Lost in Lodebar "The Mephibosheth Syndrome"

Chapter (1) 

Who is Mephibosheth? 

Some of you may wonder, Who is this Mephibosheth? Well, just to give you a little history. In the book of 1Samuel15:10-23 we find the story of Saul the first king of Israel who had a son named Jonathan. During Saul’s rein as king he disobeyed God and the Lord rejected Saul as King. 

Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel; “I am grieved that I have made Saul King, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions”. Samuel was troubled and he cried out to the Lord all night. Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, Saul was gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal. When Samuel reached him, Saul said,“ The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions”. But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?” Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites, they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.” “Stop!” Samuel said to Saul, “Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night”. Tell me Saul replied. Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. And he sent you on a mission, saying, “Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; make war on them until you have wiped them out. Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?” “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul said, “I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back King Agag their king. The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, I order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal. But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifice as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination (witchcraft) and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as King”.(1Sam. 15: 10-23) NKJ 

What you find here is Saul whom Samuel anointed as king over Israel, rejected by God because of his disobedience. Saul rebelled and disobeyed God’s instructions, because he was not committed to God’s will with all his heart. He made excuses. He blamed his fear of the people and placed it above his obedience to God. This fear of the people persuaded Saul to make decisions contrary to the instructions of God. Many times those in leadership positions are tested and tempted by “people pressure” and must make a conscious choice to listen to the people who usually have personal or selfish motives or to obey God. To obey God’s word totally is better than any sacrifice of outward worship or personal sacrifice. As children of God we must learn that worship, prayer, praise, spiritual gifts are all worthless to God if we are in direct disobedience to His word. God gave Saul very clear, precise instructions, yet he chose to do otherwise. Our relationship to God is based on personal choices. The choices we make can determine the path we take in our journey to live righteously in God. When God speaks to us, we may not always understand, nor do we have a clear picture of the outcome or consequences our behavior can have on our future. However it is essential that we learn from king Saul’s sin by placing his own perception of what is right in his own mind above God’s instruction. 

Because of King Saul’s disobedience, God rejected him as king and instructed the prophet Samuel to go to Jesse’s house: there I have provided me a king among his sons as told in 1Samuel 16:1. 

And the Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Beth-lehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his son’s .(1 Samuel 16:1)NKJ 

Jesse’s brought seven of his son’s to pass before the prophet Samuel. As Samuel observed them the Lord spoke to Samuel and told him not to look on the outward appearance, for the Lord does not see things the same way man see‘s them, because man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. Wow! I think we need to stop here a minute. As we look at the decision making process in the ministry, how many times are decisions made based on factors other than the will and word of God. God has clearly stated in His word the process, qualifications and requirements for the selection, installation and ordination of ministers. Yet many times people are placed in positions because of appearance, relationships, personal and financial gain, desperation and just plain old lack of knowledge. Now I know that there are times especially when starting out in ministry that “you have to use what you have”, however as the ministry grows it is vital that you move to place people in positions according to their gifting, demonstration of Godly character and as lead by the Spirit of God. In the Body of Christ today it is very important for leadership to evaluate and observe the behavior of candidates for leadership positions very carefully. It is not enough that one desires the office of a leader, but that the heart of a servant has been demonstrated continually in their Christian walk. If you are unwilling to serve, you disqualify from leadership. It’s just that simple. 

But there was another son of Jesse that had not been invited to the party. He was the youngest, his name was David and he was attending the sheep. Now I am sure he heard the prophet Samuel was come to sacrifice and was at his father’s house. When the prophet was coming to town in those days, everybody knew about it. Yet he did not get caught up in the moment of the excitement of the prophet’s arrival, but remained on his assignment as caretaker of the sheep. He did not forsake his responsibility, but remained true to his call. Now can you imagine a party going on at your house and you were not even invited! The sound coming from his father’s house did not distract him from fulfilling his duty. The sound coming from his father’s house did not cause him to take his eyes off the sheep and seek to find out what was happening. Not even the sound of celebration or the lion nor the bear would move David from his assigned place of purpose. 

Samuel knew the Lord had sent him and was assured of the word that God had spoken. Therefore, he knew there was a son in the house of Jesse that God had chosen to replace Saul as king of Israel. Samuel said to Jesse, the Lord has not chosen any of these, are these all your children? Jesse admitted to the prophet that he did indeed have another son, but that he was out with the sheep. 1Samuel 16:12-13 tells us that Samuel commanded Jesse to send for him. 

And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal goodly to look to. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren; and the spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. (1 Samuel 16:12,13) NKJ