Thursday, August 21st, 2025
One of the scriptural treasure hunts I really enjoy is being able to follow a progression of events or people across chapters and even books of the Bible. When I read the Bible in my younger years it was really hard to follow all the different names and characters and how they all related to each other. But as I have matured with Holy Spirit as my guide, I find that He highlights certain people that interestingly enough come up again as I continue reading. This happened recently while reading through 2 Samuel and 1 Kings with a descendant of Saul named Shimei.
The first situation regarding Shimei was when he cursed King David and his men as they were walking along the road (2 Samuel 16:5-14). This whole passage is worth a read. I love David’s response to this man’s cursing. He tells his followers to leave Shimei alone because God must have allowed his cursing. He knew God could be trusted with everything, from the good things He provides to even the difficult things He allows.
The next time we see Shimei in scripture, he is falling down before King David asking for mercy (2 Samuel 19:16-23). He knew that he had sinned against David by cursing him and he was hoping David would show him mercy. Despite the fact that some of David’s men wanted revenge on Shimei, David swore that he would not die. The third time we see him referenced in scripture, King David is nearing death and he tells his son Solomon that he swore he would not put him to death but he is instructing Solomon to keep a close eye on him (1 Kings 2:8-9).
Finally, in 1 Kings 2:36-46 we see the last reference to Shimei. Solomon in his wisdom gave Shimei specific instructions to follow if he wanted to live. Unfortunately for him, he did not obey these rules, and it cost him his life. David and Solomon never had to seek revenge or break a promise before the Lord. They used the wisdom and courage that God gave them to deal with their adversary.
Final Thoughts…
The more time I spend reading the Word, the more I realize how deep it is. There is so much we can learn from every word, every person and every situation contained in this book. Nothing is there by accident. It really is the instruction manual for our lives. If you have any Shimeis in your life that are cursing you or speaking things contrary to the word of the Lord over your life, remember this story. God doesn’t forget anything. He is a God of love and justice. He is a God that catches all of our tears (Psalm 56:8), can heal all the wounds people have left on our lives (Psalm 147:3) and will not leave our enemies unpunished (Romans 12:19).