Scripture Focus (2 Samuel 16: 5-14) – “When King David came to Bahurim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera, and as he came he cursed continually. [6] And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David, and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. [7] And Shimei said as he cursed, “Get out, get out, you man of blood, you worthless man! [8] The LORD has avenged on you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned, and the LORD has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, your evil is on you, for you are a man of blood.” [9] Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and take off his head.” [10] But the king said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the LORD has said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’” [11] And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, my own son seeks my life; how much more now may this Benjaminite! Leave him alone, and let him curse, for the LORD has told him to. [12] It may be that the LORD will look on the wrong done to me, and that the LORD will repay me with good for his cursing today.” [13] So David and his men went on the road, while Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went and threw stones at him and flung dust. [14] And the king, and all the people who were with him, arrived weary at the Jordan. And there he refreshed himself.”
I. David Was Verbally Aiacked by a Shallow Man (5-8)
A. The words were passionate (5) – “When King David came to Bahurim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera, and as he came he cursed continually.”
As David’s own son, Absalom, had rebelled and was attempting to steal the throne from David, there came forth a man who had been waiting to speak his mind against Israel’s king. Shimei was a relative of Saul who was clearly bitter that David was on the throne rather than a member of Saul’s bloodline. As David was fleeing from Absalom’s rebellion, Shimei took the opportunity to add insult to injury, publicly deriding David by curses and insults.
B. The words were public (6) – “And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David, and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his leI.” The throwing of stones by Shimei was not primarily to injure David physically. It was an intentional act of disrespect. In those days, people would throw stones at dogs or other scavengers. It was an expression of disgust and rejection. Shimei intended to humiliate David in front of all the people with David as they were forced to leave the city. Verbal insults and physical displays of disrespect would have been hard to bear for David who was the appointed king of the land.
C. The words were provoking (7) – “And Shimei said as he cursed, “Get out, get out, you man of blood, you worthless man!”
Now came the piercing words of clear rejection and accusation. David was already on his way out, but Shimei insured that David felt the sting of rejection by taking on the presumed authority of one who felt he had the right to evict David from the land. Bitter people who find opportunity to give vent to the inward sourness will seek to wound Kingdom Leaders with their words. He called David a man of blood, insinuating here that David’s military conquests and killing of thousands was somehow connected to his present dilemma. There may have also been a suggestion here that David was guilty of the death of Saul and Jonathan.
D. The words were preposterous (8) – “The Lord has avenged on you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned, and the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, your evil is on you, for you are a man of blood.”
Perhaps the harshest thing spoken by Shimei is found here as he sinfully invoked the name of the Lord as the One behind what was happening to David. Shimei was entirely convinced, but completely wrong, as he declared that God was punishing David in this moment. God was NOT punishing David for any wrongdoing to the household of Saul. Shimei, using a form of his shared religion with David as a Hebrew, sought to heap religious guilt upon the fleeing king. He called David “evil”, and he repeated the accusation of David being punished due to his shedding of blood in war. Satan always seeks to use the voice of accusation to defeat leaders in the Kingdom of God.
II. David Employed Restraint and Refused to Retaliate (9-12)
A. He had encouragement to get even (9a) – “Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king?”
When the strategy of Satan is to crush a Kingdom Leader under the weight of accusation and verbal attack, the leader must not respond in the flesh. Making this more difficult is the presence of those loyal to you who will encourage you to retaliate in the flesh against those attacking you. Abishai was offended on David’s behalf, and he began to nudge David toward defending his own honor as king of Israel.
B. He had opportunity to get even (9b) – “Let me go over and take off his head.”
This offer from Abishai was not exactly subtle! David could technically let himself off the hook by allowing his loyal friend to do the dirty work of silencing Shimei. Be skeptical of any influence in your life which motivates you toward vengeance, self-defense against verbal attacks, or using your own position and authority to fight flesh with flesh. What a temptation it would have been for David to authorize Abishai to silence Shimei.
C. He had no desire to get even (10-11) – “But the king said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord has said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’” 11 And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, my own son seeks my life; how much more now may this Benjaminite! Leave him alone, and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to…”
In the midst of humiliating and painful circumstances, David was able to do two important things:
1. He recognized the sovereign activity of God in what was being allowed to take place. He trusted that God was using Shimei’s sinful behavior to humble David.
2. He placed what was happening through Shimei into the bigger context of what was happening with his own son, Absalom. To stay locked-in on the bigger picture is a necessary discipline of Kingdom Leaders. Shimei was insignificant compared to the trouble coming from Absalom. David had greater prioriRes than a shallow person running his mouth about him.
“The lion does not turn around when the little dogs bark.” – African proverb
D. He knew the Lord was his defense (12) – “It may be that the Lord will look on the wrong done to me, and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing today.”
This is spiritual discipline of the mind, the mouth, and the will. David believed that if he kept his honor and humility as priorities, it would be more likely that the blessing of God would rest upon him than it would be if he took steps to silence Shimei. David welcomed God alone to be the defender of his name against the accusations coming from Shimei.
1 Peter 2:19-23 – “For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. [20] For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. [21] For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. [22] He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. [23] When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.”
III. David Maintained His Commitment as the Situation Intensified (13-14)
A. Sometimes circumstances get worse before they get better (13) – “So David and his men went on the road, while Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went and threw stones at him and flung dust.”
David did the right thing…but the mistreatment against him did not end. David was quiet and continued his departure from the area. Shimei became further emboldened in his bitter spewing, and he continued to hurl both words and rocks. Simply doing the proper thing before God does not guarantee that your opposition will go away. We must patiently endure until God determines the time of our relief and vindication.
B. Though some may curse us, some remain faithful to us (14a) – “And the king, and all the people who were with him…”
When we are attacked by carnal words from shallow people, we cannot lose sight of the truth that there are others who understand and believe in us. Not everyone is against you. You cannot afford to believe the lies that are said against you. You cannot let others change your views of yourself when you know that you are operating in the Spirit. You also must not believe the lie that you are alone. Our opposition may temporarily be the loudest and most determined, but we will always have the support of God and those who know us best.
C. There is refreshment during wearied Emes (14b) – “…the king…arrived weary at the Jordan. And there he refreshed himself.”
Of course, David was weary. His son had rejected him as a father and had temporarily driven David from the throne. He was publicly humiliated and wrongly accused of being a rebel against God. Shimei would not back down, and David was shamed and scorned by a bitter, shallow man. David had to find refreshment for himself. God provided both the physical waters of Jordan to wash off the dirt and the reassurance of the Spirit to wash off the shame.
When receiving difficult, hurtful words we should do the following before responding:
• Consider the source: mules kick, pigs oink. If the character of the person who is doing the speaking is less than honorable, you may be able to dismiss the great majority of what was said.
• Take time to discover whether anything that WAS said might be true and learn from it. In a box of rotten apples there may very well be one or two which are edible.
• Discipline yourself not to react emotionally, be unwilling to match the verbal assault with one of your own.
• Develop a thick skin while continuing to keep a sensitive heart. Chances are, you will go through this again.
• Remember that there have been times when we have spoken an unkind word and needed forgiveness. Be quick to give the offender the forgiveness which is asked for.
• In mercy, don’t keep records when one has spoken against you. God’s grace keeps no records of wrongs done to Him by His children. We must do the same to those who have wronged us.