I remember going to my grandparents for the holidays when I was a kid. It was always something I looked forward to. My grandparents on Mom and Dad's side lived in Kansas, just in different areas, but we would always alternate which one we would see for which holiday. At both places, I would always look forward to food and the love and fellowship of the family that was always felt around that dinner table while we were there. Everything was done at that table, from eating to business and playing games. That table represented to me the stability of the family, and the love shared around it is something that I could not put into words.
Looking throughout the Gospel, you see the depiction of the table used from Luke to Revelation in some aspects of God's love, power and kindness. However, two descriptions in the Old Testament always catch my attention. The first is in Psalms 23, where the table is used and is set in the presence of one's enemies. The second one is in 2 Samuel chapter 9 when King David has restored Mephibosheth, Johnathan's son and King Saul's grandson, who was lame in both feet. David had given King Saul's land and property back to his family and told him that from that point on, he was going to eat at the king's table, meaning David's table in Jerusalem.
In both instances, the table was used as a representation of a restored individual. It was used to represent the position of honor that God himself bestows upon us when he sets us free from our burden of sin. It was used to show that we as individuals have been set apart from our old selves and have the protection of the Father. Like what I experienced during those holidays, with the love and stability of the family, we have the love and stability of God on our side. Not just that, because we are restored, we are also made into adopted children of God, His sons and daughters.
"But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn – not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. So, the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son" (John 1:12-14 NLT).
What a wonderful illustration of God's grace to you in salvation in John 1 and 2 Samuel 9. You may be lame in both feet like Mephibosheth and come from a checkered family. But God shows you kindness, for Jesus' sake. He gives you eternal life and adopts you as a son or daughter. He invites you to eat with Him forever. Will you take that step with Jesus and sit at His table?
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