Awkward

Today's passage:  II Samuel 19:9-43
   It is that awkward time of year again.  How is it awkward?  Inevitably, I receive an unexpected present.  A present I had not anticipated and from someone for whom I did not buy a present.  For me, that is always awkward.  I always appreciate the sentiment, but tinged with guilt.  Why did I not think to get that person a present?  It is humbling, because I have received gifts from people that would have not been on my gift list radar.  I have received gifts from people who I deemed mere acquaintances and wonder if I rank significantly higher on their friends list.  I know that in most cases, they are not expecting something in return.  It is really the joy of giving that motivates them.  This is also the time of year that the TV and radio reiterate the "tip" list.  You know, the list of people in service jobs who deserve a bonus this time of year.  Your postal carrier, your dog walker, your hairdresser, your doorman, your handyman, your financial manager, etc., etc., etc.  Has anybody noticed that this list seems to expand every year?  Now, I'm not knocking this.  I have benefited from such kindness.  As a teacher, as a clinic receptionist, as a house cleaner, my employers were more than generous at Christmas time.  But I never felt entitled to those bonuses.  I never expected it.   If I had the money to get every person who has performed a service for me this year a present, I would have nothing left to get the people who are really dear to me anything.  Am I the only one that thinks this list is a little exaggerated?  I mean, should I give every single person who works in a service capacity a gift for doing their job?  Sorry, I don't feel obligated to do that.  In the past several years, our newspaper delivery person and our postman have left Christmas cards with names and addresses in our mailbox.  Hint, hint, so we know where to send a Christmas bonus.  After Christmas had passed, and we did not tip these people, it seemed like a big coincidence that our newspaper, placed neatly on our porch previously, always ended up in a snow pile at the bottom of the steps.  I'm not saying these people don't deserve something extra special at Christmas, but don't expect it.  We are one of those families that simply cannot afford to give a gift to every person we meet.  Maybe there are some that can, and that's fine.  I think its great that service employees receive something extra special from some of their clientele, just don't begrudge those of us that can't.
     So I kind of veered on a rabbit trail there, but the gift giving does tie into this passage today.  King David is returning to Jerusalem, resuming his rightful place on the throne.  As he journeys back, he encounters friends who stuck by him through this horrible mess, and foes who opposed him.  The foes are particularly nervous because they are certain that David will execute judgement.  But he doesn't.  What?  He is merciful.  He ignores his advisers counsel to make examples of these traitors.  However, he does not forget his friends.  He is prepared to handsomely reward them.  So nothing happens to the enemies, but great things happen to the loyalists.  I'm wondering if David thought the best punishment for these folks, was to see the blessings they would miss for not serving him.

Shimei Throws Stones at David--Taken from Treasures of the Bible (United Kingdom)
By Henry Davenport Northrop D.D.
International Publishing Company, 1894

     That makes me think of our King's return.  He is coming back someday.  Many apologies will be made to Him then.  Not just by people who rejected Him, but by people who claim to know Him but never lived for Him.  They will have all kinds of excuses as to why they didn't serve Him.  Some of those apologies will be genuine, but some of them will be out of fear of the judgement to come.  I believe God chastens us for wrongdoing if we are His children.  But what if He comes today?  Some of those people who have not been living for Him, who have accepted Him as Savior, but have never bothered to give back a little part of their lives to Him, may still be involved in living in sin.  If Christ came back today, where is the chastening, where is the punishment?  They will get to go to Heaven.  Ah, but here is where the chastening comes in.  When those of us who have lived for Him stand before Him in Heaven, we will have crowns to throw at His feet.  Those who wasted their lives serving the god of this world will stand empty-handed, shame-faced before the King of kings.  Where is the chastisement?  When they have no gift to give the One who died for them.  When the One that should have been at the top of their gift list does not receive a present, when He gave the greatest gift of all--our salvation.  I so do not want to be one of those people.  I really want to live in a way that is pleasing to my God, so that I can give it all back to Him.  He has given me so much.  His mercy may be to spare judgement, but it can not spare us any shame we feel for not living our whole lives for Him.  I pray I will not be embarrassed to always give back to Him.  I pray I do not forget to give Him something at Christmas time and every day of the year.  Because that would be really awkward.

Grief Postponed

Today's passage:  II Samuel 19:1-8
     "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:...A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;"  Ecclesiastes 3:1,4
     It has been seven years since my father's passing.  At the time, I had to put my grief on hold temporarily because there were things to be done.  As the oldest of my mother and father's children (I have an older half-sister from my father's first marriage) my brothers and sisters looked to me to handle the details of arrangements.  I had to write my father's obituary.  Can I tell you how wrenching that is? ( My mother is going to read this today and I have no doubt that she is going to cry.  I'm sorry, Mom, but it perfectly illustrates today's passage.  And I think it is probably a little therapeutic for me. ) Writing about my father's life, not so hard, writing about his death, significantly harder.  Adjusting and editing so the word length fit the required space, frustrating.  How can you encapsulate a person's life in a paragraph?  Especially a parent who deserves an entire book?  We were giving my father a military burial which meant coordinating the pastor's schedule, the funeral home's schedule, the veteran's cemetery schedule.  There were people to call, some I had not talked to for years, to notify of Dad's death.  (By the way, I would not have you to believe that my siblings did nothing--  I took the lead for the major details  They especially helped with notifications.  My sister-in-law specifically aided me in this part of the process. ) For a while there, I'm not sure I had cried one tear.  I didn't really have time.  I shed ample tears at the actual service.
     The week following, I was able to stay with my Mom and go through paperwork.  Oh my goodness, what an amount of paperwork there was to sort!  It was surprising since my father's job involved office managerial tasks almost his entire working life.  But it was evidence of his failing health in the prior few years.  I threw myself into setting up a filing system my mother could manage.  I called credit card companies, tax people, insurance groups.   And I was glad to do it.  In a funny way, it was a sort of tribute to my Dad.  He had taught me these very skills that I was using to be able to help Mom.  This little piece of himself he had left behind in me, almost as if he knew I would need to do this someday.  I had never thought about that before today, and I'm not saying my brothers or sisters do not possess some of those same skills, but at that time, I was the one who was able to do it.
     The passage today takes me back there.  Why? Because there were moments (and really only moments, because I am the type of person who wants a short grief and then back to action) when I would have loved to put the obituary writing to the side and just reminisce.  Visitors came in and out of the house all day long for that week, for which I am extremely grateful, because it was a needful thing for all of our family.  Friends would pop into the office and say hi, and as much as I wanted to sit and visit, I really couldn't.  I had only a limited time to get these tasks completed.  I had to make sure Mom had her financial house in order.  It is kind of like that for David, here.  I mean, Absalom's death has just happened.  David has barely had time to mourn this son.  The people see his grief, and begin to wonder if they made the wrong choice to fight for him.    They come back from battle rejoicing that the enemy has been defeated, but then they hear the wailing of the king and begin to think maybe they had made some kind of mistake.  Weren't they supposed to quell this rebellion?  Wasn't it a good thing the usurper was not able to wreak any more havoc?  Joab arrives from battle, quickly assesses the situation, and in true Joab style, gives King David his presentation of the cold hard facts.  And here they are.  Yes, King, your son is dead, but you better gather yourself and let these people know you appreciate how hard they fought for you, or you will not have a kingdom left, because they will go fight for someone else to replace you.

David Mourning the Death of Absalom
By Gustav Dore
Courtesy of www.creationism.org

     There is never enough time to mourn the passing of someone we love.  There is never a timetable for grief.  Life does not stand still while we are anguished.  I can't say that I don't think Joab was a little heartless here.  His mission mentality sometimes disregarded people and only saw tasks.  It is often the case in leaders.  I'm sure if Joab could have allowed David to grieve, he would have, but the country needed a leader at this moment, and David had to be that man.  Oddly, it reminds me of our country shortly after September 11, 2001.  When our country was in crisis, we looked to our leaders to console us, to tell us what to do next.  Joab knew his uncle well enough to know that David might have grieved for weeks before uttering a word to his countrymen.  They did not have that kind of time.  The throne was still at stake.  David followed Joab's advice.  But I'm sure he did not want to.  I'm certain he would have wept on the roof of that house for much longer, and it would have been understandable.  Joab may have seemed unusually cruel here, but he was also unusually perceptive.  He doesn't seem to be a man of great feeling, and I'm guessing he would prefer to confront an enemy than confront his own emotions, or the emotions of the king.  He is a let's-keep-moving sort of guy.  So we have this bump in the road, let's figure out how to get past it and onto the next thing.  David needed that kind of man as his trusted adviser, because David felt everything, and he felt it intensely.  He relished relationships.  He saw people, not just production.  Now his vision blurred with a relationship lost, he needed his task-oriented general to jolt him into the day's realities.  Moving forward would be arduous, it would be demanding, it would be taxing.  There would be another time to wallow in his sorrow, but for this moment, his grief would need to be delayed.
     I would not change anything about how things happened after Dad's death.  I would not have asked for a reprieve from the tasks before me that week.  To be honest, I have a little of Joab in me.  Give me a problem to solve, I would rather deal with that, than my own emotions.  I felt useful, and I was glad to be of use.  Mom, I would not have wanted it any other way, I do not write any of this out of regret, only reflection.  Knowing you, you will want to make things up to me somehow around the Christmas table, invite our friends and give me a chance to really reminisce about Dad.  I've done plenty of that in the passing years.  I don't feel gypped.  I don't feel cheated.  I feel like Dad instilled a little something in all of us, and I was doing what Dad would have done, had it been you going before us.  I feel like it was my gift to you, to be able to be your sounding board, your manager.  I pray that you won't see any complaint in this post, only contemplation.

At A Loss

Today's passage:  II Samuel 18: 18-33
     "And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept:  and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom!  would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!"  I am moved to tears reading this verse.  The angst and anguish in David's voice reaches me even now.  I have three sons, and I would die for any one of them, even if the consequences of sin had justified their passing.

David weeping over the death of Absalom--Taken from Standard Bible Story Readers, Book Six
By Lillie A. Faris, Illustrated by O.A. Stemler and Bess Bruce Cleaveland
The Standard Publishing Company, 1929

     That's when I think that God knew exactly how David felt.  I know He had to send his son Jesus Christ, to reconcile my sin. His death had to happen because of me.  My failings brought Him to that Golgotha hill over two thousand years ago.  When Christ was on the cross, how badly God the Father would have rather taken God the Son's place. Was God in Heaven uttering those same words about His Son that day?  "O my son Jesus, my son, my son Jesus!  would I had died for thee, O Jesus, my son, my son!"  How can we ever think God doesn't understand?  He understands all too well.  He understands again and again when the people He created live a whole life never acknowledging Him and what He sent His Son to do for them.  How would any one of us feel if our children claimed we didn't exist, if they lived their whole lives pretending we weren't there, if they spent years running away from us and denying us?  Everyday God deals with that.  And not by just one or two of his children, by thousands, by millions.  Up to this point, David has lost at least three children.  His grown sons Amnon and Absalom, and the first child (which David refers to as "he" and "him") with Bathsheba.  To lose one child is heartbreaking.  To lose more than one, devastation.  And to lose them all at once, as Job did, seemingly unbearable.  Yet God loses His children every day.  Millions never recognize Him.  Millions never look up or reach up.  God's heart breaks every day.  He is anguished by this.  One of my favorite hymns is "Does Jesus Care?" by Joseph Lincoln Hall and Frank E. Graeff.  Whenever I think that possibly God can't understand anything I am going through, I sing or hum this song to myself.  Maybe someone today could benefit from reading the lyrics.  I've included verses one and four here.

Does Jesus care?  When my heart is pained
Too deeply for mirth or song,
As the burdens press,
And the cares distress,
And the way grows weary and long?

O yes, He cares, I know He cares,
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary,
The long night dreary,
I know my Savior cares. 

Does Jesus care when I've said "goodbye"
To the dearest on earth to me,
And my sad heart aches,
Till it nearly breaks,
Is it aught to Him?  Does He see?
O yes, He cares, I know He cares,
His heart is touched with my grief,
When the days are weary,
The long night dreary,
I know my Savior cares.

And He does.

Generally Speaking

Today's passage:  II Samuel 18: 1-17
     There is no easy explanation for Joab.  He is a warrior with a military mindset.  Often he goes into a situation with a "kill or be killed" attitude.  And why shouldn't he since he has practically led every battle since David has been king? He is King David's nephew and has been his trusted friend and go-to guy.  He doesn't always carry out David's orders as precisely as he should.  Since he was family, he sometimes disregarded David's commands if he thought the ends would justify the means.  Since David was his uncle, he sometimes disobeyed David's orders because it was bad strategy.  As the general, he was in the midst of the conflict and he could see what would be best for the kingdom.  And being related to the king, meant that the king would more than likely show leniency with him as long as the battle turned out in their favor.  Joab hasn't always gone along with the program, but I have no doubts that his motives were pure, that his intentions were sincere.  His ambition was to serve his king, and if that meant defying him sometimes to keep him protected, than he had no qualms about doing that.  He respects David, but he doesn't fear him.  He knows that David values loyalty.  And like his methods or not, Joab is loyal.
     Absalom has decided to take Hushai's advice and go after his father himself.  This leaves David with no other option than to have his men try to subdue him.  This breaks David's heart.  We can see how anguished he is when in verse 5 he says, "Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom."  Doesn't sound like a lot of wiggle room in that statement.  It is not a wanted-dead-or-alive command by any means.  So I know Joab does not misinterpret this, he just chooses to forget he heard it.  From Joab's perspective, his cousin Absalom has caused nothing but grief for David for a few years now.  Joab may feel partially responsible for this, since it was at his own bidding that Absalom was invited back to the palace.  Joab thought David and Absalom could mend their relationship, but instead it had become more strained.  And then Absalom decides to rebel against his father in the most despicable way.  I'm sure Joab was not only infuriated by Absalom's actions, but humiliated.  Joab was probably muttering to himself, if he had just stayed out of this family affair, if he had only kept his thoughts to himself, if he had never encouraged David to reach out to Absalom then they would not be in this mess.  Had his heart not been touched by his cousin's despair at being isolated from his father, he might not have to contend with this family war.

Absalom is caught in a tree--Taken from The Boys of the Bible
By Hartwell James
Henry Altemus Company, 1905, 1916

     There is no disputing what David said as Joab departs to fight this battle.  Every one of the soldiers understood this clear order to spare Absalom if it could at all be helped.  When Absalom's abundance of hair (maybe he should have had it cut before riding into the woods) gets caught in some tree branches, donkey surging on ahead without him, he is a pitiful sight.  He must have been really stuck, because I'm sure he must have been flailing about trying to free himself to no avail.  He can not harm any one in this vulnerable position.  Even if he had bow and arrow on him, he is not likely to get off a good shot.  One of David's soldiers reports this situation to Joab.  Joab rebukes the soldier for sparing him.  The soldier is not apologetic for following the king's orders.  He even argues that had he decided upon this action, Joab would have not backed him, but would have left him out to dry.  This soldier does not have the advantage of a familial relationship with the king.  He reminds Joab clearly of David's plea to not kill Absalom.  Joab really has no excuse here, and feels he doesn't need one.  This cousin of his, had more than aggravated his father, he had aggravated him.  This was an embarrassing situation-- to be fighting in the woods trying to regain the throne from the one he had tried to help.  Joab felt that if they were to spare Absalom, this would be a sign of weakness to any other usurper.  If, however, the king's own son were duly punished for his treasonous act, wouldn't it cause future rebels to tread more cautiously?  Joab does not spare Absalom.  And it is not pretty.  He shoots three arrows directly into him, and has ten armorbearers finish him off.  Then they dig a hole and bury the body in the woods, covering it with stones.
     I'm not sure how Joab is going to explain this disobedience because I chose not to finish reading the chapter at this point, but I know there are enough witnesses to make Joab look really bad.  Joab doesn't seem too concerned.  He did what he felt needed to be done.  He knows what the king said, but just as he has done in the past, he also knows that he is trying to keep his king on the throne as long as possible, and he will take any action necessary to achieve that.  Is Joab happy about this deed?  I doubt it.  He just killed his cousin.  That can't be a euphoric feeling, but Joab keeps his feelings on the sidelines when it comes to battle.  He has an almost robotic response when he has a military decision to make.  Disregard feelings, disregard orders, disregard relationships.  What is going to achieve the objective?  Joab was a man of action.  He was decisive.  This is why David keeps him as one of his generals.
     I'm not saying Joab was right or wrong here.  If he allowed Absalom to live, Joab knew David would have forgiven him and he knew Absalom would have probably attempted this same thing again, and possibly succeed the next time.  Do I think Joab should have disregarded David's orders?  Not really.  But I also know, that God was meting out judgement on Absalom and it is unfortunate that this is how it came to pass.  Absalom wasn't exactly merciful towards his brother (not saying he should have been).  And his lack of mercy on Amnon brought about a lack of mercy from Joab.  But I won't be surprised if Joab's lack of mercy is revisited upon himself.

Risk-y

Today's passage:  II Samuel 17
     A great amount of military strategy is trying to get into the enemy's head and predict his next move.  This is probably why I never enjoyed the game Risk.  I have never been a very strategic person.  Most men love that game.  In college, a few people tried to teach me how to play, but gave up after the first five minutes.  I was hopelessly clueless.  My logic and reasoning skills have only kicked in since being an adult--at least I would like to think I have some now.
     This whole passage is Absalom's determining what his father might do next.  Everyone understands that Absalom is staking his claim as king.  He made it quite clear at the end of the last chapter when before all of Israel, he treats King David's concubines as his own.  So what next?  Absalom knows he needs to secure his kingdom.  He knows that there will always be those loyal to his father unless his father is dead.  He needs to know how best to achieve that objective.  The advice from Ahithophel is to take some troops out to pursue David.  He will kill David himself, and all of David's followers will somehow come following him back to the palace, Pied-Piper-of-Hamlin style.  That is not exactly the picture Ahithophel paints, but pretty close.  Of course, the hero in this little narrative would be Ahithophel.  Absalom would have sat around the palace waiting for his return, cheering his general's wise military genius.  This is the cartoon dream bubble I see above Ahithophel's head.
     Surprisingly, although Absalom thinks it is a brilliant plan, he wants to hear another choice.  He summons Hushai, who he doesn't realize is working as a double agent for David.  This is because Hushai understood that the way to Absalom's heart was to appeal to his pride.  He does this at the end of the last chapter, when asked wasn't he one of David's men, by saying, "Nay; but whom the LORD, and this people, and all the men of Israel, choose, his will I be, and with him will I abide."  He uses the same technique in this passage.  When asked how they should go after David, Hushai shoots down Ahithophel's idea.  He reminds Absalom that his father is a valiant warrior, and that his men are too.  Wouldn't it be better if brawny, strapping, mighty Absalom should go after his father himself?  In one respect, Hushai is taunting Absalom by touting his father's military abilities, and in the other respect is suggesting that Absalom is the only one who could defeat him.  Hushai has a real understanding of his enemy, and uses the wisest method to gain the upper hand.  The rest of Absalom's counselors agree, and don't they kind of have to, because otherwise they are telling Absalom that Ahithophel would be far better suited to battle the enemy, that he would be a much better match for David.  These guys are not dummies.  They know that you don't tell your new king he is not strong enough to take down his father.

Young Knight, the Armor of God--Taken from Standard Bible Story Readers, Book Four
By Lillie A. Faris, Illustrated by O.A. Stemler and Bess Bruce Cleaveland
Standard Publishing Company, 1927

Now here is something that I have to wonder about, because the Bible does not use quotations marks the way we do today.  Verse 14 says,

"And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel.  For the LORD had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring evil upon Absalom."  

Is the second sentence something the counselors said?  Or is it what God wrote to explain why Hushai's advice was taken over Ahithophel's?  Was it the counselors saying that they thought God preferred Hushai's advice over Ahithophel's because the latter would bring harm to Absalom?  Or is God telling us He persuaded these counselors so that He could bring evil upon Absalom?  It might seem like a small detail,  but if you read it all together, it just sounds like the counselors are reasoning this together.  When I take a second look, it almost seems this is not a quotation, but God explaining that the reason those counselors took hold of Hushai's plan was His exact design.  If this is the case, and I am persuaded that it is, Absalom is doomed.  No military strategy he develops is going to win him this war.  God is working behind the scenes.  He is giving Hushai the wisdom to sway Absalom, he is putting foolish words into Ahithophel's mouth (which is exactly what David prayed for in Chapter 15).  It really doesn't matter what Absalom decides, because if God is against him, he will not succeed.
     Things do start to fall apart.  Hushai has already sent word to David about Absalom's plans,  the surrounding countries are supplying David and his men with food, and Ahithophel commits suicide after his humiliating rejection.  Absalom can not yet see that his time on the throne will be very short-lived.
     I think that if I ever got to the place in my life where God had to bring evil upon me, I would be devastated.  And it could happen so easily.  If I start by taking little steps away from Him, maybe skipping my Bible reading a day or two, perhaps forgetting to pray here or there, finding excuses to not be in His House (or grabbing hold of excuses the devil hands me) I can drift farther and farther away from God.  If I were to let down my guard with things I watch, what I listen to, places I go, I could slip out of His service and onto His watchlist.  I don't ever want to be aiding the Enemy.  I don't ever want to cultivate negative things in my life that might cause Him to eliminate me.  Oh, I'm not worried about my Home in Heaven.  That was secured long ago, and had nothing to do with me, but my fellowship with God could be easily compromised if I slowly start to aid the other side. This is why I need to be a strategist, myself.  I always need to anticipate Satan's next move to bring me down.  He is always trying.  He would like nothing better than to recruit someone to work for his team.  And as tempting as he tries to make his recruitment package sound, that is a move that is way too risky.

Look at the Bright Side

Today's passage:  II Samuel 16
     Children have to be taught gratitude.  It doesn't come naturally.  I've met some children who seem to have been born gracious.  But I have been around children for a long time, and I know better. It is a trait that has been carefully instilled by parents, or learned individually through unfortunate experience.  As adults, gratitude either thrives or shrivels, depending on how much we use it.  If we become negative, bitter, critical people, we neglect to see the blessings.  When we praise God for every breath we take, every morsel of food we lift to our lips, every dry, warm night we spend out of the elements, thankfulness grows and envelops us.  Which brings me to today's passage about Ziba.  Do you remember Ziba?  I gave him high praise several posts ago (A Servant's Choice).  Tsk, tsk, tsk.  Alas, Ziba has somehow allowed ingratitude to creep into his heart.

Rainbow on a Cloudy Day--Taken from Standard Bible Story Readers, Book One
By Lillie A. Faris,  Illustrated by O.A. Stemler and Bess Bruce Cleaveland
The Standard Publishing Company, 1925

     David has resumed to living in the hills, now that Absalom is acting king.  Every person who approaches David is either friend or foe, and I'm sure that he can't tell who is who anymore.  Ziba arrives over the hill bearing nourishment for the deposed king.  Naturally, David wants to know where Mephibosheth stands in all of this rebellion.  Ziba tells him that Mephibosheth is looking forward to recapturing the glory days of his father, Saul.  In other words, he is aiding Absalom in this thing.  As we will see a few chapters later, Ziba is lying.  Now why would this man, who had been living in poor conditions before David found them, who had probably been Mephibosheth's feet, who had been rewarded by this king with all of Saul's former lands, make up this story?  It has to start with ingratitude.  Some people can not handle good things.  The more good they have, the more they want.  I have to think this is what happened in Ziba's life.  When he was living among the ruins, he forgot what it was like to serve in Saul's palace.  He got used to the gruel and broth for meals, he became accustomed to unmended clothes, leaky roofs, chopping his own wood for the fire.  When he was far from the high life, he forgot how low he had been plunged.  Now that he was a little closer, now that he could see the fanfare at the castle while working the field, he began to savor the taste of ambition.  The lands and home he tended in service to Mephibosheth became menial.  He was the man, after all, who had reunited Jonathan's son and King David.  Why should he be planting vineyards and plowing fields?  Why should he be figuring expenses and directing servants when he could be using his skills to advise a king?  I imagine that when Mephibosheth becomes a resident of the palace, he would need servants to attend to his needs. As Ziba saw some of his former household drafted into these positions, I wonder if Ziba was offended that none of those positions went to him.  Perhaps Ziba viewed his groundskeeper/lands manager position as a curse instead of a blessing.  Ziba needed a good dose of gratitude.  He needed to remember where he had been living prior to David's calling for them.  He needed to remember that any other king would have had the household of the previous king killed, with no mercy spared.  He needed to remember that living in the palace at the beck and call of someone else was tiring.
     Our former pastor often used the illustration of the older lady who always saw the positive side of everything.  It drove people crazy, because no matter what subject was brought up, she could always see the bright side. Determined to get her to say something negative, one man asked her if she could find anything good to say about Satan.  She just gave a little chuckle, shook her head and said, "Well, that devil, he never gives up!"  What a spectacular way to look at things!  I'm not saying we should smile when we are facing sorrow.  I'm not suggesting that we plaster a smile on our face everywhere we go.  But some people never smile or never look happy.  It makes me think they have forgotten their blessings.  It makes me think they didn't know they had any to begin with.
     When we are tempted to be somewhere other than where we are, when we yearn for things we don't have, we are preparing our hearts to go the way of Ziba.  We are acting out of ingratitude.  God has a way of dealing with that.  He is expert in stripping away all we held as dear, and showing us what is really important.  It is not always easy to magnify the good, when the bad seems so much greater.  I know that.  But shouldn't we try?  When my humdrum life seems too hum or drum, I need to look to God for giving me simple things to enjoy.  When life seems hard and steep, I need to thank God He sustains me, pushes me, keeps me going.  Ziba forgot what a blessing it was to be the loyal friend of Mephibosheth.  He failed to see that not just anyone would have been given such a position of trust.  Instead of wishing for more, he should have seen that not just anyone could do his job.  When we do what God calls us to do with gratitude, it may be that He will give us more.  Then we have to choose to be thankful for the more.