Revelation 22:1: “And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”

Given that this river has trees beside it, I would venture to guess that this is a real river and not a metaphor for something. I’m sure that there are people out there that ascribe some kind of allegorical interpretation to this passage, but I don’t think that is warranted.

The problem with interpreting Scripture allegorically is that you can make it mean whatever you want it to mean. After all, since you are the one that is assigning the meaning you can just pick whatever meaning you like. It could mean one thing to you and something different to someone else, and there is no way to resolve the dispute because the interpretation is imposed from the outside. In fact, once you start doing that the passage no longer has any meaning at all. It is just a blank piece of paper that you can use to say whatever you wish to say.

If the Bible does not come out and say “this is symbolism and here is what the symbolism means”, then I am extremely reluctant to apply an allegorical interpretation. Interpreting the Bible allegorically is almost always a very bad idea.

What we see in this passage is pretty simple: in the New Jerusalem (which is a real city) there is a river. In that river flows the water of life – which is actual water that you can drink. Beside this river is the Tree of Life, which is the very same tree (or the same type of tree) that was in the Garden of Eden. The Lord promised that those who overcame (meaning those who trusted in Him) would be allowed to eat of it, and there it is.

This tree bears fruit on a monthly basis. Each month it bears a different kind of fruit, which is interesting. The verse says that “the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations”. I don’t really know what that means, but it’s obviously important. That may be something that we don’t understand until the time comes.

How He Became King: Pharaoh put him in power
When He Began Reigning: 25 years old
Reign Length: 11 years
Ruled Over: Judah
Type of King: Evil
Prophet: Jeremiah
Death: Uncertain; carried off to Babylon
Burial: Unknown

After Pharaoh removed Jehoahaz from power, he put Josiah’s son Jehoiakim on the throne. Jehoiakim began reigning when he was 25 years old, and he ruled over Judah for 11 years. He was a wicked king:

2 Kings 23:36: “Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Zebudah, the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah.
37 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done.”

When Pharaoh demanded tribute from the country, Jehoiakim taxed the land in order to raise the funds:

2 Kings 23:33: “And Pharaohnechoh put him in bands at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and put the land to a tribute of an hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold. . .
35 And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh; but he taxed the land to give the money according to the commandment of Pharaoh: he exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, of every one according to his taxation, to give it unto Pharaohnechoh.”

During his reign, God sent Jeremiah to prophesy to the king in order to get him to repent and change his ways. Instead of repenting, however, the king took Jeremiah’s words and burned them:

Jeremiah 36:21: “So the king sent Jehudi to fetch the roll: and he took it out of Elishama the scribe’s chamber. And Jehudi read it in the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes which stood beside the king.
22 Now the king sat in the winterhouse in the ninth month: and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him.
23 And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth.
24 Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words.”

Because he despised the words of the Lord, God promised to curse him:

Jeremiah 36:30: “Therefore thus saith the Lord of Jehoiakim king of Judah; He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David: and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost.
31 And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them; but they hearkened not.”

When Nebuchadnezzar came against Jerusalem, Jehoiakim served him for three years, but then rebelled. The Lord was against Jehoiakim and sent armies against Judah to destroy it:

2 Kings 24:1: “In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him.
2 And the Lord sent against him bands of the Chaldees, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by his servants the prophets.
3 Surely at the commandment of the Lord came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did;
4 And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the Lord would not pardon.”

Jehoiakim’s rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar did not go well. Nebuchadnezzar defeated him and carried him away in chains to Babylon:

2 Chronicles 36:6: “Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon.
7 Nebuchadnezzar also carried of the vessels of the house of the Lord to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon.”

His son Jehoiachin then reigned in his stead.

Revelation 21:27: “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

Here John is repeating that the city is a perfect place – there is no wickedness in it at all, nor will there ever be. By the time this verse takes place the wicked will be forever banished to the Lake of Fire, and they will never be able to escape and enter the golden city. It will never happen. The devil’s reign of terror will be over forever.

The only ones who will be able to enter into the city are those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life – and that would be all of those who believe on Jesus.

Here is today’s lesson, which I have uploaded to this blog as a PDF:

Everything That Happens In Life Is Not About You

The modern Church is filled with people who have very little interest in the Bible. In fact, it’s now common for Christians to actually disagree with the Bible. Many doctrines have been entirely rejected by our generation. Immorality is accepted. Divorce is not a problem. Homosexuality is now fine. The Bible has been abandoned and replaced with the teachings of our culture.

However, God’s views have not changed – and God will judge the world based on what He thinks, not on what we think. This book was written to call the Church back to the Word of God and the priceless truths contained within it.

If you have been exposed to the modern church then you may be shocked at what this book contains. The American Church has drifted so far from the Bible that many of God’s teachings seem radical and offensive. Yet, these things are exactly what the church needs to hear:

* Everything that happens is not about you
* God is not giving you new revelation
* The modern practice of tithing is not biblical
* Remarriage after divorce is usually a sin
* God does not give a free pass to those who have not heard the gospel
* Most people in the visible church are not Christians

and much, much more.

This book can be downloaded right here, free of charge:

The Lost Doctrines: Biblical Truths the Modern Church Has Rejected (PDF file; 377 pages)

Printed copies are also available, and can be purchased at this link.

Revelation 21:25: “And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.”

Since the Lord lights the city with His glory, there is no night there. It is daylight all the time and there is no darkness at all (which is very fitting). However, since the rest of the planet may not be lit the same way, there could be night outside of the city. But there will be no night within it.

How He Became King: After his father Josiah died
When He Began Reigning: 23 years old
Reign Length: 3 months
Ruled Over: Judah
Type of King: Evil
Prophet: Jeremiah
Death: Taken by the king of Egypt and died in Egypt
Burial: Unknown

Jehoahaz became king after his father Josiah died. He began reigning when he was 23 years old, and he reigned over Judah for three months. He was a wicked king:

2 Kings 23:31: “Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
32 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done.”

His brief reign ended when the king of Egypt imprisoned him and brought him to Egypt, where he died:

2 Kings 23:34: “And Pharaohnechoh made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the room of Josiah his father, and turned his name to Jehoiakim, and took Jehoahaz away: and he came to Egypt, and died there.”

After Pharaoh removed Jehoahaz from power, his brother Jehoiakim (also known as Eliakim) reigned in his stead.

Revelation 21:24: “And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
…
26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.”

So, then, not everyone lives in the New Jerusalem – there are people who live elsewhere, and they bring things into the city.

This also tells us that there are still kings and nations in the New Earth. In other words, God has not put an end to all governments. However, there is a key difference: these nations bring their glory and honor into the New Jerusalem, where God dwells. They use their wealth to glorify God, not to make much of themselves. Heaven is not a place where everyone is saying “Look at how great I am!”; instead it is a place where everyone’s attention is focused on God.

Revelation 21:23: “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.”

Now, this passage does not say that there is no sun; instead it says that the city does not need the sun. If the next universe is anything like this one then the Earth will still orbit a star. God created the sun, moon, and stars before sin entered the world, and He called them good. On top of that, if this city does not need the sun then that implies that there is a sun out there that the city does not need.

Keep in mind that this is not the only city on the entire planet. There is the rest of the world to think about! This city is lit by the glory of God, but the rest of the world may not be. I would caution against using this verse to prove that there is no sun or moon near the New Earth.

Incidentally, what an awesome place this must be if it is lit by the glory of God!

How He Became King: After his father Amon was murdered
When He Began Reigning: 8 years old
Reign Length: 31 years
Ruled Over: Judah
Type of King: Good
Prophet: Nahum, Zephaniah, Jeremiah
Death: Died of his injuries after fighting the king of Egypt
Burial: Buried in Jerusalem

After Amon was murdered, his son Josiah became king over Judah. He began reigning when he was 8 years old and he reigned for 31 years. He did that which was right:

2 Kings 22:1: “Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath.
2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.”

Josiah told the high priest Hilkiah to repair the Temple, and during the repair process they found the book of the law. When Shaphan the scribe read it to the king, the king became very upset and tore his clothes:

2 Kings 22:10: “And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.
11 And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.
12 And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king’s, saying,
13 Go ye, enquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.”

God told the king that because he had humbled himself and wept, the Lord would have mercy on him. God would still bring judgment and destruction upon Jerusalem, but He would not do it during Josiah’s lifetime:

2 Kings 22:16: “Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read:
17 Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched.
18 But to the king of Judah which sent you to enquire of the Lord, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, As touching the words which thou hast heard;
19 Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord.
20 Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again.”

Josiah gathered everyone to Jerusalem and read them the book of the law. He made a covenant with them to serve God:

2 Kings 23:1: “And the king sent, and they gathered unto him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem.
2 And the king went up into the house of the Lord, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, both small and great: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the Lord.
3 And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant.”

The king ended Baal worship, destroyed the houses of the sodomites, and defiled the high places. He also destroyed the altar that Jeroboam had made, thus fulfilling an ancient prophecy:

2 Kings 23:15: “Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he brake down, and burned the high place, and stamped it small to powder, and burned the grove.
16 And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the sepulchres that were there in the mount, and sent, and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burned them upon the altar, and polluted it, according to the word of the Lord which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words.”

The king commanded Israel to keep the Passover, and he removed the wizards and idols from the land:

2 Kings 23:23: “But in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, wherein this passover was holden to the Lord in Jerusalem.
24 Moreover the workers with familiar spirits, and the wizards, and the images, and the idols, and all the abominations that were spied in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, did Josiah put away, that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the Lord.”

King Josiah turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his might. Yet, despite that, the Lord would not turn from His wrath:

2 Kings 23:25: “And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him.
26 Notwithstanding the Lord turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him withal.
27 And the Lord said, I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.”

After these things, the king became proud and decided to fight the king of Egypt, even though the Egyptian king had no quarrel with him. Josiah lost the fight and was brought back to Jerusalem, where he died of his injuries:

2 Chronicles 35:20: “After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Charchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him.
21 But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not.
22 Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.
23 And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded.
24 His servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and was buried in one of the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.”

After he died, his son Jehoahaz was made king.

Revelation 21:9: “And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.
10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,”

For the record, this is a real city, not a metaphorical one. The Bride of Christ will live in this city that the Lord has prepared for her. In other words, one day this city will be our home.

One odd thing about this city is that it is described as “descending out of heaven from God”, but we’re not told where it goes. Where does the city end up? Well, some people have speculated that it will orbit the Earth. Given its tremendous size (it’s 1500 miles wide, compared to the moon which is 2100 miles wide), that is certainly possible.

Revelation 21:11: “Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”

Here John begins to describe the city itself, and tells us that it has twelve gates and twelve foundations. It’s interesting that the foundations of the city are named after the apostles, since the apostles are the foundation of the Church. (Christ, of course, is the chief cornerstone or capstone.) It is also interesting that the gates (which people use to enter the city) are named after the tribes of Israel.

Revelation 21:16: “And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.”

Since twelve thousand furlongs is about 1500 miles, that means that the city is 1500 miles long, wide, and tall. (By way of comparison, the Space Shuttle typically orbited around 200 miles up.)

Revelation 21:17: “And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.”

The walls themselves are more than 200 feet thick.

Revelation 21:18: “And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.
19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.”

So there you have it: each gate is made of one giant pearl. All those books that supposedly told you what Heaven was really like (“the gates made of many small pearls”, or “the gates just looked pearlescent”) were lying to you. The Bible has spoken.

We can see that the city is lavishly decorated: it has streets of transparent gold, foundations of precious stones, and so forth. This is wealth and extravagance on a scale that we’ve never seen before. God has truly created a glorious city that staggers the imagination.

Revelation 21:22: “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.”

In the Millennial Kingdom there will be a Temple, but there will not be one here. Things really have changed.

Today’s lesson is about the life of Mephibosheth (the son of Jonathan and the grandson of King Saul). However, in order to understand why he is such a tragic character we need to step back and take a look at Israel’s history. When God brought Israel to Mount Sinai and gave them His Law, God commanded Israel to be a theocracy. This meant that Israel did not have a king or governing body; instead God Himself reigned over the nation.

However, the day came when Israel tired of this arrangement. They no longer wanted to be led by the judges that God had raised up. Instead of being ruled over by a God that they couldn’t see, they wanted a human king to reign over them and lead them into battle:

1 Samuel 8:4: “Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,
5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord.
7 And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.”

God was not pleased with Israel’s request for a king. He commanded Samuel to warn them that a king would do terrible things and would abuse them. Israel, though, didn’t care. They had rejected God as their ruler and were determined to have a human king no matter what the cost.

So God sent the prophet Samuel to appoint Saul as their king. Saul was everything that Israel wanted – which is to say, he was tall and handsome:

I Samuel 9:2: “And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.”

Saul was literally the most handsome man in the entire country. He was exactly the kind of man that Israel was looking for. After all, Israel wasn’t concerned about honoring God or having godly leadership. They just wanted a big, manly king who could lead their armies.

However, Saul proved to be a terrible king. He had no heart to follow God, and his sins eventually cost him his kingdom. His first great sin was committed when he was at Gilgal. The king was supposed to wait for Samuel to offer the burnt offering (which symbolized dedication to God), but when Samuel was late the king offered it himself. This was a grave violation, because only the priests were allowed to make offerings – and Saul was not a priest. After the king did this Samuel confronted him and told him that because of this sin, his kingdom would not be passed on to his children:

I Samuel 13:13: “And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever.
14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.”

This is the first point where Mephibosheth’s life started to go wrong. Mephibosheth hadn’t even been born yet, but his grandfather had already committed a sin against God so serious that it cost him his kingdom. If Saul had been obedient then God would have “established thy kingdom upon Israel forever”. Given that Saul’s son Jonathan was a wise man who loved God, and given that Mephibosheth was also a faithful man, it’s entirely possible that Mephibosheth could have been chosen to lead Israel. But thanks to Saul’s disobedience that opportunity had been lost. Mephibosheth would never be king.

But things were going to get worse. One day God commanded Saul to attack Amalek and utterly destroy them. God made it very clear that He wanted Amalek to be completely annihilated – right down to their animals:

I Samuel 15:2: “Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.
3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.”

Saul did indeed wage war against Amalek, but when he defeated them he did not utterly destroy them. The king saved the best of the loot for himself, and even spared the life of Amalek’s king:

I Samuel 15:8: “And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.”

Needless to say, God was not pleased. The Lord sent Samuel to tell the king that because of this grievous sin, God had rejected him as king over Israel:

I Samuel 15:22: “And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.”

Saul’s disobedience not only cost his heirs the throne, but it cost him the throne as well. God then sent Samuel to anoint David as king over Israel – but Saul had no intention of stepping aside and following God’s will. Even though God had rejected Saul as king, Saul was still determined to hold on to the throne. He spent years trying to hunt down David (who was Israel’s rightful king) and assassinate him. In the end Saul’s sins caught up with him:

I Samuel 31:1: “Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa.
2 And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Melchishua, Saul’s sons.
3 And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers.
4 Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.
5 And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him.
6 So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together.”

Saul wasn’t the only one who died that day; three of his sons died as well. Now, Jonathan was not a wicked person; he feared God and served Him. Yet, because of the terrible sins of Saul, he died in battle fighting the Philistines. Saul’s sins cost Jonathan his life.

As you can see, things were not going well for Mephibosheth. Saul’s sins not only cost Mephibosheth his kingdom, but they also cost him his father. The terrible sins of Saul had far-reaching consequences that touched the lives of many other people. Sin affects more than just the sinner; its effects ripple out and have the power to devastate many lives. Things were going from bad to worse and there wasn’t anything Mephibosheth could do about it.

Now that Saul was dead, one might expect David to finally start to reign over Israel. After all, God had anointed him as Israel’s rightful king, and the old king was gone. However, after Saul was killed Abner took Saul’s son Ishbosheth and made him king over Israel – leaving David in control of just Judah:

2 Samuel 2:8: “But Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul’s host, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim;
9 And made him king over Gilead, and over the Ashurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel.
10 Ishbosheth Saul’s son was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.”

In fact, Saul’s entire house was determined to resist David. The Bible tells us that they fought each other for a long time:

2 Samuel 3:1: “Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker.”

Eventually David won and became the undisputed king of both Israel and David. Ishbosheth was murdered (not by David, but by some assassins that David had nothing to do with). David was finally anointed king over all Israel.

Meanwhile, Mephibosheth was having even more problems. Thanks to the haste and carelessness of his nurse, he was crippled for life:

2 Samuel 4:4: “And Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.”

The reason this happened, once again, is because of Saul. In I Samuel 29:1 we are told that Saul was encamped at Jezreel. That is where he fought the Philistines, and that is where he and Jonathan were killed. When the news came out that Saul and Jonathan were dead, Mephibosheth’s nurse grabbed him and ran – but in her haste she dropped the child and he was crippled for life.

Why was he dropped? Because Saul and Jonathan had been killed. Why had they been killed? Because of Saul’s disobedience. Why had Saul been made king in the first place? Because Israel had abandoned God and wanted a king.

Thanks to Saul, Mephibosheth lost his kingdom, his father, and his ability to walk. None of these things were his fault. His life had been utterly devastated because of the sins of his grandfather.

Nor did Mephibosheth have any particular reason to be hopeful for the future. After all, the house of Saul had spent years trying to kill David and seize his throne. Mephibosheth must have believed that it was just a matter of time before David tracked him down and killed him. That would have been the logical thing for him to do – and if you read through the Old Testament, that is what kings usually did. Once a king rose to power he usually assassinated all of his rivals in order to make his throne more secure. The very last thing a king wanted was to have a potential rival around who might try to size the throne. Saul’s sons had certainly tried that in the past.

But that’s not what David did. You see, Mephibosheth was saved by the goodness of his father. Although Saul had been evil and tried to kill David, Jonathan was different. He loved David and protected him:

1 Samuel 18:1: “And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.”

He even spoke up for David when his father attacked him:

1 Samuel 19:4: “And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been to thee-ward very good:
5 For he did put his life in his hand, and slew the Philistine, and the Lord wrought a great salvation for all Israel: thou sawest it, and didst rejoice: wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause?”

Jonathan loved David and worked hard to protect him, and David was grateful. When David became king he looked for a way to repay Jonathan’s kindness:

2 Samuel 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?
2 And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba. And when they had called him unto David, the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he said, Thy servant is he.
3 And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet.
4 And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lodebar.”

David then sent for Mephibosheth, who was brought to the king. It’s very likely that Mephibosheth was not happy about having his hiding place revealed, and he probably thought that his unlucky life was about to come to an end. After all, Saul’s house had done everything they could to kill David. Mephibosheth had no reason to believe that this encounter was going to go well for him. All he could do is throw himself at the king’s mercy and hope for the best, and that is what he did:

2 Samuel 9:5: “Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lodebar.
6 Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant!”

At this point something completely unexpected happened: David had mercy upon Mephibosheth. Now, there was nothing forcing David to do this. The house of Saul was David’s enemy, and they would have killed David if they could. David owed Mephibosheth nothing. In fact, most kings who found themselves in this situation would have eliminated a potential rival. But David did none of those things. Instead he showed Mephibosheth great kindness:

2 Samuel 9:7: “And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.
8 And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?”

Once again, David wasn’t obligated to do any of this. He could have kept Saul’s lands for himself, but he didn’t. Instead he gave Mephibosheth the land (and therefore the wealth) of Saul, and Mephibosheth was given the tremendous honor of dining with the king himself. Since Mephibosheth was lame, he commanded Ziba to take care of Mephibosheth’s new property:

2 Samuel 9:9: “Then the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said unto him, I have given unto thy master’s son all that pertained to Saul and to all his house.
10 Thou therefore, and thy sons, and thy servants, shall till the land for him, and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master’s son may have food to eat: but Mephibosheth thy master’s son shall eat bread alway at my table. Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
11 Then said Ziba unto the king, According to all that my lord the king hath commanded his servant, so shall thy servant do. As for Mephibosheth, said the king, he shall eat at my table, as one of the king’s sons.
12 And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Micha. And all that dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants unto Mephibosheth.
13 So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king’s table; and was lame on both his feet.”

David took care of Mephibosheth. Not only did he give him Saul’s property, but he also commanded Ziba to till the land for him. Mephibosheth’s life had been radically changed, all thanks to the amazing grace of David.

If the story were to end here it would be pretty inspirational. Mephibosheth had a terrible life, and suffered the consequences of the sins of other people. Circumstances beyond his control put him in a terrible place – a place where there was no hope and no way out. There was simply nothing Mephibosheth could have done to fix things. In fact, he had no reason to suspect that anything was in his future except for death at the hands of King David.

But King David found him, had mercy on him, and gave him wealth and honor. Instead of living in hiding he lived in Jerusalem and dined with the king. Instead of a life of dishonor he was given both wealth and honor. His circumstances had changed in a way he never could have imagined.

Sadly, the story doesn’t end here. There is more, and it’s not pretty. Once again Mephibosheth is going to suffer the consequences of the sins of other people.

As we all know, David committed adultery with Bathsheba and then arranged for her husband, Uriah the Hittite, to be killed. God was not pleased with what David had done and sent Nathan the prophet to confront David. Nathan told David that there would be consequences for his sin. Among other things, God was going to raise up adversaries against David:

2 Samuel 12:10: “Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.”

True to His word, the Lord stirred up trouble against David. Absalom – David’s own son – launched a rebellion against him. When this rebellion started David fled Jerusalem for his life. As he was fleeing Ziba (Mephibosheth’s servant) showed up:

2 Samuel 16:1: “And when David was a little past the top of the hill, behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of asses saddled, and upon them two hundred loaves of bread, and an hundred bunches of raisins, and an hundred of summer fruits, and a bottle of wine.
2 And the king said unto Ziba, What meanest thou by these? And Ziba said, The asses be for the king’s household to ride on; and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat; and the wine, that such as be faint in the wilderness may drink.
3 And the king said, And where is thy master’s son? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he abideth at Jerusalem: for he said, To day shall the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father.”

As it turns out, Ziba was lying. He told a very plausible lie in order to make Mephibosheth look bad – and to make himself look good. David fell for it and gave the lying Ziba everything that belonged to Mephibosheth:

2 Samuel 16:4: “Then said the king to Ziba, Behold, thine are all that pertained unto Mephibosheth. And Ziba said, I humbly beseech thee that I may find grace in thy sight, my lord, O king.”

Thanks to a very clever lie, Ziba stole everything that Mephibosheth had. Ziba, the man that David had appointed over Mephibosheth’s property, had proven to be a liar and a thief. When Absalom’s rebellion was put down and David returned to Jerusalem, Mephibosheth tried to clear up the record. He told David that Ziba had deceived him:

2 Samuel 19:24: “And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king, and had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came again in peace.
25 And it came to pass, when he was come to Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said unto him, Wherefore wentest not thou with me, Mephibosheth?
26 And he answered, My lord, O king, my servant deceived me: for thy servant said, I will saddle me an ass, that I may ride thereon, and go to the king; because thy servant is lame.
27 And he hath slandered thy servant unto my lord the king;”

Mephibosheth was genuinely upset over what had happened to king David. He was not a part of the rebellion and had spent the entire time mourning. Ziba had deceived Mephibosheth and lied in order to steal his property.

At this point you would expect Mephibosheth to ask the king to do something about Ziba, but he doesn’t do that. Instead he humbly threw himself upon the king’s mercy:

2 Samuel 19:27: “…but my lord the king is as an angel of God: do therefore what is good in thine eyes.
28 For all of my father’s house were but dead men before my lord the king: yet didst thou set thy servant among them that did eat at thine own table. What right therefore have I yet to cry any more unto the king?”

Mephibosheth doesn’t make a scene or even ask for anything in particular. He sees himself as a dead man that had been brought back to life again. He simply clears up the record and asks for David’s mercy.

It would be nice if we could end this story by saying that David listened to Mephibosheth, but that’s not what happened. Instead the king told him to shut up and that Ziba was going to keep half the property:

2 Samuel 19:29: “And the king said unto him, Why speakest thou any more of thy matters? I have said, Thou and Ziba divide the land.
30 And Mephibosheth said unto the king, Yea, let him take all, forasmuch as my lord the king is come again in peace unto his own house.”

In the end King David doesn’t make it right. Ziba’s lie wins, and Mephibosheth is once again harmed by circumstances out of his control. The sins of others have once again damaged his life.

Mephibosheth is mentioned one more time in the Bible. In 2 Samuel 21 we are told that Israel was hit with a three-year famine. When David inquired of God about it, he was told that the famine was punishment for Saul’s murder of the Gibeonites. David then asked the surviving Gibeonites what he could do to appease their wrath. They said that since Saul had murdered them, seven of his descendents should die:

2 Samuel 21:3: “Wherefore David said unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? and wherewith shall I make the atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of the Lord?
4 And the Gibeonites said unto him, We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his house; neither for us shalt thou kill any man in Israel. And he said, What ye shall say, that will I do for you.
5 And they answered the king, The man that consumed us, and that devised against us that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the coasts of Israel,
6 Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto the Lord in Gibeah of Saul, whom the Lord did choose. And the king said, I will give them.
7 But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the Lord’s oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.”

When David turned over seven of Saul’s sons to the Gibeonites to be executed, he spared Mephibosheth because of the oath that was between David and Jonathan. Jonathan’s faithfulness saved Mephibosheth’s life.

All in all, Mephibosheth is probably one of the most depressing characters in the Bible. Even though he was by all accounts a good and faithful man, he suffered tremendously due to the sins of other people. Mephibosheth reaped the consequences of the failure of others, and his life was full of pain that was caused by other people. All of the terrible circumstances of his life were out of his control. There was nothing he could have done to make his life turn out any better.

Mephibosheth should be a warning to all those who believe that good things happen to good people, and bad things happen to bad people. The Bible records no wickedness on the part of Mephibosheth, but he still had a really terrible life. Also, unlike the case of Job, there is no record that any of these things happened as some sort of spiritual test – but Mephibosheth still had a really terrible life. The one good thing that happened to him – the kindness of David – was just as much out of his control as all the bad things that happened to him. Likewise, the villain Ziba never suffered for his terrible betrayal. His lie about Mephibosheth enabled him to steal a lot of property, and he got to keep it. Ziba stole a fortune and lived to brag about it. No hero in shining armor rode in to save the day. The bad guy got what he wanted, and Mephibosheth lost.

In our lives we often think that since we are Christians, God should take care of us and prevent disasters from happening. Since we are saved, we shouldn’t have to suffer. Oh, sure, when it comes to persecution for the faith then that’s one thing, but when it comes to life’s other problems we often feel like we should be immune. Why should financial disasters happen to me? Why should I be the one who gets sick or gets laid off? Why should I have to suffer the unfair setbacks of life? I didn’t even do anything! How is that fair?

Likewise, we think that those who are wicked should be suffering. Why aren’t they experiencing disasters? Why are they leading long and happy lives when they are doing such horrifying things? Why are they living to a ripe old age in wealth and comfort? Life just doesn’t seem fair.

The truth is that life isn’t fair. God never promised that good things would happen to good people or that bad things would happen to bad people. He never said that the wicked would be cursed with bad luck while the righteous would have good luck.

What He did say is that He would be with us through all of our trials and that He would never leave us or forsake us. He said that all things would work together for good for those who love God, and that we should cast all our cares upon Him for He cares for us.

He also said that this life is not all there is. Those who have repented of their sins and believed in Jesus – no matter how painful their life on Earth may have been – will go on to inherit everlasting life and joy. They will live in the presence of God in a place where there is no crying or suffering or pain. Their lives will be eternally blessed and their pain will be eternally behind them.

However, those who have not repented and believed – no matter how happy their lives on Earth may have been – will go on to face the endless wrath of God. When they are judged they will be cast into the Lake of Fire, where they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. They will never again experience happiness or joy or peace. Instead they will be faced with endless, unbearable torment.

So take heart. The trials and pains of this life are not forever – and remember, Christ’s life on Earth wasn’t exactly trouble-free either. This world may bring us a great deal of pain, but it won’t last forever. Better days are coming for those who believe in Christ, and when they arrive they will last forever.

Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Did you catch that? Unbelief is a fearful sin. People say “Well, I just don’t believe that”, and then act as if somehow not believing it makes it justified. The truth is that unbelief will send you straight to Hell. It is not somehow OK and it is not a valid excuse. It is fatal.

What this verse is saying is that all those who did not repent will spend eternity burning in the Lake of Fire. Those who repent will find mercy, but those who do not repent will face the eternal wrath of God. There are no other options: you will experience one or the other.

How He Became King: After his father Manasseh died
When He Began Reigning: 22 years old
Reign Length: 2 years
Ruled Over: Judah
Type of King: Evil
Prophet: Uncertain
Death: Murdered by his servants
Burial: Buried in the garden of Uzza

After Manasseh died, his son Amon became king. He began reigning when he was 22 years old, and he ruled over Judah for two years. He was a wicked king:

2 Kings 21:19: “Amon was twenty and two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah.
20 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as his father Manasseh did.
21 And he walked in all the way that his father walked in, and served the idols that his father served, and worshipped them:
22 And he forsook the Lord God of his fathers, and walked not in the way of the Lord.”

Amon was murdered by his own servants in his own house:

2 Chronicles 33:24: “And his servants conspired against him, and slew him in his own house.”

After he was murdered, the servants who killed him were put to death. Amon was buried in the garden of Uzza:

2 Kings 21:26: “And he was buried in his sepulchre in the garden of Uzza: and Josiah his son reigned in his stead.”

The people then made Amon’s son Josiah king over Judah.

Revelation 21:7: “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.”

And who is he that overcometh? I John 5:5 tells us: they are those who believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. They have overcome the world, and God tells us that they “shall inherit all things”. That’s quite a promise!

That brings up another point: despite what many people claim, God does not consider everyone to be His children. The children of God are composed of “he that overcometh”. Those who do not believe will never be called the children of God.