How will you meet the King?
# Three Ways to Meet the Returning King
The ancient story of King David's return from exile holds a mirror to our souls, revealing three distinct postures we might take when facing the ultimate return—that of Jesus Christ. As we examine these three men who met David on his journey back to Jerusalem, we discover timeless truths about how we approach our faith, our failures, and our future.
## The Worrier: When Past Sins Haunt Present Peace
Picture a man running frantically toward the Jordan River, his heart pounding not from exertion but from fear. Shimei had a history with David—a dark, shameful history. Three years earlier, when David fled Jerusalem in exile, Shimei had stood on a hillside and cursed the king. He didn't stop there. He threw stones at God's anointed and showered him with dirt, publicly humiliating the fleeing monarch while shouting accusations about David's past sins.
Now David was returning victorious, and Shimei was terrified.
What makes Shimei's story so compelling is its raw honesty about human nature. When we've wronged someone—especially someone in authority—the prospect of facing them again fills us with dread. Shimei prostrated himself before David, pleading for mercy: "Do not remember how your servant did wrong. May the king put it out of his mind, for I know that I have sinned."
The beauty of this moment lies in David's response. Despite having every right to execute Shimei for treason and blasphemy, David extended mercy. He forgave completely.
This is the gospel in miniature. When we come before Christ, confessing our sins with genuine repentance, He always welcomes us back. It doesn't matter how grievous our offenses, how many times we've cursed His name through our actions, or how we've pelted His reputation with stones of disobedience. True confession coupled with authentic repentance opens the floodgates of divine mercy.
But Shimei's story carries a sobering warning. Years later, despite receiving grace, Shimei violated the conditions King Solomon set for him and was executed. Forgiveness is freely given, but we cannot return to our old patterns of sin and expect grace to cover willful disobedience. Repentance must be real. Change must be genuine. We cannot walk away from our King after He has welcomed us home.
## The Waiter: Living in Anticipation
Then there was Mephibosheth—a man whose very appearance testified to his devotion. For three years, he hadn't bathed, hadn't trimmed his beard, hadn't cared for his feet. These weren't signs of neglect born from depression or apathy. They were deliberate acts of mourning, external expressions of an internal ache for the king's return.
Mephibosheth's backstory makes his loyalty even more remarkable. He was the grandson of Saul, David's predecessor and enemy. At age five, he became crippled when his nurse dropped him while fleeing the palace. He was an orphan living in poverty in a place called Lodebar—literally meaning "no pasture," a land of unproductivity and lack.
But David, because of a covenant with Mephibosheth's father Jonathan, had rescued him from poverty and given him a place at the royal table. When David went into exile, Mephibosheth couldn't physically follow due to his disability. His servant Ziba betrayed him, stealing his provisions and lying to David about Mephibosheth's loyalty.
Yet when David returned, the truth emerged. Mephibosheth's unkempt appearance told the real story—he had been waiting, longing, anticipating the king's return with every fiber of his being.
When David offered to split Mephibosheth's land between him and the deceitful servant Ziba, Mephibosheth's response reveals the depth of his devotion: "Let him have everything. Now that my lord has returned home safely, I don't need anything else."
This is the posture of a heart truly in love with the King. When you have Jesus, what else do you need? Material possessions pale in comparison to the presence of the King. Earthly inheritance means nothing when you can eat at His table.
Are we living in anticipation of Christ's return? Does our daily life reflect a longing for His appearing? Mephibosheth looked rough on the outside, but his heart glowed with love for David. Sometimes the most devoted followers don't have everything together externally, but their internal devotion burns bright.
## The Worker: Faithful Service Until the End
The third man David met was Barzillai, an 80-year-old wealthy farmer who distinguished himself not by worrying or waiting, but by working.
When David was in exile and the nation had rejected him, Barzillai made a courageous public stand. He loaded his wagon with supplies and traveled to where David was hiding. The biblical account lovingly lists each item: bedding and bowls and pottery and wheat and barley and flour and roasted grain and beans and lentils and honey and curds and sheep and cheese.
Notice how Scripture records even the beans and lentils. Nothing we give to God's work goes unnoticed. No gift is too small. God doesn't measure the size of our giving but the spirit in which we give.
Barzillai couldn't fight—he was too old. But he could give, and he could serve. When David returned and invited Barzillai to live in Jerusalem under royal care, the old man declined. He wanted to die in his own town, near where his parents were buried. But he offered his son Kimham to go in his place.
David's faithfulness to Barzillai extended beyond the old man's lifetime. Four hundred years later, the descendants of Kimham were still living on land David had given them near Bethlehem, still enjoying the blessings that flowed from one man's faithful service.
This is the power of kingdom work. Our faithfulness doesn't just affect us—it creates blessings that flow down through generations. When we serve the King faithfully, even in our old age, even when we can't do what we once did, God honors that devotion in ways we cannot imagine.
## The Question That Matters
These three men—Shimei the worrier, Mephibosheth the waiter, and Barzillai the worker—represent three possible postures when the King returns.
Will you be worrying, frantically trying to make amends for a life poorly lived, hoping it's not too late for mercy?
Will you be waiting, living in eager anticipation, your heart burning with love for His appearing, willing to give up everything just to be in His presence?
Or will you be working, faithfully serving until your last breath, investing in kingdom purposes, creating a legacy of blessing for generations to come?
The return of the King is not a distant theological concept—it's an imminent reality that should shape how we live today. The question isn't whether He will return, but how He will find us when He does.
The invitation stands open. Come with your sins and receive mercy. Come with your longing and find satisfaction. Come with your service and receive eternal reward. The King is returning. How will you meet Him?
The ancient story of King David's return from exile holds a mirror to our souls, revealing three distinct postures we might take when facing the ultimate return—that of Jesus Christ. As we examine these three men who met David on his journey back to Jerusalem, we discover timeless truths about how we approach our faith, our failures, and our future.
## The Worrier: When Past Sins Haunt Present Peace
Picture a man running frantically toward the Jordan River, his heart pounding not from exertion but from fear. Shimei had a history with David—a dark, shameful history. Three years earlier, when David fled Jerusalem in exile, Shimei had stood on a hillside and cursed the king. He didn't stop there. He threw stones at God's anointed and showered him with dirt, publicly humiliating the fleeing monarch while shouting accusations about David's past sins.
Now David was returning victorious, and Shimei was terrified.
What makes Shimei's story so compelling is its raw honesty about human nature. When we've wronged someone—especially someone in authority—the prospect of facing them again fills us with dread. Shimei prostrated himself before David, pleading for mercy: "Do not remember how your servant did wrong. May the king put it out of his mind, for I know that I have sinned."
The beauty of this moment lies in David's response. Despite having every right to execute Shimei for treason and blasphemy, David extended mercy. He forgave completely.
This is the gospel in miniature. When we come before Christ, confessing our sins with genuine repentance, He always welcomes us back. It doesn't matter how grievous our offenses, how many times we've cursed His name through our actions, or how we've pelted His reputation with stones of disobedience. True confession coupled with authentic repentance opens the floodgates of divine mercy.
But Shimei's story carries a sobering warning. Years later, despite receiving grace, Shimei violated the conditions King Solomon set for him and was executed. Forgiveness is freely given, but we cannot return to our old patterns of sin and expect grace to cover willful disobedience. Repentance must be real. Change must be genuine. We cannot walk away from our King after He has welcomed us home.
## The Waiter: Living in Anticipation
Then there was Mephibosheth—a man whose very appearance testified to his devotion. For three years, he hadn't bathed, hadn't trimmed his beard, hadn't cared for his feet. These weren't signs of neglect born from depression or apathy. They were deliberate acts of mourning, external expressions of an internal ache for the king's return.
Mephibosheth's backstory makes his loyalty even more remarkable. He was the grandson of Saul, David's predecessor and enemy. At age five, he became crippled when his nurse dropped him while fleeing the palace. He was an orphan living in poverty in a place called Lodebar—literally meaning "no pasture," a land of unproductivity and lack.
But David, because of a covenant with Mephibosheth's father Jonathan, had rescued him from poverty and given him a place at the royal table. When David went into exile, Mephibosheth couldn't physically follow due to his disability. His servant Ziba betrayed him, stealing his provisions and lying to David about Mephibosheth's loyalty.
Yet when David returned, the truth emerged. Mephibosheth's unkempt appearance told the real story—he had been waiting, longing, anticipating the king's return with every fiber of his being.
When David offered to split Mephibosheth's land between him and the deceitful servant Ziba, Mephibosheth's response reveals the depth of his devotion: "Let him have everything. Now that my lord has returned home safely, I don't need anything else."
This is the posture of a heart truly in love with the King. When you have Jesus, what else do you need? Material possessions pale in comparison to the presence of the King. Earthly inheritance means nothing when you can eat at His table.
Are we living in anticipation of Christ's return? Does our daily life reflect a longing for His appearing? Mephibosheth looked rough on the outside, but his heart glowed with love for David. Sometimes the most devoted followers don't have everything together externally, but their internal devotion burns bright.
## The Worker: Faithful Service Until the End
The third man David met was Barzillai, an 80-year-old wealthy farmer who distinguished himself not by worrying or waiting, but by working.
When David was in exile and the nation had rejected him, Barzillai made a courageous public stand. He loaded his wagon with supplies and traveled to where David was hiding. The biblical account lovingly lists each item: bedding and bowls and pottery and wheat and barley and flour and roasted grain and beans and lentils and honey and curds and sheep and cheese.
Notice how Scripture records even the beans and lentils. Nothing we give to God's work goes unnoticed. No gift is too small. God doesn't measure the size of our giving but the spirit in which we give.
Barzillai couldn't fight—he was too old. But he could give, and he could serve. When David returned and invited Barzillai to live in Jerusalem under royal care, the old man declined. He wanted to die in his own town, near where his parents were buried. But he offered his son Kimham to go in his place.
David's faithfulness to Barzillai extended beyond the old man's lifetime. Four hundred years later, the descendants of Kimham were still living on land David had given them near Bethlehem, still enjoying the blessings that flowed from one man's faithful service.
This is the power of kingdom work. Our faithfulness doesn't just affect us—it creates blessings that flow down through generations. When we serve the King faithfully, even in our old age, even when we can't do what we once did, God honors that devotion in ways we cannot imagine.
## The Question That Matters
These three men—Shimei the worrier, Mephibosheth the waiter, and Barzillai the worker—represent three possible postures when the King returns.
Will you be worrying, frantically trying to make amends for a life poorly lived, hoping it's not too late for mercy?
Will you be waiting, living in eager anticipation, your heart burning with love for His appearing, willing to give up everything just to be in His presence?
Or will you be working, faithfully serving until your last breath, investing in kingdom purposes, creating a legacy of blessing for generations to come?
The return of the King is not a distant theological concept—it's an imminent reality that should shape how we live today. The question isn't whether He will return, but how He will find us when He does.
The invitation stands open. Come with your sins and receive mercy. Come with your longing and find satisfaction. Come with your service and receive eternal reward. The King is returning. How will you meet Him?
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