Title: Congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ
Author: Andre Holtslag

“Curses from Above”        Sermon Reading: 2 Samuel 16:5-14 (N.I.V.)     Associated Reading: Psalm 69:1-18

What are we supposed to make of this story?  What on earth is going on here?  
Does Shimei belong in the Bible or in a Monty-Python skit?  
What is David’s problem with Abishai?  
Isn’t Abishai’s suggestion a reasonable solution to the shenanigans of Shimei?  
Has David completely lost the plot?  
Is this king who has conquered nations unable to deal with one lunatic stone-thrower?  
In addition, with a story such as this, how can we possibly discern a message that speaks to boys and girls, young people, and men and women today?  

Well, to answer these questions we need to take a much closer look at this story.  
We need to consider the place of this story in the Bible, the words of this story, and the characters of this story, in order to understand its rich message to us, as the people of God, today.  

And so, let us consider the story of David’s meeting with Shimei, a story we shall call CURSES FROM ABOVE!

Time wise, as we come to the graphic scene described in verses 5-14, we read a story that comes towards the end of King David’s 40 year reign.  
Approximately 35 years have passed since Saul died and David became king.  

In terms of context, this story is found in the middle of chapters 11-20; a section one commentator calls David’s cursed kingdom.  
•	Chapter 11 opens with a description of David’s sin with Bathsheba, and his subsequent murder of her husband, Uriah.  
•	Chapter 12 describes his meeting with the prophet Nathan.  King David, the man described elsewhere in the Bible as “a man after God’s own heart, is described by Nathan as a man who “despised the Lord” and “despised His Word.”  Nathan then delivers the judgment of God to David, “Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you.”

I quote this verse, because everything that comes after this meeting is an unfolding of God’s judgment on David’s sin.  
A number of terrible things happen within David’s family.  
Absalom has now seized the throne and David is forced to flee from Jerusalem.  

All of this then forms the context of David’s meeting with Shimei.  

In verses 5-8 then, the first of three scenes of the story we have called CURSES FROM ABOVE, we see that the curses are vengefully delivered.  

All we know about Shimei is that he is part of Saul’s family clan.  
He is a son, or descendant of Gera.  
He is from the tribe of Benjamin; Saul’s tribe.  Bahurim, the town mentioned here, is in Benjamin.  Even though Saul has been dead for around 35 years, pro-Saul feelings, obviously, still run high in Benjamin.   
David is in enemy territory.

David and the large company of people with him have left Jerusalem, crossed over the Mount of Olives, and are approaching Bahurim.  
It seems that as he nears the town, he must walk through a valley or ravine that has a high hill running alongside of it.  

Now, let us picture this scene for a minute.  
In the centre is King David.  His servants, his household and his army, are walking below, probably numbering in the thousands.  
His army includes fierce generals like Abishai and, probably, Joab.  It also includes the 600 Gittites, David’s personal body guard; his commando soldiers, on either side of David.  

And there on the hillside opposite is Shimei, throwing stones and screaming out curses.  
35 years after Saul’s death, Shimei finally gets the opportunity to vent his spleen.  
What a pathetic, foolish, spectacle he must have seemed.  
An insignificant nobody insulting the King of Israel, ranting and raving like a lunatic.  
He is throwing stones and dust at a king surrounded by Special Forces troops.   

Well, what then are we to make of Shimei’s curses?  
To begin with, we see that Shimei is very interested in interpreting the providence of God.  
He believes that the Lord is punishing David.  
That is why he says, in v8, “The Lord has repaid you…”  

He also recognizes that David is a “man of blood.”  
In 1 Chronicles 28:3, God said to David, “You are not to build a house for my Name, because you are a warrior and have shed blood.”  

And yet, despite all this, Shimei makes some very grave mistakes.  
For Shimei, mistakenly, interprets God’s providence.  
And Shimei adds to this mistake by failing to heed the commandments of the Lord, revealed in the scriptures.  

Let’s look, briefly, at each of these in turn. 
Shimei says, “The Lord has repaid you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul.”  
However, 1 and 2 Samuel take great pains to demonstrate the care that David took to preserve the life of Saul and his family.  
David is seen to be innocent of Saul’s death, innocent of Abner, Saul’s army commander’s death, and innocent of Ish-bosheth, Saul’s grandson’s death.  
            And so, Shimei’s accusation is a false accusation.  

Shimei goes on to say of Saul, “In whose place you reigned,” suggesting that David stole the crown that rightfully belonged to Saul.  
However, it was God who took the kingdom from Saul and gave it to David.  
Again, this is a false accusation.  
Thus, while Shimei, rightly, calls David a “man of blood,” it is not the blood of Saul that he is guilty of.  
In addition, we know that Shimei is wrong about God giving the kingdom to Absalom.  
In all of these things then, Shimei, mistakenly, interprets God’s providence.  

Added to this, Shimei fails to heed the commandments of the Lord, revealed in the scriptures.  
Exodus 22:28 says, “Do not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people.”  
Deut. 19:16-19 provides stiff penalties for one who makes false accusation.  
Proverbs 24:17-18 says, “Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice, or the LORD will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him.”  

Shimei has put 2 and 2 together and come up with 7!  
His actions, in these verses, are not governed by God’s Word, but by a vengeful heart.  

And we do not need to go far to find Shimeis today, do we Brothers and Sisters.  
We too so easily curse our rulers, be they Prime-ministers, parents, employers, teachers, or Elders.  
We too are quick to gloat when others experience adversity that we think they had coming to them!

And yet, despite the fact that Shimei appears to us to be the epitome of hate, haste, and foolishness, 
he is used by Israel’s covenant God to punish the king who broke God’s covenant.  
Through Shimei’s vengefully delivered curses, God is demonstrating to David that he deserves to die as a covenant breaker.  And soon we will see that David saw this immediately.  
We can say this about Shimei because the 
instruments of his revenge are curses and stones.  
These are covenantal instruments.  
In Deuteronomy 27, God warns Israel of the curses that will come upon them if they disobey his covenant.  
Elsewhere in Deuteronomy we read that the punishment for covenant disobedience was to be stoning.  Shimei curses David and stones him.  
This is how we know that God is working through Shimei.

Note also the warning given here to all those Israelites who would later read the story of CURSES FROM ABOVE.  
If King David, the “man after God’s own heart” can be forced into exile, cursed, and stoned, then they too, if they break God’s covenant, can also expect to be exiled, cursed, and stoned.  
Is this not exactly what happened to Israel and Judah?  Israel exiled by Assyria, never to be heard of again.  Judah exiled to Babylon as Jerusalem is destroyed in accordance with God’s covenant curses.  

This story serves also to warn Israel, and us, about the dangers of breaking covenant.  Sin brings curse.

And Brothers and Sisters, we would also be remiss not to note the final significance of these 
vengefully delivered curses from above.  

For the cursing of David must call to our minds the cursing of the Lord Jesus Christ.  

As the Messiah – the Lord’s Anointed One, He was the fulfilment of the covenant God made with David.  He was the Son of David who would be the eternal King of Israel.  

This office would be given to Jesus because He was blameless and sinless and faithful, in all things.  He was the perfect covenant keeper!  

And yet, Galatians 3:13-14 tell us that “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.”  
Like David, people would pick up stones to throw at Him.  
Like David, He too was driven out of Jerusalem.  
Like David, He too endured the curse of God.  

But unlike David, He was sinless.  He did not deserve exile, cursing and stones.  

David did!  You did, Brothers and Sisters!  Jesus endured the curse of your sin!  
Jesus was cursed by God, rejected by God, and died the death of a covenant breaker, for you!  

Well, as we continue to consider these CURSES FROM ABOVE, we see, in the second scene of verses 9-12a that the curses are submissively received.

Initially, we read here that Abishai puts a military solution before David.  

Now, David calls Abishai a son of Zeruiah.  
1 Chronicles 2:16 reveals that Zeruiah was David’s sister.  Thus, Abishai is David’s nephew.  

In addition, Abishai is a fearless warrior, once killing 300 men with his spear.  
He is Gimli, General Macarthur, and Rambo all rolled up into one.  

Abishai’s reaction to Shimei’s cursing is instant and exactly what we would expect.  
He says, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the King?  Let me go over and cut off his head.”  He recognizes that Shimei is a pitiful nobody; an insignificant bug that is worthy only of being stomped on.  And he is quite willing to do the stomping!  

Abishai’s reaction is similar to that of the disciples of Jesus.  
In Luke 9, we read that Jesus “sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him;  but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem.  When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?"  James and John were also hungry to see the Lord’s vengeance.  

And then there is Peter, in the garden of Gethsemane.  
John tells us that when they came to take Jesus away, Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant.  
Peter too thought that swords might bring salvation!

And we too, can be hasty when we see wrongdoing, can’t we Brothers and Sisters.  
We too, at times, would love to see the fire of God’s judgment rain down on those we perceive to be enemies of the gospel; people who bring in anti-smacking legislation or Church clerics who deny the resurrection or abuse children.  
Come on God, silence them!  Remove them from office.  Give them a disease so that they go away!  Let them rot in Hell where they belong!  

In contrast to these reactions, let us look now at David’s.  

He says, “What do you and I have in common, you sons of Zeruiah?”  
Perhaps Joab, Abishai’s brother, is standing next to him and in full agreement with his plan.  

But David immediately distances himself from them, indicating that he has an entirely different view of these CURSES FROM ABOVE.  He rebukes Abishai because he knows that 
“Man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.”  

He goes on to say, “If he is cursing because the Lord said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who can ask, ‘Why do you do this?’”  If Absalom, my own son, “is trying to take my life, why not this Benjamite?  Leave him alone; let him curse, for the Lord has told him to.”  

Brothers and Sisters, this is a startling response, to say the least.  It is so totally unexpected.  
Where does this reaction come from?  

To help us interpret David’s response, let us pause again to consider the scene before us.  
In chapter 15:30, we are told that “David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went; his head was covered and he was barefoot.”  
Verse 32 reveals that his robe was torn and dust was on his head.  
He had already instructed Zadok, the priest, to take the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem, perhaps considering himself unworthy of its presence.  

Mentally, we can be sure that the words of Nathan the prophet, are ringing in David’s ears.  
He knows the great sin that he has done.  He knows also that he is living in the middle of the consequences of that sin.  He is guilty of taking blood – Uriah’s.  He failed to act properly in regard to the sin of Amnon and the subsequent sin of Absalom.  
Now, he is forced to flee from Jerusalem – the royal city.  

We know also of the great love for Absalom that David carried in his heart.  

In addition, David knows the promises of the covenant that God made with him.  

And so, with all of these thoughts, swirling about in his heart and in his mind, he hears the curses of Shimei and makes his response to the request of Abishai.  
And what we see is that
David, the cursed King of Israel, submits himself to the judgment of heaven.  

He looks past Shimei to the hand of His Father in Heaven; the sovereign, holy, and just God, but also the loving, patient, and merciful God of His salvation.  

And so, as David submissively receives the curse of God, he begins, once again, to conduct himself like the anointed King of Israel.  
And in so doing, he points us forward to the humble submission of Jesus.  
He forces us to consider what Jesus said to Peter when his sword came out: “Peter, ‘Put your sword away!  Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?’"  

Brothers and Sisters, it is only those who rest in the providence of their heavenly Father who are enabled to submissively receive ALL that He gives them, be it happiness or sorrow, be it flowers or thorns.  

Do you look to God in this way?  
Are you submissively receiving the cup He is currently giving to you?

As we come then to the final scene of the story of CURSES FROM ABOVE, we see here, in verses 12b-14, that the curses are patiently endured.  

You see, unlike Abishai, David’s focus is not on the sin of Shimei; the sin of cursing the king.  
David’s focus is on his own sin, and the promised salvation of God.  

We know this, because of what David says next, in verse 12.  “It may be that the Lord will see my distress and repay me with good for the cursing I am receiving today.”  

I want us to focus, for a moment, on the words “my distress.”  
Now surviving Old Testament manuscripts provide 3 possible words, which are extraordinarily similar, as the original word in this verse.  
1.	One translates as “my distress” or “afflictions.” This is the word that most English Bibles have chosen to translate.  
2.	Another translates as “the tears of my eyes,” which also suggests “my distress.”  
3.	The other word, however, translates as “my iniquity.”  And this Hebrew word is the word found in the traditional Hebrew text of the Old Testament.  

And so, let us read the verse again with that word included.  “It may be that the Lord will see my iniquity and repay me with good for the cursing I am receiving today.”  

It is not difficult to see why most English Bibles prefer “my distress.”  
There are many manuscripts that go in that direction.  

More importantly, it fits well with our human view of ‘justice.’  
We like to see those who go through tough times get a happy ending.  
We like the idea of God having compassion on poor old David.  No one loves him any more.  He is getting cursed and stoned as he is forced to flee Jerusalem.  Maybe God will repay him with good for all of this?  

But, People of God, this is not David’s attitude.  
David is not looking for a reward for his suffering.  
David knows that he cannot offer up to God anything, of himself, that might be worthy of God’s compassion.  

David knows that any distress or affliction that he endures is fully deserved.  
David knows that He deserves to die and spend an eternity in Hell.  
That is why David says, in Psalm 69:5, “You know my folly, O God; my guilt is not hidden from you.”  
But that is also why David can go on in Psalm 69:13 to say, “I pray to you, O Lord, in the time of your favour; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation.”  

You see, David knew that his only hope was in the undeserved grace of God.  
All David himself could bring before God was his iniquity.  
All you can bring before God is your iniquity.  

But God’s grace, in Jesus Christ, has covered that iniquity and removed it.  
God’s grace, in Jesus Christ, has redeemed you from the curse of sin.  
God’s grace, in Jesus Christ, can raise up the afflicted and the distressed and the weary, all those who are weighed down by the curse of sin, and give them the strength to patiently endure it.  

And this is exactly what he did with David and those with him.  
In verse 13 we read that “David and his men continued along the road while Shimei was going along the hillside opposite him, cursing as he went and throwing stones at him and showering him with dirt.  The King and all the people with him arrived at their destination exhausted.  And there he refreshed himself.”

As we consider these closing verses, we see that David and his men walk the same path.  
David was the Lord’s anointed one and his people followed him.  

Jesus is the Lord’s Anointed One and He calls you to follow Him.  
Jesus says, “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”       Are you following Jesus, daily?  

As David and all those with Him walk on, they submissively receive that which continues to rain down upon them from above.  
As those who follow Jesus, People of God, are you ready to submissively receive all that your God gives to you?  
•	1 Peter 4 calls you to expect a ‘fiery ordeal,’ and to be ready to be ‘reviled for the name of Christ.’ 
•	1 John 3 says, “do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.”  
•	Hebrews 12 says, “The Lord disciplines those whom He loves and punishes all those he accepts as Sons.”  

Boys and girls, young people, Brothers and Sisters, do you face illness, loss, and hardship, looking to the hand of your Father in Heaven?

Having been driven out of Jerusalem, David reached the end of his journey exhausted.  
Patiently enduring the curse of sin will do that.  

I think we can safely say that after being driven out of Jerusalem, Jesus also hung on the cross in a state of exhaustion.  

Jesus also patiently endured the curse of sin; the curse of David’s sin and the curse of your sin.  

This, Brothers and Sisters, is the chief benefit of considering the story of CURSES FROM ABOVE!

You see, looking in faith to Jesus, David, was eventually brought to a place of refreshing.  

Likewise, the journey of Jesus Christ did not end on the cross, for He too was raised from the dead and stands refreshed in heaven.  

David sinned as the Lord’s anointed.  Jesus saves as the Lord’s anointed.  

Know then, congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ, that Jesus, the Son of David, will bring you home to heaven, where you may be refreshed with Him.  Amen.