Mephibosheth and Ziba:Dividing the Land

"And when David was a little past the top of the hill, behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth
met him, with a couple of asses saddled, and upon them two hundred loaves of bread, and an
hundred bunches of raisins, and an hundred of summer fruits, and a bottle of wine. And the king
said unto Ziba, What meanest thou by these? And Ziba said, The asses be for the king’s household
to ride on; and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat; and the wine, that such as
be faint in the wilderness may drink. And the king said, And where is thy master’s son? And Ziba
said unto the king, Behold, he abideth at Jerusalem:for he said, Today shall the house of Israel
restore me the kingdom of my father. Then said the king to Ziba, Behold, thine are all that
pertained unto Mephibosheth. And Ziba said, I humbly beseech thee that I may find grace in thy
sight, my lord, O king" (2 Samuel 16:1-4).

"And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king, and had neither dressed his feet,
nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he
came again in peace. And it came to pass, when he was come to Jerusalem to meet the king, that
the king said unto him, Wherefore wentest not thou with me, Mephibosheth? And he answered,
My lord, O long, my servant deceived me, . . . and he hath slandered thy servant unto my lord
the king; but my lord the king is as an angel of God:do therefore what is good in thine eyes. For
all of my father’s house were but dead men before my lord the king:yet didst thou set thy servant
among them that did eat at thine own table. What right therefore have I yet to cry any more unto
the king? And the king said unto him, Why speakest thou any more of thy matters? I have said,
Thou and Ziba divide the land. And Mephibosheth said unto the king, Yea, let him take all,
forasmuch as my lord the king is come again in peace unto his own house" (2 Samuel 19:24-30).

Was there ever so beautiful a picture of a heart true to an absent, rejected Lord, as that of
Mephibosheth in the 19th chapter of 2 Samuel! We have all enjoyed the story of the finding of this
poor remnant of the house of Saul and the kindness and favor conferred upon Mephibosheth by
King David. But it is not of this that I would now write, but of that other scene where David the
King is returning after the defeat of Absalom, and all are hastening to do him honor. Among the
multitude who flock to the Jordan, is he who with undressed feet, untrimmed beard, and unwashed
raiment shows where his affections have been during those weary days of his lord’s absence and
rejection.

Now I want to draw attention to one point that has appeared to me a strange blemish to the beauty
of the narrative. How is it that after Mephibosheth’s explanation of his absence from David’s side
in the days of his sorrow and shame, that the king should reply, "Why speakest thou any more of
thy matters? I have said, Thou and Ziba divide the land." Does not that look as if the king were
taking very low and unkingly ground with poor Mephibosheth? In Ziba we recognize the religious
man of the earth, with his pretended fidelity, his voluntary humility, his lying accusations against
the true saint, his quick grasp on the estate of his master, his voluntary association with Shimei,
the curser.

But this Ziba is now put on a level and equal footing with Mephibosheth, the loyal, true
Mephibosheth, the object of David’s pure grace and favor. Is that just? Is that right? For one or
the other of these two men is a liar to the heart’s core. If Ziba be true, then surely Mephibosheth
deserves rather to be slain for his base ingratitude in forsaking his benefactor, for his efforts to
have the kingdom restored to himself, for his present shameful duplicity in appearing to have
mourned during his absence. Death, or banishment at least, would be nearer justice than to "divide
the land" with the true and loyal Ziba. If, on the other hand, Mephibosheth be true, then surely
half his master’s land is a great premium on the wicked falsehood and cruel deceit of the servant
Ziba. Does it not look like a blemish in the narrative?

But let us carefully consider the scene. All Judah had come in a crowd to welcome back the king.
Who could tell the true attitude of heart of each individual that comprised this vast multitude. It
seems to have been typical of that coming scene of the triumphant return of our rejected Lord
when all shall yield Him obedience; but that obedience will in many cases be feigned, as Psalm
18 leads us to expect. Do we not see how naturally King David might doubt as to Mephibosheth?
He had heard, and evidently believed up to this time, Ziba’s story accounting for his master’s
absence in the day of trial, so now he asks Mephibosheth to give his explanation. "Wherefore
wentest thou not with me, Mephibosheth?" The answer is not only a straight denial of all that Ziba
had said, but a direct charge of slander against the servant. Who can possibly decide between the
two? It is simply a question of veracity. Who can detect the false and justify the true before all?
Both men lie under the suspicion of the gravest charges. Who shall clear the innocent that his
righteousness may shine as the light?

God’s wisdom is surely needful here. The matter is quite similar to that later scene before King
Solomon_David’s son _when each woman claimed the living child as hers, and there appeared
no way of discovering the true from the false. Yes, it is a similar difficulty, and a similar test shall
solve it. The affections must be touched and allowed to speak out; the true state of heart must be
revealed. "Divide the child," says Solomon. "Divide the land," says David. It does its work. It
has its effect in both cases. If Mephibosheth were false and disloyal, what an escape for him! He
must, in that case, have come trembling down to Jordan; his conscience thundering its accusations
of his ingratitude and disloyalty, and his heart cold with apprehension for his life, and lo! he hears
that he is to have half the land instead of death. "Yes, yes, it is a wise and just settlement," a false
Mephibosheth surely would have cried, seeking to confirm David’s mind before it changed. In just
such a way did the false mother answer Solomon, "Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it."
But listen to the true heart in both cases. Out it comes, with its simple natural cry of inherent
affection. "O my Lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it." "Yea, let him take all;
forasmuch as my lord the king is come again in peace into his own house." How beautiful! What
need of another word of comment! The Spirit of God leaves it there in its beauty for you and me
to look at, admire, and worship. The scene is perfect. Mephibosheth is fully justified, and by
consequence Ziba is condemned. But the King has just said that no man must "be put to death this
day in Israel." Then no more need be said, or can be said, of Ziba, for that is his desert; so there
is silence, a silence as beautiful as all else:it is perfect.

But now is there in this merely a beauty that we may admire? Is there no practical searching word
for our consciences in this testing of Mephibosheth, to which he answered so happily? There

seems to be here what in the divine wisdom tests every heart. Do we not see in it one of God’s
own ways of trying and bringing out just where the affections of our hearts really are? I believe
that this is a day in which we need to apply very faithfully to ourselves just such touchstones as
these that God’s Word gives us. You and I would not, of course, look upon this world as all our
own; not at all. We would not forfeit the approval of our Lord Jesus by having our portion
altogether here and now. But are we equally careful that our affections are not somewhat divided?
Do we feel content to "divide the land" with Ziba? Ah, that, if I understand the epistles to the
seven churches at all, is exactly the characteristic of the present times. Laodicea is not cold; she
lays claim to the precious things of Christ; she is not utterly indifferent to divine things, not at all.
But neither is she hot. What an immensely solemn word is spoken to Laodicea:"I would thou wert
cold or hot." She will not sacrifice all for Him; Christ Jesus is not all to her. She approves the
sentence, "Thou and Ziba divide the land."

Let us search our hearts, my brethren; let us raise the cry of Psalm 139:23,24. No bird needs all
the forest for its nest_one twig suffices; and our hearts can find nesting place, often
unconsciously, on a very small portion of the world..

Do you want to see a true Mephibosheth of this day of Christ’s rejection? Then look at that man
running his race with these words on his lips, "One thing I do" (Phil. 3:13). Hearken to the voice
of his affections, listen to his heart speaking out, "What things were gain to me, those I counted
loss for Christ. Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things." All things loss! Dear
reader, is this your case? Is this thy case, O my soul? Do we admit any thing in this death-doomed
scene to share, in however small a degree, our affections with Him who has shown us poor, vile,
impure guilty sinners the grace and kindness of God? Let our hearts answer. Let our affections
speak.

F. C. J.

FRAGMENT.
Is there a thing beneath the sun
That strives with Thee my heart to share?
O tear it thence, and reign alone,
The Spring of every motion there!