The Lord says for this time:
"Whatever injustice that you've gone through recently, know that My grace is sufficient for you. I have seen all the injustices and wrongs that some have committed against you, and I will know how to repay for you. For I am a God of justice. Forgive and let go. Have a big heart. Be merciful, for I am merciful. Look to Me and trust in Me, for I will know how to take over from here, just as I've done for David."
David's life was a rather eventful and dramatic one. It's epic. Full of twists and turns. No one can deny that. But for today, we shall go straight to 2 Samuel 16.
2 Samuel 16:5-6 says, 'Now when David came to Bahurim, there was a man from the family of the house of Saul whose name was Shimei the son of Gera, coming from there. Shimei came out cursing continuously as David came. Shimei threw stones at David and at all the servants of David.'
2 Samuel 16:7-8 says, 'Shimei said thus when he cursed, "Come out! Come out! You bloodthirsty man, you rogue! The Lord has brought upon you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the Lord has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son. So now you are caught in your own evil, because you are a bloodthirsty man!"'
Now, that was a false accusation against David! As a matter of fact, David had no intention to kill Saul in the first place. It was the other way round. It was Saul who had wanted to kill David. And here Shimei was, when David was down and out because he had just lost his throne to Absalom at that time, Shimei had this audacity to throw stones at David and accuse David of all kinds of things!
2 Samuel 16:9-10 says, 'Then Abishai (one of the commanders of David's army) said to David, "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Please, let me go over and take off his head!" But David said, "Let him curse..."'
As you can see here, David just allowed Shimei to curse him and say whatever he wanted to say against him. In other words, David did not react or strike back.
2 Samuel 16:13 says, 'As David and his men went along the road, Shimei went along the hillside opposite him and cursed him (David) as he went. Shimei threw stones at David and kicked up dust against David.'
Still, David did not react or strike back. He let it be. Now, the background at that time was that David's own son Absalom had just declared himself king, taking over from David. It was a full-scale rebellion and coup against David. Driven by his ambition for power, Absalom had by then positioned himself to win the hearts of the people towards himself and away from David. Having seized power from David, he then pursued David, forcing David to flee Jerusalem.
And here Shimei was, taking advantage of the situation to add further misery to David. But as you can see in 2 Samuel 16 here, David did not react negatively or take matters into his own hands. In other words, he let God be God. He let God take over.
What can we learn from here? Whatever injustice committed against you, or whatever slander spoken against you, know that God is watching. God is not dead. He is very much alive. He sees everything from the beginning to the end.
And what's your part? Your part is to let God take over. Let God be God. Now, of course, different people different situation. Whatever your situation may be, this same principle applies.
Eventually, in due time, the tide began to turn in David's favor. Somehow, someway! You see, God has eyes. God is a God of justice. God saw what David had gone through and the injustices that David had experienced. One day, Absalom went into a battle with David's army again. But this time, while he was riding his mule through the thick forest, his head got stuck in the branches of a large tree, and he was left hanging there. He was then killed by Joab and Joab's armor bearers. By the way, Joab was one of the commanders of David's army at that time.
Now that David had regained his throne as king from Absalom, David returned to Jerusalem. So, earlier you saw what Shimei said to David as David fled Jerusalem. Now David's coming back to Jerusalem. What was Shimei's response this time? You can see that in 2 Samuel 19:18-20. Shimei fell down before David and said, "Do not let my lord impute iniquity to me, or remember what wrong your servant did on the day that my lord the king left Jerusalem, that the king should take it to heart. For I, your servant, know that I have sinned. Therefore, here I am, the first to come today of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king."
What a change of tone! Far from those abusive words being hurled against David when David was down and out!
Abishai then said, "Shall not Shimei be put to death? Because he cursed the Lord's anointed?" But David said to Shimei, "You shall not die." You see, to Abishai at that time, and even to many who read this part of the Scripture, it probably doesn't make sense why David said what he said here. In fact, some would even say, "Why was David so foolish to forgive just like that?" I mean, how magnanimous was David!
Most importantly, God saw David's heart.
Now, do you think Shimei really had changed after that? Let me give you the answer. The answer is no, if you refer to the Scripture. Shimei continued to be 'a pain in the neck', so to speak. And later on, he continued to do so even to Solomon, David's son who became king after David. You can see that in 1 Kings 2.
So, let's go all the way to 1 Kings 2 now.
1 Kings 2:36-37 says, 'Then the king (Solomon) sent and called for Shimei (yes, the same Shimei), and said to him, "Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and dwell there, and do not go out from there anywhere. For it shall be, on the day you go out and cross the Brook Kidron, know for certain you shall surely die. Your blood shall be on your own head."'
1 Kings 2:38 says, 'And Shimei said to the king (Solomon), "The saying is good. As my lord the king has said, so your servant will do."'
You see, some things die hard. Shimei had proven again and again that he cannot be trusted. He eventually paid the price. So, it happened later, that the king (Solomon) was told that Shimei had gone out of Jerusalem. It was a blatant defiance against the king's order. In other words, Shimei broke his promise. He ate his own words, and therefore he had to pay for it with his own life. It's a checkmate for him. The king (Solomon) then commanded for Shimei to be executed. Well, the king had every right to do so. That's how Shimei died. And that's the end for Shimei.
What can we learn from the Scripture here?
Never seek revenge. Let God be God, and let God take over your situation, whatever situation you are facing at the moment. God who sees everything will know how to do His part, at the right time. And you see again and again how God did it for David.
Beloved of God, the same it is for you. The people who try to hurt you, slander you, or throw false accusations against you will eventually pay the price. You don't even need to lift a finger, if God is on your side. So, yield your heart to God. Submit to God. Humble yourself under the mighty hands of God. Let God wash you clean, white as snow. A pure heart, and that's what God is looking for. And God will honor you for sure, and you will see your reward eventually. Amen!
Like David, whether in the face of King Saul or Absalom, or even the less talked about Shimei that we looked at today, justice has been served in the end. And like David, whose name means 'Beloved', so are you today. You too are a beloved of God. Keep trusting in the Lord and His goodness in your life. Be patient. Persevere in the time of trial or persecution. The time will come when you shall see justice being served!
