Cost of Fame

 

    So many people want to be famous, popular, and rich.  I wonder if they consider the cost of all of that.  These people sometimes struggle with having real friends that will be there for them when things get hard.  They live in fear of losing what they have.  There is also a barrier of reality of what life is really like for the average to underprivileged person.  Very few ever seek to close that gap.

    David had not been one of the people for a long time because he was leading them.  It is good that he found his real friends while he was still like everyone else or during the hard times.  His fame gave him a lot, but it took a lot away from him too.  He still had that pure heart of when he was one of the people, but now people only wanted things from him or hated him.  A politician can never please everyone.

    He had to rely on his real friends for everything including food.  Ziba, the servant he had assigned to help Mephibosheth, waited on David and provided him with food.  However, he was playing both sides.  He told David that Mephibosheth stayed in Jerusalem in hopes of having the kingdom returned to him, since he was Saul's grandson.  David gave Ziba all he had previously given Mephibosheth.

    Shimei on the other hand was happy to see David's fall from grace since he too belonged to Saul's family.  He threw stones and cursed at David and his companions.  He blamed them for the downfall of Saul's family.  This justly offended Abishai, not only for the insult against himself, but the rightful king.  He was ready to retaliate when David stopped him thinking that God allowed it.  David just kept going with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

    Hushai was a friend of David, but switched sides to serve Absalom, since his allegiance laid with the people.  Ahithophel was another friend of David betrayed.  Absalom turned to him for advice.  He advised Absalom to sleep with David's concubines as the ultimate insult.  Absalom took it a step further and did it on the roof of David's house where everyone could see fulfilling part of David's curse.

2 Samuel 16