SHIMEI didn’t suspect anything when he got the King’s summon.
He left his house in the Benjaminite town of Bahurim and travelled to the capital. He left for the king’s palace at once.
When he arrived at the palace and had presented himself, the monarch read him and thought he’d forgotten his wrong.
So he decided that he’d remind him first before he would pass judgement.
But Shimei hadn’t all forgotten. For he had indeed asked pardon from King David after the ruler’s crises were done.
The monarch had granted his pardon when he’d hurriedly gone to placate him. And with the pardon secured, Shimei could move on like he never erred.
However, this man became a little apprehensive that the king could change his mind. That he could turn back the page in time and revisit his wrong.
Yet the tide of time rolled past and the king grew old, and died.
Now with the king’s death, the man felt relieved as he said the monarch had carried his crime to the grave.
But Shimei wouldn’t know that his offence wasn’t exactly against a king on the throne. For it was against the throne set up by the Most High God.
It was against God who had placed man in power.
And this God remembered.
So this man stood before King Solomon as the ruler addressed him.
‘You are Shimei of the town of Bahurim. You are the man who threw stones at King David when he sought safe passage through your village.
‘You are the one who cursed at the King at his time of trouble.’
At this, old Shimei fell to his knees as that very instant he saw the reason for his summon.
It was judgement arriving then; so he feared.
Yet the monarch had only begun. He hadn’t stated the man’s error, let alone pass his judgement. So he wondered at Shimei’s tremor and went on with his sentence.
‘Tell me: have you seen a King place a curse on the Lord’s prophet? Or would David curse Nathan?’
‘No, Your Majesty,’ answered Shimei; ‘my lord would never do so.’
Solomon went again. ‘Now have you seen a prophet speak by his own self and curse the King?’
The old man answered with trembling. ‘No, Your Majesty; a prophet would never curse him.’
‘So why did you a secular man curse at God’s anointed?’ asked Solomon. ‘Why did you throw stones at the King whom the Lord ordained?’
The man had no words.
‘When our fathers were on their way to this Land of Promise, our God rebuked nations for their sakes.
‘He warned them not to touch them nor do them any harm.
‘Yes, He called our ancestors His anointed – each person, even when they were a multitude.
‘Now if He did anoint one man to be King over His chosen ones, then how much should a man who cursed at His king be rebuked?
‘How much worse judgement should he bear if our God did not spare the nations?’
Shimei bowed his head to the ground and began to cry. The weight of his crime came crashing on him that he cried.
Indeed, when he asked pardon from King David, he didn’t realize what he did. All he wanted then was to live.
He didn’t want to die for his wrong and so he’d desperately pleaded the ruler for mercy.
But David knew so well that Shimei wasn’t exactly sorry for what he did. That he simply wanted it buried.
So King David decided to let him be. He chose instead to bury it in the Book of Records.
Now Shimei’s wrong came on him like a thousand stones piling on him. Then his heart exploded with a desperate yearn for pardon.
It was not like the days of his plea with David, when the man wanted the good soul placated so quickly.
But this time, Shimei felt sorry for what he’d done that he wished he could be spared just for once.
Now when Solomon saw the man’s remorse, he decided to temper justice.
‘The King is high and mighty,’ he spoke, ‘and no one sees him unless he wanted it so.
‘But because King David was in crisis, he had to trudge down your street and you could set your eyes on him.
‘Still the King owns the land and owns the freedom to walk every city and place he wants to go. But you hindered his freedom by insulting him.
‘Now because you insulted the King when he went through your town, you will never get to live in your town again.
‘And because you hindered the King’s freedom, your freedom to walk any place will be taken from you.’
Shimei raised his head, unsure of what his sentence would be.
The king spoke the words of that sentence:
‘Now you shall leave Bahurim and build a house for yourself in Jerusalem. You shall live and remain in Jerusalem all the days of your life.
‘And if for any reason you step out of the capital someday, then you shall surely die that day.’
Shimei bowed and cried a pool of tears as he was both sorry and grateful. So he left the palace, determined to keep the charge.
Therefore, the man called Shimei built a house for himself in Jerusalem according to the king’s order; and he began to live there.
But after three years of residing there, the old one had a reason to leave town. For two of his servants fled from home and sought safety in Gath, a tribute colony.
Shimei couldn’t let his servants off the hook. He wanted them back at every cost. So he left home and went searching for them.
He heard the servants had run off to Gath far away. And without thinking twice, he got on his donkey and rode to Gath outside town.
Shimei found his servants and brought them home, but a sentence was waiting for him at home.
It was the way Solomon did his fight. A pardon, a generous pardon: but the foes would come back guilty.
Now as Shimei was heading back home, he was received by the king’s soldiers. So they seized him and led him to palace.
And there King Solomon sentenced him. But this time, it wasn’t with exile nor with restrain.
But it was with the sword, the sword of David.
King Solomon prospered in his reign, and went on to prosper every good work. For he opened the King’s Book of Records and rewarded every one called Faithful.
Zadok was made the High Priest for all capacity; and Benaiah was made Commander of the Israelite army.
Zadok’s son Ahi became Governor of the region of Naphthali, and Solomon gave him his own daughter in marriage.
To the older ones who were passing on and leaving their seed behind, the wise ruler also gave rewards—it was to their wards.
For he recalled Nathan’s faithfulness and decorated his two sons.
One of those sons he ordained as priest and appointed as the King’s adviser. Then the other he installed as chief over the region governors.
He remembered Hushai also—David’s friend. He recalled his dedication when he spied for his father during the revolt.
He remembered the old man and treated his son kindly. He made the son one of twelve governors leading the twelve regions of Israel.
Still King Solomon prospered many more names and many of their seed. For he was Water which blesses a parched ground.
With this done, the ruler closed the King’s Book of Records. As every man that should have been judged was, and every one that should have been honoured was.
Therefore when Water saw that he had put out all fire, he rose up to go to a place called Gibeon.
It was a mountainside where he must begin anew.
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