1 Chron. 16:37-43, 2 Sam. 6:20-23, 2 Sam. 8:15-18 (1 Chron. 18:14-17), 2 Sam. 9:1-13, 1 Chron. 17:1-2 (2 Sam. 7:1-3), 2 Sam. 7:4-29 (1 Chron. 17:3-27)
Ryan: The story of David bringing Mephibosheth into his house and having him sit at his table every night, and restoring all of Saul’s land to him and his family is a wonderfully touching story. I feel that it greatly mirrors our own relationship with God. During those days, if you were offspring of a former (ousted) king, you would most likely be put to death so that you would never be able to attempt to reclaim the throne. So in one sense, Mephibosheth “deserved” to die, simply for being offspring of David’s enemy. However, because he was Jonathan’s son–and David loved Jonathan as he loved himself–Mephibosheth was not only spared, but treated as family. In the same way, if it were not for Jesus, we would also deserve to die for being slaves to sin. But, because of God’s love for His Son, we are not only spared for his sake, but we are also given the promise of a share in the most prime real estate in the universe.
Samantha: Ever since the Garden, God has been trying to get back in touch with and dwell among men. He accomplished that through the tabernacle, the portable tent that contained the ark of the covenant. When David presents the idea of building a permanent dwelling, the Lord responds, “I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling” (2 Sam 7:6). I love how the Lord pursues us, wants to be with us, and fights in the trenches with us. He is active in our lives and dwells inside us today as the Holy Spirit. He is with us wherever we go and we are never alone.
