The king then asked, “Where is your master’s grandson?” Ziba said to him, “He is staying in Jerusalem, because he thinks, ‘Today the house of Israel will give me back my grandfather’s kingdom.’” – 2 Samuel 16:3

Today’s Scripture Reading (January 23, 2013): 2 Samuel 16

As the National Hockey League lockout ends, I have to admit that I am interested to see what happens with the fan base of some of the teams. It seems to me that from the point of view of the participants in the lockout – the owners and the players – the expectation seems to be that the fans will automatically return. All of the decisions made during the lockout appeared to depend on the fans coming back. And if they do not come back, if the pie to be divided gets significantly smaller, there may be a major problem – especially it would seem with the teams with long-term and bigger dollar players on their rosters. But an assumption has been made that the sport will be able to resume and grow from the spot the sport was at before the lockout ended.

David had honored Mephibosheth because of whose child he was. He showed kindness to him because he was the child of Jonathan, his childhood friend, and the grandchild of Saul, his king. And while David wanted to do something in memory of the house of Saul and so he befriends the only surviving child of Jonathan, there is apparently still a question about Mephibosheth’s allegiance. And so there is a bit of an edge to David’s question which is seen even in the way that David addresses Ziba. David asks Ziba where his “master’s grandson” is? Ziba was the servant of Mephibosheth, but David reminds him that he was the actually the servant of Saul – and in that message was a reminder that the king was dead and that power in Israel had changed.

Ziba did not miss David’s message. He jumps on it and tells David that Mephibosheth had stayed in Jerusalem hoping that in the midst of the civil war hoping that this would be the time when the crown would pass back to the house of Saul – and in spite of his disability, maybe even to the head of Mephibosheth. Ziba wants David to believe that Mephibosheth has been patiently waiting and hoping, wanting to capitalize on the idea that at some time everything would return to the way that it used to be.

But the reality is that we can never go back to the way it used to be. Everything that happens, every action that we do changes our reality. Mephibosheth would never be king. And I am convinced that the lockout has changed the landscape of the NHL – even if it is just found in a lack of trust between the parties involved and between the fans and the players and the league. Our actions today change the reality of the future – and that principle covers the actions of the NHL and the actions of Mephibosheth and of Ziba.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 17

Note: The VantagePoint Community Church Sermon "Feel the Burn" from the Series "Danny Boy" is now available on the VantagePoint Website. You can find it here.