2 Samuel 16:3-4 Sycophant

 ”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.’ ” 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!”“ ‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭16‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. He is staying in Jerusalem: Ziba told David that Mephibosheth was in Jerusalem, waiting to come to power after David and Absalom ruined each other. Ziba told David that Mephibosheth longed to restore the family of Saul to power. (Today the house of Israel will restore the kingdom of my father to me.)

i. These were lies that Ziba told David and this will be revealed in 2 Samuel 19:24-30. Actually, Ziba left Mephibosheth behind to make it look as if Mephibosheth did not support David.

ii. This report from Ziba hurt David because in this time of crisis the last thing he needed to hear was that another friend had turned against him. Ziba “was utterly despicable, and the more so because at the moment the sorrow he brought to the heart of David was his feeling that his kindness toward Mephibosheth was ill requited.” (Morgan)

iii. This was a “shameless and senseless slander, uttered by a false and faithless sycophant.” (Trapp)

b. All that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours: David – acting on the only information he had – assumed that Ziba told the truth. Therefore, he rewarded Ziba’s loyalty and punished Mephibosheth’s reported disloyalty.

i. This was exactly the response Ziba wanted. Ziba is an example of someone who wickedly uses a crisis for his own benefit. (Guzik)

Sycophant

There seems to be one in every crowd trying to gain advantage! On one hand Ziba gives David a gift of food but on the other he’s trying to gain an advantage and it seems to have worked.

Wicked people usually meet their own demise and will one day stand in judgement before God for their actions.

”And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.“ ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭20‬:‭12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Is your name in the Book of Life?

Blessings