We now live in the reality of COVID-19, this is a genuine threat, and it has taken the lives of many already. While we must be prudent to take all of the necessary precautions we can. We must remember that the threat of death is not a new thing. Seventy-two years ago, C.S. Lewis wrote an article about living under the risk of the atomic bomb. His words are relevant to our time and are things to think about amid troubled times. 

In one way we think a great deal too much of the atomic bomb. “How are we to live in an atomic age?” I am tempted to reply: “Why, as you would have lived in the sixteenth century when the plague visited London almost every year, or as you would have lived in a Viking age when raiders from Scandinavia might land and cut your throat any night; or indeed, as you are already living in an age of cancer, an age of syphilis, an age of paralysis, an age of air raids, an age of railway accidents, an age of motor accidents.”

In other words, do not let us begin by exaggerating the novelty of our situation. Believe me, dear sir or madam, you and all whom you love were already sentenced to death before the atomic bomb was invented: and quite a high percentage of us were going to die in unpleasant ways. We had, indeed, one very great advantage over our ancestors—anesthetics; but we have that still. It is perfectly ridiculous to go about whimpering and drawing long faces because the scientists have added one more chance of painful and premature death to a world which already bristled with such chances and in which death itself was not a chance at all, but a certainty.

This is the first point to be made: and the first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together. If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible and human things—praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts—not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs. They may break our bodies (a microbe can do that) but they need not dominate our minds.

— “On Living in an Atomic Age” (1948) in Present Concerns: Journalistic Essays

“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? 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. 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.” (2Samuel 9:1-3)

David has now had time to think about the promise he has made to his friend Jonathan. Many years have passed since Jonathan’s death in 1Samuel 31:2, “And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul’s sons.” The time since Jonathan’s death has not always been easy. As we can see from the previous chapters, David has often been at war to protect the borders of Israel or to expand them. And the collecting of materials for the building of the temple. 

The first time we see Mephibosheth’s name is in 2Samuel 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.” He was 12 when David was made king of all Israel. Mephibosheth is now an adult, he is married and has a son, living in obscurity in the care of others. 2Samuel 9:4 says, “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.” These may have been his mother’s family that had survived. Nothing is known of this place called Lodebar. Its name means “pastureless” it is believed to have been on the east side of Jordan. If he desired to remain hidden from the king’s knowledge, this would be understandable.

David, all these years later, has thought of the promise that he made to Jonathan many years ago. 1Samuel 20:14-16 says, “And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the LORD, that I die not: But also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the LORD hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth. So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the LORD even require it at the hand of David’s enemies.” We are reminded once again of the deep and close relationship that these two men had for one another, one of respect and honor that meant something to David years after Jonathan’s death. 

An investigation is begun into the matter of the descendants of Saul. This investigation brings them to Ziba, a former servant of Saul’s, believed to have been a Canaanite who may have been freed upon the death of Saul. He tells David of the location of the last known descendant of Saul, the son of Jonathan. 

At once riders are dispatched to the residence of Machir to find Mephibosheth and bring him back to the palace to meet the king. How would you feel if you were in Mephibosheth shoes? The questions and the fear of the possibility of execution. He had a legitimate claim to the throne. It would be consistent with the practice of kings throughout history.   

2Samuel 9:6 says, “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!” He is at once doing all he can to submit to David. Showing his humility and expressing his desire to serve David. David had all the power here; he can give the word, and Mephibosheth’s death would be quick. However, David has a completely different attitude in the situation. There are excitement and joy in his heart for what he is about to do. And he gets to keep his promise to his friend after all these years.

David can see the fear in Mephibosheth’s eyes. His limbs are shaking, and perhaps his voice quivered a bit in his declaration to David. 2Samuel 9:7 says, “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.” What a grand expression of grace to this young man. The honor given to him is not on his account; it is on account of his father.  

David restores all the land of Saul to Mephibosheth 2Samuel 9:9-10 says, “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. 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.” This arrangement would provide for Mephibosheth’s family, his young son Micha and his descendants. 

David is an example of godliness here. Does Integrity matter? Yes. He kept his promise after many years, and the only one who knew about it was dead. Does kindness matter? Yes. He showed this kindness to someone he did not know and could do nothing to repay him. Does forgiveness matter? Yes. How could you give a blessing to the descendant of the man who tried to kill you on more than one occasion? These qualities to a godly person are as natural as breathing. The words of Jesus should ring in our ears as we contemplate this account. 

Matthew 5:43 says, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” 

“love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy.” is what the flesh wants to do. “Love your enemies,” is what you will be able to do if you walk in the spirit. “be the children of your Father which is in heaven” gives the motivation for it all, that we can imitate the actions of our heavenly Father.

In this account, we also see a spiritual application. 2Samuel 9:13 says, “So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king’s table; and was lame on both his feet.” Not for works that he had done but for the works and life of another. 

In this, we see a picture of God, who calls the spiritually lame into His presents. Men and women who are unable to enter heaven on their own two feet, by their works, or by their Deeds. The spiritually lame are the sinful, immoral souls that walk this earth. This description applies to every one of us. God does this for only one reason. For the sake of Jesus Christ, who bled and died on the cross to pay our sin debt. He swings wide the gates of heaven for whoever will place their faith in Jesus Christ.  

“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” (John 3:5-7)

Jesus was talking about spiritual birth. He was making Nicodemus aware that there was a spiritual life as well as physical life, a physical delivery as well as a spiritual beginning. It does not matter who you are, who your parents are, what nationality, or race you are. We all have the same need because we are all sinners. We need to be born again if we are ever going to have a relationship with God.

“The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8)

It is hard to understand things we can not see. There are many things in this world that we believe exist that we can not see. Jesus takes Nicodemus to the wind. You can’t see it come or go. However, you can feel it upon your skin, and you can see it move the leaves on the trees. The same is true of the Spiritual life. While we can’t see it, we can feel its effect on us, and we can see its impact on others.

The spiritual birth affects every part of who we are. It changes our philosophy, attitude, outlook, and desires. Then a new, better person emerges from within. The spiritual life always works its way out into our physical being. This spiritual birth enables a deep and abiding relationship with God.

Questions to Ponder 

Do you have a spiritual life? 

Do you have a personal relationship with God? 

Back in 1527, a deadly plague hit Martin Luther’s town of Wittenberg and he wrote a letter to a friend, explaining how churches should deal with such complicated circumstances. This is very wise and balanced advice for us today.

“I shall ask God mercifully to protect us. Then I shall fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine and take it. I shall avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed in order not to become contaminated and thus perchance inflict and pollute others and so cause their death as a result of my negligence. If God should wish to take me, he will surely find me and I have done what he has expected of me and so I am not responsible for either my own death or the death of others. If my neighbor needs me however I shall not avoid place or person but will go freely as stated above. See this is such a God-fearing faith because it is neither brash nor foolhardy and does not tempt God.”

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Nicodemus saith unto him, “How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?” (John 3:3,4)

One of the main topics of Jesus’ teaching was the kingdom of God. This topic was something that was on everyone’s mind. Nicodemus wanted to know more about the kingdom of God. Understanding this, Jesus opens with the stunning statement. “Except a man be born again, he can not see the kingdom of God.”

While Nicodemus understood the words that Jesus said, he stumbles in understanding the meaning. The first thought he has is of the natural birth of a child. How can this possibly be! Can you imagine for a second what he must have thought? The impossibility of being born a second time as a baby. Who then could ever see the kingdom of God?

In his day, many thought that if you were a descendant of Abraham, you automatically got entrance into the kingdom of God. With this understanding, many gave no further thought to any deeper meaning to life. They were resting in the knowledge of being God’s chosen people.

The Pharisee’s were consumed with outward appearances. Of which Nicodemus was a member. These men made a show of their devotion to God, praying loudly in public, giving so others may see them and fasting so that everyone knew how godly they were. All of these things were done for the glory of men, not from a devotion of heart.

Like Nicodemus, often we are consumed with the temporal life. Where we are going, what we are doing, and how much we are making. We are overlooking the more essential matters in life and eternity. Nicodemus’s mind is so consumed with it that he is not ready to think in a spiritual manner. If we don’t take the time to slow down and meditate on God’s word, we will miss all the spiritual blessings and insights that God has for us.

“But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” (1Samuel 16:7)

Questions to Ponder
When God looks at your heart, what does he see? A material and selfish minded person or a spiritually-minded person?