MESSAGE FROM THE ALTAR.
DEVOTIONAL SERVICE. 07/03/2021
LO – DEBAR
2 SAMUEL 9:3-5.
- David asked, “Is there someone left in Saul’s family to whom I can show God’s kindness ?”
“Jonathan has a son who is disabled,” Ziba answered. - “Where is he ?” the king asked.
Ziba replied, “He is at the home of Machir, Ammiel’s son, in Lo Debar.” - So King David sent men to get him from the home of Ammiel’s son Machir in Lo Debar. (GOD’S WORD EDITION).
Lo Debar was a town in Israel. It was a town of forgotten people. It was the town of the lost , outcasts, dregs of the society. It was the town of the oppressed, suppressed, emasculated, strangulated, raped, dehumanised, ostracized and the hopeless .
Lo Debar was where the crippled and hopeless Mephibosheth, (son of Jonathan and grandson of king Saul) was taken after his father and grandfather died in fierce battle same day on Mount Gilboa .
Mephibosheth, the grandson of the late king of Israel became one of the inhabitants of Lo Debar, a town where people existed, a place of loneliness.
There are many people existing in Lo Debar today. People who are lonely and dejected, from the helpless orphans in tattered penury to mega stars in their glittering world.
Lo Debar is not a place anyone likes to be in. It is hardly ever the fault of anyone who finds himself there. Circumstances happened to all who exist in Lo Debar, this place of misery and lamentations.
It was not Mephiboseth’s fault that he was crippled and could not help himself neither was it his fault that his doting father and grandfather died same day leaving him vulnerable. It was not your fault that you had poverty as your surrounding and companion where you were born. It was not your fault that you were abused, molested, traumatized and crippled by circumstances.
It is easy for the fortunate to look down on those who exist in Lo Debar as if it is their fault being there. Most don’t really care about the pains, the travails of the inhabitants of Lo Debar.
Lo Debar is a state that may not necessarily be physical but spiritual. Spiritually, all classes of people live in Lo Debar. People who are lost, spiritually.
King David rescued Mephibosheth from the hellish state in Lo Debar, washed the filth off him, dressed him in princely raiment and made him dine at the king’s table. King David restored to Mephiboseth everything he lost, his inheritance. The rejected became the accepted, the demoralized became glamorized.
King Jesus Christ has seen the deprivations imprisoning you in satanic grip. He knows your despair, resignation and complacency. He understands your fears and doubts. Jesus says, “Come to me, all who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28).
Only Jesus Christ really cares about you. Most people are not really concerned about how you feel or what you are going through.
Only Jesus Christ can bring you out of physical and spiritual filthiness, cleanse you, clothe you and guide you to breakthrough here and everlasting life, hereafter.
Jesus Christ wants to restore to you the years the locust have eaten; the possessions the cankerworm have destroyed; and opportunities the waster has wasted.
“The spirit of the Almighty Lord is with me because the Lord has anointed me to deliver good news to humble people. He has sent me to heal those who are brokenhearted, to announce that the captives will be set free and prisoners will be released.
He has sent me to announce the year of the Lord’s good will and the day of our God’s vengeance, to comfort all those who grieve.
He has sent me to provide for all those who grieve in Zion, to give them crowns instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of tears of grief, and clothes of praise instead of a spirit of weakness.” (Isaiah 61:1-3).
That is the ministry of Jesus Christ. That is the Great Commission of Jesus Christ to the Church — release the captives in Lo Debar, clothe them with the garment of grace and bring them to the King’s table, the kingdom of God.
You are the vessel God is yearning to use to win the lost souls to His kingdom. You know those needing help around you. Help them. You don’t need to wait till they ask. The fear of rejection, mockery, gossip or molestation may hinder them from asking you. Be a keeper and bring joy to a hurting soul today. That’s what God expects from you.
References : 1Samuel 31: 1-6 ; 2Samuel 9: 1-13 ; Romans 5:6