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ZIBA TAKES ALL. II Samuel 16:1-4. Aug 15, 2021. #35.
II Samuel 16:1-4 [New King James Version]
1 When David was a little past the top of the mountain, there was Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth, who met him with a couple of saddled donkeys, and on them two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred clusters of raisins, one hundred summer fruits, and a skin of wine. 2 And the king said to Ziba, “What do you mean to do with these?” So Ziba said, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride on, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for those who are faint in the wilderness to drink.” 3 Then the king said, “And where is your master’s son?” And Ziba said to the king, “Indeed he is staying in Jerusalem, for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will restore the kingdom of my father to me.’ ” 4 So the king said to Ziba, “Here, all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours.” And Ziba said, “I humbly bow before you, that I may find favor in your sight, my lord, O king!”
- Ziba makes his move
- Ziba was Jonathan’s servant in charge of his household
- After Jonathan died in battle, David gave all of Jonathan’s possessions to Mephibosheth
- Mephibosheth was lame due to his nursemaid dropping him when she fled from the Philistine hoard
- Ziba meets David at the top of the ascent
- He has two donkeys loaded with bread and raisins
- David asks what the meaning of the supplies were
- Ziba states that they are for David’s men
- Ziba desires to ingratiate himself to David
- Ziba was Jonathan’s servant in charge of his household
- The Mephibosheth mystery
- David asks Ziba where Mephibosheth was
- Mephibosheth ate at the king’s table as kindness to Jonathan’s household
- Being a descendent of Saul, it was important that Mephibosheth to openly show loyalty to David
- Ziba claims that Mephibosheth stayed back in Jerusalem, hoping to be restored to his grandfather’s throne
- David is upset, especially after the kindness he showed Mephibosheth
- David then gives all of Mephibosheth’s land to David
- II Samuel 19 later when David returns to Jerusalem, Mephibosheth comes out to meet David
- Mephibosheth is in sackcloth with ashes on him: he has not bathed, shaved, or groomed since David left
- When asked why he did not go with David, he said that since he was lame he had to wait for Ziba to saddle his donkey and bring him to David
- David does not know what to believe
- Mephibosheth was obviously not leading a rebellion
- Since Mephibosheth came out to meet David, it is odd that he could not have come on his own to David earlier or had someone else help him
- The truth probably is that Mephibosheth was afraid to go with David in case Absalom won the conflict
- Mephibosheth sat out the conflict until he saw what would happen
- When David won, Mephibosheth reappears to declare his loyalty to David
- Ziba had obviously lied to David
- Mephibosheth was not guiltless either
- David decides to split the land between Mephibosheth and Ziba, since both men were suspect
- Mephibosheth claims that he is not interested in the land, only in David’s safe return
- David asks Ziba where Mephibosheth was
- Another Proverbs 18:13 problem
- As with Amnon, Absalom, the woman of Tekoa, and other issues, David does not wait to investigate Ziba’s claims before he makes a snap decision
- Decisions made on partial information or mere appearances are almost always wrong
- David never learns the art of inquiry
- Decisions should be made on the best information available
- Investigation to find the facts
- Appearances and statements may be false or partial
- There are always missing facts
- Justice, fairness, and potential harm demand due diligence
- As with Amnon, Absalom, the woman of Tekoa, and other issues, David does not wait to investigate Ziba’s claims before he makes a snap decision