1. The Shadow of the Almighty
O LORD, CHANGE MY POSITION - Sunday 2/25/2007
O LORD, CHANGE MY POSITION
(COMING OUT OF LODEBAR)
2 Samuel 9:1-13
The text today focuses on two main characters: David and Mephibosheth the grandson of Saul and son of Jonathan. It is
a story about the distress that is experienced that is caused by change. It is a story about an invitation that was
accepted. It is a story about friendship, promises, grace, love, compassion, forgiveness, hope.
There is someone hearing me today that God is changing his/her position. Now if you are that person let me hear you
shout a powerful AMEN!
Earlier in the book of Samuel we see a very beautiful friendship between Jonathan and David. We know that they were
close because the scripture gives us to know that they loved each other as if it were their own souls. David and Jonathan
had bonded together and were very loyal to one another in spite of how Saul felt about David. David and Jonathan had
made a covenant of friendship to each other promising that whoever survived or outlived each other would look after
each others families. This incident certainly stands as a challenge to us as to how we operate with our friends and what
kinds of promises have we made, kept and/or broken. It is also a challenge to honor the promises that we made to our
own parents, grandparents and descendants and to do so reflects how we also keep our promises to God.
We are certainly living in a time where all relationships are suspect and challenged. If you have a friend it just seems like
everyone is wondering what is going on between them as if there is no such thing as pure friendship. It is equally a
concern when friends are friends irregardless of the problems and perceptions of others. You know how it is, people want
you to be mad at your friend because they are and they do not seem to understand it when you say, “But that
doesn’t have anything to do with me”. People want you to be mad at a whole family because they had
problems with one member of the family. We just can’t seem to separate and deal with the issues.
At any rate, this is a time of much turmoil. Saul had failed as the first king and David is now king. At the time, Jonathan
and Saul die in the same battle on Mount Gilboa; Mephibosheth is only five years old at the time. It was chaotic, the king
is dead, the prince is dead now what will happen to us? The nurse picks up the child and while running for their lives,
drops Mephibosheth. While she saves his natural life, he is now crippled for life. Mephibosheth belonged to the royal line
and thus lived in exile and fear from King David. He was subject to persecution and slander but was rescued due to a
promise that was made to his father that he probably never even heard about.
His search landed his servants down in Lodebar, a city east of the Jordan River. A city that was characterized by its
barrenness, waste lands and devastation. His search took his servants to Lodebar, the city in the midst of the wilderness.
Lodebar the place of no pasture. No greenery. It was desolate in Lodebar. Down in Lodebar, Mephibosheth lost his rank,
lost his prestige, lost his respectability, lost his reputation, lost his superiority, lost his self-will. Down in Lodebar,
Mephibosheth went from living in the palace to hiding out with a family friend. Mephibosheth went from the prince to
servant. Mephibosheth went from powerful to afraid.
Now in Lodebar, the orphan Mephibosheth is found and afraid for his life. David did not want to take his life but save it
and by restoring to him all that had been taken from him. Mephibosheth was going to have to trust David. Mephibosheth
is summoned to the palace and received because of David’s deep love for his father.
This story of David and Mephibosheth does not end here. Mephibosheth is really a picture of you and me before God.
Until we become God’s children by being born again into his family, we are enemies of God and exiled in
Lodebar. God’s enemies are any persons who displease God and break His commandments. Mephibosheth was
a member of the enemy family but God had a special invitation waiting for him.
This story is placed here to show us a type of salvation that is available to us through Christ Jesus. Like David, Our Lord
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2. The Shadow of the Almighty
searches for us until he finds us. Like David did, Once Jesus finds us, he tries to have a little talk with us. Then if we are
willing and ready, our Lord Jesus redeems us. Jesus restores and returns us to our Father’s table in peace. We
too are heirs to our heavenly Father’s kingdom but somebody dropped us while we were running for our lives.
David’s love was exemplary of the love of God. It came out of a merciful heart. He didn’t have to find
Jonathan’s son, nobody else was there when he made the covenant, nobody knew but David what he had
promised, and nobody would have even cared. After the way Saul had tried to kill David 23 times, he could have said
forget the whole thing. Let them make it the best way that they can. But David was gracious and sought out the
undeserving and gave all that could have been his. Only God can touch man and make him do this kind of deed.
Mephibosheth was lifted from poverty to plenty through the grace of the king.
Everyday God shows us kindness and mercy.
We are undeserving but He keeps on blessing us anyway.
We are undeserving but He keeps on keeping us.
We are undeserving He keeps only striving with us.
We are undeserving He keeps on forgiving us.
We are undeserving He keeps on loving us. He keeps on coming where we are to bless us and lift us up. God in his
loving-kindness offers us everlasting life in His family and to dine at this royal table for the rest of our lives. The choice is
ours. We have fallen and are also crippled but we don’t have to stay there.
We are lame from our falls. WE were running for our lives. WE got so busy running till we tripped and fell.
We have fallen into trouble.
We have fallen into confusion.
We have fallen out of the will of God.
We have fallen into sin.
We have fallen into yokes and burdens.
We have fallen our own ways instead of God’s way.
We have fallen into curses.
We have fallen into selfishness.
We have fallen into pride.
You may have even been carried and dropped,
dropped by someone who was trying to save you,
dropped by someone else’s fall;
dropped by someone else’s sins.
dropped into a place where you didn’t belong.
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3. The Shadow of the Almighty
Now we can’t walk straight.
Everytime you try to get on your feet, you fall down.
Everytime you try to walk, you fall down.
Everytime you make a vow to the Lord you find yourself having to take it back or
Everytime you promise the Lord, I won’t do that no more, you fall down.
Everytime you endeavored to do the right thing, wrong kicked you all over and laughed in your face.
You may be content in Lodebar because you are alive. But Get up.
I know you are crippled by despair
I know you are crippled by death of loved ones
I know you are crippled by disease
I know you are crippled by things from your past,
I know you are crippled by desires that won’t turn you loose,
I know you are in pain
I know you are locked in alcoholism, defeatism.
I implore you today
I invite you today
I entreat you today to come on out of Lo deBar. You can come out!
Come on, you can come on out.
I know that you feel like you are nothing.
I know that you feel like you are nobody.
I know that you’ve been walked on
I know that you have been down so long that you don’t even know which way is up.
But come on, come on, come on, you can come out of Lodebar today.
You don’t belong there. You belong in the kings palace of grace and mercy and you can come back.
Come out of Lodebar, there’s nothing but death for you there.
Come out of Lodebar, there’s only defeat for you there.
Come out of Lodebar, where there is wasted land there.
Come out of Lodebar, there is no pasture there. Even in the valley, there are green pastures.
Come out of Lodebar, to a pure relationship with God.
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4. The Shadow of the Almighty
Come out of Lodebar, to victory over Satan.
Come out of Lodebar, to victory in Jesus.
Satan wants you to think that you won’t make it outside of Lodebar. But come on out, you can make it.
God has something better for you.
God has a way out for you.
You don’t have to die in sin.
God has prepared a way of escape for you, just walk in it. Just walk, waddle, crawl, but go through the door of
repentance. Repent, Repent, Repent. God has a place for you in his palace.
Prayer Points:
1. I break and destroy every power of evil limitation upon my life, in the name of Jesus.
2. Father Lord, deliver me from the consequences of the sins of my parents, in the name of Jesus.
3. O Lord, deliver me from every tight corner, in the name of Jesus.
4. I disagree with every spirit of demotion, in the name of Jesus.
5. I refuse to go back to square one, in the name of Jesus.
6. I shall not go down in all areas of my life, in the name of Jesus.
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