撒下九13　　于是米非波设住在耶路撒冷，因为他常在王的席上吃饭。他两腿都是瘸的。

　　来十二2　　望断以及于耶稣，就是我们信心的创始者与成终者；祂为那摆在前面的喜乐，就轻看羞辱，忍受了十字架，便坐在神寳座的右边。

　　我们都像扫罗王的孙子米非波设一样。（撒下四4。）米非波设是瘸腿的，不能走路。大卫王保存他的性命，恢复他一切的产业，并邀请他同席吃饭。（九1~13。）米非波设蒙大卫恩待之后，他只看大卫桌上的丰富，而不看桌下自己的瘸腿。每当我们看自己，发现自己是瘸腿的，我们就沮丧。我们得救以后，应当忘掉我们瘸了的双腿，而坐在我们的王耶稣基督的席上，享受祂一切追测不尽的丰富。我们只当看主桌上的丰富，并享受这些丰富。借着我们享受那追测不尽丰富的基督，祂就会变化我们。（李文集一九六五年第二册，二六二页。）

　　2 Sam. 9:13 And Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem because he ate at the king’s table continually. And he was crippled in both his feet.

　　Heb. 12:2 Looking away unto Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down on the right hand of the throne of God.

　　All of us are like Mephibosheth, the grandson of King Saul (2 Sam. 4:4). Mephibosheth was lame; he was unable to walk. King David preserved his life, restored to him all his inheritance, and invited him to feast with him at the same table (9:1-13). After Mephibosheth received grace from David, he only looked at the riches on David’s table; he did not look at his two lame legs underneath the table. Whenever we look at ourselves, we discover that we are lame, and we become discouraged. After we have been saved, we should forget about our two lame legs and sit at the table of our King, Jesus Christ, to enjoy Him with all His unsearchable riches. We should only look at the riches on the Lord’s table and enjoy them. By our enjoyment of the unsearchably rich Christ, He will transform us. (CWWL, 1965, vol. 2, “The Tree of Life,” p. 200)

　　米非波设不知道大卫爱他时，大卫已经爱他；米非波设知道了大卫爱他，大卫也仍然爱他。神对于我们也是一样的。…你就是这样，神已经爱你了。照你的本相来到神的面前。

　　也许有人说，…得救是靠恩典，不是靠行为，神待我像大卫待米非波设一样；但是，我得救后，行为岂不是应当好了么？为什么我觉得我仍是时高时低，时好时坏呢？答覆这个问题就请读：“于是米非波设住在耶路撒冷，因为他常在王的席上吃饭。他两腿都是瘸的。”（撒下九13。）我们得救的起头是靠恩典，我们保守这得救也是靠恩典。许多人错误的以为得救的起头是靠恩典，保守这得救是靠行为。这是没有的事。我们应当知道，得救是什么条件，就保守也是什么条件。我是因耶稣得救的，我也是因耶稣得蒙保守到底。米非波设虽然常与王同席吃饭，但他的两腿仍是瘸的。瘸一腿还可跳动，瘸两腿不但不便行走，并且也真是难看。…坐在王的席上是真的，两腿仍瘸也是真的。…王不会在头一天让一个瘸腿的坐在他的席上，过了几天因他两腿仍是瘸的，就把他赶出去；没有这件事。

　　两腿虽瘸，不过是在桌下；在桌上的，你只管吃。你为什么要把桌下的双足摆在桌上呢？你只管顾桌上的吧。神摆在这里的，不知有多好，有多丰富，有多甘甜；你只管吃。你不该看你的自己，乃要看神所给你的丰富。我们每一次回头看自己，我们就没有平安。人的眼睛，是为着看外面的，不是为着看里面的。自省不是我们的本分。我们的眼睛如果一直仰望主，就要从荣耀到荣耀，变成祂的形像了。如果我们回头看自己，就不过像米非波设一样，两腿仍是瘸的。我们得救了，就得着一个新生命，有圣灵住在里面，整个人都是新的。但是，那个从亚当而来的自己，是永远不会改变的。那位圣洁的奥古斯丁，当他死时怎样感觉呢？他说，“全世界罪的种子，多在这个我的里面。”哦，我们一天没有脱离肉身，就我们的两腿仍是瘸的。我们不要回头看自己，只要看神所摆在我们面前的丰富、恩典，我们的心就要得着满足了。（倪柝声文集第一辑第十八册，五六至五八页。）

　　参读：新约总论，第八、十至十一篇。

　　Before Mephibosheth knew of David’s love to him, David already loved him; after Mephibosheth knew of his love, David still loved him. God is the same toward us…. God loves you just the way you are. Come to God just as you are.

　　Now someone may say, “…We are saved by grace and not by works. God treats me in the same way that David treated Mephibosheth. But after I am saved, should not my behavior become better? Why do I still feel that I am sometimes high and sometimes low, at times good and at times bad?” In order to answer this question, please read 2 Samuel 9:13. “Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem because he ate at the king’s table continually. And he was crippled in both his feet.” We were saved by grace initially, and we are also kept in this salvation by grace. Many mistakenly have a concept that they were initially saved by grace but they are kept in this salvation by work. However, there is no such thing. We should realize that the condition for salvation is the condition for preservation. We are saved by Jesus, and we are kept by Jesus to the end. Although Mephibosheth dined with the king often, his two feet still remained lame. If one foot is lame, one can still jump. But if both feet are lame, it is not only inconvenient but also ugly. We can dine at the king’s table, and both feet can still be lame. The king would not allow a lame person to dine at his table on the first day and then drive him out after a few days because his feet were still lame. There is no such thing.

　　Our two feet are lame, but they are under the table. We should just eat what is on the table. Why do we put our two feet, which should be under the table, onto the table? We should just pay attention to what is on the table. What God has spread out here is wonderful, rich, and sweet. We just need to eat. We should not look at ourselves. Instead, we should look at the riches God has given us. Every time we look at ourselves, we will not have peace. Our eyes are for looking outside, not inside. Self-introspection is not our portion. If we keep our eyes upon the Lord, we will go from glory to glory and be transformed into His image. If we look at ourselves, we will be just like Mephibosheth with two feet lame. After we are saved, we receive a new life, and the Holy Spirit lives within us; we become entirely new. The self that comes from Adam never changes. How did a man as holy as St. Augustine feel when he was dying? He said, “Most of this world’s seeds of sin are within my self.” As long as we are still in this body, our two feet are still lame. We should not look at ourselves. We should only look at the riches and the grace that God has spread before us. When we do this, our hearts will be satisfied. (CWWN, vol. 18, pp. 287-288)

　　Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msgs. 8, 10-11