Welcome to Truth for Life A sad tale of exile from his own kingdom.
What can we learn about David's plight? On today's program, Alistair Begg walks us through the deception, betrayal, and opposition that hounded God's anointed king all the way into the wilderness. Let's read together from 2 Samuel and from chapter 16.
2 Samuel 16 and from verse 1. When David had passed a little beyond the summit, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him with a couple of donkeys saddled, bearing two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred bunches of raisins, a hundred of summer fruits, and a skin of wine. And the king said to Ziba, Why have you brought these?
And Ziba answered, The donkeys are for the king's household to ride on, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for those who faint in the wilderness to drink. And the king said, And where is your master's son? Ziba said to the king, Behold, he remains in Jerusalem. For he said, Today the house of Israel will give me back the kingdom of my father. Then the king said to Ziba, Behold, all that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours. And Ziba said, I pay homage.
Let me ever find favor in your sight, my lord the king. When King David came to Bahurim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei the son of Gerah. And as he came, he cursed continually. And he threw stones at David, and at all the servants of King David, and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left.
And Shimei said as he cursed, Get out, get out, you man of blood, you worthless man. The LORD has avenged on you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. And the LORD has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, your evil is on you, for you are a man of blood. Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king?
Let me go over and take off his head. But the king said, What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing, because the LORD has said to him, Curse David, who then shall say, Why have you done so? And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, Behold, my own son seeks my life.
How much more now may this Benjaminite? Leave him alone, and let him curse, for the LORD has told him to. It may be that the LORD will look on the wrong done to me and that the LORD will repay me with good for his cursing today. So David and his men went on the road, while Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went and threw stones at him and flung dust. And the king and all the people who were with him arrived weary at the Jordan, and there he refreshed himself. Now Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. And when Hushai the archite, David's friend, came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, Long live the king! Long live the king! And Absalom said to Hushai, Is this your loyalty to your friend?
Why did you not go with your friend? And Hushai said to Absalom, No, for whom the LORD and his people and all the men of Israel have chosen, his I will be, and with him I will remain. And again, whom should I serve?
Should it not be his son? As I have served your father, so I will serve you. Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, Give me your counsel.
What shall we do? Ahithophel said to Absalom, Go into your father's concubines, whom he has left to keep the house, and all Israel will hear that you have made yourself a stench to your father, and the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened. So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and Absalom went in to his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel. Now in those days the counsel that Ahithophel gave was as if one consulted the Word of God.
So was all the counsel of Ahithophel esteemed both by David and by Absalom. Amen. Well, a brief prayer before we look at this. Come, gracious Holy Spirit, and quicken our minds by way of understanding. Guard and guide our thinking, and bring your Word to bear upon our lives so that we might be drawn to Jesus and conformed to his very image. For we pray in his name. Amen. Well, do your friends despise forsake you?
Is there trouble anywhere? There is little doubt that David, having just read 2 Samuel 16, would have answered yes on both counts. He was in the midst of great trouble, and he was opposed by those who were supposed to have been his friends—particularly Ahithophel, whom we met last time, David's counselor, whom you will recall had gone over onto Absalom's side, and we shared the conjecture that given that Ahithophel was the grandfather of Bathsheba, that there may have been something of a personal agenda, something of an avengence that emerged from his own heart and mind in doing what he did. He is, without question, a traitor. He is, if you like, the Old Testament equivalent of Judas Iscariot.
And in many ways, the incident here foreshadows all that takes place on the Mount of Olives a thousand years later. David, we have seen, has gone over the broke Kidron. He has ascended the Mount of Olives. The description of him is a sad one. He is weeping.
He is barefooted. His head is covered as an expression of his mourning. And without question, the picture that we have of him there is a far cry from the pre-Bathsheba version. But what we need to keep in mind—and it is of vital importance that we do so—is that he is still the king. He is the king. He is the Lord's anointed. And therefore, when we consider what is taking place here in terms of rebellion towards him, it is not just some kind of interactive engagement between two people of an equal status.
No, he is the one who has been set apart. He is the man after God's own heart—in other words, God's heart was filled with David, and God has promised to David that there will come one who will sit on his throne forever and forever. But then we read these chapters, and we say to ourselves, well, it appears at this juncture unlikely that David and his kingdom will survive.
And we might say that he was living on a prayer for all Bon Jovi fans. And that prayer is recorded for us—we saw it, I'm not making that up—back in chapter 15 and in verse 31. And David said—here's the prayer that he's living on—"O LORD, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness." In other words, at this juncture in time, the future of his kingdom, from a human perspective, as we unfold this story, as we follow the line along, it is hanging on the answer to that prayer. And if you will recall, Hushai appears on the scene—and we'll meet him again later—and David immediately recognizes that it is more than possible that the actions of Hushai will be the very answer to his prayer. And what he did was he sends him back to Jerusalem as a spy. And he has the straightforward objective of seeking to overturn or to defeat the counsel of Ahithophel. Now, having read through the chapter, you know that part of the counsel of Ahithophel we just saw is really bad counsel. The next part of it will come at the beginning of chapter 17, and we have to wait till after the fifth verse of chapter 17 to discover how well that went. But for the time being, we mustn't run ahead.
We need to stay where we are. What has been provided for us here by the storyteller is a series of encounters between individuals and the king. We saw him in his encounter with Ittai, and then with Abiathar, and then with Zadok. And now we are going to look at him throughout the day, and it will take us the day—I'm convinced—first of all, meeting him as deceived by Ziba, and then as cursed by Shimei, and then as supported by Hushai, and then as opposed by Ahithophel.
That's the framework that will take us into the evening hour. But first of all, in these opening verses, we find that he is here deceived by Ziba. Now, you know Ziba, because we met him before. We were introduced to him way back in chapter 9 in the encounter with Mephibosheth. You remember, the son of Jonathan, who was lame in his feet and needed somebody to care for him. Well, Ziba was given the job of caring for Mephibosheth. And in the tenth verse of chapter 9, the word that was given, you and your sons and your servants—this is Ziba and his sons and his servants—shall till the land for Mephibosheth, shall bring in the produce that your master's grandson may have bread to eat, and Mephibosheth shall always eat at my table. That was David's counsel to Ziba. That was what he was established to do. And here we find him showing up on this occasion, essentially with a picnic—a quite elaborate picnic, without any doubt.
But this is not an unfamiliar scene. In fact, you know, David, when we were first introduced to him, was engaged in a similar responsibility. You remember, all these times ago that his father said to him, I want you to go to your brothers on the battlefield.
I want you to strengthen them and to encourage them. And he took with him an ephah of parched grain, ten loaves, and ten cheeses. And now he's on the receiving end of a similar kind of venture.
He is beleaguered, he is weary, his folks are stressed out, he is running for his life, and here into his circle of influence comes Ziba. The provision's far greater than anything David ever took on that occasion. Donkeys. And the translation of two could also be string—a string of donkeys. It seems to me you would need a string of donkeys just to carry all of this stuff.
Two would be hard-pressed, and who was going to get the job of sitting on them or the privilege of sitting on them? Anyway, it doesn't matter. It's not a main thing. Donkeys, bread, raisins, summer fruit, and wine. And in encountering this, David says to him, Why have you brought these? The answer that he gives is not really the answer to the question that David is asking.
I sat with this for a long time. I went back—I often go back to the King James Version to see if it will help me. Because often the way it translates something is not just as definitive.
And in this case, I found that to be true. In the King James Version, the question is written as, What meanest thou by these? What meanest thou by these? Which could, I suppose, be translated, What are you doing with these things? Or, What's all this?
Or, if you like, What's going on with this? And I think the inference is probably that—the inference being simply, David knows, You're supposed to be looking after all this stuff. I gave you the job to till the land to make sure that Mephibosheth had plenty to eat.
I didn't give you the privilege of deciding when and to whom you would like to give the material away. And there's something about his gesture, a gesture of generosity, that doesn't quite meld with the fact that his loyalty—his generosity is expressed here to David—but his loyalty lies with Saul. He is the servant of Saul.
And this is where, again, you have to keep the whole story in mind when you're reading this. Remember that Saul has been dethroned. David has been put in his place. But those battles had continued for a long time. He fought against those Philistines, because they were coming for him again and again. And that issue is not over. If it was a political issue, you would say that he's appeared—this ominous material is appearing on the newspapers again and again.
And so, this strange little encounter with Ziba has to be set within the wider framework. And I wonder, isn't that why David then says, And where is your master's son? Now, you know—we know—that son is used quite elastically in the Old Testament narrative. It's actually Saul's grandson.
It's Jonathan's son, and where is your master's son? And Ziba said to the king, Behold, he remains in Jerusalem. True.
Today, he said, the house of Israel will give me back the kingdom of my father. Not true. How do we know it's not true? Well, because by the time we get to chapter 19, Mephibosheth will tell us that Ziba slandered him, threw him under the bus, when he said this. For the time being, we have to read it as David is receiving it. He doesn't know what we know, because he hasn't read chapter 19, so to speak.
All right? Therefore, he says, Well, isn't that quite fascinating? In other words, Mephibosheth has now decided that although I've done all these kind things for him, looked after him, let him eat at my table, that he has decided that he is hoping dearly that the kingdom will swing back to Saul. So what has happened here is that Ziba has put words into the mouth of his father.
Today, the house of Israel will give me back the kingdom of my father. In other words, he says, This is what Mephibosheth is saying. Now, that's not what David wants to hear.
And it's certainly not what he expects. And he makes a snap decision. I find this one of the most interesting little pieces in all that I've read. And he said, Well, then, behold, all that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours.
It's quite amazing, isn't it? Well, I'm not sure I fully understand what's going on here. David makes a snap decision.
He has made some snap decisions in the past, but this is an interesting one. It's almost as if he says to himself, Goodness, the whole thing is coming in on me, coming down around me. Now I've even got Mephibosheth, to whom I've done so many good things, coming against me.
Well, forget him. I tell you what I'll do, Ziba. You've come here. You've been very nice to me. You brought the donkeys and the fruit and everything. That's very nice.
I tell you what, why don't I give you just the whole… just give you the whole thing? And Ziba says, Well, I pay homage. You bet your life he paid homage.
What an amazing deal this is! He shows up with a cock and bull story, and he ends up running the whole program. Ziba is an opportunist, for sure.
And what I find most interesting is that David, who on previous occasions has been very, very meticulous in dealing with encounters like this—you can rehearse it for yourself way back in the first chapter of 2 Samuel when he hears of the death of Saul. And we won't delay on it now, but if you remember, he queries that fellow all the time. He asks a question, then he asks another question, then another question. He's trying to find out what's really going on. But in this instance, I guess he's distressed, he's discouraged, his judgment is off, he makes a snap decision, and he goes.
It's not the point, but it is a point in passing. Let us beware of making snap decisions when we're not on our game, when life has turned against us, when we're disheartened and we're discouraged. Don't write important letters, then. Don't change your job. Don't rearrange your relationships. Keep your head down. Trust God. So then, from Ziba, who having benefited from his deceit then displays his homage.
It's kind of creepy, I think. All of that was taking place while David was beyond the summit. And now we pick up the story in verse 5, when King David came to Bahurim.
Bahurim is not very far away, and we've been to Bahurim before. And if you recall—you can find it on your own later—that was when David got Michal his wife back from Paltiel, because Saul, out of a sense of a grudging perspective towards David, gave Michal to this fellow Paltiel. And David shows up, and he says, I want Michal back. And there at Bahurim, Paltiel comes, and he arrives weeping—weeping along the way, as this lady that has been his partner and wife for these years is taken from him.
Well, that was a sad scene, but it's nothing compared to the scene that we have here. So now we have not simply David deceived by Ziba but now cursed by Shimei. I think it's fair to say that this gentleman Shimei is not pleased with things. He's an angry man, he's filled with rage, and he curses continually. And his curses are an expression of his condemnation of David. Get out, he cries.
Get out of here, you man of blood, you worthless man! Well, of course, the fact was that David was already out. He was out of Jerusalem.
He had already crossed the river. He was on his way into the wilderness. And now this protagonist arrives and speaks in this way. Now, let's read again verse 8, what Shimei has to say to him. The LORD has avenged on you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. And the LORD has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. Your day is done, David. See, your evil is on you, for you are a man of blood. This is Peterson's paraphrase of that same verse. God has paid you back for all your dirty work in the family of Saul and for stealing his kingdom. God has given the kingdom to your son Absalom.
Look at you now, ruined and good riddance, you pathetic old man. I think, with a little liberty, that probably captures very well the kind of impact that is being made. You're listening to Truth for Life with Alistair Begg.
And tomorrow, we'll hear David's surprising response to Shimei's bitter accusations. Studying God's Word together is one way we can grow in our faith and bond with others. And to help you do that, we are recommending to you volume 2 of Alistair's daily devotional, titled Truth for Life, 365 Daily Devotions.
It's available today for a donation. The daily readings are perfect for personal study as well as for family devotions or to read with friends. In fact, we recently heard from one of our listeners, Judith in New Zealand, who shared with us how the Truth for Life devotional was her source of comfort during some dark days her family faced. She wrote and said, when my brother David got his cancer diagnosis, he asked if I could obtain a copy of Alistair's devotional for him.
He spent 2023 reading it. It helped him feel comfortable as he walked the remaining part of his earthly journey, supported by Alistair's daily reflections. This was a joy to my heart.
I live in a different part of the country. It was lovely to think we were both reading the same devotional each morning. The words were such a blessing and comfort to him and to his wife.
He died peacefully at home in July. Thank you all so much. So even if you already have volume two of the Truth for Life devotional, you might want to request a copy with your donation and pass it along to a friend. You never know how God might use it. Donate today and request your copy at truthforlife.org slash donate. Thanks for studying along with us today. Tomorrow we'll learn how God sometimes reveals his plan and purpose through unlikely sources. The Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life where the Learning is for Living.
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