(This is a story about a man and from a male perspective, but the gender can also be female so just adapt or adjust accordingly please.)
There once was a man, and to many an insignificant man. He wasn’t known for anything spectacular. He never did evil. But He loved and gave and served. If anyone passed him on the street, he wouldn’t be recognized and wouldn’t turn a head. He had nothing spectacular such as wealth, possessions, or status. But whatever he had, he gave or used it to bless others. And despite never having wealth, he accepted his position and what was given to him and accepted the reality. He never dressed to impress and he certainly was not a man who put on airs, but he never dressed poor or poverty. He dressed to the occasion with modest clothes for a modest man. His name? Lo Debar.
And where did this man live? An insignificant town…a town of him and his wife and his children. The land had no mountains, beaches, tall buildings, or anything that made this place special, unique, or of real value. It wasn't junk land. It was just nothing. Its name was the same as its owner: Lo Debar.
As time went on and as loved ones either passed or moved away, eventually time and life took Lo Debar. Was he buried in a special tomb or a headstone that could be seen from a distance? Just like this man of nothing from a land of nothing was buried on his land of nothing inscribed on his tombstone immortalized by this epitaph Here Lies Lo Debar—Nothing. And as time goes on after he passed. Nothing…changed or happened.
Lo Debar, a city whose original name most likely was Debir (meaning pasture or sheepfold) was eventually changed to Lo Debar which means no word or no thing. In other words, the place is basically Nothingville. There are a number of portions of scripture in the Bible that mention this name. Lo Debar was first mentioned in connection with Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 9). Another time it is mentioned as the home of Ammiel (2 Samuel 17). Lastly it is mentioned in the book of Amos (Amos 6) as a conquered city. And whether by twisted sarcasm or irony, when bragged about their exploits the warriors were said to have conquered nothing.
So with these meanings being ascribed to our character, we have now fleshed out a person. But who? And that is a good question, who. Because all around us are people who at one time or another—yea, even right now—feel like Lo Debar or nothing. Oh, these people had dreams and desires, who doesn’t? But these are the individuals whom we pass by at the store, maybe the person who takes our order at a restaurant, or the person on the corner begging for change. Easily overlooked, easily dismissed, easily not attributed to any greatness. A life of maybe some broken dreams, but a life that when it is over leaves the dying person questioning: what did I accomplish? Maybe we feel that way now? Perhaps our significance seems to vanish and we melt right into the scene, hardly or not even noticed. Always the bridesmaid and never the bride; last to be chosen; viewed as someone who has nothing of value to contribute toward anyone. Or so assumed.
But allow us to glean something from the Word of Life (meaning, purpose, love, value, dignity, truth, potential, promise) rather than accept words of death (loss, discouragement, defeat, no value, unloved, lack of purpose, potential, or destiny). Mephibosheth was dismissed. Perhaps a number of years, if left alone, he would had died and no one would had noticed or cared. But the love in the heart of a king who lived by the exampleship of a Loving God reached down and pulled up Mephibosheth and placed him at the king’s table. Perhaps we just mistake him simply eating better. But this place was a place that any time guests arrived, they were introduced to Mephibosheth. If an event happened at the banqueting table, attendees also awaited for Mephibosheth to arrive. When King David listened to his advisors, among those at his table was Mephibosheth. Lesson? When someone—another person, but more so by God—is valued and placed higher or placed in a particular place, without much effort the person flourishes and is able to contribute. Talent is harnessed. Wisdom is given. Love is bestowed. Whatever that is in you that makes you you, God sees it. And so do others. May He raise you up to sit at His table as it says in Psalm 23:5, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.”
The second lesson is in 2 Samuel 18:27 that Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo Debar (among others) brought a number of things to bless and strengthen David and his men. I have stressed to others that we need to allow God to fight our battles. And one of the ways that God encourages us by Him being involved in our problems (when we surrender and stop interfering through our pride and ego) is He brings people—even sometimes a stranger or an enemy—to bless us, help us, to be there for us. Lesson is to value and appreciate help in however way it comes—through word or deed, even through a sinner. When was the last time we stopped worrying, being stressed, worked up and frustrated, vexed, or full of fear? Why do we keep taking matters, problems, situations out from God’s hands and try to work it out ourselves? Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!” Out of pride we incorrectly believe that waiting means to fiddle, fidget, or be active. But time and again we see events throughout the Bible but more often in the Old Testament that when God says to wait, that means to stop and don’t do anything. But we have to do our part we demand. No! That means to keep our hands off and WAIT. It is ONLY then do we see the miraculous take place, calling those that are not as though they are (see Romans 4:17), and that God dwells and is active in the land of impossibility (see Matthew 19:26).
The final lesson is in Amos 6:13, “You who rejoice over Lo Debar, who say, ‘have we not taken Karnaim for ourselves by our own strength?’” We can feel marginalized, insignificant, unimportant. If a party was thrown in our honor, no one would even notice that we weren’t there is perhaps how we may feel. We have no value. We feel defeated. Our enemy—whether the world or the Devil—thinks he has won. The Devil dismisses us after poisoning our hopes with lies and setbacks. For isn’t it true of him whom Jesus spoke of in John 10:10, “The [Devil] does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” This is worse than busted, disgusted, and cannot be trusted. This is as if all we are and all anyone in our future can be is lost. Lost destiny? Lost hope? Lost promises? Lost Calling? Lost marriage (or lack of a spouse of promise)? And if that was all there was in Amos with it ending with verse 13, we would be very much found wanting. But praises be unto God that there is one of the most powerful words found in the Bible and it is the word but. Verse 14, “’But, behold, I will raise up a nation against you, O house of Israel,’ says the Lord God of hosts; ‘And they will afflict you from the entrance of Hamath to the Valley of the Arabah.’” What does this mean? When I was a child a bully would challenge a fight. Our response would be, Oh yeah, you and what army? The attitude of the enemy incorrectly believes we are in this fight alone. But we are not alone. And whether by His armies and/or through physical people, God gets involved to not just stand in battle array but to fight the fight until we win and God is glorified (see Zechariah 4:6, Romans 8:31, and 1 John 4:4). When do we advance? When God says to (see 2 Samuel 5:24).
Lo Debar, you are not alone. You are not small. You are not forgotten. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord (see Exodus 14:13).