Now there was a servant of Saul's household named Ziba. They summoned him to appear before David, and the king said to him, "Are you Ziba?" "At your service," he replied. – 2 Samuel 9:2

Today's Scripture Reading (July 20, 2025): 2 Samuel 9

Are you a narcissist? It is a question someone asked me recently. The question startled me. I had never considered myself to be a narcissist, although there are probably narcissistic tendencies in all of us. The question, which was asked in a personal message on a social media site, came with a test. I don't often have the patience, time, or interest to take online tests, but I decided to take this one. I arrived at the end of the test when a message appeared on my screen demanding a couple of dollars to access my results. I had already wasted some time taking the test and decided that I didn't want to waste some money as well, so I closed the window without getting my results. Not sure if that means that I am a narcissist or just cheap.

In a Psychology Today article, Dr. Suzanne Degges-White lists nine traits of a narcissistic personality. Her nine traits were;

1)     A grandiose sense of self-importance.

2)     Preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love.

3)     Belief that they are special and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people or institutions.

4)     Need for excessive admiration.

5)     Sense of entitlement.

6)      Interpersonally exploitive behavior.

7)     Lack of empathy

8)     Envy of others or belief that others are envious of him and her.

9)     Demolition of arrogant and haughty behaviors or attitudes. Arrogance and conceit are traits that are often noticed first among narcissists (Suzanne Degges-White, Phd).

(I think I might know a couple of narcissists, including the one who sent me the test.)

Narcissists have been found in every culture and throughout history. One list of the top narcissists that ever lived declared the number one narcissist to be Alexander the Great. Napoleon Bonaparte, Henry VIII, Adolph Hitler, and Donald Trump rounded out the top five. The list also included cult leader Jim Jones at number 10, North Korean leader Kim Jung Un was listed at number 11, and serial killer Ted Bundy came in at number 13.

Ziba could probably also make our list of historical narcissists. We know very little about him, but what we do know doesn't show this former servant of Saul in a positive light. Ziba is called into the presence of David. David is seeking a descendant of the House of Saul. Ziba has no idea why, but the usual reason why a King was looking for a descendant of the previous ruler was so they could kill them, removing any competition. However, that doesn't seem to matter to Ziba. Instead, Ziba appears to be consumed by figuring out how to turn this situation to his advantage. It seems evident that Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, is in hiding, trying to live out his life quietly without attracting attention. But Ziba doesn't hesitate to sell him out. This situation wouldn't be the last time this servant would sell out Mephibosheth. Years later, when David would be driven out of Jerusalem, he would bring an accusation to the King that Mephibosheth had taken the side of David's enemy. All that seems to matter to Ziba is how he can turn any situation to his advantage. He seems to live with a sense of entitlement, a lack of empathy, and a grandiose sense of self-importance. All three of these traits suggest that Ziba might have been just another run-of-the-mill ancient narcissist.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 10