Did you know that there is a place not too far from the spot I am currently sitting where, for $10, you can explore, dig for, and keep any diamonds you might find?  [And no, I’m not talking about my backyard, though maybe, with a little clever advertising, that would be a way to get other people to prepare my yard for a garden, and make a little retirement money on the side; hmm.]  Anyway, near Murfreesboro, Arkansas, there is a place called Crater of Diamonds State Park, which is located on the site of an ancient volcano.  Every day, hundreds of people go to this Park and search for diamonds and other gems on a 37 acre plot that is regularly plowed up.  And yes, diamonds and other gems are actually found there.  The Park reports that, on average, one or two small diamonds are found every day.  In fact, several large diamonds have been found there over the years, including a giant 9 carat diamond found by a guy this past Labor Day!  Isn’t it strange that a gem of that size could be found on land that hundreds or thousands of people had already searched?    

So, after two whole Sundays devoted to the story of King David and Mephibosheth, you might think we had gotten everything there is to know out of that strange and little-known tale.  However, in thinking thus, you would be under-estimating the ability, and the desire, of a preacher who, like the diamond hunters at Crater of Diamonds State Park, loves to continually delve in search of spiritual riches to be dragged out of well-trodden soil.  

“What’s in a name?”, asked William Shakespeare through one of his most famous characters, Juliet.  “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”  Shakespeare was certainly right about roses.  But, while he is usually spot-on in his analysis of both the physical world and human nature, Shakespeare might have missed the mark a bit in this assertion, at least in one respect.  

In our time, a person’s name rarely has any kind of deep significance.  But, it was different in Bible times.  Often, a person’s name described something about them and their personality.  Take “Mephibosheth”, for instance.  The character we have been studying over the last two weeks was not given this name by his parents.  No, his father, Jonathan – a powerful warrior for Israel in its battles against the pagan nations that sought its destruction – proudly named his child “Meribbaal” [see 1 Chronicles 8:34] – a name that means “the opponent of Baal”.  When his child was born, Jonathan envisioned that he would grow up and take his father’s place as a warrior against the enemies of Israel and their false gods.  Thus, Jonathan gave him a name that described what he wanted his son to become.  

But, Jonathan’s dream for Meribbaal did not come to pass.  As you recall, Jonathan himself died in battle, and his five year old son was terribly injured when his nanny, in her haste to carry him out of danger, dropped him, causing him to be permanently crippled.  The next time he appears in the Bible story, now as an adult, he is called by the name Mephibosheth.  This is a name which came to him later - we are not told when.  Nor are we told who assigned this new name to him.  It is possible that it is an alias he took on for himself.  After all, he is a man in hiding.  He is living as a fugitive from what he fears The King will do to him if he is ever found.  He is the former son of The Prince of Israel who now has nothing, and is living the horror of a life of poverty in the poorest part of Israel.  The alias he now lives under is “Mephibosheth”, which means “son of shame”.  He is ashamed of what has become of him, ashamed of his physical deformities, ashamed of the family blood running through his veins, ashamed of his past, ashamed of his future.  But even when The King brings him under his protection, and restores his wealth, and gives him a seat at The King’s Table, he cannot escape his past.  This terrible name stays with him.  Everyone still calls him Mephibosheth, including The King.  And, every time this name is spoken, he is reminded of his past, reminded of his shame.

I wonder how this made him feel?  Maybe you don’t have to wonder too much.  Maybe you can still the hear the echoes of a cruel nickname that you have carried in your heart for many years.  Perhaps it’s not so much a nickname as it is a supposed description of you or your abilities – “Loser”, “Dummy”, “Fool”, “Not good enough”, “Not wanted”, “Not needed”, etc.  Sometimes, Shakespeare, there really is something in a name – something painful, something hurtful, something soul-crushing.

And, while it is true that Mephibosheth’s story is our story, it is also true that our story is actually even better.  We don’t just sit at The Table of The King – as wildly wonderful as that is.  We have been adopted into The King’s family as sons and daughters – [1 John 3:2].  We are heirs of God, co-heirs with Christ - [Romans 8:16-17].  And, The King does not remind us of the shame of our old life like David did every time he spoke the name “Mephibosheth”.  No, from the True King we receive our true name – [Ephesians 3:14-15], and just like that, “Behold, everything is fresh and new!” – [2 Corinthians 5:17].  

So, for all of us “sons and daughters of shame”, I hope you’ll treasure this “diamond” unearthed from one last look at this story.  Let us let go of the shame of the past, and live our true names – “Daughter of The King”; “Son of The King”!     

~Shepherd Ambrose Ramsey