October 12, 2021
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Reading along with us in 2 Samuel? Here’s today’s reading:
2 Samuel 16 (NIV)
David and Ziba
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 wilderness.”
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 Israelites will restore to me my grandfather’s kingdom.’ ”...........Continue Reading
2 Samuel 16
2 Samuel 16
So much deceit and disrespect in this chapter. So many lies and bad advice to protect people’s own self interest.
The humble way David handled the abusive behavior of Shimei was amazing! I am sure the men around him just wanted to kill him and make it stop but he urged them to let it happen still seemingly feeling like it was deserved based on some of his previous poor choices. Hard to take consequences and repercussions of our actions with humility and we see many examples in this chapter alone of the normal human reactions to this!
How important the support of those faithful to you is when you are in a time of need. I do recall that Ziba will not turn out to be as honest or supportive as he is here, but we can imagine how welcomed these provisions were in this moment. It is even more special when it wasn’t planned for or expected. It is a little surprising that Mephibosheth doesn’t show support for David after all that David did for him. And then there is Shimei. Anyone in leadership should not be surprised to have detractors. May we seek to be more innocent than David was in facing this attack. But his humble reaction is notable. How easy it would be for him to react, especially after he has been hurt by those close to him and those around him offering to take him out. But David shows great restraint. Something we could all use more of. Certainly something that Absalom doesn’t show when taking advice from Ahithophel…..the poor advice he gives is an indication of God answering David’s prayer from the last chapter…..
I’m kind of confused by this: “the advice of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if one had inquired at the oracle of God. So was all the advice of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.” Is Ahithophel’s advice to Absalom to go into his father’s concubine just part of God’s consequences upon David? How is Ahithophel’s advice with both David and Absalom? Is it just saying that all the occurred is in accordance with God’s plan?