1 Kings 2:36-46 - Rebellion
Scripture:
1 Kings 2:36-46
36 Now the king sent and called for Shimei and said to him, "Build for yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, and do not go out from there to any place.
37 "For on the day you go out and cross over the brook Kidron, you will know for certain that you shall surely die; your blood shall be on your own head."
38 Shimei then said to the king, "The word is good. As my lord the king has said, so your servant will do." So Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days.
39 But it came about at the end of three years, that two of the servants of Shimei ran away to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, "Behold, your servants are in Gath."
40 Then Shimei arose and saddled his donkey, and went to Gath to Achish to look for his servants. And Shimei went and brought his servants from Gath.
41 It was told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and had returned.
42 So the king sent and called for Shimei and said to him, "Did I not make you swear by the Lord and solemnly warn you, saying, 'You will know for certain that on the day you depart and go anywhere, you shall surely die'? And you said to me, 'The word which I have heard is good.'
43 "Why then have you not kept the oath of the Lord, and the command which I have laid on you?"
44 The king also said to Shimei, " You know all the evil which you acknowledge in your heart, which you did to my father David; therefore the Lord shall return your evil on your own head.
45 "But King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever."
46 So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and fell upon him so that he died.
Thus the kingdom was established in the hands of Solomon.
NASU
Thoughts:
Shimei was an old enemy of King David. He was a descendant of Saul, David's predecessor as king. Years before this point, when Absalom had successfully taken the thrown from David for a time, Shimei had publicly cursed David, as David reminds Solomon:
1 Kings 2:8
8 "Behold, there is with you Shimei the son of Gera the Benjamite, of Bahurim; now it was he who cursed me with a violent curse on the day I went to Mahanaim. But when he came down to me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord, saying, 'I will not put you to death with the sword.'
NASU
In place of his father who had sworn not to touch Shimei, Solomon sees fit to punish Shimei by putting him on probation, in modern terms. He is not to leave the city of Jerusalem (verses 36-38).
But rebellion runs deep in the human heart. Whether Shimei was seeking to outrightly rebel against Solomon as he had his father David, or if it was incidental, he rebels against his punishment, all the same. He left the confines of Jerusalem for a time (verses 40-41). As a result of his rebellion, he receives the promised punishment of death (verse 46a).
Prayer:
Lord, I confess of the rebelliousness that's in me. I too struggle with not wanting to be told what to do by someone else.
Forgive me. Give me a humble heart, and an attitude of submission to those in authority over me. Submitting in reality to You and Your will, as You even work through those in authority over me, Christian or otherwise:
1 Peter 2:13-17
13 Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, 14 or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. 15 For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. 16 Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. 17 Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.
NASU
Amen
posted by Steve @ 8:41 PM
