONATHAN!

And so - it seems in ANY situation - we can find reason to - Bless Others!

And so - isn’t it amazing to think - that MY CHOICES in life - can have a DIRECT impact on - GOD - showing KINDNESS to my kids… and their kids…and their kids.

And so - to set this up a bit more - let’s look at how life starts for all people...

Psalm 51:5 ESV

5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

We enter this world - UNDER the BANNER - of sin.

BECAUSE we’re sinful...

And that’s why John 3:36 says what it says...

John 3:36 ESV

36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

John 3:18 ESV

18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

And so - as humans - SINNERS in a fallen world..

We - by DEFAULT - are under God’s wrath.

Judgment already RENDERED...

WHICH MEANS - no matter WHAT we do in life - no matter how...

NOBLE

LOVING

SACRIFICIAL

SELFLESS

ALL of it… is rendered - SINFUL

BUT - my life - HOW I live my life...

the choices I make - can take THAT horrible scenario for my kids...

And TURN it on it’s head - for them.

What do I mean?

Think of how KIND - this is of God.

When we surrender our lives to God - thru Faith in Jesus...

That scenario - of ANYTHING done in our lives as being SINFUL..

Gets turned upside down.

When we’re IN CHRIST… believers and followers of Him...

THIS NOW BECOMES true...

Romans 8:1 ESV

1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

THIS IS NOW TRUE in Christ...

Romans 8:38–39 ESV

38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Apart from Christ - Apart from FAITH in Christ - EVERYTHING we do is SIN...

IN CHRIST - there’s NOTHING we can do to separate ourselves from His love!

Wow - THAT’s kindness!

And my choices in life - can IMPACT God’s KINDNESS toward my children.

But what else?

Back to our text...

2 Samuel 9:7 ESV

What other blessing do we see?

SLIDE: Generational Blessing: Restoration

Generational Blessing

What kind of restoration?

In THIS case - LAND.

All the land that had belonged to Mephibosheth’s grandfather - Saul…Was being returned to the family.

And so DUE to Jonathan…and his choices…UNDER the ultimate sovereignty of God...

The family estate - was being RESTORED!

Restoration occurred

And what a blessing that would have been to Mephibosheth!

I would imagine that the valley he had been in, was one of...

Uncertainty… (are you in that valley now?)

Doubt… (you there now?)

Fear… (you there now?)

Lack of Trust… (you there?)

NOT ONLY THAT - the physical land of the family...

GONE.

But now - Restored!

God - thru David - restored the land of Saul - to his grandson - due to Jonathan...

Well - the same God who restored back then - is the same God who restores now!

Through our choices TODAY - under God’s absolute sovereignty...

Restoration - in the lives of our kids and generations to come can flow from God’s kindness toward them!

Could it also have to do with LAND or the physical world?

Sure...

But I think there’s a deeper meaning here.

There’s a more important restoration that can occur.

Maybe it’s a restored relationship

Maybe a restored marriage

Maybe it’s a RESTORED SOUL...

Legacy

What kind of Legacy will we leave behind?

Who desires to leave behind - Ashes for our kids to SIFT thru - throughout their lives?

Ashes for our kids to - SEEK God THRU?

Ugh…God forbid.

God - have mercy

But God wasn’t done…with Mephibosheth...

2 Samuel 9:7 ESV

SLIDE: Generational Blessing: Adoption

Generational Blessing

David says - you shall eat at my table always

Thinking deeper about this blessing - we need to know that this privilege of eating at the King’s table would have been a GIVEN for family.

And so - Mephibosheth would have lost this future privilege the moment his father (Jonathan) - died.

And so for David to RESTORE this privilege...

It would be equivalent to David - ADOPTING Mephibosheth...

As his own - so that HE was now family!

Think of what this would signified to Mephibosheth…!!

David could have sought to DESTROY Saul’s household…!

INSTEAD - GOD - thru David - extends MERCY....and puts on display - adoption - WHY?

On account of Jonathan.

Generational blessing!

David was saying to - Mephibosheth - You’re still a part of this family...

TODAY - God will extend to the next generation - and generations to come - His OWN adoption...

and can choose to do that based on the faith of a father.

Ephesians 1:5 ESV

5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

Romans 8:15 ESV

15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

Romans 8:23 ESV

23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

Galatians 4:4–5 ESV

4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

God CALLS those who are HIS -

those chosen in HIM before the foundations of the world...

YET - woven into the FABRIC of His calling - is US - working out our salvation with fear and trembling...

What have we seen today?

We’ve seen:

Generational Blessing

Peace

Kindness of God

Restoration

Adoption

EACH of these blessings - described as physical in nature in our text today...

BUT - we know there’s a deeper meaning for us today.

What I know FOR ME - is that what rang true this week - as I prepared this - is the IMPACT that my life will have on my family and kids.

Generations to come.

And part of me - TOOK COMFORT - in the fact that this man - the son of Jonathan...

Was a crippled man.

I took comfort in that - because I know how crippled I am.

These truths today - make me GRATEFUL for my own parents - as I look around at the blessings in my life.

And grateful for my wife… who is FAR less crippled than I am…

Let’s pray.

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