May 19, 2015
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

A Heart for Disability

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Opening Prayer

Lord, You are mighty and strong. Today, lead me deeper into the strength that never fails as I walk with You.

Read 2 Samuel 8:15-9:13

[15] David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people. [16] Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder; [17] Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelek son of Abiathar were priests; Seraiah was secretary; [18] Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites; and David’s sons were priests. [1] David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” [2] Now there was a servant of Saul’s household named Ziba. They summoned him to appear before David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” “At your service,” he replied. [3] The king asked, “Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?” Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet.” [4] “Where is he?” the king asked. Ziba answered, “He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.” [5] So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel. [6] When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor. David said, “Mephibosheth!” “At your service,” he replied. [7] “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.” [8] Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?” [9] Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul’s steward, and said to him, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. [10] You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master’s grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.) [11] Then Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table like one of the king’s sons. [12] Mephibosheth had a young son named Mika, and all the members of Ziba’s household were servants of Mephibosheth. [13] And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table; he was lame in both feet.

Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Reflect

“We are never more the Church than in our identification with those who suffer. This is one vital way we participate in the vicarious suffering of Christ (Phil. 3:10)” (Richard Foster).

Everything had fallen into place. God promised David that one of his descendants would reign on the throne of Israel forever. David had subdued all the surrounding enemies, who no longer threatened Israel but rather paid Israel generous tribute. In fact, the coffers in Jerusalem received such a steady flow of taxation wealth that the people of Israel could relax and enjoy the support of their former enemies. They were flourishing in peace and well-being like never before. God was blessing them.

David was grateful. Because the king was able to let down his guard against local enemies, he paused to consider his loyalties to the house of Saul. Not surprisingly, David’s closest friend, Jonathan, Saul’s son, came to mind. What could the king over all Judah and Israel do to honor his deceased friend, who had been closer than a brother? When David inquired of his household servants, some of whom had served under Saul, one of them reminded David that Jonathan had a surviving son who was disabled from a childcare accident. Like Job of old who claimed to be “feet to the lame” (Job 29:15), David responded with kindness by inviting Mephibosheth to eat at his table as a son. He even gave him his grandfather Saul’s land inheritance and provided him with workers to cultivate his fields as a means of personal support. Mephibosheth went from a poverty-stricken outcast who found neither acceptance nor accessibility in his daily life, to being a child of the king.

God blesses those who help people with disabilities. God has always honored those who care for the needy, particularly those who cannot take care of themselves. If we take it upon ourselves to assist people with disabilities and accept them as our family, God will bless us richly and use our good example to challenge others.

Apply

Look at your family, friends, and neighbors to find someone with a disability. Commit to accepting and assisting that person.

Closing prayer

Lord, I am blessed not having to face the challenges that some do. Give me opportunities to bless others who struggle with all sorts of challenges.

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