Carried to the Table of the King

The following is an excerpt from The Sinner/Saint Lenten Devotional written by Kyle G. Jones and Kathy Strauch (1517 Publishing, 2019). Now available for purchase.

“Mephibosheth!...Do not fear, for I will show 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” (2 Sam. 9:6–7).

Mephibosheth was the victim of circumstance and timing. He was the grandson of Saul—the man who tried to kill David. When Saul and Jonathan died in battle against the Philistines, power shifted to David. Mephibosheth “was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came ... and his nurse took him up and fled, and as she fled in her haste, he fell and became lame” (2 Sam. 4:4).

Mephibosheth didn’t collude with Saul to end David’s life. Yet, Mephibosheth carried the consequences of his grandfather’s actions. What power Mephibosheth could have possessed, he lost while he was still a powerless child. His identity was a threat to his life. He couldn’t outrun it or hide from it. Worse still, he was called to stand before his greatest enemy, King David—the one who held power and control over his life.

Mephibosheth fell on his face before the king. He lay before his greatest enemy, lame from injuries of the past. He couldn’t run or hide. He couldn’t stand or fight. He could only fall before the king in fear.

Instead of destroying him, David restored him. He commanded Mephibosheth to eat at the table of the king who was once his enemy, like a member of the royal family. All this was not because he did anything to deserve it but because of who his father was.

We are all Mephibosheth, made lame by the sin inherited by the fall of Adam and Eve. The Law calls us before the King of kings. We cannot run or hide. We cannot stand or fight. We know our guilt and failure. Yet to our amazement, Jesus—the King of kings and Lord of hosts—says, “Do not be afraid” (Luke 5:10).

In Christ, the new and better David, we are redeemed from our lame condition of sin

In Christ, the new and better David, we are redeemed from our lame condition of sin. More than that, Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection carry us to our place at God’s table forever. We are not tolerated enemies for personal gain. We are more than friends. We eat at God’s table as His children. We are brothers and sisters of Christ, family members and fellow heirs of the promised eternal life.

Heavenly Father, thank you for carrying us to your table to dine with you forever as your forgiven and redeemed children. Amen.