How much is a dead dog worth? Nothing? Listen to this story and then think again.
Our neighbor in Bolivia woke up one morning to find a dead dog in her front yard. How awful! she thought. I must get rid of it immediately!
She was an old grandmother and couldn’t get rid of it by herself, so she went to the city authorities and signed some papers to ask them to remove the dead dog. The people at the city offices said they would be right out, so the grandmother went home to wait. But the city people didn’t come.
So the grandmother went to a neighborhood group and asked them to do something about the dead dog. They agreed to come to remove it, so the grandmother waited again. But the neighborhood group didn’t come either.
The grandmother was upset by this time, so we decided to help her and began to bury the dog.
“Not there!” our neighbor said. “Don’t bury it near my yard!”
“Don’t worry,” we said. “We’ll bury it deep enough.”
So the grandmother finally got rid of the dead dog after almost a whole day of effort. How much was that dead dog worth? A lot less than even nothing! Nobody would even take the time to get rid of it. It was worth so much less than nothing that the grandmother was willing to go to a lot of work to get rid of it. She would even have paid us to get rid of it, if we would have accepted the money. I think you would have paid someone to get rid of it too. Who wants a dead dog in their yard?
Since a dead dog is worthless and not wanted, why in the Bible would Mephibosheth say to King David, “What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?” Who was he calling a dead dog? Mephibosheth was calling himself a dead dog!
This man with such a strange-sounding name was the grandson of King Saul who had tried to kill David. But now David was king, and he wanted to find a relative of Saul (his enemy) to whom he could show the kindness of God. It was the kindness of God because God shows kindness even to His enemies.
When King David brought Mephibosheth to his palace, Mephibosheth wondered why so great a king would want to show kindness to someone as worthless as himself. He knew his grandfather had been King David’s enemy. That was why he called himself a “dead dog.”
Have you ever thought about how much you are worth when compared to the King of kings, the Lord Jesus? The Bible says that those who have never been saved are “dead in sins.” And it says that if you have never had your sins forgiven you are “enemies in your mind by wicked works.” Have you ever admitted that your sins have made you like a dead person and an enemy of God? Mephibosheth did. He said he was just like a dead dog.
But David loved him anyway and wanted to show him kindness. God loves you even more and wants you to enjoy all His kindness. “God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us [made us alive] together with Christ... that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace, in His kindness toward us, through Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:4,5,74But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) (Ephesians 2:4‑5)
7That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:7).
Will you come to the Lord Jesus to receive such great kindness? King David brought Mephibosheth into his own home and treated him, not as a dead dog, but as one of his own sons. And God would like to take you into His family as one of His own children. “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” John 1:1212But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: (John 1:12).
King David’s kindness to Mephibosheth wasn’t just for one meal. No, he said, “Thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.” If you take Christ as your Saviour, then you will be able to say with many others, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:66Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. (Psalm 23:6). He will take you to His home in heaven to live forever.
The Lord Jesus paid a great price to save you, not to get rid of you. Will you accept His love and kindness?
ML-08/16/1992