And there is also with you Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse on the day when I went to Mahanaim. But when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the LORD, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’
David is dying. In his last words to Solomon he names a man he had once forgiven — Shimei, who cursed him while he was running for his life. The verse raises a hard question: if David swore not to kill Shimei, why does he hand the case to his son at all?
The man and the moment
Shimei's story runs from an insult to an execution.
Morrish Bible DictionarySon of Gera, a Benjaminite, of the house of Saul. He cursed David and called him "a worthless man." He threw stones and dust at him while David was hurrying away from Jerusalem during Absalom's rebellion. But he submitted when David returned, and David did not punish him then. When David was dying, he reminded Solomon of Shimei's wickedness, because Shimei had cursed the king the Lord had anointed. Solomon later promised Shimei his life on one condition: that he never leave Jerusalem. Shimei broke the agreement, and he was put to death.
The timing shows the man. He cursed David on the day David looked finished.
Leslie M. GrantWhen it seemed to Shimei that David was losing to Absalom, then he felt safe in cursing him. But when David regained his authority in Israel, Shimei changed his attitude and came to David to apologise. He apologised out of fear for his own safety. But David accepted it and swore to him by the Lord that he would not kill him.
An oath kept, a case left open
Refusing revenge is not the same as leaving wrong unanswered.
Leslie M. GrantDavid would not take revenge for his own sake. But later, when he was near death, he charged Solomon to see that Shimei suffered for his wickedness. This was simple righteousness. After David's death, no one could say that David was only seeking revenge. Similarly, God may allow evil men to live today, but future eternal judgment awaits them.
Spared, but not declared innocent
Shimei was still in the kingdom and looked reconciled. Yet David's words draw a line between sparing a man and clearing him.
H. L. RossierHe was then apparently restored, but if David in grace had spared him, he did not hold him innocent. Everything now depended on how he behaved under the king of righteousness. His conduct would show whether his repentance was real.
Two views of David's charge
Commentators differ on how to judge the charge itself. Some defend it as overdue justice.
Arno Clemens GaebeleinCritics have attacked David's character because of this charge. However, the charge to Solomon to carry out vengeance on these two men is not a stain on King David. The punishment was well deserved. Joab had killed Abner and Amasa. Shimei had, with great vileness, cursed God's king. Both were wicked men. David's own guilt had no doubt made him neglect the solemn duty that justice demanded.
Others feel the shame of it more sharply — a king passing on to his son what he could not do himself.
W. W. FeredayDavid's own sins in the matter of Uriah and Bathsheba had weakened his hands. It has been well said that a crippled hand cannot swing a heavy sword. Besides, had he not used Joab as his tool for the murder of Uriah? As he lay dying, he charged Solomon to deal with Joab and the others he had spared. Still, the whole story is humiliating.
What Solomon's kingdom pictures
One reign gives way to another, and grace gives way to judgment.
C KnappThroughout David's reign David tolerated these men 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."
When the sentence came, it fell on a man who had broken his own word, not on a man taken by surprise.
Leslie M. GrantThough Shimei did not keep his promise, Solomon would keep his. Solomon also reminded him of the wickedness of his attitude toward David, and that this wickedness would come back on his own head. David had not killed Shimei, so that no one could call it personal revenge. But justice had to be done, even though David was no longer alive. Shimei's case is a warning to us not to speak evil of those in authority.
Summary
- Curse. Shimei cursed David at his lowest point. The insult struck the king the Lord had anointed, so it was no private quarrel.
- Grace. David swore not to put him to death, and kept the oath; he would not take vengeance for himself while he sat on the throne.
- Delay. Being spared is not being cleared. Shimei kept his life, but his repentance stayed untested.
- Test. Life under the new king exposed him. He had one condition to keep, he broke it, and repentance born of fear proved empty.
- Judgment. God likewise lets evil men live now under a throne of grace. But the reign of grace ends, and then judgment falls.