“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.” (v.5)
Here we read of King David being unjustly cursed by Shimei. This happened
while David was fleeing from his son Absalom, who wanted to kill him. Shimei, from the house of Saul, was cursing David for stealing the throne from his family, which could not be further from the truth. Unlike
David, we often want to silence our critics, insist on fairness, and defend
ourselves or our position. This however was not David's reaction, for he allowed him to protest, when he could have had his head!
We all can learn something here. As we grow in our awareness of God's protective love, we
become less concerned with what others say about us and more willing to entrust
ourselves to our Father. Like David, we can then say of each critic, "Let
him alone, and let him curse" (v.11), thus demonstrating humble submission
to God’s will.
It takes great maturity to look beyond those who oppose us and simple faith to look to the
One who unites us. Believing, that whatever God permits, is for our
ultimate good. Therefore, trust Him, rest in His love and let you detractors alone.
The Truth
“Blessed
are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against
you falsely for My sake.” (Matthew 5:11)
