Carried to the Table

I mentioned in my last bulletin going to Nashville to see Casting Crowns. Also performing with them were John Waller and Leeland. I have to admit that while I'd heard of Leeland, I couldn't name a single one of their songs...about all I was certain of was that I'd seen their name on the display of my XM radio and that I didn't 'dislike' the music I'd heard...because those band names DO stick in my head...lol.

Anyway, as is usually the case when I know I'd *heard* the band before but can't think of any of their songs...once they played there were ones that I recognized...and had heard enough to sing along...but one song in particular that I hadn't ever heard really captivated me. It was called 'Carried to the Table'. If you've never heard it before, you can find it on the band's myspace profile which I've linked to the blog title above.

Before playing the song, Leeland Mooring, the singer and songwriter talked a bit about his inspiration for this song. He described an instance where King David showed mercy on a man who was crippled and how he had his servants carry the man to David's table and how once at the table with his lame legs underneath the table that he looked the same as everyone else. He then went on to say how this story made him think of how God carries us, lame in our own ways, to His table. (I'm sure that Leeland put that much better than I just did, but I think you get the gist of what he was saying.)

It was a nice mental image, but I have to admit that I just couldn't place the story that he was referring to...so of course, that set me on a quest to find the story in my bible. I found it in the 9th chapter of 2nd Samuel. The lame man's name was Mephibosheth and he was the son of Saul's son, Jonathan.

2 Samuel 4:4 tells us just a bit about how he came to be lame it states:

"Saul's son Jonathan had a son who was crippled in his feet. He was five years
old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked
him up and fled; and, in her haste to flee, it happened that he fell and became
lame. His name was Mephibosheth."

So here's the story of how Mephibosheth came to be carried to David's table from the 9th chapter of 2 Samuel:

1 David asked, "Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul to whom I may
show kindness for Jonathan's sake?" 2 Now there was a servant of the house of
Saul whose name was Ziba, and he was summoned to David. The king said to him,
"Are you Ziba?" And he said, "At your service!" 3 The king said, "Is there
anyone remaining of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?"
Ziba said to the king, "There remains a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his
feet." 4 The king said to him, "Where is he?" Ziba said to the king, "He is in
the house of Machir son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar." 5 Then King David sent and
brought him from the house of Machir son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar. 6 Mephibosheth
son of Jonathan son of Saul came to David, and fell on his face and did
obeisance. David said, "Mephibosheth!" He answered, "I am your servant." 7 David
said to him, "Do not be afraid, for I will show you kindness for the sake of
your father Jonathan; I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather
Saul, and you yourself shall eat at my table always." 8 He did obeisance and
said, "What is your servant, that you should look upon a dead dog such as I?"
9 Then the king summoned Saul's servant Ziba, and said to him, "All that
belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master's grandson. 10
You and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him, and shall bring
in the produce, so that your master's grandson may have food to eat; but your
master's grandson Mephibosheth shall always eat at my table." Now Ziba had
fifteen sons and twenty servants. 11 Then Ziba said to the king, "According to
all that my lord the king commands his servant, so your servant will do."
Mephibosheth ate at David's table, like one of the king's sons. 12 Mephibosheth
had a young son whose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba's house became
Mephibosheth's servants. 13 Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he always ate
at the king's table. Now he was lame in both his feet.

Praise God for carrying me to his table today!