Scene Six: At Bahurim--Stoned by Shimei
(16:5-14)
5 When King David came to Bahurim, behold, there came out from there a man of the family of the house of Saul whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera; he came out cursing continually as he came. 6 He threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David; and all the people and all the mighty men were at his right hand and at his left. 7 Thus Shimei said when he cursed, “Get out, get out, you man of bloodshed, and worthless fellow! 8 “The LORD has returned upon you all the bloodshed of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the LORD has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. And behold, you are taken in your own evil, for you are a man of bloodshed!” 9 Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over now and cut off his head.” 10 But the king said, “What have I to do with you, O sons of Zeruiah? If he curses, and if the LORD has told him, 'Curse David,' then who shall say, 'Why have you done so?”' 11 Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, my son who came out from me seeks my life; how much more now this Benjamite? Let him alone and let him curse, for the LORD has told him. 12 “Perhaps the LORD will look on my affliction and return good to me instead of his cursing this day.” 13 So David and his men went on the way; and Shimei went along on the hillside parallel with him and as he went he cursed and cast stones and threw dust at him. 14 The king and all the people who were with him arrived weary and he refreshed himself there.
Bahurim was a small town, below, but not far from Jerusalem. Phaltiel, the (second) husband of Michal, was allowed to follow her this far, and was then turned back (2 Samuel 3:14-16). This is the place where the two spies, Ahimaaz and Jonathan, were hidden in a well until Absalom's men gave up searching for them (2 Samuel 17:17-20). Here, a man named Shimei appears, not to mourn with David nor to provide supplies for his journey, but to mock and curse him, throwing dirt and stones at David and those with him.
As I read this account, I am amazed at how stupid this man appears. Here is but one man, verbally attacking David and physically abusing him (although I would suspect that David's bodyguards did not let Shimei get close enough to David to do him any physical harm). Does this man not know that any one of David's bodyguards could cut off his head in a moment, should David give permission to do so? I think I have seen similar actions in the news when protesters, armed only with sticks and rocks, have challenged those they consider their enemies, in riot gear, and armed with tanks and automatic weapons. In spite of the power of their adversary, they will not be silenced or stopped, if not by death.
Shimei's accusations are interesting. Look at his words carefully. He accuses David of being a “man of bloodshed.” We immediately think in terms of Uriah and his death, ordered by David himself. But that is not what Shimei mentions specifically. He speaks of David's shedding of blood in terms of Saul and his house (verse 8). I am inclined to view Shimei as being entirely out of line, calling David (God's anointed king) a “worthless fellow,” and accusing him of the blood of Saul and his family, for which he was not responsible. Abishai wanted to shut this man's mouth permanently, by cutting off his head. David refused permission, convinced of the sovereignty of God in all these matters. He knew that Shimei's actions were wrong, even that his accusations were inaccurate. In spite of this David believed that it was possible that God was speaking to him through this man, and thus he would not seek to silence one through whom God might be speaking. Instead, he proceeded on his way, looking to God for his vindication. Weary no doubt from the physical aspects of this trek, but also from the emotionally draining elements of this whole journey, David and his supporters arrive at the destination, where they will await further word from Jerusalem.
Scene Seven: Back in Jerusalem
(“Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch”)
(16:15-23)
15 Then Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, entered Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. 16 Now it came about when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, came to Absalom, that Hushai said to Absalom, “Long live the king! Long live the king!” 17 Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?” 18 Then Hushai said to Absalom, “No! For whom the LORD, this people, and all the men of Israel have chosen, his I will be, and with him I will remain. 19 “Besides, whom should I serve? Should I not serve in the presence of his son? As I have served in your father's presence, so I will be in your presence.” 20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give your advice. What shall we do?” 21 Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to your father's concubines, whom he has left to keep the house; then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself odious to your father. The hands of all who are with you will also be strengthened.” 22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and Absalom went in to his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel. 23 The advice of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if one inquired of the word of God; so was all the advice of Ahithophel regarded by both David and Absalom.
I am going to touch on this final paragraph quite briefly, because it is a key transition into chapter 17. The translations usually begin verse 1 of chapter 17 with a “furthermore” or a “moreover.” Actually the simplest Hebrew connective (a vav) is used, which would most often be rendered “and.” The point I am making is that the chapter break here is awkward, and it tends to separate that which should be considered together. Chapters 16:25-33 and 17:1-4 constitute Ahithophel's counsel to Absalom, which has two parts: (1) Possess David's concubines, thereby proclaiming yourself “king,” and (2) “Let me take 12,000 men tonight and kill David alone.”
For this lesson, I will focus only on 16:20-23, with the understanding that I will deal with one aspect of Ahithophel's counsel and Absalom's actions. In the next lesson, we will return to these verses, focusing on them in relationship to what follows.
Our author never actually tells us that Absalom “blew the trumpet,” which was to be the sign for all Israel to declare their allegiance to him as Israel's new king (15:10). David's flight from Jerusalem certainly prompted Absalom's bold advance to the city and his possession of it. Once in the city, Absalom turned to Ahithophel for counsel as to what he should next do. Ahithophel counseled Absalom to symbolically declare himself king in a way that would make a statement to David and to all Israel. Ahithophel recommended that Absalom take the ten wives (or concubines -- the terms seem to be used almost interchangeably here) and publicly sleep with them, as a symbol of his possession of the throne (along with the harem). The taking of a king's harem certainly symbolized the taking of this man's place, of replacing him. Ruben did this by taking one of Jacob's concubines (Genesis 35:22; cf. 49:4). Adonijah will attempt to do this with Abishag, one of David's concubines (1 Kings 2:13-25).
The thing I wish to emphasize here is that Absalom's actions regarding David's wives are not only a gesture which symbolically proclaims his taking of the throne, it is also the fulfillment of Nathan's prophetic words in chapter 12:
9 'Why have you despised the word of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. 10 'Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.' 11 “Thus says the LORD, 'Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. 12 'Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun”' (2 Samuel 12:9-12, emphasis mine).
There was never any doubt that God would bring about that which He had spoken through Nathan. The author of our text does not want us to miss the fact that this event is, in part, the fulfillment of Nathan's words. David sinned with one woman, taking her as his wife when she was the wife of another. Now, Absalom takes ten wives of David and makes them his own wife by sleeping with them. David sinned in private; Absalom purposely made a spectacle of his sin, so that all Israel would know what he was about. David's humiliation in this is great. Let us never deceive ourselves into thinking that our sin is worth the price. If David could have seen where his sin was leading, he would never have chosen the path he did. Let us learn from David's mistake (sin), rather than learn the hard way as he did, that sin never pays.
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