Ziba
Theme:
Entitlement
Business Application:
Watch out for people who hold you in contempt and believe they are more deserving of what you have. And watch out for this attitude in yourself.
Who he was:
Ziba managed King Saul’s land, which was later inherited by Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth. Ziba had a large family, while Mephibosheth was lame in both feet and only had one(?) child. King David brought Mephibosheth to his palace, as a gesture of appreciation for his father, who had been his best friend.
When David arrived, he found Ziba running the property as if it were his own. David orders him to care for the land on behalf of Mephibosheth and send a large portion of the food to the palace. Years later, as David fled Absalom’s uprising in Jerusalem, Ziba approached David to tell him Mephibosheth had betrayed the king to get the land for himself. Upon David’s return, he found Mephibosheth distraught and telling a very different story. David ended up splitting the land between the two men.
Why his story matters:
David assumed that clearly communicating a decision would make it stick. But he failed to consider the impact it would have on Ziba and didn’t foresee how he would attempt to reclaim what he deserved more. The text implies that as the one physically capable of working the land, with a larger family, he was entitled to it. It only took a moment of weakness to claim what he believed he was entitled to.
What we can learn from him:
Ziba’s deception shows what’s possible when people have a sense of entitlement. They are capable of manipulating circumstances and crushing rivals to get what they believe is rightly theirs. Leaders need to anticipate this, promote a sense of fairness (without entitlement), and question claims by would-be rivals that would undermine the person we promote.
Where we see his archetype today:
When we introduce changes, especially promotions, they change the balance of power and stir up rivalries we may not be aware of.
How we can learn more about him:
Ziba appears in the story of Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel 9, and again in 2 Samuel 16 and 19 when King David departs and returns to Jerusalem