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ARE YOU LIVING IN LO-DEBAR?

In the days of the Kings, of King David's time, when a new King is crowned, any and all relatives of the former King were killed so that there would never be a challenge for the throne. (2 Samuel 4: 5-12.

When the maidservant heard the news of the death of Saul and Jonathan, she took Jonathan's 5 year son, Mephibosheth, and ran with him, to hide him, and as she ran, she fell and broke both of his feet. (2 Samuel :4:4)

Many years later, when David was established as the King of Israel, David said to his servant, “is there still anyone of the House of Saul, that I may show kindness for Jonathan's sake.

Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba and they called him to David. David said to him “are you Ziba?” And He said, I am your servant”.And the King said “ is there still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?

Ziba said to the King “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in both his feet”. The King said to him “where is He”, and Ziba said to the King ,“he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar”.

Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir, at Lo-debar. And Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, son of Saul came to King David and fell on his face and paid homage to the King.

King David said “Mephibosheth” and He answered “behold your servant”. And David said to him “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan and I will restore to you all the land of Saul, your father and you shall eat at my table always”.

Mephibosheth paid homage and said” what is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I”. Then the King called Ziba, Saul's servant and said to him, “all that belonged to Saul and to all his house, I give to your master's grandson, and you and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master's grandson shall have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth shall always eat at my table, like one of the King's sons.

Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants, and Ziba said to the King”according to all that my Lord the King commands his servant, so will your servant do” So Mephibosheth ate at David's table, like one of the King's sons.

And Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica, And all who lived in Ziba”s house became Mephibosheth's servants.

So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the King's table. Now he was lame in both his feet. (@2Samual 9: 1-13)

Analysis

How many live in Lo-debar, having been born-again, adopted into the family of the King of Kings, yet choose to continue to live in Lo-debar, because we have been there for so long, and it's very comfortable there, lots of friends, who are of like-mind.

Yet the King of Kings sends the Holy Spirit to say, come up higher, come to the King's table, where there is plenty of everything you could ever want or need.

The King says “pull up a chair and sit at my table, we say, like Mephibosheth”why would the King invite a dead dog like me to come to His table, I have broken feet ( something spiritually lacking)

(Unworthiness, maybe).

Yet we see in scripture, that it's not about who you are, but whose you are that makes this possible, YOU are a child of the King.

He wants to restore all that has been taken from you, and give you a place at His table with His other sons and daughters

But, maybe all this extravagant living is so unfamiliar, and you don't really know anybody here, and you remember Lo-debar, and the “friends”and the comfort there.............like the Israelites, in the wilderness, remembering the leeks etc of Egypt, and forgetting that they were in bondage.....and so you go back, to bondage, although your rightful place is at the King's table

Our lives are made up of choices, where do you choose to live, at the King's table, or Lo-debar?