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Scripture Reading: 2 Sam. 4:4; 9:1-13; 16:1-4; 19:24-30; 21:7
Today I want to look at a wonderful story from the Old Testament about a lame boy sitting at a king's table. In the Bible there are many wonderful stories: one tells us about a prostitute who was saved, one about a robber who was saved, one about a tax collector who was saved, and even one about a bad Pharisee who was saved. Today we will talk about a lame boy who was saved.
Most of the people sitting here have read the Bible. When we talk about friendship in the Bible, we often mention David and Jonathan. Some secular writers also use the story of David and Jonathan as an example of love between friends. But today I want to speak about how David graciously treated Jonathan's son, Mephibosheth, and about Mephibosheth's gratitude to David.
Second Samuel 4:4 says, "And Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth."
Please pay special attention to the fact that Mephibosheth's grandfather, Saul, was David's enemy. Many times he persecuted David and wanted to put him to death. He was a great enemy of David. When Saul and Jonathan were killed, Mephibosheth's nurse took him and fled quickly. She thought that since both his grandfather and father were dead, David might come to avenge and kill Mephibosheth if they did not flee fast. The boy fell on the ground and became lame because she was running too fast. Consider for a moment: does this not look like the picture of a sinner before God?
Man has misunderstood God! I say again: man has misunderstood our God! Because man has devious thoughts about God, he thinks that God also has devious thoughts about him. Because man hates God, he thinks that God also hates him. Man knows that he has sinned, and he thinks that God hates him. Mephibosheth thought, "My grandfather was David's enemy; therefore, David must hate me. I have no love for David; therefore, David must have no love for me." This is the way we also think. We think that God has no love for us because we have no love for God. We think that God cannot love us because we hate God. But God is not the same as we. Mephibosheth had no ground to receive grace, yet he received it. The same is true with regard to us and God.
"And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?" (v. 1). God is also asking, "Is there yet any that is left of Adam, that I may show him grace?" David showed Mephibosheth kindness for the sake of Jonathan; God graced the sinners because of His Son Jesus. People make a great mistake in thinking that God hates man. They think that man has to do a great deal of good before God's face will be turned to them. Yet they are not sure how much good should be done before God will stop His wrath, consider them, and be pleased with them. But Mephibosheth had no position at all before David. David did not know Mephibosheth. David only knew Mephibosheth's father, Jonathan. He was gracious to Mephibosheth for Jonathan's sake. Mephibosheth did not have to do anything good before he could receive David's favor. Mephibosheth had no position at all before David. He received kindness not because of himself but because of another person. This is true for a sinner before God. Many people think, "I must do something good before I can please God." But the Bible tells us that God loves us without a reason. We did not have any position before God, and we should not have obtained His grace. But we have our Jonathan, Jesus Christ. God has graced us because of Him. We are saved because we have the Lord Jesus before God. With the Lord, we can come before God.
The universities in the old times required two years of pre-university studies. Some medical schools required three years of preparation. But to obtain salvation, there is no need to enter any pre-university. Many people think that they have to prepare themselves before they can win back God's heart. But I can tell you that there is no need to do anything to please God. There is no place in the Bible that says that God wants to be reconciled to us. The Bible only says that we need to be reconciled to God. God is reconciled to us already! God gave His Son to us because He loved us. He did not love us only after He gave His Son to us. Someone said, "It is fortunate the Lord Jesus died so that God could love us." But there is no such thing. He gave His Son to us because He loved us.
"And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet. And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lodebar" (vv. 3-4). Lodebar is a Hebrew word which means "a place without grass." The world today is a "Lodebar"; it can never fill up man's hunger or quench man's thirst. "Lodebar" can never satisfy our heart. Brothers and sisters, do you know that we are created for God and not for ourselves? All those who have not turned back to God will never be satisfied.
You may dream about how your future will be so beautiful and restful. But after a while, you will find that the promises of the world are all unusable currencies. Time after time, the world only brings you discouragement and disappointment. Time after time, the world puts you into a dream; everything is just a mirage and a dry place without grass. O brothers and sisters, a godless life is an unsatisfied life. A life outside of God can never be satisfying. Mephibosheth, who ran away from David, was living in a place without grass. A sinner far away from God is also living in a place without grass.
What did David do when he heard that Mephibosheth was living in a place without grass? Thank and praise the Lord! "Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lodebar" (v. 5). Fetch in the original text is "bring." Romans 3:11 says, "There is none who seeks out God." Luke 19:10 says, "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which is lost." Some people think that because we are so evil we should surely seek after God. Since we are so fallen, surely we should seek after God. But this is not how things work! If God had to wait for us to seek Him before He saved us, we would probably never be saved because we would never seek after Him. If Mephibosheth had had to seek after David, he would not have had any boldness to seek after him because his grandfather was David's enemy. He also did not have the ability to seek after David because he was lame. Mephibosheth did not seek after David, but David sent men to fetch Mephibosheth. We did not seek after God, but God sent His Son to seek us and bring us back to His presence.
On Mephibosheth's side, he dared not seek the king because his grandfather was the king's enemy. In addition, he was not able to seek the king because he was lame. We may think, "Perhaps someday I will become better, seek after God, and earnestly plead to Him to forgive my sins. Perhaps then I will be saved." But it was not Mephibosheth who sought after David, but David who fetched Mephibosheth. The Bible says God wants you, calls you, and sends men to tell you that He wants you. Romans 10:6 and 7 say, "But the righteousness which is out of faith speaks in this way, `Do not say in your heart, Who will ascend into heaven?' that is, to bring Christ down; or, `Who will descend into the abyss?' that is, to bring Christ up from the dead." These verses tell us that no man can go to heaven to ask the Lord to die for him and that no man can go to Hades to ask the Lord to resurrect from death. The following verses say, "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart...for with the heart there is believing unto righteousness, and with the mouth there is confession unto salvation" (vv. 8, 10). Mephibosheth did not need to make an effort. The king sent people to fetch him. If there is a man here who is not saved, it will not be because God does not save him, but because he rejects God's grace.
What did David say to Mephibosheth after he fetched him? "Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant!" (2 Sam. 9:6). Here is the most pleasant music! "Mephibosheth." David did not say anything more when he saw Mephibosheth. He did not say, "Mephibosheth you are here"; he did not say, "Saul's grandson Mephibosheth"; he did not say, "Jonathan's son Mephibosheth"; he did not say, "Who are you?" "Mephibosheth." Have you ever considered, when David said, "Mephibosheth," what kind of feeling was in his heart, and what was the tone of his voice? Underneath this word was a beating heart, a heart that expressed God's heart. "Mephibosheth" shows that God does not hate man, that He wants man, and that He loves man. Every time a man calls out another man's name but does not say anything more, a third person will not understand the meaning, but the one whose name is called can understand.
I have spoken about the story of Mary the Magdalene. She thought the Lord was a gardener. When she asked the gardener where Jesus was, the Lord did not answer, "I am not the gardener," or "I did not take His body away," or "You are a woman; how can you get the body?" The Lord only said, "Mary!" As soon as she heard this very familiar voice, she said, "Rabboni!" We know that when someone calls another by name only, there must be considerable meaning behind it. On that day David saw his enemy's grandson, and he only said, "Mephibosheth." This shows that David's heart was not only without hatred, but also full of compassion.
It is a pity that Mephibosheth did not know David's heart. When he went to David, his heart might have been beating fast, and he might have been thinking, "Today I am going to see the king of Judah; maybe he will kill me." When he saw David and heard him call, "Mephibosheth," he should have known that David had only compassion and no bad intention toward him. But with a heart full of fear, he said, "Behold thy servant." He might have thought, "Formerly I was a king's grandson; now I humble myself to be a servant. Perhaps by this I will gain David's favor, and he will not kill me." I must tell you that no one can please God by relying on himself becoming a servant.
Then David testified of God's heart. He said to Mephibosheth, "Fear not: for I will surely show thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually" (v. 7). Brothers and sisters, everything is now ready. I do not know how many among us realize that God loves us. Perhaps someone has worked for many years and still does not know that God loves him. If we only knew that God loves us, our lives would be changed greatly.
In the nineteenth century, there was a famous literary writer who was an antagonist against Christianity. He was the chief editor of a very famous newspaper. One day he heard Mr. Moody's preaching, and he repented and believed in the Lord. Once he became saved, many people reported the story of his salvation in the newspapers of America. One day Mr. Chapman went into a town and stayed in the same hotel, in the room next to this man. Mr. Chapman knew him and asked if it were true that he was saved. He said, "I repented and believed in the Lord through hearing Mr. Moody's preaching. However, I knew about God's love when I was eighteen years old. When I was young I was a prodigal son. I left home at the age of twelve or thirteen for several years because I did not like being confined at home. At that time in my youth, I became very ill and ran out of money. I had to return home in disgrace. My father treated me very well, but I regretted going home. My father was old; his hair was white, and he was sick. Yet every day he forced himself to work to get a little bread for us to eat. There was never enough for three people to eat because the income was so low. I felt that I had made a mistake by coming back. I could no longer eat the bread which my father earned through his hard work. After my strength had increased some, I told him that I still wanted to go out. In my whole life I never saw him so sorrowful as on that day. He said, `You are not healed yet; why do you want to leave? If there is a piece of bread in this house, you will always have a share. If there is a piece of roof, you will always have a share. Why do you want to leave?' But I was determined to leave. Then he said, `My son, let me tell you: in my whole life, I have never desired to be rich. But today I wish I had a fortune because of you; I wish I could have more money saved for you so that you would not have to wander outside. Perhaps someone will help us in the future. Why do you want to go out?' However, I had to go. I could not bear to eat my father's hard-earned bread anymore. Eventually he said, `My son, may God bless you! After today I will not see you again; but perhaps I will see you again in heaven!' He escorted me out of the house. We walked for half a mile, during which neither he nor I said a word. We walked like this for one mile. He was tired and could not go forward anymore and had to bid farewell. Until that day I did not know how hard it is to leave home! He had not walked back more than two steps when he turned back and called me. With tears in his eyes, he took out a half-dollar from his pocket and gave it to me, saying, `This is for you.' I knew what this half-dollar meant. I knew all that my father had on earth was that half-dollar. I knew what was in that half-dollar. That was the first time in my life that I realized my father loved me! The weather was rainy and cold as I saw my father going home, but my heart was very warm. I was singing, `My father loves me!' From that day on I was not a prodigal son. I decided that the first thing that I would do was reduce my father's burden. If I earned a dollar, I would mail it to him because he loved me. From that day forward, I became another person. This does not mean that before that time my father did not love me. But at the time of my destitution, I realized that he loved me. One day I heard Mr. Moody preach the following words: `Everyone talks about the father's prodigal son, but today I want to talk about the prodigal son's father.' When I heard that the Father was the same as my father, I believed and received the Lord Jesus as my Savior."
O brothers and sisters, I have known this God for at least eleven years. Although this is not very long, I know the kind of heart that He has. Do not suppose that you can do something to turn God's heart or please Him. He loves you and wants you to be saved. He does not need you to turn His heart. Many people say, "God does not tell me that He loves me." But please take a look at the cross, and you will know that He has already loved you. You should have received the punishment of the cross, but He made the Lord Jesus suffer it for you because He loves you.
What is love? Love is not words. The deepest kind of love cannot be expressed in words. The prodigal son was prepared to say to his father, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants" (Luke 15:18-19). But when he was yet a great way off, his father had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. A father's heart shortens the distance of sin. When his father kissed him, he knew his father's heart. His father did not say, "I love you," but as soon as he kissed him, the prodigal son knew his father's heart. He could not say the words, "Make me like one of your hired servants." He could only say in his heart, "My father loves me." Please do not misunderstand God's heart. Please come to the cross. Jesus has already died for you; this should show you what is in God's heart already. When you see the blood of the Lord Jesus, you will know how much God loves you.
"Then the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said unto him, I have given unto thy master's son all that pertained to Saul and to all his house. Thou therefore, and thy sons, and thy servants, shall till the land for him, and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master's son may have food to eat: but Mephibosheth thy master's son shall eat bread alway at my table...As for Mephibosheth, said the king, he shall eat at my table, as one of the king's sons" (2 Sam. 9:9-11). How marvelous that there is not one condition, not one commandment; there are only promises. It does not say how much one should work. Everything was given. This is grace. If we understand God's heart, we cannot but believe in Him.
Perhaps someone will ask, "Does a sinner not have to repent before he believes in God and is saved?" Let me tell you: do not reverse the order in the Bible. Many people think, "I must have one basic act of righteousness and one basic act of goodness before God can look favorably on me." That is law; it is not grace. Can you tell someone who feels cold to warm up a little before he comes to the fire? Or would you say, "You will be warm after coming to the fire?" One does not stop his sin and then come to believe; rather, one believes and then does not sin. Mephibosheth was afraid at first, but after being treated gracefully by David, he started to know himself, saying, "What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?" (v. 8). Romans 2:4 says, "Or...not knowing that God's kindness is leading you to repentance?" After knowing God's love, spontaneously one repents. When Mephibosheth came, he wanted to go back to the land without grass; after tasting grace, he prostrated himself on the ground and repented. Mephibosheth was wrong, so he needed to repent. David was not wrong, so he did not need to repent. We need to repent, not God. Before Mephibosheth knew of David's love to him, David already loved him; after Mephibosheth knew of his love, David still loved him. God is the same toward us. After I knew God's love, I changed my thinking and concepts. Today, is there any sinner who would say, "Would not it be good if I could please God?" Let me tell you: God loves you just the way you are. Come to God just as you are. He wants you just the way you are.
Now someone may say, "That is right; we are saved by grace and not by works. God treats me in the same way that David treated Mephibosheth. But after I am saved, should not my behavior become better? Why do I still feel that I am sometimes high and sometimes low, at times good and at times bad?" In order to answer this question, please read 2 Samuel 9:13. "So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king's table; and was lame on both his feet." We were saved by grace initially, and we are also kept in this salvation by grace. Many mistakenly have a concept that they were initially saved by grace but they are kept in this salvation by work. However, there is no such thing. We should realize that the condition for salvation is the condition for preservation. We are saved by Jesus, and we are kept by Jesus to the end. Although Mephibosheth dined with the king often, his two feet still remained lame. If one foot is lame, one can still jump. But if both feet are lame, it is not only inconvenient, but also ugly. We can dine at the king's table, and both feet can still be lame. The king would not allow a lame person to dine at his table on the first day and then drive him out after a few days because his feet were still lame. There is no such thing.
Our two feet are lame, but they are under the table. We should just eat what is on the table. Why do we put our two feet, which should be under the table, onto the table? We should just pay attention to what is on the table. What God has spread out here is wonderful, rich, and sweet. We just need to eat. We should not look at ourselves. Instead, we should look at the riches God has given us. Every time we look at ourselves, we will not have peace. Our eyes are for looking outside not inside. Self-introspection is not our portion. If we keep our eyes upon the Lord, we will go from glory to glory and be transformed into His image. If we look at ourselves, we will be just like Mephibosheth with two feet lame. After we are saved, we receive a new life, and the Holy Spirit lives within us; we become entirely new. The self that comes from Adam never changes. How did a man as holy as St. Augustine feel when he was dying? He said, "Most of this world's seeds of sin are within my self." As long as we are still in this body, our two feet are still lame. We should not look at ourselves. We should only look at the riches and the grace that God has spread before us. When we do this, our hearts will be satisfied.
A few years later, Absalom, the son of David, rebelled, and David escaped to hide from his son Absalom. "And when David was a little past the top of the hill, behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of asses saddled, and upon them two hundred loaves of bread, and a hundred bunches of raisins, and a hundred of summer fruits, and a bottle of wine. And the king said unto Ziba, What meanest thou by these? And Ziba said, The asses be for the king's household to ride on; and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat; and the wine, that such as be faint in the wilderness may drink. And the king said, And where is thy master's son? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he abideth at Jerusalem: for he said, Today shall the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father. Then said the king to Ziba, Behold, thine are all that pertained unto Mephibosheth" (16:1-4). Is this true? Let us read chapter nineteen and find out.
After the conspiracy, David came back to Jerusalem, and Mephibosheth, the grandson of Saul, also came down to meet the king. From the day the king departed until he came again in peace, Mephibosheth did not do three things: he "had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes" (v. 24). Brothers and sisters, do you know what this means? This is what I spoke about this morning; this is a widow's heart! Mephibosheth might have said, "David, who treated me graciously, is not here anymore. Although they did not come to destroy me, my joy is gone. What is the use of decorating and beautifying myself? He is not here anymore. Who has the heart to decorate?" We know that we are not worthy of our salvation. The world rejected our Lord and nailed Him to the cross. On this earth we also have a widow's heart. The reason we can reject the world and not love it is because the person whom we love is not here anymore, not because the world is not lovable. The only thing He got from the world was a grave. This is why we cannot love the world. The world is a place which is contrary to us.
Mephibosheth's heart was a widow's heart. Since the king was not there, he lost his heart for everything. A very deep believer once said, "Wherever Jesus is, there is heaven. If Jesus is in hell, then hell is heaven too. If Jesus is not in heaven, then it is not heaven." At that time I thought that there could not be such a thing. But today I want to say that this is true. In the beginning all we thought about was the problem of sins, but now all we think about is the Lord Jesus. Formerly our thoughts were on being delivered from the punishment of hell, but now we think about the Lord Himself. Therefore, if the Lord is in heaven, heaven is lovely, but if the Lord is in hell, even hell will be lovely.
This world is nothing but a wilderness. What is a wilderness? It is desolation. This does not mean that the beauty, art, and natural scenery of the world are not good. But all these mean nothing to us anymore because He is not here. How can we love the world when it looks down on the Lord Jesus? I have said before that wherever our lover is, there is the land of joy. The house, clothes, food, and drink may be the same, but if our beloved is not there, all of these things will seem different. My hometown is Foochow. I have often thought about going back to it. However, it is not Foochow that I miss, but the brothers and sisters who are of the same mind there. They suffered difficulties and poverty together with me, and they also were opposed by other people. I could forget Foochow easily if they were not there. The same is true with the world. We cannot find rest and happiness in this world. The only attitude we should have toward the world is that of a widow.
When Mephibosheth came to Jerusalem to meet the king, the king asked him, "Wherefore wentest not thou with me, Mephibosheth? And he answered, My lord, O king, my servant deceived me: for thy servant said, I will saddle me an ass, that I may ride thereon, and go to the king; because thy servant is lame. And he hath slandered thy servant unto my lord the king; but my lord the king is as an angel of God: do therefore what is good in thine eyes. For all of my father's house were but dead men before my lord the king: yet didst thou set thy servant among them that did eat at thine own table. What right therefore have I yet to cry any more unto the king?" (vv. 25-28). Here we see that he did not mention anything about the bread and wine. He only mentioned that he was deceived. His heart felt that it was sufficient that the king had returned peacefully; it really did not matter that much about being slandered.
If a person wants to express his heart, he does not necessarily have to use words. If someone has become a slave of the Lord's love, he will not be able to express his heart with words. The deeper the love, the more secretive it becomes. If you really love the Lord, you will still keep yourself pure when others are opposing Him. On the day we meet the Lord, we will not tell Him, "Lord, such have I given up for You on earth." On that day you will not say anything about yourself. You will say, "I regret that while living on earth, I did not love You more deeply and did not serve You more faithfully." At that time you will feel that even if you have a million words to offer to the Lord, it would still not be enough.
Mephibosheth did not say anything else, other than of his being deceived by his servant. There was only one thing in his heart: it is good enough that David my king has returned; being slandered does not mean that much. As long as I can sit at David's table, that is good enough. I do not need to say anything more about being slandered, nor do I need to vindicate myself. As long as the king has returned, that is enough.
"And the king said unto him, Why speakest thou any more of thy matters? I have said, Thou and Ziba divide the land. And Mephibosheth said unto the king, Yea, let him take all, forasmuch as my lord the king is come again in peace unto his own house" (vv. 29-30). Every time when I read this word of Mephibosheth, I say, Amen! If the King can come back in peace, what does it matter if I gain or lose? If my Lord has gained something, even if I lose something, what does it matter? All that matters is whether He is safe or not; it does not matter if the things He gives still exist.
Job said, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him" (Job 13:15). One martyred saint said on the night before he was going to be executed, "God, if You do not come in and interfere, tomorrow I will go blindly just as I am, come heaven or hell." This was a hero of faith. The Lord will not wrong us. But even if He ill-treats us, we should delight in His ill-treatment. As long as He is pleased, and as long as it is according to His heart's desire, we will feel sweet even when we are ill-treated.
Of course, the way David handled Mephibosheth was wrong, but our Lord will not do so to us. By being wronged, Mephibosheth's heart was clearly revealed. "Let him take all, forasmuch as my lord the king is come again in peace unto his own house." The Lord wants to save us to the extent that we care only for the Lord's gain or loss and not for our gain or loss. God's gain or loss is what matters. Our own gain or loss matters nothing. Once I needed to obey the Lord, yet I could not do it. Finally, I had to tell the Lord, "Do not give in, please allow me to give in." We ought to give in, not God. The One who once captured my heart has captured it forever. Since my heart had been captured by Him, all that I have is His. Brothers and sisters, what is our hope and expectation before the Lord? Are we still making plans for ourselves, or are we for Him? From now on may we regard all that we have as His and only care about His gain or loss. As long as He gains something, that is good enough.
Second Samuel 21:7 says, "But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the Lord's oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul." There was a famine in the days of David for three consecutive years because of Saul and his bloody house slaying the Gibeonites. By the Gibeonites' request, in order to make the atonement, seven of Saul's descendants had to be delivered to them. This should have been the end of Mephibosheth because the first one who should have been delivered was Mephibosheth. But David cared for him and took seven men from the other tribes. Therefore, Mephibosheth was spared until the end of his life. This story tells us that every saved person will not perish. David took care of Mephibosheth from the beginning to the end. Will God wrong us? If David could protect Mephibosheth from beginning to end, will God not keep us to the end?
John 10:28-29 says, "And I give to them eternal life, and they shall by no means perish forever, and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all, and no one can snatch them out of My Father's hand." These two verses are very familiar to us. They show us clearly that we cannot be snatched out by anyone because of "My hand...[and] My Father's hand." The Lord Jesus' hand and the heavenly Father's hand have held us securely. Who can snatch us out of such hands? No one can. Someone might think, "It is right that none can snatch us out. But we can escape." If a Christian talks in this way, he does not know the gospel at all. If a father walks with his child's hand in his hand, what will he do when he sees danger or when he sees that the little hand is trying to escape? Will he let the hand go, or will he hold it tighter?
There was a black lady in the United States who, after she was saved, sang happily, "Once saved, forever saved." A half-believing Christian asked her, "This is what you sing. But can you guarantee that you will go to heaven?" She then recited John 10:28-29 to him. He said, "That is right. But you had better not be so sure. You should know that the bigger the hand, the larger the hole through which you can fall." She answered, "No, I will never be leaked out because I am God's little finger!" She knew the Bible. She spoke the truth, because the Lord is the Head, and we are His Body. We are joined to Him in life. If a Christian perishes, the Body of Christ will have a defect forever and will never be complete. May every Christian say to the Lord, "Hallelujah! Since I have been saved, I will be saved forever. Therefore, I will give my all to You."
All issues of this magazine prior to Issue No. 28 have been entirely distributed. We cannot send any more of them to those who have requested them. Therefore, from Issue No. 28 onward, six thousand five hundred copies will be printed for each issue. The cost of printing and mailing has almost doubled from last year. But thank the Lord, through the little offerings of many believers, there is no lack.
Since the end of July this year, there have been several hundred thousand gospel tracts issued every month. The printing cost each month is not a small figure. But thank the Lord, there has not once been a time when there was a dire need that He has not supplied!
Because of the burden to minister, study the Word, and write, and because his body is weak and frequently ill, Mr. Watchman Nee cannot answer every letter from so many places. We hope the brothers and sisters in the Lord understand this.
December 18, 1932In Shanghai
