Thou Shalt Eat Bread at My Table Continually.
Through the covenant between God and Jesus, we can access God's table and be regarded as one of the heirs of the great King, not through our own merit or worthiness, but through faith and identification with Jesus.
F.B. Meyer emphasizes the profound blessings of God's love through the story of Mephibosheth, who, despite his lameness and perceived worthlessness, is invited to eat at King David's table. This invitation is not based on Mephibosheth's merit but on the covenant between David and Jonathan, illustrating how believers are welcomed into God's presence through their faith in Jesus Christ. Meyer encourages listeners to recognize their own spiritual lameness and to rely on the covenant established by Christ, which grants them a place at God's table as heirs of His kingdom. The sermon highlights the importance of faith and the grace that allows us to partake in God's blessings.
Text
Thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. 2 Sam. ix. 7.
FOUR times in this chapter we are told of the lame man eating bread at the royal table. But what are these facts recorded and repeated for, save to accentuate the infinite blessings which come to us through the Divine love!
Mephibosheth had done nothing to merit the royal favour. Not a word is said of his being well‑
favoured and attractive. So far from that, he was lame on both his feet, and probably a sickly invalid. In his own judgment he was worthless as a dead dog. His state was impoverished; no deed of prowess could win David's notice; he was almost entirely at the mercy of his servant, Ziba. In these respects there are many analogies to our own condition in the sight of God. We are lame indeed; and, so far as we are concerned, it is quite impossible that we should ever win the Divine regard, or sit at his table among his sons.
But between David and Jonathan a covenant had been struck, which had provided for the children of the ill‑fated Jonathan (1 Sam. xx. 14‑16). It was because of this sacred obligation that Mephibosheth fared as he did. Look away, child of God, to the covenant struck between God and thy representative, the Son of his love. It is idle of thee to seek to propitiate the Divine favour, or earn a seat at his table; but if thou art willing to identify thyself with thy Lord, and to shelter thyself in Him by the living union of faith; if thou canst base thy plea on the Blood of the everlasting covenant ‑‑ then the provisions of that covenant between Father and Son shall be extended to thee: and because of God's love to Jesus thou shalt sit at the Divine table, and be regarded as one of the heirs of the great King.
Sermon Outline
- The Royal Table
- Our Worthlessness
- The Covenant of Love
- Struck between God and Jesus
- Provides for those who identify with Him
- Based on the Blood of the everlasting covenant
Key Quotes
“It is idle of thee to seek to propitiate the Divine favour, or earn a seat at his table; but if thou art willing to identify thyself with thy Lord, and to shelter thyself in Him by the living union of faith;” — F.B. Meyer
“Look away, child of God, to the covenant struck between God and thy representative, the Son of his love.” — F.B. Meyer
“If thou canst base thy plea on the Blood of the everlasting covenant -- then the provisions of that covenant between Father and Son shall be extended to thee:” — F.B. Meyer
Application Points
- Recognize your own worthlessness and inability to earn God's favor through your own merit or worthiness.
- Identify with Jesus and shelter yourself in Him through faith, basing your plea on the Blood of the everlasting covenant.
- Look away to the covenant struck between God and Jesus, and trust in its provisions for you.