DOUBLE BETRAYAL

DOUBLE BETRAYAL

Have you ever been victim of betrayal?  What about double betrayal? This is when someone receives your trust, then  pretends to be looking after your best interest.  They might have a troubling story to tell you which declares someone else’s disloyalty.  They sadly point out the truth you did not know. You probably stand there shocked beyond belief. 

Perhaps the betrayal they mention comes from someone you have tremendously blessed and helped in days gone by.  In your mind this person would be one of your most adoring and loyal friends.  Yet, here is this person who would be privy to the truth.  They stand telling you someone you trust has done something dishonest behind your back.

It gives you a sinking feeling in your stomach.  How could this be possible?  You dwell on the shock rather than the unproven reality.

RETALIATION FOR SUPPOSED BETRAYAL

Often this might lead any person thinking they are betrayed to act out of shock and retaliation.  Of course, it seems only natural to be generous and thankful to the person doing this loyal reporting. It never crosses your mind the whole story could be made up.

And there is where the trouble begins.

ZIBA HAD PERFECT TIMING

Those loyal to David had spent a hard day on the road.  All of the people were hungry and tired.  Imagine the very tired King experiencing treason’s surprise, then finding  Ziba standing just past his assent from the summit.  Ziba brought David’s people a very generous amount of food, water, and transportation.  It certainly seemed clear that Ziba was on King David’s side.  He was only trying to help, right? 

What a relief it must have been to see a friendly face with supplies. How timely and convenient.   Can you imagine David’s gratitude? 

WHERE WAS MEPHIBOSHETH?

Then, David notices that Mephibosheth is missing from Ziba’s company.  Maybe David then supposed  Mephibosheth had come along with his family.  After all, he had granted him a place at his table for life.  David had restored all of Saul’s possessions in Israel to Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, Saul’s grandson.  This very unusual arrangement had changed Mephibosheth from a runaway crippled outcast into a royal and accepted leader sitting under the hospitality of the King. 

Most kings would have killed the son or grandson of a former king.  Not David.  He had a covenant with Jonathan, Mephibosheth’s father.  On Jonathan’s death, Mephibosheth had disappeared.  When he returned to Jerusalem, David took Mephibosheth into his own family.

Mephibosheth, being a cripple and unable to tend to himself without help, thanked King David profusely.  Then David requested Ziba, Saul’s former servant, become in charge of taking care of Mephibosheth’s lands for him and his family. Of course that meant Ziba and his family were fed from the land too.  All he had to do was work for Mephibosheth as he tended to his properties.  Both men had been blessed tremendously from King David’s generosity and hospitality.

ZIBA’S LIES

So, all of that had taken place in the past.  Now in his time of troubles, David was glad to see Ziba and his provisions.  At first it did his heart good.  Then, he realized that Mephibosheth had not come with Ziba or the royal family.  He inquired of Ziba, “Where is your Master’s grandson?”   Since Ziba had once been the servant of Saul, David was referring to Mephibosheth with this question. This phrase David used gives us the first clue to who Ziba really was.  He had been Saul’s servant.  Most likely his thinking was more like Saul’s than David’s.  However, David had not held this against him.  David’s thoughts were that Ziba had appeared with help and he was grateful.

Ziba said to him, “He is staying in Jerusalem, because he thinks, ‘Today the Israelites will restore to me my grandfather’s kingdom.’”

DAVID ACTS IN HASTE

David must have been shocked to hear this.  Would the very humble Mephibosheth do such a thing?  This wasn’t the Mephibosheth King David knew. 

In his moments of sorrow David made a bad judgment without researching the truth of the matter.  Then the King said to Ziba, “All that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours.”

“I humbly bow,” Ziba said. “May I find favor in your eyes, my lord the King.”  Ziba was the perfect politician.  He was always thankful, as long as things were going his way.

We will see later that this was a set-up. Things were not as they appeared on the surface. Ziba was using King David’s misfortune to his advantage,  He did so in order to obtain his own power.  Ziba was taking advantage of King David’s crisis, hoping to receive personal gain from it.

I think a present-day quote of this sort of situation might be, “never let a  good crisis go to waste.”  We’ve seen many politicians use such situations to their own advantage.

ZIBA’S PERSONAL GAIN

Even worse, the supposedly faithful and loyal Ziba had left Mephibosheth alone and unattended while he was off deceiving a suffering King.  We can’t help but notice that Ziba was one of those people who had an uncanny knack for being in the right place and the right time for anything bringing his own personal gain. 

Time always tells the end of the story though.   More of this situation will be revealed later. Next week we will look into other things that happened to David as he fled from Absalom. 

PRESENT DAY THOUGHTS

In the meantime, we might want to consider these situations in relation to our own lives.  Have you ever been so low and hurt that you trusted someone you should never have trusted?  Was it a deliberate ploy to rob you of your logic and wisdom and use you as a fool?

I think Satan and his demons have used this type  of trickery on all of us from time to time.  He likes to catch us when we are down, when our guard is not up.  If our heads are full of troubles, we are more likely to jump to false conclusions and act on impulse.  That is rarely a wise thing to do.

I guess  you could say that Ziba was comparable to one of Satan’s demons.  He was using every trick he had to gain from David’s troubles.  Worst of all, it had worked.  Ziba became the owner of Mephibosheth’s property from that point forward.  In most cases, one cannot reverse the decree of a King. 

HOW WAS THIS LIKE JESUS?

So far we have seen many instances in David’s flight from Jerusalem which turned out to be similar to or a lot like Jesus’s journey to the cross. At first I could not see a pattern in this story, but when I prayed God showed me how much the actions of Ziba were like the kiss of betrayal from Judas when Jesus was arrested.

All was based lies and deception. Judas deliberately betrayed Jesus for personal gain. It was the same for Ziba as he betrayed David with lies about Mephiboseth. So much of what happened in both cases was based on politics and personal gain. Of course even more of both situations was a spiritual battle in the heavenlies.

THE GIFT OF GRACE AND FORGIVNESS

At the outcome Jesus accepted his fate without a question. He could have called a million angels to come to his defense. He let the betrayal happen. David did likewise. He accepted Ziba’s deception without question. Jesus was facing the consequences of removing our sins. David was facing the consequences of his own sins and the curse it had caused for his family.

The important thing to notice is that neither Yeshua nor David lost contact with YHVH. They both accepted their assignment and mission; they both remained faithful and trusted the One who could deliver them while weighted down with the guilt of the sins of mankind. Like in the story of Isaac, neither David or Yeshua flinched when facing their destiny. Both David and Yeshua kept their eyes on God and His will for mankind. Had David failed here, we would not have had his genealogy. This is the genealogy of Jesus, the part that belonged to mankind. If Yeshua had failed, we would not have obtained the perfect gift of salvation.

This part of the journey of David wasn’t about self-defense. It was about meeting with destiny. David ignored the possibility of Ziba’s stories being lies and gave him grace. On the cross Yeshua ignored the lies of the devil. He gave what it took to save us from them. Yeshua gave his life.

DAVID CRIES OUT TO GOD

After stopping for food and resting a bit, King David’s sad little group moved on.  With every step he took on the road of escape, thoughts of Mephibosheth must have flooded David’s brain.  Surely he was asking that age-old question we all ask from time to time. “Why?” 

The King didn’t ponder that answer too long though.  This is because he knew why.  He knew his own sins had brought judgment upon his kingdom.  God had forgiven him much, but David still had to face a mountain of consequences which originated from his own mistakes.  Every step of the road seemed to increase his remorse.  David’s soul cried out to God as the group kept moving toward the wilderness.

Perhaps the King’s belly was now full. He even had a donkey to ride.  However, his spirit was heavy as he remained on the road leading away from everything he had ever loved.

VERSE

“A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare.” – Proverbs 21:6

PRAYER

Lord, we see when David let his guard down, the deceptions came calling. This is the difference in David’s human actions and Yeshua’s perfect example. Please help us to stay alert and in tuned to your will.  Teach us how to put aside our human emotions and follow your paths which lead us to truth. Help us not to make hasty and half-researched decisions. When You need for us to show grace, teach us to do so, even when we do not understand.  Amen

SONG

DECEPTION SONG – by Christian Power Rock Music