The Mephibosheth Syndrome

Now when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, “Mephibosheth?” And he answered, “Here is your servant!” So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.” Then he bowed himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?” II Samuel 9:6-8 (NKJV)

So many Christians are settling for low-level living when God has so much more for them. Why? One reason is something that I call the Mephibosheth Syndrome.

Mephibosheth was the descendant of Israel’s first king and the sole surviving son of King David’s friend Jonathan. He was of a royal bloodline, but when we first hear about him, he is living in a place called Lo Debar. Lo Debar literally means “without pasture,“ and depicts a life of lack. Mephibosheth was royalty but he was living a life of poverty and lack. And when he is called before King David, he calls himself a dead dog. The name Mephibosheth means “breathing shame.” Obviously Mephibosheth saw himself as a loser, not as one who could have been a king. He identified himself not with his true identity, but he saw himself based on his handicap. He defined himself by his shortcomings.

Many believers do the same thing. As the children of God, we are royalty. We are destined for greatness, but many settle for a life in Lo Debar. They see themselves based on their shortcomings and do not believe that God really wants to do anything really good for them. They see themselves the way Mephibosheth did- like dead dogs. The biggest problem with this view is that it says that everything we get from God is based on our own merit. There is nothing we can do to earn anything from God. We can’t earn his love, His favor, His provision, His healing- anything. We have to receive it and we must receive it based on the fact that Jesus purchased it for us and He wants to bless us.

And this viewpoint also ignores the fact that once we receive Jesus, we are made worthy of anything and everything God wants to do for us. Because Jesus is worthy, we have been made worthy. We are no longer dead dogs, but we are royalty. God does not see us based on our shortcomings, our weaknesses or our past mistakes. And Just as David made a place for Mephibosheth at the king’s table for the rest of his life, a place has been made for each of us at the table of the King of the universe. We are seated in heavenly places with Jesus and we need to see ourselves as the royal children we are.

Let go of the dead dog mentality. Lose the Mephibosheth Syndrome, and receive everything your heavenly Father has for you. Everything the Bible has promised is yours for the taking. Quit settling for less and take your place at the table.