And there was a servant of the house of Saul named Ziba. They summoned him to David, and the king inquired, “Are you Ziba?” “I am your servant,” he replied.
David had let Jonathan's memory slip from his mind for years, but now he stirs himself to make good his promise. Good men do not wait to be asked; they hunt out occasions to do good, especially to those in want who will not cry for help. He sought not merely to answer a petition, but to seek them out first.
AI summary
Commenting on 2 Samuel 9:1-8
Ziba was a servant of Saul's house, the Jews say a Canaanite slave who did not gain freedom at his master's death, but passed to Saul's heirs as their possession. David summoned him because a former servant of Saul's family could best report whether any of that house remained alive, and Ziba answered with prompt submission to his new master.
AI summary
Here David proves his gratitude even at the height of his power. Long after his coronation, when Mephibosheth had a grown son, David remembers the covenant he swore before the Lord to Jonathan and seeks out the last remnant of Saul's house to show them mercy for his friend's sake.
AI summary
Commenting on 2 Samuel 9:1-4