To Encourage You

1 Kings 2:41-43 “And when Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and returned, the king sent and summoned Shimei and said to him, ‘Did I not make you swear by the Lord and solemnly warn you, saying, “Know for certain that on the day you go out and go to any place whatever, you shall die”? And you said to me, “What you say is good; I will obey.”  Why then have you not kept your oath to the Lord and the commandment with which I commanded you?’”

In the passage above from 1 Kings 2 we have an example of the sin of presumption.  Of all sin, it’s one of the worst kinds.  It’s a sin that people may feel confident about committing based on the foolish notion that because they’ve done this kind of thing in the past and gotten away with it, things will continue to go well for them in the future.  Shimei was that kind of person.  Much earlier in his life, when he lived in Israel under King David, we are told about how he so vociferously cursed David as David was fleeing from his son Absalom. It was one of David’s lowest times.  It’s recorded for us in the following words from 2 Samuel 16: “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. 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. And Shimei said as he cursed, ‘Get out, get out, you man of blood, you worthless man!  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.’”  

Imagine speaking to a king in this way!  And although one of David’s men asked for permission to cut off Shimei’s head, David prohibited it and patiently endured the abuse.  Later, when Absalom was killed and his rebellion put down, Shimei came bowing low before David, asking David to spare his life, which David did. However, David never trusted Shimei, and he warned Solomon as he came to power to watch out for him.  Solomon’s response was to, in effect, place Shimei under house arrest. He warned him never to leave the city of Jerusalem or he would be put to death. 

Three years later, some of Shimei’s servants ran away from him, escaping to the city of Gath. Presumptuously, Shimei went after them.  Apparently, he believed that although he had defied the authority of one king and gotten away with it, he could defy the authority of that king’s son.  It is as he returned to Jerusalem that Solomon confronted him as recorded in the passage above.  The result? Shimei was put to death.  

So, what’s the message for you and me?  It’s a warning against the sin of presumption.  The world is filled with people living in rebellion against the King of the universe, Jesus Christ.  They give no thought to their long-standing patterns of sin, although they know full well that the Bible prohibits it.  They’ve gotten used to life as they are living it, and because there have never been any consequences for their behavior, they begin to think it will always be that way.  So, they presume upon the Lord’s patience, and flagrantly continue in their rebellion and sin.  It’s such a foolish way to live, for though the Lord is slow to anger, there is coming a day, if a rebel refuses to repent, that that rebel will face the dire consequences of their sin.  It could come at any moment. It could happen this very day.  And it could come at a time when there is no longer any remedy, for they’ve spurned the forgiveness that was offered for their sin.  

Shimei serves as one such example of this tragedy, but there are many more examples that God has provided for us throughout His holy Word.  The question is, will we listen? Will we be careful to keep ourselves from presumptuous and devastating sins? May the Lord help us to heed the warnings given to us in the example of Shimei. May our prayer be like that of King David: “Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins” (Psalm 19:13).