In a recent blog one of the last things I said is that if you get saved you are adopted into God’s family and you have a place at the Father’s table. I would like to revisit that concept now.
One of the central things that draws people together is a meal. This can be seen in the Bible. For example, when Jesus ate the Passover with His disciples, it is true they were observing an appointed Jewish feast of great importance, but aside from this fact and the fact that this was the last meal they would share together before the Lord’s arrest and crucifixion, their eating together was a sign of belonging together. There are other examples of this in the Bible such as what is depicted in these Scriptures:
1 Samuel 20:4-5, 17-18: So Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you yourself desire, I will do it for you.” And David said to Jonathan, “Indeed tomorrow is the New Moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king to eat. But let me go, that I may hide in the field until the third day at evening…” Now Jonathan again caused David to vow, because he loved him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul. Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon; and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty…”
2 Samuel 9:5-11: Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar. 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?” And the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “I have given your master’s son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. You therefore, and your sons and your servants, shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in the harvest, that your master’s son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s son shall eat bread at my table always.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do.”
Acts 2:41-42: Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Across cultures and throughout history, sharing a meal has had a great significance. It is a true sign of acceptance and belonging to a group. In families, mealtime has been one of the great times of gathering together for the members, particularly for healthy families. This sitting down together to partake of a meal was more than just being about the food, although obviously that is important. It was about sharing one’s day, discussing different things, expressing love, fellowshipping over the Word in Christian families, and so on. Certainly, being at a table and sharing a meal is a great sign of fellowship among believers, even those of us who are not related, because we are a part of God’s family.
Think about the various things that go with being in a family. There are the rooms for the family members, with the furniture and other belongings therein reflecting the personalities and likes of their occupants. There are common areas such as the living room and the eating area or dining room. There are even places for pets—the cat’s food and water bowls, the dog’s house out in the back yard, the bird cage with mirror, cuttlebone, and feeders, and so on. When a person is away for whatever reason, that person is missed. When a pet dies it is as if a member of the family died. When people are away at work or doing whatever else it is they do in the process of living, at the back of each person’s mind are the sense and assurance of home and family, the sense of belonging and acceptance. That is sadly lacking in the lives of a growing number of people these days. If anyone leaves this world lost, whether they had a family or not, they will never know belonging and acceptance again, only rejection, heartbreak, agony, and damnation. But there is a solution to this dire problem:
Accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
Salvation does much more than save us from hell. As members of God’s family we are loved and cherished by Him. For those who came from dysfunctional families or broken homes, and for those who had no home at all, this is a blessing beyond words. The orphan can rejoice for having a heavenly Father. The widow can feel loved because we Christians collectively are the Bride of Christ. Not only can our heavenly Father provide for us while we are here on earth, in eternity we will never lack for anything again. As an earthly father looks happily at his family and the customary places where each one sits at mealtime and where each one sleeps at night, so our heavenly Father looks at all our customary eating and sleeping places. His Spirit lives in us, and He carries each of us in His heart. His love for us is beyond measure. The day is coming when the Lord will have a great supper, the marriage supper of the Lamb.
Psalm 68:5-6b: A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation. God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity;…
James 1:27: Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
Romans 8:15: For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
Revelation 19:5-9: Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!” And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.”
There is a contemporary Christian song by the group The Sidewalk Prophets called “Come to the Table” which excellently expresses in music form the love we have from God when He saves us and adopts us into His family. The Word of God, of course, is the ultimate source of the writings which express His love for us. When we are saved, regardless of what our background has been and what our status in life is, even for those behind bars, we can rejoice that we have a place at the Father’s table. We can know that such words as these are spoken of us in the inspired Word:
Psalm 103:11-13: For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, so the LORD pities those who fear Him.
Matthew 10:29-31: “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
Luke 22:28-30: “But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials. And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
John 14:2-3: “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”
John 17:20-26: “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”
One Response
AMEN!!! HALLELUJAH!!! Awesome encouraging word this morning! 🙂