It was a forgotten town full of forgotten people. In Lo Debar you would find the lost, the outcasts, the down-and-outers. They all eventually found their way to this dismal settlement, the name of which means “not having” or “without pasture.” The very name suggests a miserable place in which no one would want to live. It was a last resort destination.
It was to this wretched place that a man was sent by order of King David. His mission was to locate the last known member of the house Saul, the former king of Israel. The relative in question was Mephibosheth, the youngest son of Jonathan. They found this grandson of a king living (of all places) in Lo Debar! How he ended up there is a sad story.
The Bible tells of the deaths of Saul and Jonathan in battle against the Philistines. Fearing for the safety of the child, a nurse picked up the young Mephibosheth hoping to flee the palace. In her haste she dropped the child, crippling him for life. With his father and grandfather dead, Mephibosheth lost position and privilege overnight. His inheritance vanished. And now he was an impoverished, forgotten, crippled nobody living in Lo Debar.
This sad story has a happy ending for King David remember the covenant promise he had made with Jonathan. Mephibosheth didn’t deserve anything from the king. Neither do we deserve anything from God. But David was gracious and showed kindness for Jonathan’s sake (2 Samuel 9:7). Bringing him out of Lo Debar and back to the palace in Jerusalem, David restored to Mephibosheth his inheritance and gave him a place of honor at the king’s table for the rest of his life.
What David did for Mephibosheth is just a mere shadow of what God has done for us. Like Mephibosheth, we took a fall that left us spiritually crippled. But God didn’t forget us in that fallen condition. Motivated by love, He sought us and found us living in our own personal Lo Debar. Remembering the covenant of grace established by Christ’s death on the cross, God redeemed and restored us. He has blessed us beyond anything we could ever deserve. But then, if we deserved it, it wouldn’t be grace.
This beautiful account recorded in 2 Samuel 9 is an allegory of grace (Gal. 4:24). It’s the story of David and Mephibosheth. But in this ancient narrative you will find a deeper meaning; a more personal application. For this Old Testament chronicle is actually the story of God and you – no longer a poor citizen of Lo Debar; by grace a child of the King!
Pastor Todd Weston
It was to this wretched place that a man was sent by order of King David. His mission was to locate the last known member of the house Saul, the former king of Israel. The relative in question was Mephibosheth, the youngest son of Jonathan. They found this grandson of a king living (of all places) in Lo Debar! How he ended up there is a sad story.
The Bible tells of the deaths of Saul and Jonathan in battle against the Philistines. Fearing for the safety of the child, a nurse picked up the young Mephibosheth hoping to flee the palace. In her haste she dropped the child, crippling him for life. With his father and grandfather dead, Mephibosheth lost position and privilege overnight. His inheritance vanished. And now he was an impoverished, forgotten, crippled nobody living in Lo Debar.
This sad story has a happy ending for King David remember the covenant promise he had made with Jonathan. Mephibosheth didn’t deserve anything from the king. Neither do we deserve anything from God. But David was gracious and showed kindness for Jonathan’s sake (2 Samuel 9:7). Bringing him out of Lo Debar and back to the palace in Jerusalem, David restored to Mephibosheth his inheritance and gave him a place of honor at the king’s table for the rest of his life.
What David did for Mephibosheth is just a mere shadow of what God has done for us. Like Mephibosheth, we took a fall that left us spiritually crippled. But God didn’t forget us in that fallen condition. Motivated by love, He sought us and found us living in our own personal Lo Debar. Remembering the covenant of grace established by Christ’s death on the cross, God redeemed and restored us. He has blessed us beyond anything we could ever deserve. But then, if we deserved it, it wouldn’t be grace.
This beautiful account recorded in 2 Samuel 9 is an allegory of grace (Gal. 4:24). It’s the story of David and Mephibosheth. But in this ancient narrative you will find a deeper meaning; a more personal application. For this Old Testament chronicle is actually the story of God and you – no longer a poor citizen of Lo Debar; by grace a child of the King!
Pastor Todd Weston
