Where Are You Walking?

So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem; for he did eat continually at the king's table. And he was lame on both his feet. - 2 Sam. 9:13

In 2 Sam. chapter 9, we are provided one of the greatest pictures of grace in the Old Testament. David the king, seeks out Mephibosheth, who was lame on both his feet. He wasn't born that way, when Mephibosheth was 5 years old, King Saul, Mephibosheth's grandfather, was killed in battle. Jonathan, Mephibosheth's dad, next in line for the throne, was killed in the same battle. When news of the deaths got to Mephibosheth's nurse's ears, she feared for Mephibosheth's life, since the boy was next in line for the throne (and in those days they liked to totally wipe out the king's entire family), she did what any good nurse would do, she picked up a 5 year old Mephibosheth and ran. Have you ever tried to run carrying a 5 year old boy? Yeah, she had a hard time and dropped him. And that is how Mephibosheth became lame on both his feet (2 Sam 4:4).

Fast forward. David has been king for a couple decades and Mephibosheth is old enough to have a children. Mephibosheth apparently has been in hiding this whole time. King David sought Mephibosheth out and showed kindness to him. Mephibosheth realizes his own unworthiness and David gives him a place at the king's table and he did eat continually at the king's table. Mephibosheth was provided a place at the table based on some pact David made decades earlier with Jonathan, Mephibosheth's dad, probably before Mephibosheth was born. There was nothing Mephibosheth could have done to earn a place at the king's table. He was lame. Thus, grace.

Did you know that the first mention of the word table in the Bible is in reference to the tabernacle? The table of shewbread (or table of presence or table of face) held twelve loaves of bread, each one represented a tribe of Israel. On each Sabbath, the priest would replace the existing loaves with freshly baked ones. The old loaves they were to be eaten by the priest before the Lord. Unlike Mephibosheth, who could not stand on his own, the priests had to eat standing up. There were no chairs in the tabernacle, no place to sit.

Tables are for fellowship. Who do you have fellowship with? If you think about it, you have fellowship with those that you have something in common with. The priest that ate the shewbread in the presence of the Lord were all blood related--Aaron and his sons. They entered the Holy Place and walked to the table to place the bread on it. They walked to break and pass the bread. And, if they were anything like me, they walked around while eating the bread. They were having fellowship with each other and with God, since they were to eat before the Lord.

Opposite the table of shewbread stood the golden lamp-stand. The golden lamp-stand provided light in the Holy Place. So the priest, who typified the believer, had fellowship with other priest (other believers) and with God while walking in the light.

That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship [is] with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another... 1 John 1:3-7

Mephibosheth had fellowship with King David at the king's table. The priests in the wilderness had fellowship with other priest and with God at the table of shewbread, while walking in the light. We have fellowship with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ, and with fellow believers, as long as we are walking in the light. Where are you walking?

While we walk with God in light,
God our hearts doth still unite;
Dearest fellowship we prove,
Fellowship in Jesus’ love.-- Charles Wesley

How's Your Feet?

I often wonder what was Cain's rejected offering. We are only told that it was of the "fruit of the ground". I'm sure it was a very pretty offering with all the fruit in a very attractive arrangement. I'm sure he labored laboriously to till, sow, water, weed, prune and harvest. Once harvested, I'm sure he picked the best fruits in the land, put it in a beautiful arrangement, and made his offering. I do realize that his offering represent works and that there was no remission of sin because there was no shedding of blood. But what was in the basket? Maybe a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds? I wonder what made up the "fruit of the ground".

Much has been said about Joseph being a type of Christ. Less has been said about Joseph's older brother, Judah, being a type of Christ.

In Genesis 43 we have the story of Judah offering himself as surety for Benjamin (thus, Judah was a type of Christ being a surety for us.) Judah persuaded his dad to let Benjamin travel with them and Jacob sent his sons back to Egypt with Benjamin, double money, and a gift: a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds...the best fruits in the land. Gen 43:11. I'm sure it was a very beautiful arrangement, the best he had to offer.

When they got to Joseph's house, they entered with their gift, the best fruits of the land. Joseph doesn't seem to even acknowledge the gift and he commanded his men to slaughter cattle. I wonder what was going through their minds when they heard the command to have an animal slaughtered. I wonder if they thought of an earlier day when they slaughtered an animal just to dip Joseph coat into the blood, to deceive their father.

The brothers then had their feet washed, and they sat at the table to eat in the presence of Joseph. Eat what? The animal that was slain? No. To eat bread.

What does all this have to do with the tabernacle? They entered the house, like one would enter the tabernacle. Cattle were slaughtered like  animals that were slaughtered at the door of the tabernacle, at the altar of burnt offering. The priest frequently washed their feet at the laver while in service. And once a week, in the Holy Place, the priest were to eat the bread of presence in the presence of the Lord (standing at the table of shewbread).

Shedding of blood was for the atonement of sins, foot washing was a type of sanctification, and eating bread at a table means fellowship.

Have you come to God with the best you can offer? Is it pretty? Neatly arranged? The best fruits of your labor? Or are you trusting solely in the shed blood of Jesus? If you are trusting Jesus and Jesus alone, how's your fellowship? How's your feet?

Wash me, and make me thus Thine own,

Wash me, and mine Thou art,

Wash me, but not my feet alone,

My hands, my head, my heart. -- Charles Wesley