2Sa 16:3 | KingComments | STEP | David has a new meeting. Ziba comes to show his support. He has a lot with him to serve David with. This in itself is a good thing. In the same way, we too may make all we possess available to the Lord and to those who serve Him. But Ziba is not honest in his motives. In addition, everything he gives, in reality belongs to Mephibosheth, whose servant he is. The whole performance of Ziba is done out of personal interest. To David Ziba remains the servant of Saul ( ; ). Yet it seems that David is again blind to the real motives that drive Ziba. When he asks about Mephibosheth, Ziba gives him a mendacious answer. If David had thought about it for a moment, he would have understood the lie immediately. How could it be that the lame Mephibosheth could do something against a man like Absalom? The most handsome man in Israel has been declared king and all of Israel is following him and now Ziba is pretending that the lame Mephibosheth is seizing power. David is so stupid to believe Ziba’s story about Mephibosheth. Later it will become clear how things really are with Mephibosheth ( ). Meanwhile David has been influenced by the generosity of Ziba. This leads him to the wrong decision to give all the possessions of Mephibosheth to Ziba. Ziba enjoys it all and flatters David for his generosity. The whole performance of Ziba is surrounded with flattery and David falls for it. It is important that we watch out for flattery. We must avoid it ourselves at all costs. And if we are flattered, we must at all costs prevent it from obscuring our view of reality. Let us keep flattery far from us, both the flattering of others and being flattered by others.

‏ 2 Samuel 16:3

David Misled by Ziba

David has a new meeting. Ziba comes to show his support. He has a lot with him to serve David with. This in itself is a good thing. In the same way, we too may make all we possess available to the Lord and to those who serve Him. But Ziba is not honest in his motives. In addition, everything he gives, in reality belongs to Mephibosheth, whose servant he is. The whole performance of Ziba is done out of personal interest.

To David Ziba remains the servant of Saul (2Sam 16:3; 2Sam 9:9). Yet it seems that David is again blind to the real motives that drive Ziba. When he asks about Mephibosheth, Ziba gives him a mendacious answer. If David had thought about it for a moment, he would have understood the lie immediately. How could it be that the lame Mephibosheth could do something against a man like Absalom? The most handsome man in Israel has been declared king and all of Israel is following him and now Ziba is pretending that the lame Mephibosheth is seizing power.

David is so stupid to believe Ziba’s story about Mephibosheth. Later it will become clear how things really are with Mephibosheth (2Sam 19:24-30). Meanwhile David has been influenced by the generosity of Ziba. This leads him to the wrong decision to give all the possessions of Mephibosheth to Ziba. Ziba enjoys it all and flatters David for his generosity. The whole performance of Ziba is surrounded with flattery and David falls for it.

It is important that we watch out for flattery. We must avoid it ourselves at all costs. And if we are flattered, we must at all costs prevent it from obscuring our view of reality. Let us keep flattery far from us, both the flattering of others and being flattered by others.