Fiorello LaGuardia studied law at N.Y. University, was admitted to the bar in 1910 and became Mayor of NYC in 1933. Yes, ‘LaGuardia Airport’ is named after him. In January of 1935, while serving as Mayor, LaGuardia showed up at a night court that served one of NYC poorest wards … summarily dismissed the judge and took the bench himself. Within a few minutes a tattered looking, elderly woman was brought to him – charged with stealing bread from a shop keeper. The Great Depression, the longest, deepest, and most widespread depression of the 20th century was in full swing.
I’ve got to punish you Ma’am. The law makes no exceptions,” said the bench judge. “Ten dollars or 10 days in jail”. Yet, even as he was saying it, LaGuardia was reaching into his pocket, took out a bill and tossed it into the hat he liked to wear.
“Here is the $10 fine which I now remit; and furthermore, I’m going to fine everyone in this courtroom .50 cents for living in a town where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat. Bailiff, collect the fines and give them to the defendant.”
That night $47.50 was collected from muggers, policemen and a red-faced shop keeper … and given to a bewildered old lady who has stolen bread to feed her sick child and two starving grandchildren. I call this “unimagined kindness!”
In the Bible ‘Hesed’ is one of those words (... and ideas) that seems tough to pigeon-hole since it does not translate precisely into English because of its semantic range. An attribute of God, it is frequently translated as ‘loving-kindness’, ‘unmerited favour’, or what John Oswalt, a former prof of mine, called “… a completely undeserved kindness and generosity.” I prefer “underserved, forgiving-grace”.
While the word hesed is practically inexpressible,
it is certainly not un-demonstratable!
Now for sure, the intention of God’s “underserved, forgiving-grace” is a mystery, as we would expect it to be, given it comes from Someone who is unequivocally unknowable outside of His self-revelation to us. What is most surprising is that there is a remarkable ‘human’ example played out in miniature, of this unimaginable, amazing grace. Located in the Older Testament, the grace illustration is David, that Goliath-fighter guy, turned King, who lived at a different time and in a profoundly different world than ours. When a King’s words made armies march, heads-roll, opponents fear reprisal and servants give unflinching obeisance, this shepherd-boy turned ruler treats a remaining heir who could challenge his throne with inconceivable hesed — an example to all believers ... including you ... and you ... and me!
Grace Recognizes Our Miserable Condition (2 Samuel 9:1 – 5)
With the death of Saul (2 Samuel 1:1-5), David became king first over Judah and then over all of Israel. Conquering Jerusalem, he established it as his capital, moved the Ark of the Covenant there (Ch. 5-6), proposed building a temple, and was rewarded with the promise of an enduring dynasty (Ch. 7).
Having established his presence and his position in the kingdom, David now turns his attention to other court matters – in particular a promise that he had made to his dear friend Jonathan, the son of Saul, years earlier. That promise appears in I Samuel 20:15-16 and 24:19-22. Thinking pro-actively, David asks . . .
“Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness?”
Descendants of a previous dynasty were frequently exterminated in order to prevent them from seeking the throne. This is normal. This is business as usual. But this was not David’s response, for when he extends his grace, he does so without limits . . . without prejudice . . . and without folks having to meet a certain criteria. Anyone who was of the family of Saul was a candidate for grace
“... kindness for Jonathan’s sake.”
‘Kindness’ is an unfortunate translation of hesed here in my view because it smacks of softness. It is not! David had the right to execute judgment – but he chooses not to. It was certainly not because the House of Saul deserved it, that is for sure. Grace – undeserved, unearned and un-repayable, was to be extended because of the earlier work and promises of someone else. Here is the reason for this grace.
Hesed is rooted in covenant. Therefore, it does not simply seek, and restore someone; it invites that person into the family.
Ziba, a servant from Saul’s household replies . . .
“There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet.”
His name of course is Mephibosheth, the grandson of Saul. Crippled in both feet (2 Samuel 4:4), living in obscurity and poverty, he is hiding out “in the house of Machir, son of Ammiel in Lo-debar.” In ten words, the author paints a dark picture of Mephibosheth frightening and precarious existence.
Masculine noun ‘house’ (bayith) can mean the ‘abode of light and darkness’.
Makir, from ‘makar’ meaning ‘to sell (Qal), to sell oneself’ (Hithpael) or ‘to be given over to death’ (Niphal).
Ammiel, from the root ‘amam’ meaning ‘to darken, or to be held in darkness’.
The prefix lo is a negator, so Lo-debar means ‘no pasture’; root is ‘dober’- ‘no promise’.
What are we to make of all of these details? That Mephibosheth is a lost person, living in a land of no consequence, in a state of darkness, confusion and spiritual death. Notice however that grace did not ask .... What kind of a person is he? How bad is he crippled.? How can he help advance my goals? This is because grace does not concern itself with the person’s background, surroundings, abilities, appearance, earning potential — or whether they are vaxed or unvaxed, for that matter! The response of grace was to simply ask in v. 4 “Where is he?”
The application is hard to miss. We do not deserve God’s grace. If we received what we were due, then judgment awaits us - for Romans 6:23 (“the wages of sin is death”) is simply a New Testament reminder of what Ezekiel 18:4 says: “The one who sins is the one who will die.” I realize that the idea of judgment does not fit with ‘informed’ church folks ... ‘woke’ believers ... Rob Bell (‘Love Wins’) disciples or sophisticated Pentecostals, but I prefer the truth of Scripture over the opinion of ‘guessers,’ don’t you?
Thankfully God’s grace is not conditioned by
our spiritually scarred and disfigured nature.
Grace recognizes our miserable condition. It knows our past, our problems and our propensity – yet in spite of these things, the grace of God seeks us out, because it cares only that we be restored. No wonder it’s Amazzzing — Grace.
Grace Restores Us to an Exalted Position (2 Samuel 9:6-8)
One day there as a knock at the door! Makir answered, and there stood Ziba. "The king wants to see Mephibosheth NOW”, says Ziba. Sitting on his mat by the refreshing breeze of an open window, the middle-aged Mephibosheth surely quivered. Even in the day’s heat he must have felt a cold chill run down his spine. He was on the king’s radar, been found out, and finally cornered. I am sure he saw his future darken ominously.
Mephibosheth’s life had started out with such great promise. His father was prince Jonathan, and his grandfather was King Saul and as Harriet Lee had penned back in 1798, “Rank has is privileges.” Not only was he royalty, once he even had a royal name: ‘Mirab Baal’, meaning, ‘opponent of Baal’. But those days were gone! It all evaporated when as a boy of five, news reached the palace that King Saul and his sons had died on the moors of Mt. Gilboa fighting Philistines. A new dynasty brought immediate threats to old ones!
His nurse had grabbed the young boy’s tiny hand and told him to run as fast as his little legs could take him – but it was not enough. So, picking the young prince up in her arms, she ran for her life ... and his life too! But she failed to see the rut in the road. Her ankle buckled ... the child sailed away ... and Mirab-Baal landed hard — really hard. The damage was done! Mephibosheth would never walk again (2 Samuel 4:4).
On the day of his father’s and grandfather’s death, Mephibosheth is scarred by the sin of his royal ancestors. Our First Parents did the same thing to us.
In the days that followed, his named changed to Mephibosheth, intended I suspect to help him blend into the uncommon crowd – for who would be looking for a person whose name meant ‘Son of Shame’? However, the ruse had not worked and now Ziba is at his door: "King David wants to see Mephibosheth NOW!" With no time to gather even a cloak to warm himself in an anticipated damp, dingy dungeon palace, he is placed on a chariot and within the hour is carried into David’s presence. “It’s not fair,” he must have thought. Which of us would not have arrived at the same conclusion?
What Mephibosheth does not know is that he has entered the presence of grace and in place of judgment, he experiences tenderness, as the biblical record so wonderfully shows.
The king speaks Mephibosheth’s name (v. 6)
The king speaks peace and assurance to his heart (v. 7)
The king promises him restoration of all that had been lost (v. 7)
The king makes a place for him in his presence (v. 7)
For Mephibosheth it was like winning the Lotto 649, Powerball, and the million dollar ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’ top prize all in one. What Mephibosheth did not understand was that those who have been touched by the grace of God want to pass on the grace of God. When Mephibosheth appeared before David, this fragile remnant of Saul’s house had bowed out of fear and necessity (v. 6), but with the announcement of unimaginable good fortune he now bows out of deep humility and gratitude (v. 8).
“What is your servant that you should notice a dead dog like me?” (v. 8)
Great question! Expecting nothing but hostility, Jonathan’s son has received ‘underserved, forgiving-grace’. Like Mephibosheth, we too are undeserving of God’s love or mercy. Yet, in spite of these things, grace restores us to an exalted position. In the words of Ephesians 2:7 "…that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." (NKJV). No wonder it’s Amazzzing — Grace.
Our flaws help us to keep remembering that where sin
abounds, so grace super abounds.
Grace Gives Us More Then We Could Have Ever Imagined (2 Samuel 9:9 – 13)
In the land of Lo-Debar, Mephibosheth had nothing: he was poor ... a castaway ... a fugitive ... without hope and with few prospects for his future. When he met grace however, everything changed — and I do mean everything: clothing, meals, daily routine, friends, wealth, status, transportation, living quarters, habits, possessions, influence — including his trips to the Dead Sea for the waters therapeutic salt benefits, I suspect.
When David seized the throne, Mephibosheth’s nurse surely believed that David was the cause of all of Israel’s problems; otherwise, why flee into hiding? I am persuaded that Mephibosheth had grown up with this same narrow view on life: “I am crippled in both of my feet because of David .... I live in this hell-hole because of David .... I have few friends because of David .... My inheritance was lost because of David.” Regrettably, many have grown up believing the same thing of God: It is his fault that . . .
Then in one magnificent gesture of ‘underserved, forgiving-grace’, David gave Mephibosheth a new identity and a secure future. He went from ... a place without a pasture – to a land cared for by 15 sons and 20 servants (v. 10) ... a place of hiding – to a place of honour (v. 13; Jerusalem) ... a place in the wilderness – to a place where he ate always at the king's table (4x; vv. 7, 10, 11, 13).
Sitting at David’s table did not cure Mephibosheth’s infirmity; it covered it. Such a wonderful illustration of hesed love.
“Now he was lame in both his feet" (v. 13).
The chapter ends the way it began – talking about Mephibosheth’s lameness. Why? The writer is wanting to remind us that it was not his walking that got him into the palace or even kept him in the palace. When he ate at David's table, his lameness was not a barrier to acceptance or fellowship. His new status ... these newly accrued benefits ... this unimagined grace, was the result of someone else’s efforts – his father Jonathan and his earlier covenant with David.
Today, I am Mephibosheth ... and so are you! God has rescued us from our broken existence and Grace has given us more then we could have ever imagined. All we can do is to humbly accept. No wonder it’s Amazzzing — Grace.
These days, we seem to have lost the sense of hesed that is supposed to exist within a covenantal community and struggle to strive “to do justice, love hesed and walk humbly with God”. Why this is, is anyone’s guess — and I will leave you to imagine what my list of reasons might look like. Still, from my perspective these last 20+ covid months have hardly been the churches ‘finest hour’. The pandemic seems to have brought out the worst in us. ‘No’ I am not talking about differences of opinion or opposing deeply felt beliefs between believers ... as if disagreements are non-permissible, or ‘un-Christian’. I have in mind words that believers scribble on a variety of popular media platforms, both private and public, that are intentionally caustic in their pronouncements towards those with whom they disagree; words that seem intended to not only divide — but destroy.
Perhaps in the days and months before us we might recover the celebration of God’s grace towards us individually and at the same time enlarge our capacity to exercise this same grace in our relational living among others. John Newton seems to have believed it possible back in 1779. I think it just as achievable today, too. “OnlySaying …”
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