Level 4
Lesson 4: The King and the Cripple Boy

Do you know anyone who is lame? How glad you are for your straight, strong legs and strong back! How eager you are to help any cripple you know!

There was once a little prince with a very big name—Mephibosheth. The little prince was the son of a dear friend of David’s, Jonathan.

Jonathan used to tell his little boy stories of his friend David —how he killed the lion and the bear—how he played his harp and sang to King Saul—how God had chosen him to be king, and Samuel had poured the anointing oil over his head.

Now one day Jonathan had to go away to the wars, for he was a general in the king’s army.

Little Mephibosheth played with his nurse, and looked for his father’s coming till one sad day. That day a runner came hurrying, breathless, with the news that Prince Jonathan was killed.

The little boy’s nurse picked him up in her arms and ran to take him to a safe place. She thought that the men who had killed Jonathan might come for Mephibosheth, and hurt him.

But while she was running, the nurse stumbled and fell and dropped the little prince.

He hurt his feet and became lame, and was never able to walk again without crutches. He found some friends to look after him, and stayed with them till he was a young man.

Then one day a messenger came to him and said, "King David wants you to go to his palace."

Mephibosheth felt shy and afraid, but he went. King David smiled kindly and said, "Don’t be afraid, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan, your father’s sake. You shall have all the land that belonged to him, and you will sit at my table and have meals with me."

Then David called a man to him and said, "Prince Mephibosheth will make his home at my palace, and sit at my table for his meals. You and your sons and your servants must look after his fields, and gather the fruits of the corn for your master the prince."

So the lame prince was happy once more. He had his own house and gardens and fields and servants, and he sat at the king’s table with David the Shepherd-King.