READ
2 SAMUEL 16:1-14
[1] When David had gone a short distance beyond the summit, there was Ziba, the steward of Mephibosheth, waiting to meet him. He had a string of donkeys saddled and loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred cakes of raisins, a hundred cakes of figs and a skin of wine. [2] The king asked Ziba, "Why have you brought these?" Ziba answered, "The donkeys are for the king's household to ride on, the bread and fruit are for the men to eat, and the wine is to refresh those who become exhausted in the desert." [3] The king then asked, "Where is your master's grandson?" Ziba said to him, "He is staying in Jerusalem, because he thinks, 'Today the house of Israel will give me back my grandfather's kingdom.' " [4] Then the king said to Ziba, "All that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours." "I humbly bow," Ziba said. "May I find favor in your eyes, my lord the king." [5] As King David approached Bahurim, a man from the same clan as Saul's family came out from there. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and he cursed as he came out. [6] He pelted David and all the king's officials with stones, though all the troops and the special guard were on David's right and left. [7] As he cursed, Shimei said, "Get out, get out, you man of blood, you scoundrel! [8] The LORD has repaid you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. The LORD has handed the kingdom over to your son Absalom. You have come to ruin because you are a man of blood!" [9] Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head." [10] But the king said, "What do you and I have in common, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the LORD said to him, 'Curse David,' who can ask, 'Why do you do this?' " [11] David then said to Abishai and all his officials, "My son, who is of my own flesh, is trying to take my life. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the LORD has told him to. [12] It may be that the LORD will see my distress and repay me with good for the cursing I am receiving today." [13] So David and his men continued along the road while Shimei was going along the hillside opposite him, cursing as he went and throwing stones at him and showering him with dirt. [14] The king and all the people with him arrived at their destination exhausted. And there he refreshed himself.
NIV
MEDITATE
"You can choose to please God first, or you can fall prey to peer pressures. The choice is yours - and so are the conse-quences" (Criswell Freeman).
Ziba and Shimei, representatives of the displaced house of King Saul, see David's unprecedented weakness as their opportunity. One of the perennial problems when public order breaks down is that the unscrupulous see the difficulties as their chance to enrich themselves at others' expense. Ziba is no exception, even though he initially appears to be a generous provider for David. When in v. 3 David points out (in effect) that all these gifts weren't his to provide, Ziba suggests that his master, Mephibosheth, son of David's friend Jonathan, is disloyal to David and that he, Ziba, is loyally taking matters into his own hands - for which David amply rewards him.
It is very likely, however, that Ziba is lying, so as to enrich himself at Mephibosheth's expense. The claim that Mephibosheth thought he would regain the kingdom is ludicrous: why should Absalom go to so much trouble to gain the kingdom only to give it away to a cripple with none of Absalom's public attractiveness and to whom he owed nothing? Indeed, the fact that Mephibosheth had been so generously provided for by David was probably what made Ziba gamble that David was worth backing; for if Absalom took over, all that Mephibosheth had enjoyed would be lost. Moreover, Mephibosheth's subsequent defense of his failure to join David - that Ziba stole his only means of transport - rings true, both because of his mourning during David's absence and because of his willingness to concede his goods to Ziba.
In the circumstances, David had little choice but to accept and make use of Ziba's provision. Nonetheless, his granting of all Mephibosheth's estate to Ziba is clearly premature, a sign that, spiritually worn down, he is no longer exercising the kind of discernment needed by a king/judge.
APPLY
Reflect on any decisions you have to make today. How will they be guided by God's wisdom?
Lord, help me to be wise and discerning about whom I trust; and grant that I may never use another's misfortune for my gain.
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