Devotion
All are equal in the eyes of God
David Jacobs

Then Ziba said to the king, "Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do." So Mephibosheth ate at David's[a] table like one of the king's sons.

A good friend of mine has Tourette syndrome, a psychological disorder that causes him to have some motor and verbal tics. I often introduced or talked about him as my friend with Tourette's. Although he had gotten used to it, he pulled me aside one day and asked if having Tourette's was the only attribute of his character that I considered. "Why not introduce me as your generous friend or helpful friend?" I remember his asking. I couldn't help but wonder why I judged my friend on this sole attribute.

Jonathan, the oldest son of Saul, was one of David's closest friends when he was alive. David wants to honor his friendship with Jonathan by honoring any surviving relative of his. Luckily, he is introduced to Mephibosheth, one of Jonathan's sons. Before David meets him, he is told that Mephibosheth is lame in both feet, unable to walk. You can imagine how difficult survival would be for a person with a physical disability during that time. Similar to how I introduced my friend, David is immediately told of Mephibosheth's disability. Mephibosheth is surprised that he is summoned at all, maybe even afraid. David comforts him, explaining that he wants to honor the friendship that he has with Jonathan. Mephibosheth has such low self-worth that he wonders what David, the king of Israel, could want with a "dead dog" like him. David treats him as he would treat any surviving family member of Jonathan, allowing Mephibosheth to sit at the king's table and eat for all of this life.

Nothing strikes me more in these verses than Mephibosheth's opinion of himself: he views himself as a dead dog. People have thought of only one thing about him for his entire life: he is unable to walk. It made me think about how I have treated other people that have disabilities. God does not view them for only their disabilities, just like he does not view me only on my best or worst day. Follow God's lead, as David did and treat all people, regardless of their physical or mental capabilities, as equals.

Prayer

Try to notice what is similar about other people and who they really are rather than what makes them different.