Word for Today....The "Me" in Mephibosheth
Scripture: 3And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet. 4 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. 5 Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lodebar. 13 So Mephib'osheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king's table; and was lame on both his feet. 2 Sam 9:3-5, 13
So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem; for he did eat continually at the king's table....
So I can imagine many will look at the title of this entry and say, “What do I have in common with Mephibosheth?” As to culture, time in history and names, we are worlds apart! However, there is some common ground between Mephibosheth and me. In fact, there is something in common between Mephibosheth and all believers. You see, all of us have had a similar experience—the experience of being given undeserved VIP treatment by a king, instead of being banished as we deserved.
Mephibosheth was a grandson of King Saul, the first king of Israel. Saul was the king who started out well but then turned away from the Lord. He not only stopped serving the Lord, but he plotted to get rid of David, the Lord’s anointed king. Thus there was alienation and enmity between David and the dynasty of Saul. As a member of the deposed house of Saul, Mephibosheth deserved nothing from King David. The same is true for every person born. There was a time when we were given dominion over the earth. However, when Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, the entire human race fell from power and from favor.
We, like Mephibosheth, was born into a fallen family. Like Mephibosheth, we were by heredity under the sentence of separation and death. And, like Mephibosheth, we could do nothing to help ourselves out of our predicament.
The Bible tells us in verse 4 that Mephibosheth was living in a place called "Lodebar”, which means “no territory.” He dwelt in the house of "Machir", which means "Sold". Mephibosheth was living in a place of poverty and want and didn't own his own life or he had no freedom to do as he had been created to do. To add to his misery, Mephibosheth was a cripple. He had been dropped by his nurse when he was 5 years old and as a result he was lame in both of his feet. Because he was lame, he could not work. He had inherited nothing but poverty and death from his family. He was a man who was in a desperate situation. He was a man who was missing the best life had to offer. He was a man in a terrible condition.
Like Mephibosheth, we were lost and needed a Redeemer to deliver us from the slavery of sin! We were born in sin and doomed to Hell and there was nothing at all that we could do about it. And for those who say, I’m saved and am not at that point anymore. I’m no longer there, you have something that has placed you at one point in time in Lodebar, the place of no production, no watering, no area to call your own. But God is sending for you to come to Jerusalem. And not only to the city but to come to the King's place and sit and dine forever with Him. He is permanently positioning us for His favor, His grace and His mercy. We, like Mephibosheth, are being moved from the poor house to the King's palace. We are being taken from nothing and given everything that the King’s court has. Everything changes when the King comes calling because He has prepared a place for us at His table, crippled legs and all.
