My family and I are not from the area where we currently live and do ministry. Where we are is a great place for our children – a safe place and a place where they can excel at their talents. But before we left our home town we had to consider what effect our move would have. The actions we were planning to take would have an impact on our children.
Today’s passage is a brief aside in the story presented in 2 Samuel. What do we know about Jonathan’s son? When was he injured? How was he injured? What was his name?
The saga of Saul and his family continues in 2 Samuel. There is still conflict between David and those who are of the household of Saul. And the actions of Baanah and Recab, two men working under Saul’s son, read like something out of “The Godfather” (see 2 Samuel 4:5-12).
In the midst of this account of turmoil and bloodshed we have a very short statement about Jonathan’s son, grandson of Saul. The five-year-old boy, Mephibosheth, is in the care of a nurse. When news of the deaths of his father and grandfather reaches the household the nurse gathers up the boy to flee. But in the haste and panic Mephibosheth is dropped.
We might assume that the fall fractured his ankles or lowers legs causing permanent damage. He is described as being lame in both feet, but there is no indication that the injury prevents him from walking at all.
What has caused this permanent injury to Mephibosheth? He was injured because his caretaker felt the need to escape as quickly as possible. There was panic and haste, and ultimately a careless action caused a lifetime of damage.
We can cast blame on the nurse for Mephibosheth’s injury, but we can also look to Saul. If it weren’t for the actions Saul had taken, if it weren’t for the conflict between the household of Saul and the household of David, the nurse would not have seen the need to flee.
We also can get caught up in our own dramas, our own desires, our own stories. When we do we can overlook the fact that others are impacted by our actions. The decisions we make can sometimes cause pain and suffering for others.
We need to prayerfully consider our decisions and our behaviors so as not to cause pain in the lives of those whom we love.
DAILY CHALLENGE: What decisions are you faced with? Who will be affected by them?
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