Hearing Both Sides

Hearing Both Sides
Words of Faith 3-7-25
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2025
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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2 Samuel 16:1-4
[1] 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. [2] 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." [3] 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.'" [4] 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."

David was now on the run... again. He had spent several years running from Saul; now he was running again. Absalom's rebellion was not just a threat to his leadership; the situation had destabilized the country and opened the door for contention between the dynasties of Saul and David. The United Kingdom was teetering on the brink of disaster.
Absalom was close to seizing power in Jerusalem, but this by no means implied that he could also gain control over the northern tribes that had once been ruled by Saul. In fact, the shakeup in David's own family began to revive hope among the old followers of Saul that they might be able to recover the northern kingdom for themselves.
As David was heading out of town, he ran into a fellow named Ziba. He was the servant of Mephibosheth, the disabled grandson of Saul, and the son of Jonathan. One of the first things David had done as king was to seek out Mephibosheth in order to set up care for him and restore his family lands.
Ziba honored David by bringing him donkeys and provisions for the journey ahead. This was an expression of gratitude for David's restoration of Mephibosheth. But Ziba also shared some bad news. He reported to David that Mephibosheth had allied himself with Absalom. As a result, David retracted the commitment of a pension for Mephibosheth and committed the lands that had belonged to him over to Ziba.
We might say good riddance to Mephibosheth. Some gratitude he showed. Except for one thing... We will later learn in chapter 19:24-29 that Mephibosheth had an entirely different version of the situation to convey. We will learn that David judged too quickly, without hearing both sides.
There is a powerful lesson here. Just because someone makes an accusation does not mean that it is true. There is a reason why we often speak of a crime as "alleged" until it can be proven. We should always realize that we are hearing only half of the story, at best. Perhaps most importantly, we should be reluctant to hear accusations against a person who is not present to defend themselves.
Centuries later, Jesus shared an answer for this. Jesus said that when we feel that someone has sinned against us, we should not talk about it to others. We are to go directly to that person and clear it up. David would have benefited greatly from his descendant's advice. Go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector (Matthew 18:15-17).
Do you feel that someone has wronged you? Have you "heard" that someone sinned against you? Have you gone to that person? Have you asked to speak with them so that you might understand their perspective better? Have you confessed your own fault in the matter?
We are blessed to have the mind of Christ on this as well. Jesus said: "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye (Matthew 7:1-5).

Father God, help me listen to both sides. Keep me free from the temptation to make judgments about disputable matters. Close my ears and my heart to rumors and slander. Show me how I can be a peacemaker rather than a peacebreaker. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2025
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2025 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.