A man named Ziba

David reached the top of the Mount of Olives and began his descent toward the wilderness of Judah. At that moment, a servant named Ziba appeared. (1) Ziba was one of the servants who had once served King Saul, but he had since become a free man, with fifteen sons and twenty servants of his own (9:10). (2) When David had asked if there was anyone left of Saul’s household so that he might show kindness for Jonathan’s sake, Ziba informed him about Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s crippled son. (3) David then granted all the land that had belonged to Saul’s family to Mephibosheth and commanded Ziba to manage it for him.

Ziba’s kindness and lie

Ziba came before David with provisions. (1) Two donkeys were laden with 200 loaves of bread, 100 clusters of raisins, 100 summer fruits, and a skin of wine. (2) When David asked, “Why do you have these?” Ziba told him that they were all a gift for David. David’s heart must have been greatly encouraged. (3) David then asked, “Where is your master’s son?” In other words, he wanted to know what had become of Mephibosheth. Ziba responded by making it sound as if Mephibosheth was hoping for the restoration of Saul’s kingdom: “He said, ‘Today the house of Israel will restore the kingdom of my father to me.’” (4) Mephibosheth did have a claim to the throne of Saul’s kingdom, but there was no way Absalom would have restored the throne to him. In other words, Ziba’s words were a lie meant to tarnish Mephibosheth’s reputation. (5) David, taking Ziba’s story at face value, became angry with Mephibosheth and promised to give all of his property to Ziba. Even someone as wise as David can make a wrong judgment. Proverbs 18:17 says, “The first to plead his case seems right, until another comes and examines him.” This is exactly what happened here. Those in high positions especially need to be careful and deliberate when addressing problems. Let us pray for God’s wisdom in the issues we are currently facing.