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AGAPE LESSON 21
AN ACCURATE PATTERN OF BUILDING
Put together by Bongie Kuzwayo
[Acts 15v16—17] After this I will return and rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen down; I
will rebuild it ruins, and will set it up; (17) so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the
Gentiles who are called by My name, says the Lord who does all these things.
David is a type of Christ. So, the whole idea is to build Christ in the hearts of people.
[Galatians4v19] My little children for whom I labour in birth again until Christ is formed in you.
Paul’s cry should be our cry that Christ be formed in the hearts of the people we minister to. That
seed of Christ in every heart needs to grow to maturity. As David is the type of Christ, we are going
to look David’s pattern of building.
Unpacking [2 Samuel 9] will show us David’s pattern of building.
Read [2 Samuel 9v1—13] Now David said, “Is there still anyone left in the house of Saul, that I may
show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?’ (2) And there was a servant of the house of Saul
whose name was Ziba. So, when they had called him to David, the king said to him, “Are you
Ziba?” He said, “At your service!” (3) Then the king said, “Is there not still someone of the
house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?” And Ziba said to the king, “There is
still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet.” (4) So, the king said to him, “Where is he?”
And Ziba said to the king. “Indeed, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo
Debar.” (5) Then king David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of
Ammiel, from Lo Debar. (6) Now when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul,
had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said,
“Mephibosheth?” And he answered, “Here is your servant!” (7) So, David said to him, “Do
not fear. For I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore
to you all the land of Saul, your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.
(8) Then he bowed himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such
a dead dog as I?” (9) And the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “I have
given to your master’s son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. (10) You therefore,
and your sons and your servants, shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in the
harvest, that your master’s son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth, your master’s son,
shall eat bread at my table always.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. (11)
Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord, the king, has commanded his
servant, so will your servant do.” “As for Mephibosheth,” said the king, “He shall eat at my
table like one of the king’s sons.” (12) Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was
Micha. And all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth. (13) So,
Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king’s table. And he was
lame in both feet.
Just to put you in the picture – so we don’t look at the text out of context.
• King Saul and his son Jonathan died in a battle. [2 Samuel 1v12] And they mourned and wept
and fasted until evening for Saul and Jonathan his son, for the people of the Lord and for the
house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.
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• David is now king – has been endowed with the grace of Father God to father the Nation of
Israel. [2 Samuel 2v4] Then the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David King over
the house of Judah.
• David was in covenant with Jonathan:
[1 Samuel 20v14—17] And you shall not only show me the kindness of the Lord while I still live, that I
may not die; (15) ‘’but you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever, no, not when the
Lord has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” (16) So, Jonathan
made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “Let the Lord require it at the hand of David’s
enemies.” (17) Now Jonathan again caused David to vow, because he loved him; for he loved him as
he loved his own soul.
• Now it is because of the covenant between David and Jonathan that we come to this TEXT.
Now back to our text:
• Mephibosheth = a shameful thing/be disappointed.
• Saul = desired.
• Jonathan = gift of God/Jehovah has given.
• House = family/ household/ temple/ church.
• Ziba = statue/station/ planter. As planter, Ziba will know the latter and the former
rain/revelation. One who understands the moves of the Spirit. (He is an apostolic voice = a
sent one). He was sent by David to bring Mephibosheth/sent to labour the land for
Mephibosheth. Ziba is sent to call the men of God out of these cruel denominations to come
connect to David (a grace carrier) who will resource and hide their lameness.
• Machir = sold – a seller – primitive root = to sell (literally) as merchandise – to sell his
daughter to marriage (slavery). Many ministries are in this inaccurate location = they are
hired and sold by the denomination. The denomination has a final word because the pastor
is denomination’s property. He is not free to hear from God and implement. The church
board decides for him (will even decide his salary in his absence). These men of God are
hired and fired at the discretion of the board. In essence, God is not the boss of this pastor.
The order of the day is traditions of man.
• Ammiel = my kinsman is God
• Lo Debar = not a pasture
• Lo = no/nothing/ not/ without.
• Debar = pasture (from Dabar) = to speak/ to declare/ to warn = proceeding word.
So, Lo Debar where Mephibosheth is lodging is a place of famine of hearing the proceeding word/
fresh word from God. Here, in the house of Machir, Mephibosheth was starving in scarcity like the
prodigal son in (Luke 15).
This is what the prophet Amos saw in the distant future, and prophesied. [Amos8v11—13] Behold,
the days are coming says the Lord God, “That I will send famine on the land, not a famine of bread,
nor thirst for water, but of hearing the word of the Lord. (12) They shall wonder from sea to sea, and
from north to east, they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord, but shall not find it. (13)
In that day the fair virgins and strong young men shall faint for thirst.
In today’s climate of church, believers are migrating from one church to another; which is a sign of
hunger and dissatisfaction. Some will actually spell it out that they are not fulfilled and are unhappy;
but will remain stagnant in the same place.
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Let us see Mephibosheth as representing a tribe (household/local house/spiritual family/ church.
Many households out there are living in scarcity of a proceeding word. Preachers peach from head
knowledge and not from a fresh word/proceeding word from the Lord.
(v7) Bread = Christ
[John6v32—33] Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the
bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true Bread from heaven. (33) For the bread of God
is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.
(v7) The expression – shall eat at my table continually” means = he is now promoted to a position of
son. Sonship is the legitimate and accurate position to be aligned back to the family of God in
heaven.
What did David mean by this – you shall eat bread at my table always?
• You will be an apprentice and learn from me by instruction and demonstration. In Bible
times, sons learned by instruction and demonstration from the father. [2 Timothy3v10—
11] But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering,
love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions.
• You will always be present at my table whenever a meal/doctrine is served. In the Jewish
culture, meal times were times to pray together as family – time to solve/deal with issues
at hand as they together seek the wisdom of God – time to share aspirations – time to lay
hands on the little ones and pray prophetically over them.
• You will eat the same food/doctrine as I eat.
• You will share my joys and my sorrows. [2Samuel 19v24—30] Mephibosheth identifies with
the king’s pain (affliction).
• You and I will understand the same things.
• As son, you will believe what I believe.
• Your lameness will be hidden under my table, no one will see it.
• You will adopt my ways – imitate me. [1 Corinthians 11v1} Imitate me just as I also imitate
Christ. [1 Corinthians 4v17] For this reason I have sent Timothy to you. Who is my beloved
and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ as I teach everywhere
in every church,
• You will know my vision and buy into it. Solomon bought into David’s vision and built the
temple.
• You will love the Lord, His word, and walk in the fear of the Lord. [1 Samuel 24v5—7] Now it
happened afterward that David’s heart troubled him because he had cut Saul’s robe. (6) And
he said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the lord’s
anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.” (7) So,
David restrained his servants with these words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul.
And Saul got up from the cave and went on his way.
The same expression – ‘shall eat at my table,’ David repeats three times = v7, v10 and v11.
• Three stands for that which is solid
• Real
• Substantial
• Complete and entire
• It marks divine completeness.
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This means, David will fulfil what he has promised.
The only accurate pattern of building is Christ. David is a type of Christ.