“Then David said, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul, so that I could show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they summoned him to David; and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” Then the king said, “Is there no one remaining of the house of Saul to whom I could show the kindness of God?” And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan, one who is disabled in both feet.”So the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo-debar.” Then King David sent messengers who brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar. Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself. And David said, “Mephibosheth.” And he said, “Here is your servant! “Then David said to him, “Do not be afraid, for I will assuredly show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul; and you yourself shall [eat at my table regularly.” (2 Samuel 9:1-7 NASB)
It’s Sunday morning and I can’t take away from your pertinent time; the time needed to proceed to the house of worship to assemble with the saints. Therefore, I recommend you read all you can find about Mephibosheth, how he ended up in a place called Lo-debar, a place where no one wanted to be; a place where the conditions were certainly unfit for the son of a king; a place where misfits might mess with you.
Lo-debar, is a place that symbolizes where we are when things are not as they should be as individuals or even as a nation, and we are in need of help. But as you read above, there was not only a place, but there was a person named David who would keep his word spoken to Jonathan indicating that he could take care of his children, demonstrating loyalty and love, even after Jonathan’s death. So, as you can see, we have the place where one needs rescued from, and we have a person who will be the helper, David. Just FYI, Mephibosheth had been in Lo-debar for fifteen years; five years after being dropped by his nurse as they fled after hearing of the death of his father, Jonathan, and his grandfather, Saul. So, for 15 years, Mephibosheth lived in hardship and hard times in a place that some describe as an ancient ghetto and a godless place too. He was in need of help.
Little did Mephibosheth know that help was on the way. Not at ages 6, 10, 15, or 20. But do you want to know something? In addition to the place, and a person named David, there was that promise that David made to Mephibosheth’s father, and David was indeed a promise keeper. Look where he ended up, at the king’s table, treated as royalty.
Now, I have reviewed the conditions of the place. I have pointed to the person named David, one who would be a promise-keeper to be the needed help to get the Mephibosheth out of his situation. But what about our situations in this day and time? Perhaps it could be you or somebody you know. Perhaps it could be a collection of people caught up in a crisis or a condition that seems to be getting worse before it gets better. Well, I’ve got some good news to share: Help is on the way!”
The Father sees the place that you are in. The Son, Jesus, is the Person He sent to bring you out of the place you would rather not be at this point in time, or whenever you are in your Lo-debar due to no fault of your own, just like Mephibosheth. Okay, that the place, and the Person, what about the Promise. The Person, Jesus, offers you life and life more abundantly. That’s a promise! The Person, Jesus, says He will never leave you nor forsake you. That’s a promise! The Person, Jesus, says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of Heaven and all these things will be provided to you (food, clothing, and shelter).” That’s a promise! Take Jesus’ word and stand on His promises.
I guess I am done, but when you believe in the Person, Jesus, you too will be at the King’s table one of these days and you will attend a great banquet in glory, and you will be treated as a member of royalty since you are a child of God. Keep in mind, Jesus is a Promise-Keeper!
When you have nothing else to do during the week, read the whole story about Mephibosheth. Don’t just read today’s text, but get the full context. Get to church now! Keep telling yourself, “Help is on the way!” Be blessed!
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; the one who believes in Me will live, even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26 NASB
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King