"You are coming out of Lo Debar!"

As I was about to take out my Bible for study time this morning, God spoke these words to me, “You are coming out of Lo Debar. The enemy has exiled you to a place where God’s presence is absent, but God is taking you out of that place to the place where His presence is. You are coming out of Lo Debar!”

I Samuel 20:17 says that Jonathan loved David as much as he loved himself. Their friendship was something that defied the odds because of Jonathan’s father, Saul’s, obsession about killing David; nevertheless, the two were best friends. In I Samuel 31 Jonathan dies, along with Saul, in battle. In II Samuel 9 David remembers the covenant he made with his best friend, Jonathan, and asks is there anyone left from Saul’s family (who fled in fear when David became king because they thought he would take retribution out on them for the way Saul had treated him).

Siba, who was a servant of Saul, tells David about Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth, who was crippled as a child when he was dropped as Saul’s family fled the palace in fear. Mephibosheth now resided at Makir’s house in Lo Debar. David tells servants to bring Mephibosheth from Lo Debar. When Mephibosheth arrives David says, “Don’t be afraid, I will be kind to you for your father, Jonathon’s, sake. I will give you back all the land of your grandfather, Saul, and you will always eat at my table.” (II Samuel 9:7)

Lo Debar was a city in Manasseh. The name means no pasture, no word, and no communication. God’s promise in Psalms 23:2 is that we are to rest in green pastures. Pasture as defined by the dictionary is grass or other vegetation eaten as food by grazing animals. It’s ironic that this place Lo Debar also means no word. The spiritual food we eat is the Word of God. There’s no spiritual food in Lo Debar. God tells us to rest in the freshness and abundance of his Word, but when we let fear drive us to Lo Debar we get no rest in God’s Word because we can’t hear God’s Word when we live in fear.

Fear not only prevents us from hearing God’s word, it takes us out of position. Mephibosheth’s rightful position was not in Lo Debar. His rightful position was at the king’s table. It take’s you out of God’s presence. Ephesians 2:6 says, “He has raised us up with Christ and gave us a seat with Him in heaven.” He has seated us in heavenly places, yet, we instead, sit at the table of depression or the table of oppression, or the table of grief, or the table of sickness or the table of lack.

David’s first words to Mephibosheth were, “do not be afraid”. David cast out that spirit of fear out of Mephibosheth. Then Mephibosheth was able to be restored to his rightful position at the king’s table (seated in heavenly places) and received his rightful possessions. In I Samuel 30:8, after the Amalekites had kidnapped David’s family and stolen all his possession, God told him that he would recover all. Now David was telling Mephibosheth the same thing. David gave Mephibosheth back everything that belonged to Saul, but he couldn’t receive the possessions until he was in position.

You can’t receive the possessions if you are out of position. The right position to be in is seated in heavenly places. The right position to be in is in the presence of God because it is the only way you will be able to hear His Word. You get in position by prayer, fasting, worship, studying your Bible, exercising your faith, walking in obedience and loving your neighbor as yourself. The Word says to seek first the Kingdom and His righteousness and then (and only then) will everything else be given to you. Also the reason Mephibosheth was restored was because of David's covenant with Jonathan. Restoration comes only comes when you are in covenant with God (like the covenant of paying tithes).

God is bringing you out of Lo Debar, a place of desolation, isolation and separation from Him. He is bringing you out of Lo Debar and into a place where His presence is abundant. It is a place of rest and a place of green pastures. A place where there is no fear nor condemnation. It is a place of anticipation, restoration and restitution. You are coming out of Lo Debar.

Kendy Ward