School starts next week, so Christians on Campus has been really active. We’ve had open houses, moved students into their dorms, breakfasts, lunches, and everything in between. This morning we had Sunday fellowship at our campus house and the topic was Mephibosheth. Now, lets be real for a second. How many of you can honestly say that you know who Mephibosheth was? I couldn’t. But after our fellowship this morning, I’ll never forget his story.

Let me give you the verses from 2 Samuel and then I’ll re-speak (or type) what the brothers shared this morning.

2 Sam 4:4 “Now Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son who had crippled feet. He was five years old when the news came of Saul and Jonathan out or Jezreel. And his nurse took him up and fled. And as she hurried to flee, he fell and was made lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.” 9:1 “And David said, Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show kindness to him for Jonathan’s sake? 3b-9 “And Ziba said to the king, There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet. Then the king said to him, Where is he? And Ziba said to the king, He is just now in the house of Machir the sone of Amiel in Lo-debar. And King David sent men and took him from the house of Machir the son of Amiel, from Lo-debar. And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he said, Your servant is here. And David said to him, Do not be afraid, for I will surely show kindness to your for the sake of Jonathan your father; and I will restore to you all the land of your father Saul, and you will eat food at my table continually. And he paid him homage and said, What is your servant that you should look upon a dead dog like me? And the king called Ziba, Saul’s attendant, and said to him, All that belongs to Saul and to all his house I give to your master’s son.” 10b-11 “…and Mephibosheth, said to David, shall eat at my table like one of the king’s sons.” 13 “And Mehibosheth dwelt in Jerusalme because he ate at the king’s table continually. And he was crippled in both his feet.”

Ok, so Mephibosheth was Jonathan’s son, which means he was Saul’s grandson. Just in case you don’t know the story, Saul was the first king of Israel, but after a while he turned away from Jehovah and eventually lost His blessing. Jehovah then chose David, who was one of Saul’s attendants who played the lyre. Even though both Saul and Jonathan realized that David would be king someday, Saul tried to kill David but Jonathan made a covenant with David that he would always show kindness to his house (there’s a lot more but this is the abridged version). So after Jonathan and Saul were both killed in battle, David became king. This is why Mephibosheth’s nurse ran – she was afraid David would kill everyone in Saul’s house.

But he didn’t.

He invited Jonathan’s only descendent – the grandson of the man who tried to kill him – to eat at his table continually.

The brother who shared this morning pointed out that this story of Mephibosheth actually represents our Christian experience today.

Romans 5:10 says “For if we, being enemies, were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more we will be saved in His life, having been reconciled.” Just like Mephibosheth was an enemy of David, so we were enemies of God. But we were brought back to God through another – through Christ, or in the case of Mephibosheth, through Jonathan.

And like Mephibosheth, we are also lame towards God. According to Romans 3:10-11 “There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, there is none who seeks God.” But luckily, Romans 2:4 says “…knowing that God’s kindness is leading you to repentance.” If you look back in the verses, King David sent men and took Mephibosheth. He didn’t seek out David, just like we, in our lame condition, can’t seek out God. God sought us and His kindness leads us to repentance.

So what happens after God finds us and leads us to repentance? We eat! For free! All the time! Once Mephibosheth got to David’s house, all he did was eat at the king’s table. Continually.

But the point that really got me was that when Mephibosheth sat down at the table, he didn’t see his crippled feet! When he sat down at the table all he could see was the food on the table. He forgot about his lame condition and just enjoyed! I don’t know about you, but it seems like I’m always bombarded with thoughts from Satan about what a miserable sinner and terrible person I am. He likes to bring up all of my sins and shortcomings and it’s so easy to get depressed and try to hide from God in Lo-Debar, which by the way means “no pasture,” “not having,” or “not having.” But that’s the perfect opportunity to quote Ephesians 2:11-14 and claim my status as a child of God through the blood of Christ. We don’t have to look at our crippled feet! We can just come to the table through our Savior and eat! Why stay in the place of no supply as an enemy of God when you can feast at the king’s table! Don’t stay in Lo-Debar! Come to the feast and forget about your weaknesses!