Shimei and the nature of God's grace.
Jan 17, 2015 8:33:54 GMT
morningstar, shiloh, and 4 more like this
Post by Benjamin on Jan 17, 2015 8:33:54 GMT
So... I got up to talk at Church on Sunday.
I'm currently in a Brethren Church, so any male in the congregation is free to stand up and speak during their open time.
This was the first time I'd spoken in this church, but not my first time ever or anything like that. Anyway...
I got up to speak about grace.
Now, I'd like to think I know a thing or two about grace, having experienced probably significantly more than my fair (haha) share during my life. There have been so many times where I haven't even TRIED to honour the Lord, yet still received more blessing from Him than I could ever have asked for. Let's just say that I couldn't legally, logically or reasonably argue anything but that I'm a sinner, saved by grace, and leave it at that. I didn't go into all of that in Church, but I did want to say something about grace, so I used the example of Shimei.
If you don't know who Shimei is, he appears in 2 Samuel 16:
You can see here already how the Lord (through David) showed grace to Shimei. Nothing at all suggested that Shimei was deserving of David's kindness - and yet, not only did David spare him, but he actively tolerated him - to the point where David and his men ended up camping out for the night in the vain hope that the guy might go away.
Shimei could have lost his life that night, but he didn't.
Why?
Well, it's absolutely due to the grace of God... but that's just one man. What if God's grace extended to a whole nation?
It does - and, amazingly, through this same man.
Let's look at the book of Esther.
Remember Mordecai? He sat at the gate to the city, day by day, and eventually became a saviour of sorts (along with his cousin Esther) to the Jewish people, preventing their massacre at the hands of the villain of the piece, Haman.
In Esther 2, we find Mordecai:
...did you catch that?
Mordecai was a descendant of that same Shimei.
Had the Lord not spared Shimei, and shown him grace, the events of Esther may have turned out rather differently!
...but His grace doesn't stop there.
Look at Zechariah 12:
...and there he is again - the clan of Shimei, and their wives, mourning as one mourns for an only child over the death of Messiah.
Shimei will be there in the Millenial Kingdom, and all his family with him!
I love this story. I really do. The fact that someone who deserved anything but grace, yet received it from "a man after God's own heart", and from the Lord Himself, is just amazing - and the fact that the Lord used that man's descendants to save Israel, and still has a place for them in the Millennial Kingdom, is incredible to me.
So, here's the kicker:
By the time I read that final passage from Zechariah 12, I got pretty emotional.
I managed to get to the end of everything, squeak out the words "there's certainly something to be said for God's grace", before returning to my seat and bursting into tears (I'm such a pansy).
There are some things I can handle in life. Earthquakes. Fire. The gentle mockery of my coworkers.
The grace of the Lord? Not so much. It reduces me to a quivering mess... but I'm okay with it. We serve an indescribably amazing God, don't we? ...so if you're looking for me in the Millennial Kingdom, look for me among the least, for they've received the greatest of grace. Look for me with Shimei.
I'm currently in a Brethren Church, so any male in the congregation is free to stand up and speak during their open time.
This was the first time I'd spoken in this church, but not my first time ever or anything like that. Anyway...
I got up to speak about grace.
Now, I'd like to think I know a thing or two about grace, having experienced probably significantly more than my fair (haha) share during my life. There have been so many times where I haven't even TRIED to honour the Lord, yet still received more blessing from Him than I could ever have asked for. Let's just say that I couldn't legally, logically or reasonably argue anything but that I'm a sinner, saved by grace, and leave it at that. I didn't go into all of that in Church, but I did want to say something about grace, so I used the example of Shimei.
If you don't know who Shimei is, he appears in 2 Samuel 16:
Shimei Curses David
5 As King David approached Bahurim, a man from the same clan as Saul’s family came out from there. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and he cursed as he came out. 6 He pelted David and all the king’s officials with stones, though all the troops and the special guard were on David’s right and left. 7 As he cursed, Shimei said, “Get out, get out, you murderer, you scoundrel! 8 The Lord has repaid you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. The Lord has given the kingdom into the hands of your son Absalom. You have come to ruin because you are a murderer!”
9 Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head.”
10 But the king said, “What does this have to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who can ask, ‘Why do you do this?’”
11 David then said to Abishai and all his officials, “My son, my own flesh and blood, is trying to kill me. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. 12 It may be that the Lord will look upon my misery and restore to me his covenant blessing instead of his curse today.”
13 So David and his men continued along the road while Shimei was going along the hillside opposite him, cursing as he went and throwing stones at him and showering him with dirt.
5 As King David approached Bahurim, a man from the same clan as Saul’s family came out from there. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and he cursed as he came out. 6 He pelted David and all the king’s officials with stones, though all the troops and the special guard were on David’s right and left. 7 As he cursed, Shimei said, “Get out, get out, you murderer, you scoundrel! 8 The Lord has repaid you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. The Lord has given the kingdom into the hands of your son Absalom. You have come to ruin because you are a murderer!”
9 Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head.”
10 But the king said, “What does this have to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who can ask, ‘Why do you do this?’”
11 David then said to Abishai and all his officials, “My son, my own flesh and blood, is trying to kill me. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. 12 It may be that the Lord will look upon my misery and restore to me his covenant blessing instead of his curse today.”
13 So David and his men continued along the road while Shimei was going along the hillside opposite him, cursing as he went and throwing stones at him and showering him with dirt.
You can see here already how the Lord (through David) showed grace to Shimei. Nothing at all suggested that Shimei was deserving of David's kindness - and yet, not only did David spare him, but he actively tolerated him - to the point where David and his men ended up camping out for the night in the vain hope that the guy might go away.
Shimei could have lost his life that night, but he didn't.
Why?
Well, it's absolutely due to the grace of God... but that's just one man. What if God's grace extended to a whole nation?
It does - and, amazingly, through this same man.
Let's look at the book of Esther.
Remember Mordecai? He sat at the gate to the city, day by day, and eventually became a saviour of sorts (along with his cousin Esther) to the Jewish people, preventing their massacre at the hands of the villain of the piece, Haman.
In Esther 2, we find Mordecai:
5 Now there was in the citadel of Susa a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, named Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, 6 who had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, among those taken captive with Jehoiachin king of Judah. 7 Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This young woman, who was also known as Esther, had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died.
...did you catch that?
Mordecai was a descendant of that same Shimei.
Had the Lord not spared Shimei, and shown him grace, the events of Esther may have turned out rather differently!
...but His grace doesn't stop there.
Look at Zechariah 12:
10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. 11 On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be as great as the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 The land will mourn, each clan by itself, with their wives by themselves: the clan of the house of David and their wives, the clan of the house of Nathan and their wives, 13 the clan of the house of Levi and their wives, the clan of Shimei and their wives, 14 and all the rest of the clans and their wives.
...and there he is again - the clan of Shimei, and their wives, mourning as one mourns for an only child over the death of Messiah.
Shimei will be there in the Millenial Kingdom, and all his family with him!
I love this story. I really do. The fact that someone who deserved anything but grace, yet received it from "a man after God's own heart", and from the Lord Himself, is just amazing - and the fact that the Lord used that man's descendants to save Israel, and still has a place for them in the Millennial Kingdom, is incredible to me.
So, here's the kicker:
By the time I read that final passage from Zechariah 12, I got pretty emotional.
I managed to get to the end of everything, squeak out the words "there's certainly something to be said for God's grace", before returning to my seat and bursting into tears (I'm such a pansy).
There are some things I can handle in life. Earthquakes. Fire. The gentle mockery of my coworkers.
The grace of the Lord? Not so much. It reduces me to a quivering mess... but I'm okay with it. We serve an indescribably amazing God, don't we? ...so if you're looking for me in the Millennial Kingdom, look for me among the least, for they've received the greatest of grace. Look for me with Shimei.
