We see Mephibosheth act twice and speak twice. Twice, Mephibosheth paid homage to David (vv. 6, 8), including falling facedown at least the first time. And his words matched his posture. He is David’s servant (v. 6), who is but a dead dog (v. 8). If we had to summarize Mephibosheth in this account, we would probably describe him as being humble and in fear. That makes sense since he has been called before the king, the one who has the authority and the power to take his life if he chose.

Again, as we read this account through Mephibosheth’s lens, most of us would readily admit that we would have assumed a similar posture. We, too, would have recognized the precarious position we were in. We, too, would have entered in fearful humility, hoping that we would be able to express to the king that we were no threat.

Now, we need to keep that picture in our minds as we think about coming before God, the King of kings. How do we enter His presence? Not with fear but with bold confidence (Hebrews 10:19). Not because we aren’t dead dogs – we are – but because of what Christ has done in our place. Because Christ has taken our sin and given us His righteousness, we approach God not merely as His servants but as His loved children.

Why is it important we approach God in humility?