Bible Text: 2 Samu\u00adel 9:1\u201313 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Tho\u00admas Grie\u00adve | Series: Wel\u00adco\u00adme Home | In the Bible, the sto\u00adry of David and Mefi-Bos\u00adheth gives a powerful pic\u00adtu\u00adre of how God deals with us. God reve\u00adals his own res\u00adto\u00adra\u00adti\u00adve natu\u00adre in the way David res\u00adto\u00adres the son of his fri\u00adend Jonathan.<\/p>\n
What is a name? The thing we call a rose would smell just as sweet under any other name. This is the famous ques\u00adti\u00adon that Juliet asks in Wil\u00adliam Shakespeare\u2019s tra\u00adgic mas\u00adter\u00adpie\u00adce. The names Capu\u00adlet and Mon\u00adta\u00adgue were fatal to Romeo and Juliet and the young lovers died becau\u00adse of the\u00adse names and the hat\u00adred bet\u00adween their two fami\u00adlies. Names are important and have a lot to do with iden\u00adti\u00adty and home and home. This mor\u00adning we are loo\u00adking at names, espe\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly the sto\u00adry of a par\u00adti\u00adcu\u00adlar name in the Bible. Some of my Ger\u00adman work col\u00adle\u00adagues have asked me why I speak Eng\u00adlish to them even though I have a Ger\u00adman sur\u00adna\u00adme. \u00abMr Grie\u00adve,\u00bb they ask, \u00abare you not a Ger\u00adman or of Ger\u00adman descent?\u00bb \tWhat does your name mean to you? Bible Text: 2 Samu\u00adel 9:1\u201313 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Tho\u00admas Grie\u00adve | Series: Wel\u00adco\u00adme Home | In the Bible, the sto\u00adry of David and Mefi-Bos\u00adheth gives a powerful pic\u00adtu\u00adre of how God deals with us. God reve\u00adals his own res\u00adto\u00adra\u00adti\u00adve natu\u00adre in the way David res\u00adto\u00adres the son of his fri\u00adend Jona\u00adthan. What is a name? The\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[24],"wpfc_sermon_series":[53],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":["wpfc_preacher-thomas-grieve","wpfc_sermon_series-willkommen-daheim","wpfc-sermon-single","post-2502","wpfc_sermon","type-wpfc_sermon","status-publish","hentry","wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"],"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nYou are only part\u00adly right. My name ori\u00adgi\u00adna\u00adted in what is now nor\u00adt\u00adhern Ger\u00adma\u00adny or Den\u00admark, but this was during the first mill\u00aden\u00adni\u00adum AD<\/span> when Saxons, Jutes, and Angles emi\u00adgra\u00adted to Eng\u00adland and Scot\u00adland. My name may sound Ger\u00adman, and alt\u00adhough it has a Ger\u00adma\u00adnic ori\u00adgin and mea\u00adning, it has been a Scot\u00adtish name for over a thousand years. 150 years ago, my ances\u00adtors emi\u00adgra\u00adted with their names from Scot\u00adland to Cana\u00adda. The\u00adre they went along with many other Scots to seek a new life in the New World. In Cana\u00adda, they encoun\u00adte\u00adred many other fami\u00adly names \u2013 not only \u00abMac\u00adM\u00fcl\u00adler\u00bb or \u00abMac\u00adMei\u00ader\u00bb. Espe\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly among the abori\u00adgi\u00adnes, the\u00adre are some\u00adti\u00admes real\u00adly stran\u00adge names. The\u00adse were often con\u00adnec\u00adted with important spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces or other\u00adwi\u00adse with a spe\u00adcial event. In the tele\u00adpho\u00adne book of a place whe\u00adre I used to live, for exam\u00adp\u00adle, the\u00adre were ent\u00adries like Litt\u00adle-Yel\u00adlow-Woman, Born-with-a-tooth, or Wolf-erw\u00fcr\u00adgen. I like the other\u00adness of the\u00adse names. The\u00adre is more to most of our fami\u00adly names than the work or ori\u00adgin of a pre\u00adde\u00adces\u00adsor. Actual\u00adly, we are so much, much more than what we do or whe\u00adre we come from.
\nMy name is syn\u00adony\u00admous with my repu\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon and is clo\u00adse\u00adly asso\u00adcia\u00adted with the per\u00adson I am. Alt\u00adhough fami\u00adly names are a rela\u00adtively recent inven\u00adti\u00adon, names go back to the ori\u00adg\u00adins of human\u00adkind. They have a lot to do with our iden\u00adti\u00adty and the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre can\u00adnot be sepa\u00adra\u00adted from the\u00admes like home and nati\u00adve land. What do you call yours\u00adelf among fri\u00adends and fami\u00adly, and what do you call yours\u00adelf among stran\u00adgers? What do others call you? What do peo\u00adp\u00adle who love you call you? What do they call you when your lover looks you in the eye, when you talk to your fami\u00adly, when you laugh with fri\u00adends or when you wake up in a hos\u00adpi\u00adtal bed? How do the\u00adse names sound in your ear? At home we are known \u2013 by names. Some names are fun\u00adny, some are sil\u00adly. Some names have deep mea\u00adning and some have none. Some names are bur\u00adden\u00aded with pain\u00adful memo\u00adries and lie like a stone on our heart, others inspi\u00adre our soul.
\nIn the Bible, names have a deep mea\u00adning and play an important role. The Jewish under\u00adstan\u00adding of names was that they had a pro\u00adphe\u00adtic influence on the per\u00adson who bore the name. The\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre, the\u00adse names often have deep mea\u00adning and are expres\u00adsi\u00adons of expe\u00adri\u00adence and faith. Bibli\u00adcal names some\u00adti\u00admes come across as slo\u00adgans or creeds. This is not often the case in our con\u00adtext becau\u00adse we do not always under\u00adstand the mea\u00adning of the names we car\u00adry. For some peo\u00adp\u00adle, the names from the Bible just sound nice. We have neigh\u00adbours who don\u2019t want to know any\u00adthing about faith, but cal\u00adled their son the Hebrew equi\u00adva\u00adlent of \u00aba gift from God\u00bb. May the life of this child live up to his name.
\nThe name Mefi-Boschet
\n2 Samu\u00adel intro\u00addu\u00adces a per\u00adson who\u00adse name was a pro\u00admi\u00adse that was later ful\u00adfil\u00adled. This person\u2019s name was Mefi-Bos\u00adheth. You may never have heard of him. The\u00adre are defi\u00adni\u00adte\u00adly not many par\u00adents today who give their child\u00adren this name \u2013 even in Chris\u00adti\u00adan cir\u00adcles. Mefi-Bos\u00adheth was the son of King David\u2019s best fri\u00adend and soul\u00adma\u00adte Jona\u00adthan. His grand\u00adfa\u00adther was King Saul and so Mefi-Bos\u00adheth was born to the roy\u00adal fami\u00adly, he was a prin\u00adce. Mefi-Bos\u00adheth (or Merib-Baal) has a spe\u00adcial mea\u00adning. It con\u00adsists of two Hebrew words: Pa\u2019ah and Boschet. Pa\u2019ah means to dri\u00adve away; lite\u00adral\u00adly to scat\u00adter or fade away in the cor\u00adners. Like lea\u00adves in the autumn wind or flour from the palm of the hand. Boschet means asha\u00admed, gre\u00adat con\u00adfu\u00adsi\u00adon, put in a shameful thing. Boschet was also used as a syn\u00adonym for Baal: The idol of this world or Satan. Tog\u00ade\u00adther, Mefi-Boschet means: banis\u00adher of shame or of Baal and its effect. We first meet Mefi-Bos\u00adheth on a very black day for the peo\u00adp\u00adle of Isra\u00adel. On that day Jona\u00adthan and two of his three brot\u00adhers were kil\u00adled along with Saul in batt\u00adle against the Phi\u00adlis\u00adti\u00adnes. We read in 2 Samu\u00adel 4:4: \u00abSaul\u2019s son Jona\u00adthan had a son named Mefi-Bos\u00adheth, who was para\u00adly\u00adsed in both legs. He was five years old when the news of Saul and Jonathan\u2019s death arri\u00adved from Jez\u00adre\u00adel; so the nur\u00adse took the child and fled. But in her has\u00adte she fell and let him fall, and he was para\u00adly\u00adsed ever since.\u00bb
\nThe news must have been a ter\u00adri\u00adble shock. The king and heroes of Isra\u00adel were kil\u00adled by their des\u00adpi\u00adsed enemies. What would hap\u00adpen? Who would lead and pro\u00adtect God\u2019s peo\u00adp\u00adle? At that time, the death of a king was typi\u00adcal\u00adly fol\u00adlo\u00adwed by a ter\u00adri\u00adble power strugg\u00adle. All the king\u2019s des\u00adcen\u00addants would be rou\u00adti\u00adne\u00adly slaugh\u00adte\u00adred to eli\u00admi\u00adna\u00adte poten\u00adti\u00adal rivals for the thro\u00adne. Mefi-Bosheth\u2019s life was in dan\u00adger. The text says not\u00adhing about Mefi-Bosheth\u2019s nur\u00adse. Was she a young nan\u00adny or a fra\u00adgi\u00adle litt\u00adle mother, per\u00adhaps some\u00adthing in bet\u00adween? All we know is that she grab\u00adbed the child and ran. And then it hap\u00adpen\u00aded. Mefi-Boschet was lite\u00adral\u00adly drop\u00adped. The result was pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly the worst thing that could hap\u00adpen to a per\u00adson in Mefi-Bosheth\u2019s time. In the time of King David, a person\u2019s worth was usual\u00adly mea\u00adsu\u00adred by what he could do and how strong he was. In some ways, not\u00adhing has chan\u00adged until today. To be para\u00adly\u00adsed meant to have no hope, no future and no digni\u00adty. In an instant, ever\u00ady\u00adthing was taken away from him. From here we hear not\u00adhing more of Mefi-Bos\u00adheth until David ascen\u00added the thro\u00adne of Isra\u00adel. In 2 Samu\u00adel 9 we read the fol\u00adlo\u00adwing: \u00abOne day David asked, \u00abIs the\u00adre any of Saul\u2019s fami\u00adly still ali\u00adve? I will do them good, as I pro\u00admi\u00adsed Jona\u00adthan.\u00bb David remem\u00adbe\u00adred his fri\u00adend and the pro\u00admi\u00adse he had sworn to him. We read fur\u00adther: \u00abHe sent for a man named Ziba, who had been one of Saul\u2019s ser\u00advants. Are you Ziba? the king asked. Yes, sir, repli\u00aded Ziba. Then the king asked him, \u00abIs the\u00adre any of Saul\u2019s fami\u00adly still ali\u00adve? If so, I would like to do him good in God\u2019s name. Ziba repli\u00aded: Yes, one of Jonathan\u2019s sons is still ali\u00adve, but he is para\u00adly\u00adsed in both legs. Whe\u00adre is he? the king asked. In Lo-Dabar, repli\u00aded Ziba, in the house of Machir son of Ammi\u00adel. David sent for him and had him brought out of Machir\u2019s house.\u00bb
\nDavid cal\u00adled a for\u00admer ser\u00advant of King Saul to him to see if the\u00adre were any sur\u00advi\u00advors from the house of Saul. I think he must have been plea\u00adsed to hear that Jonathan\u2019s son was still ali\u00adve. Mefi-Bos\u00adheth was found in a place with a very spe\u00adcial name: Lo-Dabar. This name means \u00abno pas\u00adtu\u00adre\u00bb and is a pic\u00adtu\u00adre of deso\u00adla\u00adti\u00adon, hope\u00adl\u00adess\u00adness and no future. David had Jonathan\u2019s son brought to his palace and poor Mefi-Bos\u00adheth must have expec\u00adted the worst. We read fur\u00adther: \u00abWhen Mephi\u00adbos\u00adheth, the son of Jona\u00adthan and grand\u00adson of Saul, came to David, he pro\u00adstra\u00adted hims\u00adelf befo\u00adre him and bowed down in awe. Then David said, So you are Mefi-Bos\u00adheth!\u00bb and he ans\u00adwe\u00adred, \u00abYes, I am your ser\u00advant.\u00bb Mefi-Bos\u00adheth must have thought that this was his last hour. And David responds in such an ama\u00adzing way. In the Hebrew text he shou\u00adted only one word: Mefi-Bos\u00adheth! Do you remem\u00adber what it means? Jonathan\u2019s son had pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly for\u00adgot\u00adten the pro\u00admi\u00adse of his name, or it beca\u00adme a bit\u00adter form of mockery and deri\u00adsi\u00adon for him. \u00abBut David ans\u00adwe\u00adred, \u00abDo not be afraid! I will do you good, as I pro\u00admi\u00adsed your father Jona\u00adthan. I will give you back all the lands that used to belong to your grand\u00adfa\u00adther Saul, and you are invi\u00adted to eat with me at my table always. Mefi-Bos\u00adheth again pro\u00adstra\u00adted hims\u00adelf befo\u00adre the king. Should the king be so good to a dead dog like me? Am I wort\u00adhy? he exclai\u00admed\u00bb (2 Samu\u00adel 7\u20138). David igno\u00adred Mefi-Bosheth\u2019s pro\u00adtests about his unwort\u00adhi\u00adness. He sim\u00adply res\u00adto\u00adred all the wealth and honour and digni\u00adty he had lost. We read fur\u00adther: \u00abThen the king sent for Ziba, Saul\u2019s ser\u00advant, and said, \u00abI have given to your master\u2019s grand\u00adson all that belon\u00adged to Saul and his fami\u00adly. You and your sons and your ser\u00advants are to cul\u00adti\u00adva\u00adte the land for him, bring in the har\u00adve\u00adst and so pro\u00advi\u00adde for his sus\u00adten\u00adan\u00adce. But Mephi\u00adbos\u00adheth hims\u00adelf, the grand\u00adson of your mas\u00adter, will always eat at my table. Ziba, who had 15 sons and 20 ser\u00advants, ans\u00adwe\u00adred, \u00abYes, my lord and king, I will do as you com\u00admand.\u00bb I think the most impres\u00adsi\u00adve part of this sto\u00adry is the res\u00adto\u00adra\u00adti\u00adon of Mefi-Bosheth\u2019s belon\u00adging. The child who had lost his fami\u00adly, his home and his iden\u00adti\u00adty was given a new place as the son of the King. He was given a new fami\u00adly and a new home: \u00abAnd from then on Mefi-Bos\u00adheth ate regu\u00adlar\u00adly with David as if he were one of his sons. Mefi-Bos\u00adheth had a litt\u00adle son named Micah. All the mem\u00adbers of the house of Ziba beca\u00adme Mefi-Bosheth\u2019s ser\u00advants. And Mefi-Bos\u00adheth, who\u00adse both legs were para\u00adly\u00adsed, lived in Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem to eat the\u00adre dai\u00adly with the king.\u00bb
\nSum\u00adma\u00adry of the mes\u00adsa\u00adge of Jesus Christ
\nHow do you descri\u00adbe some\u00adthing that can\u00adnot be descri\u00adbed? How do you hold the uni\u00adver\u00adse in your hands or Nia\u00adga\u00adra Falls in a jar? This is the chall\u00adenge we face when we try to talk about God. This is the chall\u00adenge we face when we talk about the natu\u00adre of God. The Bible descri\u00adbes God in terms of situa\u00adtions, rela\u00adti\u00adonships or events that we can know or under\u00adstand. Jesus, for exam\u00adp\u00adle, used many simp\u00adle sto\u00adries (para\u00adbles) to explain immense\u00adly com\u00adplex and pro\u00adfound things. In this sto\u00adry, Jesus\u00bb gre\u00adat-grand\u00adfa\u00adther beco\u00admes the type who descri\u00adbes the cha\u00adrac\u00adter of God. And the sto\u00adry of Mefi-Bos\u00adheth beco\u00admes a kind of short\u00adhand ver\u00adsi\u00adon of the mes\u00adsa\u00adge of Jesus Christ. I don\u2019t know if you have ever been drop\u00adped. If you are a human being, the\u00adre is a good chan\u00adce that you have expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced some\u00adthing like that. If you are a human being living on this pla\u00adnet, the\u00adre is a good chan\u00adce that you have also beco\u00adme fami\u00adli\u00adar with dis\u00adap\u00adpoint\u00adment, con\u00adfu\u00adsi\u00adon and shame. I have a word for you today that God wants to speak into this situa\u00adti\u00adon: Mefi-Bos\u00adheth! God has remem\u00adbe\u00adred his pro\u00admi\u00adse. The Son of God came into this world to do good to the sons and daugh\u00adters of men in the name of God. He has come to res\u00adto\u00adre what was sto\u00adlen or lost. He has come to invi\u00adte sons and daugh\u00adters of God to the ban\u00adquet at the king\u2019s table. He will prepa\u00adre that table in the pre\u00adsence of your enemies. He has come to res\u00adto\u00adre your digni\u00adty. He has come to banish your shame. He has come to give you a new name, your real, name. In Reve\u00adla\u00adti\u00adon 2:17 we read: \u00abHe who is rea\u00addy to lis\u00adten, let him lis\u00adten to what the Spi\u00adrit says to the churches! He who is vic\u00adto\u00adrious will eat of the man\u00adna hid\u00adden in hea\u00adven. And I will give him a white stone; and on the stone a new name will be writ\u00adten, which no one will know except the one who recei\u00adves it.\u00bb
\nFinal words
\nI don\u2019t know whe\u00adre you are today, how you are. With all my heart I wish that you are just doing bril\u00adli\u00adant\u00adly. And I think most of us are doing well \u2013 more or less. We real\u00adly try to make the best of our lives. But rea\u00adli\u00adsti\u00adcal\u00adly, life brings a lot of brui\u00adses. You can pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly rela\u00adte to Mefi-Boschet at least a litt\u00adle bit. Unfort\u00adu\u00adna\u00adte\u00adly, most of us know the fee\u00adling of being drop\u00adped. It hurts and can rob us of our con\u00adfi\u00addence and sen\u00adse of belon\u00adging. It can feel like losing a pie\u00adce of our home. Many peo\u00adp\u00adle have expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced los\u00adses: of loved ones, of secu\u00adri\u00adty and iden\u00adti\u00adty, of digni\u00adty. Some have lost or suf\u00adfer from their name or feel they can never live up to it.
\nI sin\u00adce\u00adre\u00adly hope that the\u00adse things seem com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly for\u00adeign to you. I have known them. But I can also say that for the God who calls Hims\u00adelf my Father and your Father, for the God who ran to meet me when I was so far from Him, for the God who has run to you or wants to run to you right now \u2013 This God, the God of Jesus, is not indif\u00adfe\u00adrent to this expe\u00adri\u00adence. And just as King David was deter\u00admi\u00adned to do good to Jonathan\u2019s son in the name of God, this God wants to do good to you and me in the name of God. The ques\u00adti\u00adon is, do we let him. May\u00adbe you feel far away from God. May\u00adbe thoughts of God and reli\u00adgi\u00adon (wha\u00adte\u00adver that is) are stran\u00adge and for\u00adeign to you. That is all right. It is good that you are here. Make yours\u00adelf at home! But if you can rela\u00adte to some\u00adthing we tal\u00adked about this mor\u00adning, I want to chall\u00adenge you to quiet\u00adly say a pray\u00ader in your heart. It goes like this: God, plea\u00adse give me back the things that were sto\u00adlen. You might be sur\u00adpri\u00adsed at how he responds.
\nAmen!
\n
\n
\n
\nQues\u00adti\u00adons for the small groups<\/p>\n
\n\tHave you ever been drop\u00adped? How did that affect you?
\n\tWhat was David\u2019s moti\u00adva\u00adti\u00adon to help Mefi-Bosheth?
\n\tHave you ever expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced God res\u00adto\u00adring some\u00adthing in your life?
\n\tCan you think of someone for whom you could be a David?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"