2 Sam 16:12 “It may be that the Lord will look upon my misery and restore to me his covenant blessing instead of his curse today.”
Sometimes we can get very discouraged when we take an update as the final word on the subject. It can be very discouraging to hear a statement about a situation that looks very bleak and hear it as a confirmation of the final outcome.
We see the updates on the news and if we don’t put things in perspective we might think that the world is coming to an end in the next few days. Especially here in the United States the news is slanted toward disaster. It wasn’t always this way. I remember some positive news that happened. We landed on the Moon!
But even a Moon landing would be reported as an invasion of hostile, power-grabbing individuals or nations bent on exploiting not only this planet but the universe at large. It won’t take long until they have ruined even the most distant planets with their evil ideology. Or at least that is how I think it would be reported.
In our text King David is fleeing his capitol city because one of his sons has decided that he knows better how to run the nation. He has for years been plotting behind David’s back in an effort to ensure his rise to power. Sounds like the plot from a modern political thriller, doesn’t it. So David flees the city to save his life and the lives of those closest to him.
As he exits the city the media shows up and starts to throw stones. One man in particular named Shimei decides he knows best and tries to humiliate David. Shimei is from the same family as the former king who David replaced. He sees justice in David’s current situation. He sees vindication in the humiliation that David is suffering and he wants to put his own spin on it. He throws rocks as a way to insult David.
So what does David do? He prays. He puts himself on the mercy of the LORD. He doesn’t know the future, but he knows who does. The LORD may restore rather than honoring the curse Shimei is pronouncing.
Justice doesn’t always happen here on earth. That is because justice requires a righteous judge working in a righteous system. And our system, or any system here on earth, just can’t be just. There is no way even the best of us can bring justice. We do our best, but justice is far to complicated to be accomplished here. Let’s strive for it, but realize that it may never come while we walk these terrestrial paths.
For David, a form of justice does come later in the story. David is returned to power. Shimei life is spared by David himself against the advice of one of David’s closest advisor. We might have sided with that advisor. “Get him! He deserves it!” But David doesn’t seek vengeance anymore than David tried to force his return to the throne.
You see, David trusted in the LORD to bring about His will. Can you put your life in His hands like this?