2 Samuel 16:1-4 – Don’t judge a book by its cover

Remember Mephibosheth, the crippled son of Jonathan? David had been gracious to him on learning that he was Jonathan’s son and the sole survival of Saul’s family. The king had shown kindness to him purely for the sake of his father. David gave him his grandfather’s estate and assigned Ziba, one of Saul’s servants to steward the land for Mephibosheth. The king also treated him like one of his own sons and had him brought to his table to dine with him regularly. 

In 2 Samuel 16:1-4, we see Ziba, the steward of Mephibosheth’s property, meeting up with David a little beyond the peak of Mount Olivet. Knowing that the king was now on the run, he came with a couple of saddled donkeys loaded with foodstuff, consisting of two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred clusters of raisins, a hundred summer fruits, and a jug of wine. Why did Ziba do this? He was a shrewd man and was seeking to endear himself to David and put himself in his good book. He probably had hope that the exiled king would return to his throne someday. And when that should happen, he would then be in a good place to be rewarded with a position of power.

Surprized by what he did, David inquired about his master Mephibosheth. Ziba then knowingly libeled and maligned his master. He told the exiled king that Mephibosheth remained in Jerusalem with the hope that in the political upheaval, the kingdom of Saul would be returned to him. David appeared to have believed what was told to him wholesale. Whether Ziba told the truth or not will be revealed in 2 Samuel 19. Meanwhile, unquestioningly David, in haste, ordered all of Mephibosheth’s possessions to be given to Ziba, who then became the new owner of all that his master once owned. Was David too impulsive? Shouldn’t he find out more before he jumped into any conclusion? He did not know Ziba too well, so his impulsiveness was uncalled for. But in his present condition, he neither had the liberty nor the time to find out more. So his reaction was understandable.

So what can we learn from this account? From all outward appearances, Ziba seemed to be a discreet and considerate person, but he did it to promote himself and to prosper at Mephibosheth’s expense. It is difficult to tell people’s motives. We need to be careful about who we run with. We also need to be careful with what we hear, and from whom we hear. Like David, we too have the tendency to jump to conclusions. Discretion will tell us all that glitters is not gold. It will do us well not to jump to any conclusion without checking what we have heard or seen. Wisely, do take a counsel from this maxim – do not judge a book by its cover. There is often more than what meets our eyes.