Media Preaching
Robert Johnson
One thing I have learned your experience will determine your level of faith in Gods word. ”After the dust settles.”
Throughout history mankind has been itching for one fight or another. We fight over big things and little things, important things and unimportant things.
The Bible speaks of “angry”, “anger” or “wrath” over 400 times. The Apostle James declared in James 4:1-4 “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
Furthermore, it is declared in James 4:6 ”…Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”
Anciently, there was a terribly angry man named Shimei (around 1023BC). So who is this man called Shimei? This Shimei, was a Benjamite, the son of Gera of the house of Saul. He was an angry man toward King David for the supposed evil and wicked things he had done, against King Saul. He certainly appeared to be a very unforgiving man who never sought true reconciliation with King David.
One reads this in 2 Samuel 16:5-13 “Now when King David came to Bahurim, there was a man from the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei the son of Gera, coming from there. He came out, cursing continuously as he came. Also Shimei said thus when he cursed: “Come out! Come out! You bloodthirsty man, you rogue! (The word “rogue” comes from the Hebrew word for scoundrel or worse yet “Belial” which in akin to Satan as is mentioned in the New Testament book, 2 Corinthians 6:15) The Lord has brought upon you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the Lord has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son. So now you are caught in your own evil, because you are a bloodthirsty man!” Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Please, let me go over and take off his head!” But the king said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? So let him curse, because the Lord has said to him, ‘Curse David.’ Who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’” (V10 comment: David believed God had sent Shimei to curse him.) And David said to Abishai and all his servants, “See how my son (speaking of Absolam) who came from my own body seeks my life. How much more now may this Benjamite? Let him alone, and let him curse; for so the Lord has ordered him. It may be that the Lord will look on my affliction, and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing this day.” And as David and his men went along the road, Shimei went along the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went, threw stones at him and kicked up dust.”
God had expressly forbidden what Shimei was doing in Exodus 22:28 “You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people.”
Later we see something different in 2 Samuel 19:16-23, ”And Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite, who was from Bahurim, hurried and came down with the men of Judah to meet King David. Then a ferryboat went across to carry over the king’s household, and to do what he thought good. Now Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king when he had crossed the Jordan. But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, “Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the Lord’s anointed?” Therefore the king said to Shimei, “You shall not die.” And the king swore to him.”
Did Shimei really come to his senses and have a change of heart? Or was it merely for personal gain or expedience?
We read about the demise of Shimei in 1 Kings 2:1, 8-9 (after about 20 years of David ruling),”And see, you have with you Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a malicious ( vehement ) curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim. But he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by the Lord, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’ Now therefore, do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man and know what you ought to do to him; but bring his gray hair down to the grave with blood.” Even after 20 years Shimei was not held guiltless-he was a self-serving man full of deceit!
Sermon by, G.E Patterson – we do not own the rights to this sermon.
