Dinner Table! Mephibosheth!

Dinner table!

Mephibosheth!

2 King 9:13”So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king's table. And he was lame in both his feet.”

There’s lot of whirl and bustle after a ‘big bash’ is fixed! Who to invite! A big list is prepared keeping in mind the status and the ‘returns’ attached to it! ‘Don’t call them, they did not invite us for their wedding’ says one.’ ‘Hey, don’t forget to call him because he is a very influential person’ says another. Entire talk stinks of self-centeredness! How would we react if we have sudden unexpected guests barging into our home during dinner time? Not many like such intrusions! People neither like their holidays blitzed and disturbed with visits of friends or relatives; overall we have become busy robots – me and my family!

I want to talk of a ‘dinner table’ where a king had the grandson of his dreadful enemy, who pursued to kill him for several years sit with him in his dinner table in the palace along with his entire family everyday of his life. The name of the king is David, the enemy Saul and his grandson Mephibosheth. After the death of Saul, David did not say ‘good riddance’ and have a ball, instead he said: "Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God?" (2 Samuel 9:3) Observe the words ‘kindness of God!’ You need the ‘kindness of God’ to forgive the person who has inflicted deep wounds and hurt you miserably; you just cannot do this with your strength. Are you listening? You got to stick close to Him and rub shoulders with God everyday in order to muster strength to forgive people who have hurt you. David not only forgave the enemy who hounded to kill him but also showed great kindness by allowing him to dwell in his palace and eat at his table continually. Boy, this is wonderful! I just imagined the stares and distaste that David had to face from his family in allowing an enemy’s family member to sit among them! This was no small thing. I’m sure they sneered and said, ‘don’t forget what his grandfather did to you’ or ‘don’t trust this guy, after all he belongs to the wicked Saul family.’ Friend, when you go the extra mile for God and do something for His sake, not many would understand you or approve. Agree? David not only gave Mephibosheth a seat in his dinner table, but gave him back all the land that belonged to Saul his grandfather. This is what you call as oozing with kindness, mercy and forgiveness! Oh, let the Lord fill our cup today with such ingredients: kindness, mercy and forgiveness!

There are many Christians who without fail partake in the holy communion service at church, but have not spoken to their brothers or sisters for several years! Let this message permeate into your heart and bring an awakening in your soul! We need restoration today! There are husbands and wives who harbor bitterness, wounds and hurts in their hearts and ruin not only their lives but those of their kids as well. Just forgive! I can hear someone say, ‘Bala, you don’t know what they did and how they betrayed me’; no matter what, let us forgive and get released from the bondage of bitterness.

Corrie Ten Boom said: “Forgiveness is the key which unlocks the door to resentment and handcuffs of hatred.”