And a ferry boat passed to and fro to carry over the king's household, and to do what he thought good. And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king as he was [just] crossing over the Jordan.
Servants ferry the king's household over the Jordan while Shimei falls in the dust before the returning king. The men crowding that riverbank had very different reasons for being there.
Shimei did not come alone, and he was not the only man at the crossing.
As to the people involved, the record names Shimei first as coming to meet the king, but with him 1000 men of Benjamin, all accompanying the men of Judah. It then speaks of Ziba, with his sons and servants. Ziba had come to the king before, when David fled; now it seems he went over the Jordan ahead of David. A ferryboat carried the king's household across the Jordan.
Ziba hurried across the Jordan ahead of the king. The man he crossed with says something about him.
Here we discover a new feature of Ziba's character. It was in wicked Shimei's company that Ziba had crossed the Jordan to meet the king.
Shimei had cursed David once. Now he is face down in front of him, and fear explains the change.
Shimei, who had cursed David when he was in deep distress, comes to meet him with a totally different attitude. Of course, he was afraid that he might suffer some just consequences of his wickedness now that David had regained his throne. He falls down before the king and confesses how wrongly he had insulted him. He asks the king not to charge this guilt against him, and not to remember the wrong he had done.
Shimei's confession also names the family he claims to belong to. It sits oddly with what we are told about him elsewhere.
He says he knows that he had sinned, and so he is the first of all the house of Joseph to come down to meet the king. We are told in chapter 16:5 that Shimei was of the house of Saul, which is of course from Benjamin, and verse 16 says he was a Benjamite. It seems strange, then, that he would speak of himself as being of the house of Joseph.
David's return forced every man to show what he had been while the king was away. The oath David swore that day also showed the limits of this king.
And there the blaspheming Shimei cowers before the returning king. For now the men who had given a pretended obedience are shown for what they are. Here too the king shows that he was by no means equal to the task. Only the true David will take it up and carry it out in full. Moved by his feelings, David swears to Shimei that he shall not die. That oath could not hold when Solomon comes to the throne, as we learn from another book of scripture.
David refuses to turn the day into a settling of scores. He also refuses to weigh how sincere Shimei was.
The king forgives Shimei, who submits to him to escape the fate waiting for him… Abishai, still the same, would like to take revenge against Shimei. David stops him: "What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should this day be adversaries to me? Shall anyone be put to death in Israel this day?" No, this is the day of grace and forgiveness. David does not stop to consider whether the feelings Shimei expresses are sincere. He is not judging them now. Shimei will have to give account for them later, when his conduct shows what they really were.
Commentators differ on that decision. Another writer weighs the same mercy against justice.
Shimei fell down before the King and begged his forgiveness. Though Abishai suggested putting him to death, the King readily granted the mercy Shimei craved and swore an oath to him. But the mercy shown was at the expense of righteousness. We will find Shimei's final fate recorded in 1 Kings 2.
- Return. Everything at the river serves one purpose. The ford, the ferryboat and the thousand men of Benjamin are all there to bring the king and his household home.
- Exposure. The king's return strips the pretence off. Men who had given only a pretended obedience are shown for what they are.
- Fear. Shimei's face in the dust is real, but so is its cause. He comes down to the river because David has the throne again, and he is afraid of what he has coming.
- Grace. David will not examine Shimei's heart and will not let Abishai kill him. It is "the day of grace and forgiveness," and the day of grace does not cross-examine.
- Reckoning. Grace postponed the question; it did not cancel it. Shimei's later conduct would settle it. One writer judges that the mercy was shown at the expense of righteousness.
And he said to the king, Let not my lord impute iniquity to me, neither do thou remember that which thy servant did perversely the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, that the king should take it to heart.
The rebellion is over, David is crossing back over the Jordan, and the first man to reach him is the one who had pelted him with stones and curses on the way out. Shimei now asks the king to strike that sin from the record — but is he sorry, or only frightened?
Shimei's history explains why he throws himself down. He belonged to the family that had lost the throne to David, and he had chosen the worst possible moment to say so.
Son of Gera, a Benjamite, of the house of Saul. He cursed David, calling him a worthless man, and threw stones and dust at him. This happened as David was hurrying away from Jerusalem during Absalom's rebellion. But he submitted on David's return, and was not punished then.
"Let not my lord hold me guilty" asks the king not to count the sin against him. The words are right, but Shimei speaks them only after David has his throne back — and he names the wrong family as his own.
Shimei had cursed David when he was in deep distress. Now he comes to meet him with a completely different attitude. Of course, he was afraid. He might suffer some just consequences of his wickedness now that David had regained his throne. He falls down before the king and confesses his wrong in the way he had insulted him. He asks the king not to count this iniquity against him, and not to remember the wrong he had done. He says he knows he had sinned, and so he is the first of all the house of Joseph to come down to meet the king. Chapter 16:5 tells us Shimei was of the house of Saul, which is of course from Benjamin, and verse 16 says he was a Benjamite. It seems strange, then, that he would speak of himself as being of the house of Joseph.
Abishai wants Shimei executed. David refuses, and his reason is the day itself, not a verdict on Shimei's heart.
In verses 16 to 23 we find forgiveness. The king forgives Shimei, who submits himself to escape the fate awaiting him... Abishai, unchanged, would like to take revenge on Shimei. David stops him: "What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should this day be as an adversary to me? Shall anyone be put to death in Israel this day?" No, this is the day of grace and forgiveness. David does not stop to weigh whether Shimei's feelings are sincere. He is not judging them now. Shimei will have to give account for them later, when his conduct reveals what they were really worth.
David knows who gave him back his crown, and that knowledge holds him in check.
David has no intention of putting anyone to death now that God has in grace restored him to the throne. Suppose he thought his own ability or strength had recovered his authority. Then he might well take advantage of it. But he knew it was God who had made him king, and on this occasion at least he wanted to represent God rightly... David would not take revenge for his own sake. Later, when near death, he charged Solomon to see that Shimei suffered for his wickedness. This was simple righteousness. After David's death there would be no question of David seeking revenge for himself.
Commentators differ on whether David's oath was wise. One writer measures him against the true David still to come, and sees a king carried along by his feelings.
There the blaspheming Shimei cowers before the returning king. Those who had given a pretended obedience are now shown up for what they are. Here too the king shows that he was by no means equal to the task. Only the true David will take it up and carry it out in full. Moved by his feelings, David swears to Shimei that he shall not die — an oath that could not stand when Solomon came to the throne.
David spared his enemies. Solomon did not — and one writer sees the same pattern in how God deals with people now.
David tolerated these men all through his reign. He showed them grace. But Solomon is charged to put them to death. Once David's reign of grace is over, they get no mercy. This is solemn, sinner. David's throne, like God's at present, is a "throne of grace."
- The curse. Shimei cursed the Lord's anointed and threw stones at him while David fled Jerusalem.
- The confession. He asks the king not to count the sin against him, and says he knows he has sinned. The words are right. The man saying them is afraid of what the returning king could do.
- The day. David does not test whether Shimei means it. This is the day of grace and forgiveness, and no one in Israel dies.
- The deferral. Sparing a man is not calling him innocent. Shimei's later conduct would show what his repentance was worth.
- The warning. God's throne is a throne of grace now, as David's was — and grace shown under one reign did not survive into the next.
For thy servant knows that I have sinned; and behold, I am come the first this day of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king.
Shimei had cursed David when the king was in deep trouble and had lost his throne. Now the king is back, and Shimei is the first man down to meet him with an apology. His words admit the sin — but were they true, and what should a king do with them?
One writer notes the fear behind Shimei's haste, and a puzzle in the family he claims:
Shimei had cursed David when the king was in deep distress. Now he comes to meet him with a very different attitude. Of course, he was afraid. David had his throne back, and his wickedness might now bring him the punishment it deserved. He falls down before the king and confesses the wrong he did in insulting him. He asks the king not to hold this sin against him, or to remember the wrong he had done. Chapter 16:5 tells us that Shimei was of the house of Saul, which is of course from Benjamin, and verse 16 says he was a Benjamite. It seems strange therefore that he would speak of himself as being of the house of Joseph.
In Scripture the same words come from very different lips. One writer sets the two groups side by side:
It is very striking that many men in Scripture take the place of saying, "I have sinned," yet not all of them get cleansing. David, Nehemiah, Job, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Micah, the prodigal son, and the thief on the cross: these all took the place of sinners and all got cleansing or blessing. But look at Pharaoh, Balaam, Achan, Saul, Shimei, and Judas: these all confess they have sinned, yet they perish… There was no hatred of the sin. There was no desire to turn from it and give it up. There was no true repentance.
The test is what troubles the man who speaks:
False repentance. Many think they repent when it is not the offence, but the penalty that troubles them; not the treason, but the executioner's axe.
David does not test the confession. Abishai wants revenge, and David stops him — because of the day it is:
The king forgives Shimei, who comes to submit himself to avoid the fate waiting for him… Abishai would like to take revenge against Shimei. David stops him: "What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should this day be adversaries to me? Should any man be put to death this day in Israel?" No, this is the day of grace and forgiveness. Whether or not the feelings Shimei expresses are sincere, David does not stop to consider; he is not judging them now.
One writer follows the story on into the next reign:
He was then apparently restored, but if David in grace had spared him, he did not hold him innocent. Everything depended on his conduct under the king of righteousness. His conduct would show if his repentance was real.
Commentators differ over whether David handled the moment well. One writer judges that the king fell short here:
There the blaspheming Shimei cowers before the returning king, for now those who had only pretended to obey stand exposed. Here too the king shows that he was in no way equal to the task. Only the true David will take that task up and carry it out in full. Moved by his feelings, David swears to Shimei that he will not die — an oath that could not stand when Solomon comes to the throne.
Read side by side, the two reigns carry a warning about time running out:
All through David's reign these men were tolerated. Grace was shown them. But Solomon is charged to put them to death. No mercy must be shown them after David's reign of grace is over. This is solemn, sinner. David's throne, like God's at present, is a "throne of grace."
- Fear speaks first. Shimei hurries to meet David because the king has his throne back. Danger sets the timing, not sorrow over the sin.
- Words are not repentance. Pharaoh, Balaam, Achan, Saul, Shimei and Judas all said "I have sinned" and still perished. None of them hated the sin.
- Grace does not cross-examine. On the day of his return David will not weigh motives or put anyone to death. He tells a guilty man he will not die.
- Pardon is not a verdict. David spared Shimei but did not hold him innocent. His later conduct under the next king would show whether the repentance was real.
- The day of grace closes. What David tolerated, Solomon judged. Commentators differ over whether David's oath showed grace or showed a king not equal to his task.
And Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, Should not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed Jehovah's anointed?
David is returning to reclaim his throne, and the man who cursed him on the way out comes to meet him. Abishai wants him killed on the spot — will the restored king open his reign with an execution or with a pardon?
The man kneeling at the ford had a history with David, and it did not end here. One reference work traces his whole story in a few lines:
Shimei was the son of Gera, a Benjamite, from the house of Saul. He cursed David, calling him "a worthless man." He threw stones and dust at him while David was hurrying out of Jerusalem during Absalom's rebellion. But he submitted on David's return, and was not punished then. When David was dying, he reminded Solomon of Shimei's wickedness, for he had cursed the Lord's anointed king. Solomon promised Shimei his life on one condition: he must never leave Jerusalem. Shimei broke the agreement, and Solomon had him put to death.
Abishai's charge was not invented. Shimei had cursed the king God had anointed. One commentator points to David's reason for refusing:
Abishai, as zealous and harsh as his brother Joab, urges David that Shimei should be put to death because he cursed the Lord's anointed. But David sharply rebukes Abishai for his attitude. He has no intention of putting anyone to death now that God has in grace restored him to the throne. If he thought his own ability or strength had won back his authority, he might well have taken advantage of that authority. But he knew it was God who had made him king. On this occasion at least, he wanted to represent God rightly. David would not take revenge for his own sake. Yet later, when he was near death, he charged Solomon to see that Shimei suffered for his wickedness (1 Kings 2:8-9). This was simple righteousness, for after David's death there would be no question of David merely seeking revenge. In the same way, God may allow evil men to live today, but eternal judgment awaits them.
For another writer, the answer turns on what kind of day this was:
Abishai, still the same (compare 2 Sam. 16:9), would like to take revenge on Shimei. David stops him: "What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should this day be adversaries to me? Shall anyone be put to death this day in Israel?" No, this is the day of grace and forgiveness. David does not stop to consider whether Shimei's feelings are sincere. He is not judging them now. Shimei will have to give account for them later, when his conduct will reveal how real they were (1 Kings 2:36-46). "You shall not die," David tells this guilty man.
Commentators differ over whether David acted well here. One reads the pardon as a failure of justice:
Abishai suggested his death, but the king freely granted the mercy Shimei begged for and swore an oath to him. Yet the mercy shown was at the expense of righteousness. We find Shimei's final fate recorded in 1 Kings 2.
Another writer holds that sparing Shimei was not the same as clearing him:
He seemed to be restored. But though David in grace had spared him, he did not hold him innocent. Everything depended on his conduct under the king of righteousness. His conduct would show whether his repentance was real.
Shimei's name appears once more in a picture of a future day. One writer sees the man who cursed David standing there for a whole class of people:
Finally, the family of the house of Shimei. Shimei was the subject who cursed David (2 Sam. 16:5-8). So the list covers the whole range of the population of Judah and Benjamin... What a wonderful sight it will be when this once rebellious nation bows in genuine repentance at the feet of the Lord Jesus!
- The charge stood. Abishai's charge was true. Shimei had cursed the Lord's anointed.
- The day decided. David does not weigh the crime; he names the day. This was a day of grace and forgiveness, not a day for putting men to death in Israel.
- The throne was a gift. David knew God, not his own strength, had put him back on the throne. So he used that throne to represent God rightly.
- Grace delayed the account. David did not test Shimei's sincerity now. Mercy did not close the account: he later charged Solomon to deal with Shimei, and Shimei's own conduct sealed his fate.
- The scene is a rehearsal. One writer sees in Shimei a picture of a rebellious nation. One day it will bow in real repentance at the feet of the Lord Jesus.
And David said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah, that ye should this day be adversaries to me? Should there any man be put to death this day in Israel? for do not I know that I am this day king over Israel?
David is crossing the Jordan to take back his throne after Absalom's rebellion. The first man to meet him is Shimei, who had cursed him as he fled — and Abishai wants him dead.
Shimei comes to meet the returning king as a guilty man. One writer points to what makes the day different:
No, this is the day of grace and forgiveness. David does not stop to consider whether Shimei's feelings are sincere. He is not judging them now. Shimei will have to give account for them later, when his conduct will reveal what they really were. "You shall not die," David tells this guilty man.
David's answer ends with a reminder that he is king this day. One writer ties his mercy to how he came by the throne:
Abishai, as eager and harsh as his brother Joab, urges David to put Shimei to death because he cursed the Lord's anointed. But David firmly rebukes Abishai for his attitude. He has no intention of putting anyone to death now that God has in grace restored him to the throne. If he thought that his own ability or strength had won back his authority, he might well have taken advantage of it. But he knew it was God who had made him king, and this time at least he wanted to represent God rightly. He tells Shimei he will not die. David would not take revenge for his own sake... In the same way, God may allow evil men to live today, but future eternal judgment awaits them.
David calls his own loyal officers adversaries. One writer traces their thinking back to its source:
Abishai's words show that he could not enter at all into David's sufferings under God's discipline. He could not grasp David's humble submission, or his unshaken resolve to walk in this path. The will of the flesh is hostile to God and can never submit to Him. So how can it understand a perfect dependence that has no will but the Father's? David says to Abishai: "What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah?" Their thoughts could only come from the flesh, and they came from the enemy.
One writer sets Abishai beside Peter, the disciple who drew a sword for Jesus:
Then we shall not say with Abishai, "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and take off his head." Nor shall we, with Peter, draw the sword of natural excitement. How far below their respective masters were both these affectionate though mistaken men!
Years later, on his deathbed, David hands Shimei's case to Solomon:
He appeared to be restored. But though David had spared him in grace, he did not hold him innocent. Everything now turned on his conduct under the king of righteousness. His conduct would show whether his repentance was real.
Commentators differ on whether David's oath here was wholly right. One writes that "the mercy shown was at the expense of righteousness." He points to Shimei's end in 1 Kings 2 (Arno Clemens Gaebelein). Another writes that Shimei showed nothing real enough to match such grace: "there seems to have been no reality such as would have harmonized with this fuller grace" (F. W. Grant).
One writer reads David's reign and Solomon's reign as two different seasons:
David put up with these men all through his reign and showed them grace. But he charges Solomon to put them to death. They must receive no mercy once David's reign of grace is over. This is solemn, sinner. David's throne, like God's at present, is a "throne of grace" (Hebrews 4:16).
- This day. David's answer turns on the day, not on Shimei's worth. The day the king comes back to his throne is the day of grace and forgiveness, and David puts no one to death in it.
- Not my strength. David knew God had put him back on the throne. So he would not use that authority for private revenge. He wanted to represent God rightly.
- Adversary. The men calling for Shimei's death were loyal and affectionate, yet David calls them opponents. The flesh cannot submit to God's discipline, so it cannot understand a man who does.
- Spared, not cleared. Grace held back the sentence, but David did not call Shimei innocent. His conduct under the king of righteousness would show whether his repentance was real. Writers differ on whether David's oath cost the throne some righteousness.
- Today. David's reign of grace ended, and Solomon's reign of judgment followed. God's throne is a throne of grace now, with judgment still ahead.
And the king said to Shimei, Thou shalt not die. And the king swore to him.
David has crossed back over the Jordan to take his throne, and the first man to meet him is the one who cursed him on the way out. Abishai wants him killed on the spot, but the king swears instead that he will live — pure grace, or grace at the cost of justice?
One writer calls this a day of grace, not a day for judging old offences. He also notes that David never stops to test whether the apology is honest:
"What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should this day be adversaries to me? Should any man be put to death this day in Israel?" No, this is the day of grace and forgiveness. David does not stop to consider whether Shimei's feelings are sincere. He is not judging them now. Shimei will have to give account for them later, when his conduct will show what they really were (1 Kings 2:36-46). "You shall not die," David tells this guilty man.
Abishai's argument was not weak — Shimei had cursed the Lord's anointed. What disarms it is David's own sense of how he got his throne back:
Abishai is as zealous and harsh as his brother Joab. He urges David to put Shimei to death, because Shimei cursed the Lord's anointed. But David firmly rebukes Abishai for his attitude. He has no intention of putting anyone to death, now that God has in grace restored him to the throne. If he thought his own ability or strength had recovered his authority, he might well take advantage of that authority. But he knew it was God who had made him king. On this occasion at least, he wanted to represent God rightly. He tells Shimei he will not die. David would not take revenge for his own sake. Later, when he was near death, he charged Solomon to see that Shimei suffered for his wickedness (1 Kings 2:8-9). That was simple righteousness, for after David's death no one could say David was only seeking revenge.
The oath covered Shimei's life. It did not declare him innocent. One writer holds the two sides together, the sparing and the reckoning:
He was then apparently restored, but if David in grace had spared him, he did not hold him innocent. Everything now depended on his conduct under the king of righteousness. His conduct would show whether his repentance was real.
Shimei's own record decided the outcome. He had cursed David when the king seemed to be losing, and apologised once he had won. Under Solomon, his conduct settled the matter.
Not everyone reads the sworn pardon as David at his best. One writer is blunt:
Abishai suggested his death, but the king granted the mercy Shimei begged for, and swore an oath to him. But the mercy shown was at the expense of righteousness.
Another writer points to David's feelings, and to a promise that did not outlast his reign:
And there the blaspheming Shimei cowers before the returning king. Now those who had only pretended to obey are shown for what they are. Here too the king shows that he was not at all equal to the task. Only the true David will take that task up and carry it out in full. Moved by his feelings, David swears to Shimei that he shall not die — an oath that could not hold when Solomon comes to the throne.
The two reigns read together carry a warning as well as a comfort. What David's throne tolerated, Solomon's did not:
All through David's reign these men were tolerated. Grace was shown them. But Solomon is charged to slay them. No mercy must be shown them after David's reign of grace is over. This is solemn, sinner. David's throne, like God's at present, is a "throne of grace" (Heb. 4:16).
- Return. The king comes back by God's doing, not his own strength, and that conviction is what keeps his hand off his enemy.
- Grace. Because the day belongs to grace, the question is not what Shimei deserves. It is what the returning king chooses to give — life, sealed by an oath.
- Pardon. Sparing is not acquitting: David spares the man without calling him innocent.
- Test. Conduct under the next king, not words in the moment, would show whether the repentance was real.
- Reckoning. Writers differ over whether this mercy cost righteousness. They agree the account stayed open: what one reign tolerates, the next settles.