Paranoia
By Bonnie Ricks
2 Samuel 16:1-4 NIV
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.
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 desert."
The king then asked, "Where is your master's grandson?"
Ziba said to him, "He is staying in Jerusalem, because he thinks, 'Today the house of Israel will give me back my grandfather's kingdom.' "
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." (NIV)
Once again, David was on the run. He probably thought that his running days were over after his great victory of uniting Israel as one nation. But then Absalom rebelled, turning the people against him. It didn't take much to turn them, either. Absalom gave a few speeches, kissed a few babies, shook a few hundred hands - and suddenly, David was the bad guy in everyone's minds. The "tabloid mentality" of the masses was no different then than it is today. The people were more ready to believe Absalom's lies than they were to remember all the good that David had done for them. So David left ten concubines to mind the palace, then took his household and his circle of loyal friends and high-tailed it out of Jerusalem. He had no idea where he was going. He was just getting out of the city - possibly because he wanted to protect the city from the destruction a fight would bring, possibly because he was just tired of fighting, but also possibly because he didn't know if he could fight any more.
From what happened with Ziba, it's just possible that David's mental state had become one of paranoia. Because when Ziba showed up with all those donkeys and provisions, David was suddenly just like the rest of Israel. He thought the whole world was against him already, so why not Mephibosheth, too? Everyone else was against him, so why wouldn't the son of Jonathan also be a turncoat? David didn't even check into the situation. Without hesitation, he instantly believed that Mephibosheth was plotting against him, too.
How many of us do the same thing, every day? How many innocent situations are turned to scandal because we're ready to believe a lie? How many reputations have been ruined because of our tabloid mentality? How many relationships have been destroyed because of paranoia? It's so much easier to believe a lie about someone than to check into the truth. And it's a lot more fun, isn't it? Especially if that lie concerns someone you don't particularly like. But instead of instantly believing something that would damage another person, it would be a better course of action to consider the source. What kind of person is telling the tale? Is that person going to benefit if you believe what he's saying? Ziba certainly benefited. David gave Ziba everything that belonged to Mephibosheth. Is the person who is speaking to you going to gain something - a promotion at work, a step up on the social ladder, an ego boost, revenge?
The next time you hear something damaging about another person - friend, co-worker, fellow church member, prominent figure - stop being paranoid. Throw off your tabloid mentality. Check into the situation to see what is really going on. Wouldn't you want that person to do the same for you?
Used with Permission
|
