He Did Eat Continually At The King's Table

"Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant! And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake..."
~ II Samuel 9:6-7

As I read through II Samuel 9 today, I was amazed again to read about David's relationship with this man named Mephibosheth. This man was the grandson of David's enemy Saul. In fact, it was common practice among rulers of those days to kill, capture, or torture anyone who was related to the vanquished king. It was probably expected of David to find out Mephibosheth and to eliminate him. With that in mind, I can only imagine the terror in Mephibosheth's mind as he stood before David for the first time.

Yet David had something else in store for his supposed enemy. You see, David had made a promise to his best friend, Jonathan, that he would watch over his children. Mephibosheth just happened to be Jonathan's son. And although years had passed since that promise, David was still true to his word. And although Mephibosheth would have been considered as the enemy of King David, David now shewed him mercy and grace.

"So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king's table..."
~ II Samuel 9:13

So it was that Christ sought us out while we were the enemies of God. In our sinful, hell-bound state he reached down and shed his mercy on us. He brought us into the banqueting table of his fellowship and love. He allowed us to feast at his table. Wow!