Finding significance in the insignificant

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What’s on the agenda:

• A Verse

• A Puzzle

A verse:

Two of my favorite characters or stories in the Bible are found in 2 Samuel, and no, it’s not Samuel, Saul, David, or Goliath.

In fact, it’s two people you’ve probably never heard of: Obed-Edom and Mephibosheth.

The story of Obed-Edom.

We don’t get a lot about Obed-Edom in the Bible. The story about Him is very short, only three verses (see below).

Obed-Edom is only introduced after an incident where Uzzah was struck down for touching the Ark of the Covenant. David, being angry with God and fearful of the power of the ark, places the ark under the care of Obed-Edom for three months.

During this time, the Lord blesses Obed-Edom and his family.

This is the only mention of Obed-Edom in Samuel.

We don’t hear more about Oded-Edom until we reach 1 Chronicles, where we find a detailed account of his lineage and how his descendants served in the temple for generations afterwards.

Obed-Edom's story, though short, reveals the importance of reverence and obedience to God. His willingness to house the Ark, despite the risks, and his subsequent blessings, highlight the rewards of faithfulness not just for his life but for generations to come.

This three-sentence story wraps up a tiny, and short chapter in Oded-Edom’s life - just three months, but those three months changed his future and are the reason we read about him today, thousands of years later.

The story of Mephibosheth

Sometime after David becomes king, he sits and reflects on the loss of Saul, the first king of Israel, and Saul’s son, Jonathan, who was David’s best friend.

He asks about Jonathan’s descendants and is told about Mephibosheth, his son, who has been lame since he was a child. His nurse fled when she heard that Saul and Jonathan had been killed, and dropped Mephibosheth in the process, leaving him permanently disabled.

When he is brought to the King, David restores to him the inheritance of his father and Grandfather, giving him land and wealth, and invites him to eat at the king’s table for the rest of his life:

Mephibosheth did nothing to deserve this kindness; he was given it because of who his father was.

In many ways, this story foreshadows the faith and life of believers. While we were poor, desolate, and without hope, we were brought into the fold to feast and dine with the king for the rest of our lives and all eternity.

Significance in the Insignificant

Whether or not you believe God is who I believe He says He is in scripture, or whether you think these stories are true or not, there are powerful points in these stories.

Just because something is small and seemingly insignificant doesn’t mean it can’t change your life.

Oded-Edom was given a rare opportunity to do something that lasted three months. His acceptance of holding the ark changed the course of his life and his family’s life.

I believe the same thing can happen to you, and in your life, don’t neglect the possibilities hidden behind open doors.

I think the story of Mephibosheth gives us some insight into the power of connections and the impact we can have on each other’s lives.

Jonathan could not have foreseen the hardship that would befall his son, nor could he have foreseen the kindness David would bestow on Him, but it was the fruit of their friendship and all the ways Jonathan had helped and loved David.

You may not see the fruit, but kindness ripples throughout history.

A Puzzle:

A rebus is a puzzle that uses pictures, symbols, and/or letters to represent words or parts of words. The challenge of the puzzle is to decipher the hidden meaning behind the symbols and solve the puzzle.

Here’s this week’s puzzle:

The answer will be given in next week’s letter.

The answer to last week’s puzzle was “The plot is thickening”.