«Where is he?’ the king asked. ‘In Lo-debar’ «(2 Samuel 9:4, NLT).
Lo Debar: A CITY «without grass.» That is the meaning of this word. Mephibosheth was there, in Lo Debar, in a place without grass (and lacking the greenness of hope). He also felt a little hopeless: he was crippled and, in addition, the fall from grace of his grandfather Saul, who had been king, was not an easy hardship to cope with. Thus, Mephibosheth said of himself in David’s presence: «What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?» (2 Samuel 9:8).
However, he was not a dead dog; he was somebody: he was the son of Jonathan, who, in life, had been David’s faithful friend. David and Jonathan had made a covenant of friendship and protection many years before. Jonathan had asked his faithful friend: «You shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever, no, not when the Lord has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth» (2 Samuel 20:15). David, now king of Israel, wanted to honor that covenant. He wondered whether there were still some relatives of his friend to bring them to live in the palace (see 2 Samuel 9:1, 7).
Try to picture Mephibosheth: crippled, isolated in a house that was perhaps damp and dark . . . when suddenly, Ziba, a servant of the king, arrived. It must have seemed like a dream to Mephibosheth. The king of Israel is looking for me?’ he may have thought. «Am I finally going to leave Lo Debar?’ Not only did he get out from that place, leaving behind a dark past, but from then on, he ate at the royal table like one of the king’s sons.
What about you? Do you know that the King of the universe is calling for you today? He is saying to you, «Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me» (Revelation 3:20). God wants to take you far from the place without grass where you are; He wants to take you away from your personal Lo Debar to show you the way to a New Jerusalem, a New Earth where there will be «no death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away» (Revelation 21:4). You are not just anyone; you are the daughter of the King.