FROM LO-DEBAR TO THE
KING’S TABLE
God chose David when he
was but a shepherd boy and ignored by the rest of his family. His father and
brothers didn’t think he had the makings of a warrior, much less a king. But
God saw it differently. God chose David, who others discounted, and David never
forgot it: “Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for
ever” (Ps. 136:23). If you’ve been snubbed, ridiculed, or dishonored, don’t
worry. God’s got good plans for you. A great example of what the Lord can is
found in 2 Samuel 9, where God brought Mephibosheth from a very low place to a
high one.
David and Saul’s son
Jonathan became great friends, so when both Saul and Jonathan died, David
wanted to bless their family. He asked: “Is there yet any that is left of the
house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” (2 Sam. 9:1 CEB).
“David called in Ziba, one
of the servants of Saul’s family. David said, ‘So you are Ziba.’ ‘Yes, Your
Majesty, I am.’ David asked, ‘Are any of Saul’s family still alive? If there
are, I want to be kind to them.’
“Ziba answered, ‘One of
Jonathan’s sons is still alive, but he can’t walk.’ ‘Where is he?’ David asked. Ziba
replied, ‘He lives in Lo-Debar with Machir, the son of Ammiel.’ David sent some
servants to bring Jonathan’s son from Lo-Debar. His name was Mephibosheth, and
he was the grandson of Saul. He came to David and knelt down. David asked,
‘Are you Mephibosheth?’ ‘Yes, I am, Your Majesty’” (2 Sam. 9:2-6 CEB).
Two hidden secrets in the
above passage will amaze and bless you. The first is the fact that this man
lived in Lo-Debar. I looked up the meaning of this word. “Lo” means “no, or
without.” The word “debar” comes from two words. One translates as a “pasture,
or a flock or fold, as in a sheepfold.” The other is “dabar,” meaning “word,
answer, speaking, teaching, and communicating.” Lo-Debar was without a pasture, a place with no flocks, no answers,
no teaching, no communication. Why is this important? You’ll see in a minute.
The second hidden secret
in this passage is the meaning of the man’s name, Mephibosheth. This name
translates as “exterminating the idol.” This poor man was a child of our God,
stuck in a low place, Lo-Debar; a place where he couldn’t operate his God-given
specialty. God gave him the distinct ability in his name: to exterminate idols,
but he was spiritually imprisoned in a place where there was no one to listen.
There was no pasture for the Word of God.
Maybe you have experienced
a similar predicament, where it seemed you were thwarted on every side and had difficulty
getting through. It reminds me of when our Lord Jesus went back to his hometown
of Nazareth, and “he did not many mighty works there
because of their unbelief” (Matt. 13:58).
God didn’t want
Mephibosheth, an exterminator of idols, to be in a place of spiritual bondage,
and He doesn’t want you in one, either. God sent David to bring this man up out
of Lo-Debar.
“David said, ‘Don’t be afraid. I’ll be kind to you because
Jonathan was your father. I’m going to give you back the land that belonged to
your grandfather Saul. Besides that, you will always eat with me at my table.’ Mephibosheth
knelt down again and said, ‘Why should you care about me? I’m worth no more
than a dead dog’” (vv. 7-8).
We see from this passage
that Mephibosheth’s self-image was terrible. He was dejected and miserable. People
will lean towards anger, depression and despondency when they feel they can’t
express who they really are. How many times have you or one of your children proclaimed:
“Nobody understands me.” But the Lord does understand and will always answer our
cries.
Through David, God rescued
Mephibosheth from bondage to freedom and delight.
“David called in Ziba,
Saul’s chief servant, and told him, ‘Since Mephibosheth is Saul’s grandson,
I’ve given him back everything that belonged to your master Saul and his
family. You and your fifteen sons and twenty servants will work for
Mephibosheth. You will farm his land and bring in his crops so that Saul’s
family and servants will have food. But Mephibosheth will
always eat with me at my table.’
“Ziba replied, ‘Your
Majesty, I will do exactly what you tell me to do.’ So Ziba’s family and
servants worked for Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth was lame, but he lived in
Jerusalem and ate at David’s table, just like one of David’s
own sons” (vv.9-13).
There are many other
examples in the Bible of God delivering His loved ones from prisons of all
kinds, bringing them from low places to high ones. Be expecting to personally experience
being freed from the bonds of Lo-Debar to your new place at the table of King
Jesus. Ask and receive.
Love, Carolyn
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