| “Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table, and he was crippled in both feet.” |
| —2 Samuel 9:13 |
Have you ever arrived late at a large party or reception wondering where you will sit, only to find someone you know waving a hand in your direction and inviting you to a place near them? I admit to having experienced this moment of discomfort, and then immediate relief. What a blessed relief to know I had a place to “belong.”
In King David’s day, he wanted to remember his good friend Jonathan, who at various times had intervened to save David’s life from Jonathan’s father King Saul. Jonathan, humble and with no designs on a future as king himself, had given his full allegiance as a true friend to David.
Upon his death, and that of Saul, David asked whom he might honor of Saul’s family. When introduced to Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth, David immediately bestowed on him the royal treatment. And, David promised to continue this treatment for the rest of Mephibosheth’s life. David was offering Mephibosheth a place of belonging at the table of the king—a place of great intimacy.
When God looks at us, he sees friends of Jesus. And, because of Jesus—not for who we are of what we might have done—God finds a forever place for us at His table.
Here’s how the authors of one book described this amazing gift:
When we walk into the crowded excitement of the wedding feast of the Lamb, with the sound of a thousand conversations, laughter and music, the clinking of glasses, and one more time our heart leaps with the hope that we might be let into the sacred circle, we will not be disappointed. We’ll be welcomed to the table by our Lover himself. No one will have to scramble to find another chair, to make room for us at the end of the table, or rustle up a place setting. There will be a seat with our name on it, help open at Jesus’ command for us and no other. 1
No doubt Mephibosheth had physical features like those of his father’s that reminded David every day why this poor, disabled soul sat at his table. It was because of David’s love for Jonathan. And because, through faith, we carry the resemblance of Jesus, God the Father saves us a place at His table.
If we have accepted the covering of our sins through faith in Christ, we can be assured of a forever place there—a place of belonging through no merit of our own. Praise His holy name!
______________________
| 1 Curtis, Brent and Eldredge, John. The Sacred Romance. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1997. Pp. 182-183. |
