From the Pits to the Palace

One of the most interesting characters in all of Scripture is a fellow named Mephibosheth.  Who, you ask?  It’s true that you might not have heard of him, or at least don’t know much about him.  Do you remember King David’s friend, Jonathan?  He was King Saul’s son.  Mephibosheth was Jonathan’s son and Saul’s grandson.  After the death of Saul and Jonathan in battle, this is what the Bible text says:

“Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel; and his nurse took him up and fled. And it happened, as she made haste to flee, that he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.”  2 Samuel 4:4

In Saul’s time, when a king died, the aftermath might make a Game of Thrones fan blush.  Whole families were wiped out in an effort to take over the throne.  So Mephibosheth fell victim, literally, to fear of such a takeover.  (If I may call him “Bo” for short, it will save me lots of typing.)  Bo’s nurse was being dutiful when she hustled out of the palace with him, but she fell or just dropped him and permanently damaged his legs, leaving him lame for life.  Most likely, she took him to her home on the wrong side of the tracks, to her hovel in a dumpy little town called, Lo Debar. Life there would have been bleak, barren, and boring.  But safe.  After all, who would look for a prince in this dirty little town?  The answer is David, the man who would be King.  But not for the reason that you might expect.

In 2 Samuel 9, David asks, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”  And David’s servant said, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet…he is in Lo Debar.”

So David sent for Bo and this dialogue ensued:

“Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and…(you) shall eat at my table like one of the king’s sons.” So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king’s table. And he was lame in both his feet.

So what happened here?  The Chief Ruler summoned a man, permanently damaged by a fall and living in squalor, to come to His glorious palace in the King’s holy city and sit at His table and enjoy a relationship with Him simply because that man was “born right”.  Yep, that describes me perfectly!  Oh, you thought I was talking about Bo? 

It IS true that Bo was summoned to David’s palace in Jerusalem, was fully restored and treated like a child of the king.  And when he sat at David’s table, his brokenness was hidden.  All because he was a child of Jonathan. 

One day, maybe soon, we who have been “born right” – born again by the Spirit through Christ, will be summoned to a heavenly palace where the King of Glory dwells.  We will sit at His table and live like sons and daughters.  And that brokenness we carry now – it will be gone.  Though we won’t know until we get there, I’m betting the New Jerusalem is nothing like Lo Debar.

Jacob