One day David asked, âIs anyone in Saulâs family still aliveâanyone to whom I can show kindness for Jonathanâs sake?â 2 He summoned a man named Ziba, who had been one of Saulâs servants. âAre you Ziba?â the king asked.
âYes sir, I am,â Ziba replied. 3 The king then asked him, âIs anyone still alive from Saulâs family? If so, I want to show Godâs kindness to them.â Ziba replied, âYes, one of Jonathanâs sons is still alive. He is crippled in both feet.â 4 âWhere is he?â the king asked. âIn Lo-debar,â Ziba told him, âat the home of Makir son of Ammiel.â
5 So David sent for him and brought him from Makirâs home. 6 His name was Mephibosheth[a]; he was Jonathanâs son and Saulâs grandson. When he came to David, he bowed low to the ground in deep respect. David said, âGreetings, Mephibosheth.â
Mephibosheth replied, âI am your servant.â
âDonât be afraid!â David said. âI intend to show kindness to you because of my promise to your father, Jonathan. I will give you all the property that once belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will eat here with me at the kingâs table!âMephibosheth bowed respectfully and exclaimed, âWho is your servant, that you should show such kindness to a dead dog like me?âRead the rest of the story
Hebrews 4:15-16
This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
One of the things I love about God is His Faithfulness. Trust is hard for me but with God I don’t have to worry about whether or not I can trust Him. It isn’t simply that there are verses that declare Him to be faithful; don’t get me wrong, since we walk by faith and not by sight this would be enough, but His actions bear witness to His Word. Or, as our verse says – “He ACTS in a faithful manner -“. Because He does I know that He is reliable. He is a dependable REFUGE. And, there is truly NO ONE on earth or in heaven like Him. No wonder David wrote in Psalm 16:8 – “I constantly trust in the LORD; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” As we head out of one very challenging year and into all the unforeseen of another – may David’s bold and confident statement become our mantra. May it define us and become our strength both day and night, on our mountain-tops and in our valleys. May it be a light of encouragement to those who are watching. When troubles come and they see that we aren’t shaken perhaps they will ask why – and may we be ready with an answer – like David – for the HOPE that is within us! The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my Savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me,  and my place of safety. Psalm 18:2
1 O Lord, hear my plea for justice. Listen to my cry for help. Pay attention to my prayer, for it comes from honest lips. 2 Declare me innocent, for you see those who do right.
3 You have tested my thoughts and examined my heart in the night. You have scrutinized me and found nothing wrong. I am determined not to sin in what I say. 4 I have followed your commands, which keep me from following cruel and evil people. 5 My steps have stayed on your path; I have not wavered from following you.
6 I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray. Read More
Psalm 18 For the choir director: A psalm of David, the servant of the Lord. He sang this song to the Lord on the day the Lord rescued him from all his enemies and from Saul. He sang:
I love you, Lord; you are my strength. 2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. 3 I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies.
4 The ropes of death entangled me; floods of destruction swept over me. 5 The grave[a] wrapped its ropes around me; death laid a trap in my path. 6 But in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears. Read More
You’ll see that David is still dealing with the frustration of his enemies and their pursuit. You will also see that he clings to his confidence in God’s hatred for sin and His faithfulness to deliver His righteous ones – those who are faithful to Him. My favorite line of David’s prayer … “- in the morning I will present my case to you and then wait expectantly for an answer.” My prayer for each of is that we live faithfully – pray faithfully – and wait expectantly
Psalm 7 A Psalm of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush of the tribe of Benjamin.
I come to you for protection, O Lord my God. Save me from my persecutorsârescue me! 2 If you donât, they will maul me like a lion, tearing me to pieces with no one to rescue me. 3 O Lord my God, if I have done wrong or am guilty of injustice, 4 if I have betrayed a friend or plundered my enemy without cause, 5 then let my enemies capture me. Let them trample me into the ground and drag my honor in the dust. Interlude
6 Arise, O Lord, in anger! Stand up against the fury of my enemies! Wake up, my God, and bring justice! 7 Gather the nations before you. Rule over them from on high. 8 The Lord judges the nations. Declare me righteous, O Lord, for I am innocent, O Most High! 9 End the evil of those who are wicked, and defend the righteous. For you look deep within the mind and heart, O righteous God.
10 God is my shield, saving those whose hearts are true and right. 11 God is an honest judge. He is angry with the wicked every day.
12 If a person does not repent, God[b] will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow. 13 He will prepare his deadly weapons and shoot his flaming arrows.
14 The wicked conceive evil; they are pregnant with trouble and give birth to lies. 15 They dig a deep pit to trap others, then fall into it themselves. 16 The trouble they make for others backfires on them. The violence they plan falls on their own heads.
17 I will thank the Lord because he is just; I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
Psalm 8 For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument.
O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens. 2 You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength,[d] silencing your enemies and all who oppose you.
When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingersâ the moon and the stars you set in placeâ 4 what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?[e] 5 Yet you made them only a little lower than God[f] and crowned them[g] with glory and honor. 6 You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authorityâ 7 the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, 8 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents.
9 O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!
When King David was settled in his palace and the Lord had given him rest from all the surrounding enemies, 2 the king summoned Nathan the prophet. âLook,â David said, âI am living in a beautiful cedar palace,[a] but the Ark of God is out there in a tent!â
3 Nathan replied to the king, âGo ahead and do whatever you have in mind, for the Lord is with you.â
4 But that same night the Lord said to Nathan,
5 âGo and tell my servant David, âThis is what the Lord has declared: Are you the one to build a house for me to live in? 6 I have never lived in a house, from the day I brought the Israelites out of Egypt until this very day. I have always moved from one place to another with a tent and a Tabernacle as my dwelling. 7 Yet no matter where I have gone with the Israelites, I have never once complained to Israelâs tribal leaders, the shepherds of my people Israel. I have never asked them, âWhy havenât you built me a beautiful cedar house?ââ
8 âNow go and say to my servant David, âThis is what the Lord of Heavenâs Armies has declared: I took you from tending sheep in the pasture and selected you to be the leader of my people Israel. 9 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have destroyed all your enemies before your eyes. Now I will make your name as famous as anyone who has ever lived on the earth! 10 And I will provide a homeland for my people Israel, planting them in a secure place where they will never be disturbed. Evil nations wonât oppress them as theyâve done in the past, 11 starting from the time I appointed judges to rule my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies.
ââFurthermore, the Lord declares that he will make a house for youâa dynasty of kings! 12 For when you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will raise up one of your descendants, your own offspring, and I will make his kingdom strong. 13 He is the one who will build a houseâa templeâfor my name. And I will secure his royal throne forever. 14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. If he sins, I will correct and discipline him with the rod, like any father would do. 15 But my favor will not be taken from him as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from your sight. 16 Your house and your kingdom will continue before me[b] for all time, and your throne will be secure forever.ââ
17 So Nathan went back to David and told him everything the Lord had said in this vision.
The Ancestors of Jesus the Messiah
This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham[a]:
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers. 3 Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (whose mother was Tamar). Perez was the father of Hezron. Hezron was the father of Ram.[b] 4 Ram was the father of Amminadab. Amminadab was the father of Nahshon. Nahshon was the father of Salmon. 5 Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab). Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth). Obed was the father of Jesse. 6 Jesse was the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon (whose mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah). 7 Solomon was the father of Rehoboam. Rehoboam was the father of Abijah. Abijah was the father of Asa.[c] 8 Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was the father of Jehoram.[d] Jehoram was the father[e] of Uzziah. 9 Uzziah was the father of Jotham. Jotham was the father of Ahaz. Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah. 10 Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh. Manasseh was the father of Amon.[f] Amon was the father of Josiah. 11 Josiah was the father of Jehoiachin[g] and his brothers (born at the time of the exile to Babylon). 12 After the Babylonian exile: Jehoiachin was the father of Shealtiel. Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel. 13 Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud. Abiud was the father of Eliakim. Eliakim was the father of Azor. 14 Azor was the father of Zadok. Zadok was the father of Akim. Akim was the father of Eliud. 15 Eliud was the father of Eleazar. Eleazar was the father of Matthan. Matthan was the father of Jacob. 16 Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah.
17Â All those listed above include fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the Babylonian exile, and fourteen from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah.
Me From the Inside Out 