2 Samuel 16:5 - Meaning and Application

We see here that David bore Shimei’s curses much better than he had borne Ziba’s flattery. Ziba’s words led him to make a wrong judgment about another man, but Shimei’s abuse helped him judge himself rightly. The world’s smiles are more dangerous than its frowns.

Notice, first, how bold and angry Shimei was. David had come in his flight to Bahurim, a town in Benjamin, and Shimei lived there or near there. He was from Saul’s family, so when Saul’s line lost power, Shimei lost all hope of rising with it. That made him hate David deeply, though David had only become king because God had chosen him. While David was strong and prosperous, Shimei hated him just as much, but he did not dare speak then. God knows the hearts of those who oppose him and his rule, though earthly rulers do not.

Now Shimei came out and cursed David with every ugly word and wish he could invent (2 Samuel 16:5). He chose this moment for three reasons. First, he thought he could do it safely, though if David had chosen to punish him, it would have cost him his life. Second, he wanted to make David’s grief worse, adding more pain to pain. Scripture speaks of the cruelty of those who talk to the sorrow of people God has already wounded (Psalm 69:26). Third, he thought David’s troubles proved David was evil. Job’s friends made the same false judgment. People who are already under God’s discipline should not be surprised if wicked men use that as an excuse to mock them. But it is a low, base spirit that tramples on people who are already down.

Shimei showed his malice in both action and words. He threw stones at David (2 Samuel 16:6), as if the king were a dog or a criminal. He may have stood far enough away that the stones could not hit David or his men, but his heart was plain. He also threw dust (2 Samuel 16:13), which likely blew back toward himself, just as his unjust curses would return on his own head. His rage made him hateful, and his weakness made him foolish. Those who fight against God cannot truly harm him, though they hate him. If a person sins, what real injury does that bring to God? (Job 35:6)

His wickedness was even worse because David had his mighty men at his right and left, so he was not as helpless as Shimei imagined. David was persecuted, but not abandoned. And Shimei kept on even more fiercely because David bore it patiently. He also hurled words along with stones, in open disregard of God’s law that forbids cursing a ruler (Exodus 22:28). David was a man of honor and conscience, known for what was just and good. Yet this foul-mouthed man could think of nothing against him except what had happened long before to Saul’s house, and even that only because it cost him something.

We are very quick to judge people by how they affect us. We often decide that someone must be evil if we think he has hurt us, even when that judgment is unfair. That kind of self-interest is a bad guide. No one was more innocent of Saul’s blood than David. He spared Saul’s life more than once, even while Saul hunted him. When Saul and his sons were killed by the Philistines, David and his men were far away, and when they heard, they mourned. He had also cleared himself in the deaths of Abner and Ish-bosheth. Yet Shimei laid all the blood of Saul’s house at David’s door.

Innocence does not protect us from malice and lies. We should not be surprised if people accuse us of things we have carefully avoided. It is a mercy that men are not our final judges. God is the one whose judgment is always true. Shimei charged David with the blood of Saul’s house in three ways. First, he used it to describe David’s character, calling him a man of blood and a worthless man, a servant of evil (2 Samuel 16:7). Second, he said this blood was the reason for David’s present trouble, as though God had now repaid him for Saul’s house. Third, he used it to say David was headed for ruin and would never recover his throne. He even twisted God’s providence to support his own anger. But we must be careful not to misuse God’s dealings in that way. Human anger does not produce God’s righteousness, and God’s righteousness does not exist to serve human anger.

Then we see David’s patience and submission under this abuse. Abishai, the son of Zeruiah and one of David’s men, was ready to defend David’s honor with his sword. He was rightly angry and asked why this dead dog should be allowed to curse the king (2 Samuel 16:9). If David had given the word, Abishai was ready to silence those lying lips and take off Shimei’s head, since throwing stones at the king was open proof of dangerous intent. But David would not allow it. “What have I to do with you?” he said, and added, “Let him curse.” In this, he acted much like Christ, who corrected the disciples when they wanted fire from heaven on a village that had rejected him (Luke 9:55). The first thing that quieted David was this: he knew he deserved this affliction.

This is not mentioned here, and for good reason. A person may truly repent, yet not need to announce every sorrowful thought on every occasion. Shimei wrongly accused David of Saul’s blood. David’s conscience cleared him of that, but it still reminded him of Uriah’s blood. David seems to think, “The insult is too true, even if Shimei means it falsely.” A humble and tender spirit will turn insults into correction and so gain from them instead of reacting in anger.

David also sees God’s hand in this. He says, “The Lord has told him, Curse David” (2 Samuel 16:10), and again, “Let him curse, for the Lord has told him to” (2 Samuel 16:11). This does not mean God approved Shimei’s sin. Shimei’s wrong came from the devil and from his own evil heart, just as those who killed Christ sinned, even though God used their actions to carry out his plan (Acts 2:23, Acts 4:28). But as David’s trouble, it came from the Lord, one of the evils God allowed to come upon him. David looks past the human messenger to the highest ruler over all. Job did the same when he said, “The Lord has taken away.” Nothing helps a faithful soul bear suffering more than seeing God’s hand in it. “I kept silent because you did it.” Even the sting of harsh words is under God’s rule.

David also calms himself by thinking about a greater pain (2 Samuel 16:11). His own son seeks his life, so why should he be surprised at what this Benjamite does? Trouble builds patience in people whom God has made holy. The more we endure, the more ready we become to endure still more. What tests our patience should also train it. When we grow used to hardship, we should be less shocked by it. Do not be amazed when enemies hurt you, if even friends are unkind. Do not be shocked when friends are unkind, if even children are disobedient.

David comforts himself with the hope that God will turn this suffering to good. “The Lord will repay me with good for his cursing.” If God allowed Shimei to grieve him, it may be so God can comfort him more deeply later. David is sure that mercy is waiting for him, and that this trial is preparing him for it. We can trust God to repay, not only our service, but also our suffering. Let others curse, but let God bless.

At last David reaches Bahurim (2 Samuel 16:14), where he finds relief and is hidden from this storm of harsh words.