The Story of King David's Kindness to Mephibosheth // God's Love for Mephibosheth and Us -- 2 Samuel 9

The Story of King David's Kindness to Mephibosheth // God's Love for Mephibosheth and Us -- 2 Samuel 9 

Abba Father God treats us (who believe on Jesus) with the same kind of kindness that David had for Mephibosheth, and even better. Imagine God the Father is speaking to you in a way similar to how King David spoke to Mephibosheth, who was lame in his feet. But, God's love is far greater than the love any man or woman could ever have. 

Mephibosheth, a son of Jonathan, wrongfully felt that he was worse than the lowest animal in Middle-Eastern society, a scavenger dog. But, David didn't think so because God put love in David's heart for Mephibosheth. If David, who was not perfect, could love and care for a needy person and exalt him to a place of closeness and fellowship, certainly God the Father will do the same for anyone who looks to Him and seeks to know Him better.

David restored Mephibosheth's land. And, David gave him food, a place to call home; friendship; fellowship; and a position as a son. God does the same for us, and even much better.

➠ ➠ ➠ If you would like to know Abba God the Father and Jesus Christ (God the Son), and be saved from sin, click here to read more.   

2 Samuel 9

9:1 And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan's sake?

Prophecies That Jesus Fulfilled, Mentioned in Acts 26:22-23 (Isaiah 53, Psalm 16, Isaiah 42)

Prophecies that Paul hinted at in Acts 26:22-23 when he spoke to King Agrippa.

Acts 26:22-23

(Paul before Agrippa.
Click for source.)

"[22] Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: 

[23] That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles."

Outline: 

➽ (1.) "That Christ should suffer..." [for the sins of the world]. Isaiah chapter 53.
➽ (2.) The Messiah (Jesus) would rise from the dead. Psalm 16:10. 
➽ (3.) Jesus Christ would show light to Jews and Gentiles. Isaiah 42:1-7.

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Below are three prophecies from the Old Testament books of the Bible that Jesus Christ fulfilled. These are hinted at by Paul in Acts 26:23.

Isaiah 26:3 and God's Peace, Blessings, and Shalom -- The Meaning of Shalom 🎼

(Click for image source.)

Isaiah 26:3 and God's Peace or Shalom -- The Meaning of Shalom

Isaiah 26:3-4 

"[3] Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
[4] Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:"

The Hebrew word for peace in Isaiah 26:3 is shalom (Strong's #7965).
According to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, shalom means: 

"well, favor, ... good health, perfect,

Or shalom {shaw-lome'}; from shalam; safe, i.e. (figuratively) well, happy, friendly; also (abstractly) welfare, i.e. Health, prosperity, peace ... rest, safe(-ty), ..., welfare, ... wholly."


According to Webster's 1828 dictionary, welfare means: "1. ... the enjoyment of health and the common blessings of life ; prosperity ; happiness ; ..." (Webster)

God wants us to experience an abundant life in the spiritual realm, most importantly. Then, God desires us to also have emotional peace and blessings in close fellowship (koinónia) with Him, primarily, and then with people (i.e. believers). Finally, God desires us to have physical blessings, which would be used unselfishly for His glory and His Kingdom. 

God is not going to lavish on His children physical riches when they need spiritual riches. From the scriptures, we see that physical riches come when the person is ready, and when they are used unselfishly for God's glory.

(If you would like to know more about Jesus Christ, click here.) 

Abba God's Love for Us (in Hebrew Words) 🎶 Chashaq (Desire, Delight, Be Attached To, Affection, Love)

(The prodigal son is embraced by his father. See Luke 15.
 Click for source.)

Chashaq (khaw-shak') in Deuteronomy 7:7

Deuteronomy 7:7-8 -- "[7] The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye [were] the fewest of all people: [8] But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt." 

➽ The word for love in Deuteronomy 7:7 is chashaq (Strong's #2836) in Hebrew. Brown-Driver-Briggs defines chashaq as: "... verb be attached to, love (... press together, desire ...)"

➽ NAS Exhaustive Concordance defines chashaq as: "...have a desire (1), ... , longs (1), loved (1), pleased* (2), set his affection (1), set his love (1)."

Abba God's Love for Us (in Hebrew Words) 🌎 Chabab (Cherishing, Affectionate, Embracing Love)

⇛ Chabab (khaw-bab') in Deuteronomy 33:3

Deuteronomy 33:3 -- "Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words."

[Note: The bold, underlined words refer to God Himself. In this verse, the word "thy" refers to Jesus Christ (who is God the Son) before He was born, as a baby, in Bethlehem. It was Jesus Christ, in His glory, who Moses saw (but not His face) on Mt. Sinai. Jesus appeared to Abraham in Genesis 18 and as the "angel of the LORD" or "captain of the LORD'S host" to other people, including Joshua in Joshua 5. The "angel of the LORD" appeared to Samson's parents in Judges 13. The Hebrew word for angel is malak (Strong's #4397). Malak refers to a "messenger," "king," "angel," or an "ambassador." The word "angel" is just another way of saying "messenger" or "ambassador." Jesus Christ is the "messenger of the covenant" in Malachi 3:1.]

(The prodigal son is embraced by his father. See Luke 15.
 Click for source.)

➽ The word for loved in Deuteronomy 33:3 is chabab (Strong's #2245) in Hebrew. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance defines chabab as: "A primitive root (compare chaba', chabah); properly, to hide (as in the bosom), i.e. To cherish (with affection) -- love."

➭ Webster's 1828 dictionary defines bosom as: "... 1. The breast ... 2. The folds or covering of clothes about the breast. ... 3. Embrace, as with arms ; inclosure [sic] ; compass ; often implying friendship or affection ; ..." (Webster)

Abba God's Love for Us (in Hebrew Words) 🎵 Aheb (The Affectionate Love and Friendship Love of God) (God's Unchanging Love)

(Print off this and other articles 
about God's love in Hebrew and Greek words.)

➽ Aheb (aw-hab') in Deuteronomy 7:13

Deuteronomy 7:12-13 -- “[12] Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers:

(The prodigal son is embraced by his father. See Luke 15.
 Click for source.)

[13] And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee.”

The word love is aheb (aw-hab') in Hebrew. According to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, the Hebrew word aheb (Strong’s #157) includes "... beloved like, friend ... to have affection for ..." in its definition.

The Creator of the Catholics Is Love, for that Is His Name

The Creator of the Catholics Is Love, for that Is His Name

Dear Catholic or Eastern Orthodox adherent, 

I am writing to you today, as a Protestant, because I care about you and I am praying for you. God is our loving Creator and Father, and He desires to have close, personal, intimate fellowship with each one of us. He has no favorites (Romans 2:11). Like the father of the prodigal son embracing his wayward son, who returned to him (in Luke 15:11-32), so also does God the Father embrace those who turn to Him. Did the father of the prodigal son punish his son for living in sin and wasting his inheritance? Absolutely not! 

("For God so loved the world..." John 3:16. Click for source.)

When the prodigal son returned to his father, his father saw him in the distance and ran to meet him, embracing him. Then, the father made a feast for his son and celebrated that his wayward son had returned to him. 

That is what God does when one repents from his (or her) sins, and trusts only in the blood of Jesus Christ to save him from his sins, and to make him justified (just as if I never sinned) by his (or her) faith alone in Jesus alone (see Romans 5 and Romans 4:1-9).

Let's go to the Bible itself for what we believe about God. Jesus said these words in Matthew 4:4: "But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." 

The Holy Spirit Is the Comforter (John 14)