Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite, who was of Bahurim, hurried and came down with the men of Judah to meet king David. There were a thousand men of Benjamin with him, and Ziba the servant of Saul’s house, and his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him; and they went through the Jordan in the presence of the king. A ferry boat went to bring over the king’s household, and to do what he thought good. Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king, when he had come over the Jordan. He said to the king, “Don’t let my lord impute iniquity to me, or remember that which your servant did perversely the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, that the king should take it to his heart. For your servant knows that I have sinned. Therefore behold, I have come today as the first of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king.”
But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered, “Shouldn’t Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed Yahweh’s anointed?”
David said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should be adversaries to me today? Shall any man be put to death today in Israel? For don’t I know that I am king over Israel today?” The king said to Shimei, “You will not die.” The king swore to him.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv16, 19, 20, 23 Who had before reviled him, 2 Sam. 16:13.
Who had before reviled him, 2 Sam. 16:13.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv16–23 2Sa 19:16 And Shimei the son of Gera, a…
2Sa 19:16 And Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite, which [was] of Bahurim, hasted and came down with the men of Judah to meet king David.
Ver. 16. And Shimei … hasted and came down.] As hoping that he also should get pardon among the many; who were faulty too, but not so deeply as himself. It is good thrusting in where pardon is to be had. "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so" - viz., "that his mercy endureth for ever."
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv17–23 A thousand men of Benjamin with him; whom he…
A thousand men of Benjamin with him; whom he brought, partly to show his power and interest in the people, whereby he was able to do David either great service or great disservice; and partly as intercessors on his behalf, and as witnesses of David’s clemency or severity, that in him they might see what the rest of them might expect.
And Ziba; who, being conscious of his former abuse of David, and of his master Mephibosheth, which he knew the king would understand, designed to sweeten David’s spirit towards him, by his great officiousness and forwardness in meeting him, and congratulating his return.
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They went over Jordan before the king; they did not tarry on this side Jordan, waiting till the king came over, as the most of the men of Judah did; but went over Jordan to pay their respects and duty to the king there, to express their eager and impatient desire to see the king.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On v16 Perhaps Jordan was never passed with so much solemnity,…
Perhaps Jordan was never passed with so much solemnity, nor with so many remarkable occurrences, as it was now, since Israel passed it under Joshua. David, in his afflictive flight, remembered God particularly from the land of Jordan (Psa 42:6), and now that land, more than any other, was graced with the glories of his return. David's soldiers furnished themselves with accommodations for their passage over this river, but, for his own family, a ferry-boat was sent on purpose, Sa2 19:18. A fleet of boats, say some; a bridge of boats was made, say others; the best convenience they had to serve him with. Two remarkable persons met him on the banks of Jordan, both of whom had abused him wretchedly when he was in his flight.
I. Ziba, who had abused him with his fair tongue, and by accusing his master, had obtained from the king a grant of his estate, Sa2 16:4. A greater abuse he could not have done him, than, by imposing upon his credulity, to draw him in to do a thing so unkind to the son of his friend Jonathan. He comes now, with a retinue of sons and servants, to meet the king (Sa2 19:17), that he may obtain the king's favour, and so come off the better when Mephibosheth shall shortly undeceive him, and clear himself, Sa2 19:26.
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II. Shimei, who had abused him with his foul tongue, railed at him, and cursed him, Sa2 16:5. If David had been defeated, no doubt he would have continued to trample upon him, and have gloried in what he had done; but now that he sees him coming home in triumph, and returning to his throne, he thinks it his interest to make his peace with him. Those who now slight and abuse the Son of David would be glad to make their peace too when he shall come in his glory; but it will be too late. Shimei, to recommend himself to the king, 1. Came with good company, with the men of Judah, as one in their interest. 2. He brought a regiment of the men of Benjamin with him, 1000, of which perhaps he was chiliarch, or commander-in-chief, offering his own and their service to the king; or perhaps they were volunteers, whom by his interest he had got together to meet the king, which was the more obliging because of all the tribes of Israel there were none, except these and Judah, that appeared to pay him this respect. 3. What he did he hastened to do; he lost no time. Agree with thy adversary quickly, while thou art in the way. Here is, (1.) The criminal's submission (Sa2 19:18-20): He fell down before the king, as a penitent, as a supplicant; and, that he might be thought sincere, he did it publicly before all David's servants, and his friends the men of Judah, yea, and before his own thousand. The offence was public, therefore the submission ought to be so. He owns his crime: Thy servant doth know that I have sinned. He aggravates it: I did perversely. He begs the king's pardon: Let not the king impute iniquity to thy servant, that is, deal with me as I deserve. He intimates that it was below the king's great and generous mind to take it to his heart; and pleads his early return to his allegiance, that he was the first of all the house of Joseph (that is, of Israel, who in the beginning of David's reign had distinguished themselves from Judah by their adherence to Ishbosheth, Sa2 2:10) that came to meet the king. He came first, that by his example of duty the rest might be induced, and by his experience of the king's clemency the rest might be encouraged to follow. (2.) A motion made for judgment against him (Sa2 19:21): "Shall not Shimei be put to death as a traitor? Let him, of all men, be made an example." This motion was made by Abishai, who would have ventured his life to have been the death of Shimei when he was cursing, Sa2 16:9. David did not think fit to have it done then, because his judicial power was cut short; but, now that it was restored, why should not the law have its course? Abishai herein consulted what he supposed to be David's feelings more than his true interest. Princes have need to arm themselves against temptations to severity. (3.) His discharge by the king's order, Sa2 19:22, Sa2 19:23. He rejected Abishai's motion with displeasure: What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? The less we have to do with those who are of an angry revengeful spirit, and who put us upon doing what is harsh and rigorous, the better. He looks upon these prosecutors as adversaries to him, though they pretended friendship and zeal for his honour. Those who advise us to what is wrong are really Satans, adversaries to us. [1.] They were adversaries to his inclination, which was to clemency. He knew that he was this day king in Israel, restored to, and re-established in, his kingdom, and therefore his honour inclined him to forgive. It is the glory of kings to forgive those that humble and surrender themselves: Satis est prostrasse leoni - it suffices the lion that he has laid his victim prostrate. His joy inclined him to forgive. The pleasantness of his spirit on this great occasion forbade the entrance of any thing that was sour and peevish: joyful days should be forgiving days. Yet this was not all; his experience of God's mercy in restoring him to his kingdom, his exclusion from which he attributed to his sin, inclined him to show mercy to Shimei. Those that are forgiven must forgive. David had severely revenged the abuses done to his ambassadors by the Ammonites (Sa2 12:31), but easily passes by the abuse done to himself by an Israelite. That was an affront to Israel in general, and touched the honour of his crown and kingdom; this was purely personal, and therefore (according to the usual disposition of good men) he could the more easily forgive it. [2.] They were adversaries to his interest. If he should put to death Shimei, who cursed him, those would expect the same fate who had taken up arms and actually levied war against him, which would drive them from him, while he was endeavouring to draw them to him. Acts of severity are seldom acts of policy. The throne is established by mercy. Shimei, hereupon, had his pardon signed and sealed with an oath, yet being bound, no doubt, to his good behaviour, and liable to be prosecuted if he afterwards misbehaved; and thus he was reserved to be, in due time, as much a monument of the justice of the government as he was now of its clemency, and in both of its prudence.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv16–23 And Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite, which…
And Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite, which was of Bahurim,.... Of whom see Sa2 16:5,
hasted and came down with the men of Judah to meet King David: he took the first opportunity to meet the king, and ask his pardon for his ill treatment of him when he fled from Jerusalem; for, hearing: that Absalom was slain, and the victory was on the side of David, who was returning in triumph, he thought it advisable as soon as possible to make his submission, and entreat forgiveness, lest he should fall a just sacrifice to his vengeance; and a better opportunity he could not well have than to go along with the men of Judah, who met the king first of all.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv17, 20, 22 With him - Whom he brought, partly to shew…
With him - Whom he brought, partly to shew his interest in the people, and partly, as intercessors on his behalf, and as witnesses of David's clemency or severity, that in him they might see what the rest of them might expect. Ziba - Who, being conscious of his former abuse of David, and of his master Mephibosheth, which he knew the king would understand, designed to sweeten David's spirit towards him, by forwardness in meeting him.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv16, 18, 20 Verse 16. Shimei the son of Gera] It appears…
Verse 16. Shimei the son of Gera] It appears that Shimei was a powerful chieftain in the land; for he had here, in his retinue, no less than a thousand men.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv16, 18, 21 2Sa 19:16-17. Shimei hasted and came down to meet…
2Sa 19:16-17. Shimei hasted and came down to meet King David — As Shimei had so insulted and abused David, he very justly concluded that he could have no hopes of pardon, but in consequence of his being one of the first to go and bring back the king. There were a thousand men of Benjamin with him — Whom he brought, partly to show his interest in the people, and the service he was capable of rendering the king; and partly that they might be intercessors on his behalf, and as witnesses of David’s clemency or severity, that in him they might see what the rest of them might expect. Ziba — Who, being conscious of his former abuse of David, and of his master Mephibosheth, which he knew the king would understand, designed to sweeten David’s spirit toward him, by his forwardness in meeting him. They went over Jordan before the king —
They were so desirous to express their zeal, that they went further than the men of Judah, even to the other side of Jordan where the king was, and then, returning, passed over before him.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv16, 17, 18, 20 Shimei being aware that Judah was unanimous in recalling…
Shimei being aware that Judah was unanimous in recalling the king, lost no time in trying to make his peace with David, by bringing a large Benjamite force with him.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv16, 17, 18, 20, 22, 23 Semei, who had cursed David in his adversity, is…
Semei, who had cursed David in his adversity, is now ready to fawn upon him, when he sees him restored to his throne. He was chief of a thousand, in Benjamin.
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv16, 17, 18, 20 Shemei . . . a thousand men of Benjamin…
Shemei . . . a thousand men of Benjamin with him--This display of [Shemei's] followers was to show what force he could raise against or in support of the king. Expressing the deepest regret for his former outrageous conduct, he was pardoned on the spot; and although the son of Zeruiah urged the expediency of making this chief a public example, his officiousness was repulsed by David with magnanimity, and with the greater confidence that he felt himself now re-established in the kingdom (see on Kg1 2:8).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23 SHIMEI’S CONFESSION AND PARDON, 2Sa_19:15-23.
SHIMEI’S CONFESSION AND PARDON, 2Sa_19:15-23.
17. A thousand men of Benjamin with him — From which it seems that Shimei was a man of much power and influence among the Benjamites.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23 16–44. David’s return. Episodes on the journey
16–44. David’s return. Episodes on the journey
16–23. Shimei sues for pardon
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16. Shimei] See ch. 2Sa_16:5 ff. Shimei and Ziba came with guilty consciences to curry favour by seeming to shew special zeal in bringing back the king.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv16, 17, 18, 20, 22, 23 (16) Shimei the son of Gera.—See Note on 2Sa_16:5.…
(16) Shimei the son of Gera.—See Note on 2Sa_16:5. It is evident that Shimei was a man of influence and importance, and his accession to David at this juncture was of great value. At the same time, it is plain that Shimei himself was only a time-server, and that he was thoroughly disloyal in his heart, and only came now to David because he saw that his was “the winning cause.”
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv16, 17, 18, 20, 22, 23 Shimei the son of Gera. The fact that he…
Shimei the son of Gera. The fact that he came attended by a thousand men of the tribe of Benjamin is a proof, not only that he was a person of influence, but that he had exerted himself to bring over his tribesmen to David"s side. His adherence was, therefore, of importance. Ziba had always professed allegiance to David, and as he virtually represented the house of Stud, his presence was also valuable, even if prompted by the desire to keep Mephibosheth"s land. For though Absalom seemed to be the nation"s choice, yet there would be many legitimists who would consider that the crown belonged to Saul"s heirs, and who would watch the course of events for any opportunity favourable to their views. David"s victory ruined their hopes, and the public acts of Shimei and Ziba removed all fear of public disturbance on the part of Saul"s friends.
Vers. 16-30. The facts are:
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1. Shimei, with a considerable Benjamite following, including Ziba and his household, joins the men of Judah to meet David at the Jordan.
2. Previous to the king being ferried over, Shimei falls down before him, confesses his past sins, and pleads for mercy, and urges as evidence of sincerity that he is the first to come and bid the king welcome.
3. On Abishai expressing his feeling that Shimei should rather be put to death for his evil deeds, David resents the suggestion, and in honour of the day of his restoration declares to Shimei that his life shall be spared. Mephibosheth also comes, with his person uncared for, to welcome the king at Jerusalem, and on being asked why he had not gone out with him into exile, explains that it was owing to the deception of his servant Ziba.
4. Placing himself and all his interests entirely at the king"s disposal,admitting that all his rights and privileges were, according to political custom, of pure clemency, he is told that he need not enter further into the question, but that he and Ziba should divide the land between them.
The influence of superior minds.
The section now under notice cannot be separated in import from the preceding words (vers. 14, 15), which relate that David bowed the heart of all the men of Judah so that they came to conduct him over Jordan. The particular instances of Shimei and Mephibosheth are special illustrations of the general truth expressed in David"s bowing the hearts of men. The mighty power of the king"s words and methods gathered around him the most bitter of foes and the most lonely and helpless of his friends. The facts bring out into view the influence which a superior mind exercises over others; and on the nature and conditions of this influence we may, by the help of the narrative in addition to broad facts in human life, make a few observations, noting
I THE NATURAL BASIS. The bowing of the hearts of all the people indicates the swaying of an influence of an unusual kind. Whatever the means and whatever aids to this end came from the sudden transition of public feeling produced by Absalom"s death, the fact remains that there was in David"s nature as a man something which, when aroused, gave him a mental and moral power over others. Intellectually and morally he was a born king of men. If "king" = konig = konnen, "to be able," then he, by virtue of his nature, was king was above others, and there went forth a spell which all recognized. Apart from special endowments, he was the superior man of the age. There were elements in him which, under evil disposition, would render him most capable of leading people captive in evil ways, and which, under a good disposition, did lay hold of them for their good. The history of mankind and the observation of daily life reveal the domination of one mind over others. The influence of mind is the most subtle and mighty thing we know. Millions sometimes submit to its spell. It is the proud prerogative of the select few to bow down the hearts of their fellows. All attempts to explain the fact by psychological analysis are insufficient. No analysis can get at the mysterious nature of the impact of one spirit on another: yet we knew that the reality has its root in the peculiar constitution of the individual. This applies to preacher, statesman, philosopher, poet, king. The Apostle Paul"s power was in its basis a constitutional power. Grace is grafted on nature, not a force apart from nature.
II ACQUIRED INCREMENT. The native qualities of David determined the fact and the kind of his superior influence over other minds, though not its moral direction. But his education and experience in the gradual exercise of his powers in lower spheres of activity contributed to the mature form and range of his influence. The conqueror of lion and giant became, by an educational process, a conqueror of the hearts of men. The development of natural powers, whether of oratory, administration, will force, moral suasion, or the more nameless thing which goes out from one"s personal presence, is another way of saying that we have added to the store of influence which lay in the mental constitution from the first. The difference in the degree to which some men acquire this increment accounts, in large measure, for their ascendancy over the equally gifted. Perhaps this is the meaning of those who regard genius as a name for great powers duly developed by continuous exercise.
III SPIRITUAL ENDOWMENT. In the case of David we must recognize this element in his superior power over the hearts of good and bad. Grace in him had perfected and beautified a fine nature. The spiritual is always the most subtle and subduing influence over men, when brought fairly into play. In spite of sin, men acknowledge the spell. The anointing by Samuel in the name of God was more than a formal act. David was indeed the Lord"s anointed. Hence all the natural and acquired qualities received an elevation and a tone which, when the dire evils of the great fall were not at work on him, gave to his words, his counsels, his movements, and commands a charm and force over men of most diverse temperament and character. In this he was like the apostles when they stood before men. We occasionally see now how greatly the power of certain minds is increased over others when they have the natural and acquired gifts baptized with the anointing of the Holy Spirit. A consecrated heart and intellect gains influence by its consecration. There are men who by oratory have bowed the hearts of thousands; but when such men have became true Christians, the bowing of the hearts under their words is a much more thorough and enduring victory. "Covet earnestly the best gifts". (1Co_12:31)
IV CIRCUMSTANTIAL AIDS. The circumstances of the time gave advantage to David in the exercise of his ordinary powers. His friends had mourned his sorrowful isolation; his enemies had felt that, by defeat, they had placed themselves in an awkward position; his being aroused from his self-absorbing grief led him to calmly review the position of advantage in which now the goodness of God had placed him; the reflection that now a supreme effort was needed if he was to prevent the alienation of friends and follow up the fruits of victory so as to save the nation from anarchy, drew forth his entire soul into sympathy with the purpose of God in making him king; and, as a consequence, he so infused into his conversation with the people of Mahanaim, and into his messages to the elders of Judah, the whole power of his nature that he bowed the hearts of all. Events had prepared the minds of the people to receive the influence going forth from his very soul. The narrative evidently implies that there was some unusual persuasiveness in his manner and language, and it reached even to Shimei and Mephibosheth, who certainly were rendered more accessible to his influence by the change in affairs. Seasons of excitement and public interest are favourable to the putting forth of the influence which superior minds can exercise. The Day of Pentecost was a time which brought aid to the efforts of the apostles. A grave responsibility rests on gifted men to use their influence under such favouring circumstances as occasionally occur in human affairs.
GENERAL LESSONS.
1. It behoves us not to allow our gifts to be long unused, by reason of absorption in purely personal interests.
2. It is a scripturally enforced duty that we stir up the gifts that may lie in us.
3. Among the various powers that may be exercised in the world, weshould especially desire and seek that of bowing down the hearts of men to the interests of God"s kingdom.
4. We may rest assured that, if we use our powers to the utmost in a goodcause and in dependence on God, we shall overcome many an obstacle and win over even adverse hearts.
Royal clemency.
The sudden collapse of the rebellion placed David in a position of advantage, and yet of difficulty. He was not the man to care for sovereignty over a disunited people, and the attitude of those who had been in rebellion was not quite certain. Those who do wrong are suspicious of those against whom the wrong has been done when power comes into their hands. It was, therefore, the policy of David to convince them that they need not be under any apprehension of his using the recovered power to punish them. This was the evident meaning of the deputation of the high priests to the men of Judah, and the reason of the promotion of Amasa (together with his reasonable desire to express his sense of Joab"s dangerous liberty in disobeying a positive public command). The noble hearted king felt the importance of the restoration of peace and unity so deeply, and was so sensible of the mercy of God in answering his desire when in anguish, (2Sa_15:25, 2Sa_15:26) that, on this occasion of joy, sobered though it was by thoughts of chastisement just past, he cannot but grant an amnesty to all his foes. In the exercise of this royal clemency we see set forth the following truths.
I THE INFLUENCE ON MEN OF ALL CONDITIONS OF A TIDE OF SUCCESS. The turn of the tide had come for David, and with it men good and bad, great and small, throughout the land began to consider how they had better comport themselves under the new circumstances. Israel hastened to indicate readiness (ver. 11). Judah was waiting for some encouragement to yield (vers. 12-14), and receiving it, hasted to be first at Jordan (vers. 15, 41). And such representative men as Shimei and Ziba show eagerness to find favour with the victorious monarch. Probably only an active section of the less thoughtful people had really rejected David; the great mass were won over to the winning side because it was the winning side, and, now that David was returning to power, they, and also the real leaders of the rebellion, move on with the tide. Success has a great charm for some minds. The day of prosperity draws out many friends. In national and religious affairs multitudes are influenced, not by a calm and independent consideration of the merits of the question or system, but by the fact that there is a semblance of prosperity. Men are not without reason spoken of as a "flock;" they are disposed to go in with the rest. This is not the highest type of humanity.
II DOUBTFUL LOYALTY IN THE RELATIONSHIPS OF LIFE. The real friends of Absalom and such men as Shimei fell in with the change in public opinion, and professed, the latter most eagerly and humbly, to welcome the king back. Allegiance is a matter of degrees, and springs from mixed motives. David had to feel for the rest of his days that policy governed the loyalty of some of his people. In national life there are many causes of unsteadiness of loyal attachment to the head of the state some lying in the seat of authority, and some in ignorance, prejudice, or occasionally the convictions of the people. Every bond of union between moral beings implies a loyalty more or less defined to persons and interests. Master and servant, husband and wife, partners in business and government, teachers and pupils, create, by the relation formed, a demand. for loyalty the one to the other and to the common interests professedly sought by the union. The fellowship of the saints in Church life especially creates scope for mutual loyalty and common loyalty to Christ. We may see many things in one, for all truth is related; and therefore, in the doubtful loyalty of men in David"s time, with its necessary weakness to the national life, and injury to the highest interests of the kingdom, we see the evil brought on the world by defective loyalty in the various relationships men enter into; and especially do we see the pernicious effect of defective loyalty of professing Christians to the Church and to Christ. The practical bearings of this are very many and very wide.
III INDICATIONS OF AN UNEASY CONSCIENCE. The moral value of actions is not to be seen by looking at them simply as actions; their form may be perfect, their real value is seen in their connections. It was a beautiful action to hasten over Jordan and be first to bid the king welcome; the most devoted of his friends could not do more; but for Shimei to do it, after his conduct towards David, took away from the deed the flow of its natural beauty. The act was evidence of an uneasy conscience conjoined with a cowardly, time serving policy. That he was truly penitent is not admissible from the tenor of his words they sound hollow. It is not the custom of the true penitent to refer to his good deeds in proof of penitence (ver. 20). Nor, perhaps, was Ziba without a restless conscience in thus seeking early to court the favour of the king, who would soon learn the facts concerning his former deception. (2Sa_16:1-4) We here see that conscience is alive, even in very base men; that it is quiescent and seemingly at ease when either possibility of exposure or punishment is far off; that it is nevertheless sensitive to any change in events which tend to hasten exposure or punishment; that its greatest dread is falling into the hands of a supreme power; and that, instead of elevating the man, and prompting to renovation, it rather drags him down to the low and plausible means of avoiding what it knows is deserved. Let the religious teacher see how this action of conscience is verified in the case of many who have rejected Christ, the Lord"s Anointed. Once let them know that he is coming into his kingdom, and uneasiness will appear.
IV THE INFLUENCE IN LIFE OF DOMINATING IDEAS. The son of Zeruiah (ver. 21) wished to slay Shimei at once, and, had he done so, many would have said that the wicked man reaped the desert of his crimes. The anointed of the Lord desired that the man should not die, and many doubtless thought that the clemency was ill judged. But the reason of the totally diverse desires and judgments was that the two men were on that day governed by totally diverse ideas. Abishai was the hard, stern soldier, ruled in this instance by the sentiment of rigid discipline, and acting in all things under the idea of power; whereas David was the wise, generous king, ruled by the sentiment of love for his people, and acting in this instance under the idea of kingly grace. The one saw no reason in the event of the day for sparing an unworthy life; the other saw that kingly grace found befitting exercise when prosperity and joy were returning to all. The ideas that ruled the one life left no room for variation; those that ruled the other required variation. It is an important inquiry to what extent men"s lives are ruled by a few leading ideas, and what is the relation of these ideas to the impulses and dispositions that seem to lie next to the will. The Christian man has certain clear and definite conceptions concerning God, Christ, himself, the relation of the present to the future, which mark him off from the non-Christian man, and these form the intellectual elements that determine all his conduct toward God and man. Men of diverse ages differ much in the general conceptions they entertain on the details of life, and hence we get differences in the degree of conformity of conduct to an absolute standard of morality. In so far as we can procure unity of perception and unity of disposition, so far do we lay the basis for harmony of conduct and the welfare of civil society. Hence the radical and yet progressive work of true Christianity: it will bring "eye to eye" and heart to heart, and so establish peace forevermore. Hence also the importance of instilling in young and old such views as shall, by their range and controlling influence over the mind, practically determine conduct along the Christian line.
V THE PATIENT WAITING OF THE DECEIVED, AND OPPRESSED. The personal appearance of Mephibosheth when he came to welcome David to Jerusalem was indicative of trouble and sorrow arising from neglect and poverty, and possibly real grief, experienced during the time of the rebellion. The conduct of Ziba and the loss of David"s table (2Sa_9:9-13 2Sa_16:1-4) account for his poverty, and it is not likely that such a man as Absalom would make ample provision for one of the house of Saul. There is no trace of Mephibosheth having by treasonous means done wrong to David, though it is possible that, in real Oriental manner, he, like the sons of Zadok, may have assumed an outward prudential appearance of fidelity to the cause of Absalom. He was a helpless man, deceived and oppressed, and placed, by reason of his physical infirmity, in such a position as not to be able to extricate himself from trouble. His only chance was to wait and cherish hope that the generous king, who had so bountifully befriended him for his father"s sake, would return to power. A fair illustration is this of the patient waiting of men suffering from craft and wrong. The African race in slavery, deceived and robbed of their patrimony by men more strong and crafty, waited and hoped almost against hope for the day of freedom. Their only hope was in the rise of the beneficent kingly power of the Lord"s Anointed, and it did come. Others, such as the Waldenses and Malagasy, wronged and oppressed, waited for the coming of the better day, and it did come. Many a soul, deceived by the cunning craft of the father of lies, and robbed of moral and material wealth, has known the pains of poverty of spirit, and waited for the king"s gracious restoration. The Apostle Paul tells us, too, of the "whole creation," afflicted with the ills consequent on the great rebellion against God, travailing in pain, and waiting for a better time. (Rom_8:18-22) It is the joy of the preacher to be able to announce "the acceptable year of the Lord" to all who mourn. They shall not wait in. (Isa_61:1-4)
VI A PRACTICAL VIEW OF THE ANOMALIES OF LIFE. The position in which David found himself when, on hearing the story of Mephibosheth and observing his distressed circumstances, he had to decide with respect to the property at stake, was one of extreme delicacy and difficulty. In all good faith he had handed over the property to Ziba, and Ziba had befriended his friends in a time of need, (2Sa_16:1, 2Sa_16:2) and had been foremost to welcome himself back. (2Sa_19:17) The kindness of the man in the hour of need was a set off to his deceit. On the other hand, the forfeiture of the property of Mephibosheth by royal decree was based on false information; and being a member of a royal house, and not proved to have been openly disloyal, he certainly had a claim to restoration to rights. The brevity of the narrative leaves the actual decision of David in some obscurity (ver. 29). But the sense seems to be that David solved the difficulty by restoring the old relations as a matter of practice, (2Sa_9:9-11) without formally revoking the legal right of Ziba. As formerly, so now, the two families were to live on the produce of the soil, and in this there was great consideration, for Mephibosheth was physically incapable of looking after his own affairs. The example of David, as a matter of procedure, is worthy of attention. Life is crowded with difficulties analogous to this. Claims and counter claims force themselves on our attention. Wrongs have to be righted and merits have to be considered in alleviation of judgment. The principle on which David acted was a sound one, and can be used by us in all things, namely, to deal with anomalies practically, not merely speculatively, and to aim at a restoration of things to their natural basis. To bring men and things back to nature, so far as circumstances admit, is a safe and prudent rule. The old relationship of Ziba to Mephibosheth, (2Sa_9:2, 2Sa_9:4) and the incapacity of the latter, rendered it most unwise to cut the knot of present complications by having recourse to the practical division indicated in 2Sa_9:9-12. There is a natural basis, if we will only take pains to find it, in our modern complications.
GENERAL LESSONS.
1. We should see in the returning success of the servant of God after aseason of severe chastisement a token of our joyous return to the possession of privilege when we have been duly exercised by the chastisement of Providence. (Heb_12:5-7)
2. Success is not to be regarded as less real because imperfect and weakmen crowd in with it, though we ought to separate their attachment from the elements of endurance in the success.
3. In selecting friends we should not place much reliance on those mosteager in their expression of interest. Words are to be tested by deeds.
4. It is incumbent on all Christians to purge from their relationships,whether of master, servant, professor of religion, member of Church, or subject of the realm, every trace of doubtful loyalty.
5. The profession of interest in religion is to be carefully weighed, seeingthat an uneasy conscience will often prompt to a formal profession when there is not sincere love and faith.
6. It will be a great gain to the Church if we can instil into the minds of the young the most cardinal principles of Christianity, which, by their dominating power, will expel inferior views and lead to right action.
7. We may encourage the poor and oppressed to take heart from seeinghow in the course of history God does vindicate the needy. The great vindications will be when the King of kings comes to judgment.
Vers. 16-23. (THE JORDAN.)
The pardon of Shimei.
The conduct of Shimei towards David in his flight (2Sa_16:5) was base and iniquitous. "The wheel turns round once more; Absalom is cast down and David returns in peace. Shimei suits his behaviour to the occasion, and is the first man, also, who hastes to greet him; and had the wheel turned round a hundred times, Shimei, I dare say, in every period of its rotation would have been uppermost" (Sterne). But he may have been actuated by something better than selfish and time-serving policy; at least, the history affords no intimation that his repentance was insincere and hypocritical. And he was forgiven by David (of whose clemency he had been persuaded)
I ON THE CONFESSION OF WRONG DOING (vers. 19, 20) with:
1. Deep abasement. He "fell down before the king.
2. Free, full, unqualified, and open self-condemnation. "Thy servant did perversely," and "doth know that I have sinned.
3. Fervent petition for mercy, "Let not my lord impute iniquity unto me," etc.
4. Professed devotion and zealous endeavour to repair the wrong which had been done. "And behold I am come the first this day," etc. He had brought with him a thousand men of Benjamin, to do honour to the king whom he had formerly despised; perhaps, also, to show the value of his reconciliation and services (which were really important at such a time, in the light of subsequent events. (2Sa_20:1) Confession must precede the assurance of forgiveness; and, when made in a becoming manner, should be graciously treated. (Luk_17:3, Luk_17:4) God alone knows the heart.
II AGAINST THE DEMAND FOR PUNISHMENT (vers. 21, 22); in which Abishai displayed, as before: (2Sa_16:9)
1. An impulse of natural vengeance toward the evildoer; unaltered by change of circumstances, unsoothed by Shimei"s repentance.
1. A desire for the rigorous execution of the Law, according to which the traitor and blasphemer should suffer death "without mercy." Its stern and
2. relentless requirements, unmodified by its deeper and more merciful principles, are represented in "the sons of Zeruiah.
3. A spirit of reckless imprudence; not less injurious to the king"s interests on "this day" of his triumphant return than it was on the day of his perilous flight.
1. An assumption of unjustifiable authority, and interference with the king"s rights and privileges, feelings and purposes; incurring a repetition of the rebuke, "What have I to do with you," etc.? "Ye will be an adversary satan, (Num_22:22; 1Ch_21:1) to me;" hindering the exercise of mercy and the joy of my return. (1Sa_11:12, 1Sa_11:13) "Get thee behind me, Satan". (Mat_16:23) "Our best friends must be considered as adversaries when they would persuade us to act contrary to our conscience and our duty" (Scott).
III WITH THE ASSURANCE OF MERCY. "Thou shalt not die". (ver. 2Sa_12:13) "And the king sware unto him." From:
1. An impulse of personal feeling of the noblest nature; by which (regarding Shimei"s offence as a personal one) he was raised above the level of "the Law," and anticipated the forgiving spirit of a higher dispensation.
2. A sense of the exceeding mercy of God toward himself; by, which he was disposed to show mercy toward others.
3. A perception of the wisest policy to be adopted on such an extraordinary "day" as that of his restoration to the throne. "Shall there any man be put to death this day in Israel? For do I not know that I am this clay king over Israel?" (It is noticeable how frequently he is designated "the king" in this chapter.)
4. An exercise of the royal prerogative of pardon. This prerogative, indeed (though prompted by a generous impulse), he no doubt stretched beyond due bounds. Hence, reflecting on the matter at the close of his life (during which he kept faithfully to his oath), he committed (not from a feeling of personal revenge, but of sacred duty) the vindication of the Law to his successor. (1Ki_2:8, 1Ki_2:9) "It can be explained only from the fact that David distinguished between his own personal interest and motive, which led him to pardon Shimei, without taking the theocratic legal standpoint and the theocratic interests of the kingdom, of which Solomon was the representative, and so held himself bound on theocratic political grounds to commit to his successor the execution of the legal prescription which he had passed over" (Erdmann).
REMARKS.
1. In showing mercy to private as well as public offenders, due regard mustbe paid to the claims of public justice.
2. It is better to err on the side of too much mercy than too much severity.
3. How vast is the mercy of God toward men, in him whom he has "exaltedto be a Prince and a Saviour," etc.! (Act_5:31)
4. Those who have received mercy must live in the sphere of mercy andobedience, otherwise mercy ceases to be of any avail D. (1Ki_2:42-46; Mat_18:32-35)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv18, 22 There went over a ferry boat to carry over…
2Sa_19:18
There went over a ferry boat to carry over the kings household.
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The ferry-boat of the Jordan
This river Jordan, in all ages and among all Christian people, has been the symbol of the boundary line between earth and heaven. I want to show you to-day that there is a way over Jordan as well as through it. My text says: And there went over a ferry boat to carry over the kings household.
I. My subject, in the first place, impresses me with the fact that when we cross over from this world to the next, the boat will have to come from the other side. The tribe of Judah, we are informed, sent this ferry boat across to bring David and his household. Blessed be God, there is a boat coming from the other side. Transportation at last for our souls from the other shore. Everything about this Gospel of Mercy from the other shore. Pardon from the other shore. Mercy from the other shore. Pity from the other shore. Ministry of angels from the other shore. Power to work miracles from the other shore. Jesus Christ from the other shore. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I bless God that as the boat came from the other shore to take David and his men across, so, when we come to die, the boat of salvation will come from the same direction. God forbid that I should ever trust to anything that starts from this side.
II. When we cross over at the last, the king will be on board the boat. The king was on board the boat, and those women and children, and all the household of the king, knew that every care was taken to have that king pass in safety. When a soul goes to heaven, it does not go alone. The King is on board the boat. Was Paul alone in the last exigency? Hear the shout of the scarred missionary, as he cries out, I am now ready to be offered up, and the time of my departure is at hand. Was John Wesley alone in the last exigency? No. Hear him say: Best of all, God is with us. Here is the promise: When thou passeth through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee. Christ at the sick pillow to take the soul out of the body; Christ to help the soul down the bank into the boat; Christs mid stream; Christ on the other side to help the soul up the beach. Be comforted about your departed friends. Be comforted about your own demise when the time shall come. Tell it to all the people under the sun that no Christian ever dies alone. The King is in the boat.
III. My text suggests that leaving this world for heaven is only crossing a ferry. Doctor Shaw estimates the average width of the Jordan to be about thirty yards. What, so narrow! Yes. There went over a ferry-boat to carry over the kings household. Yes, going to heaven is only a short trip. Only a ferry. That accounts for something you have never been able to understand. You never could have supposed that very nervous and timid Christian people could be so perfectly unexcited and placid in the last hour. The fact is, they were clear down on the bank, and they saw there was nothing to be frightened about. Such a short distance--only a ferry! With one ear they heard the funeral psalm in their memory, and with the other they heard the song of heavenly salutation. The willows on this side the Jordan, and the Lebanon cedars on the other, almost interlocked their branches. Only a ferry!
IV. My subject also suggests the fact that when we cross over at the last, we shall find a solid landing. The ferry-boat, as spoken of in my text, means a place to start from, and a place to land. David and his people did not find the eastern shore of the Jordan any more solid than the western shore where he landed, and yet, to a great many, heaven is not a real place. I never heard of any heaven I want to go to except St. Johns heaven. I believe I shall hear Mr. Toplady sing vet, and Isaac Watts recite hymns, and Mozart play. O, you say, where would you get the organ? The Lord will provide the organ. I believe I shall yet see David with a harp, and I will ask him to sing one of the Songs of Zion. My heaven is not a fog-bank. My eyes are unto the hills--the everlasting hills. The Kings ferry-boat starting from a wharf on this side will go to a solid landing-place on the other side.
V. My subject teaches that when we cross over at the last, we will be met at the landing. When David and his family went over in the ferry-boat spoken of in the text, they landed amid a nation that had come out to greet them. As they stepped from the deck of the boat to the shore, there were thousands of people who gathered around them trying to express a satisfaction that was beyond description. And so you and I will be met at the landing. Our arrival will not be like stepping ashore at Antwerp or Constantinople among a crowd of strangers; it will be among friends--good friends, warm-hearted friends, and all their friends. The poet Southey said he thought he should know Bishop Heber in heaven by the portraits he had seen of him in London; and Dr. Randolph said he thought he should know William Cowper, the poet, in heaven from the pictures he had seen of him in England; but we shall know our departed kindred by the portraits hung in the throne-room of our hearts. On starlight nights you look up--and I suppose it is so with any one who has friends in heaven--and you cannot help but think of those who have gone; and I suppose they look down and cannot but think of us. But they have the advantage of us. We know not just where their world of joy is. They know where we are. O, what a consolation this ought to be to those whose friends have gone away--how it ought to take off the sharp edge of their melancholy. The partings of earth solaced by the reunions of heaven t (T. De Witt Talmage.)
The kings ferry boats
There have been few scenes on the Jordan more interesting than that in which this ferry boat plays a part.
I. The Kings ferry boat carries us across the Jordan of our condemnation, and brings us to the land of forgiveness. Shimei made his peace with David that day. He had been, in the time of Davids great emergency, when he needed soldiers, a base and wicked traitor. So I bring to any poor sinner here the Kings ferry boat, on which you may safely ride across the Jordan of your sins to the blessed shore of forgiveness; it is surrender to God and unconditional acceptance of Christ Jesus as your Saviour.
II. God carries His people across the river of their needs. Gods Word assures us that the Lord is not unmindful of the necessities of our human lives. Christ says: Your Heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. The man who trusts God is a great deal better taken care of than he who proposes to neglect God and look out for number one. We shall never reach the limit of Gods infinite grace and mercy by our most exaggerated dreams of good. Does not Paul assure us that God will supply all our need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus? The one ferry boat that is sure to float you across the river of lifes need is a genuine, wholehearted Christianity.
III. The Kings ferry boat across the river of trouble and sorrow. How abundant are the promises of God that those who join His household shall be ferried safely across all the sorrows and troubles of life!
IV. We may see also in this figure our Kings ferry boat across the river of death. God does not leave his saints to die alone. Two days before Mr. Moodys death there was placed in his room, unknown to him, a stenographer, who took every word that fell from the good mans lips. And in the last moments he said: Earth recedes. Heaven opens before me. You say this is death. There is nothing awful here; it is sweet, this place. Do not call me back. God is calling me, I must go. There is no valley here, it is all beautiful, beautiful. So Moody found, as millions of Gods people have found before, that the Kings ferry boat is roomy and splendid, and safe in carrying the Kings household across the Jordan of death to the shores of that beautiful country which eager hearts expect. The ferry boat will not be lonely in crossing any of these streams, for Christ is Captain, and there are no rules that keep us from speaking to him while he is on duty. We may hold sweet communion with him all the way. On the ferry boats which ply between Liverpool and the Cheshire side of the Mersey is the notice: Passengers are requested not to speak to the captain or steersman while crossing the river. (L. A. Banks, D. D.)
2Sa_19:18-23
And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king.
Characteristic forgiveness
One man will forgive a grievous wrong while another will not overlook a wry word. King John had most villainously treated his brother Richard in his absence. Was it likely that when he of the lions heart came home he would pass over his brothers offence? If you look at John, villain that he was, it was most unlikely that he should be forgiven; but then, if you consider the brave, high-souled Richard, the very flower of chivalry, you expect a generous deed. Base as John was, he was likely to be forgiven, because Richard was so free of heart, and accordingly pardon was right royally given by the great, hearted monarch. Had John only been half as guilty, if his brother Richard had been like himself, he would have made him lay his neck on the block. If John had been Richard and Richard had been John, no matter how small the offence, there would have been no likelihood of pardon at all. So it is in all matters of transgression and pardon. You must take the offence somewhat into account, it is true, but not one-half so much as the character of the person who has been offended. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
A wise king
Alphonsus, King of Naples and Sicily, justly celebrated in history for his leninecy and mercy, was once asked why he was so lenient to all, even the most wicked men. Because, said he, good men are won by justice, the bad by mercy. On another occasion some complained that he was too kind, even for a prince. What, then? cried the king; would you have lions and tigers to reign over you? Do you not know that cruelty is the property of wild beasts, mercy that of man?
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On v16 2Sa_19:16. “Came down.” From the mountainous table-land into the…
CRITICAL AND EXPOSITORY NOTES.—
2Sa_19:16. “Came down.” From the mountainous table-land into the Jordan valley.” (Erdmann.)
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2Sa_19:17. “A thousand men.” “To show what force he could raise for or against the king.” (Jamieson.) “They show the consideration which Shimei enjoyed in the tribe of Benjamin. and testify that a change had taken place in the former hostile feeling of this tribe towards David, comp. 2Sa_19:31.” (Erdmann.)
2Sa_19:17. “Went over.” Rather, “they hasted or pressed over.” “Before the king,” rather, in the presence, etc. They passed over to the eastern bank, probably through a ford.
2Sa_19:18. “A ferry-boat.” “Probably rafts, which are still used on that part of the river. Josephus calls it a bridge of boats.” (Jamieson.) “As he was come over.” Keil, Bunsen and others refer this pronoun to David and read “as he (the king) was about,” etc. Erdmann understands it to refer to Shimei. Both place the transaction on the eastern bank of the river.
2Sa_19:29. “The house of Joseph.” “The rest of the tribes with the exception of Judah. This designation of the tribes that opposed Judah by the name of the leading tribe (Joseph. Jos_16:1) was as old as the jealousy between these tribes and Judah, which did not commence with the division of the kingdom but was simply confirmed thereby into a permanent distinction. (Keil.) “He might have employed this phrase in order to exculpate his own tribe, by insinuating that it was drawn away by the preponderating influence of the great house of Joseph.” (Biblical Commentary.)
2Sa_19:22. “Ye sons,” etc. This expression shows that it was Joab’s proposal also. “Adversaries.” “Lit., a satan (See Num_22:22; comp. Mat_16:23). (Erdmann.) “To-day.” David appears to lay stress upon this word—to-day, the day of restoration when he himself was receiving tokens of Divine forgiveness. “I am this day king.” David will show mercy, not because he has now become king and has the right to pardon, but because he sees in his restoration to his kingdom a proof of restoration to the Divine favour, and by showing favour to Shemei as his right will fulfil the obligation of gratitude to the Lord.” (Erdmann.)
2Sa_19:24. “Dressed his feet,” etc. Lit., had not “made his feet and his beard,” i.e., not washed his feet or arranged his beard. (See Eze_24:17). “The Hebrews cut off the hair on the upper lip and cheeks, but in mourning let it grow carelessly, as on the chin. There are various modes of trimming the beard, but whatever the mode it is always done with the greatest care, and a small comb is usually carried for the purpose.” (Jamieson).
2Sa_19:25. “He was come to Jerusalem.” Most modern expositors read here “When Jerusalem (i.e., the inhabitants of the city) came to meet, etc. So Kiel and Erdmann. A few change the proposition—when he was come from, etc.
2Sa_19:26. “I will saddle,” etc. This is the literal rendering, but as Erdmann remarks “the lame prince could not have thought of going himself to saddle the ass, and in all languages the expression “to do a thing” is equivalent to have it done. It is therefore better to translate “I will cause to be saddled.”
2Sa_19:27. “He slandered.” Mephibosheth had not merely inferred this from David’s words, and the tone in which they were spoken, but had certainly found it out long ago, since Ziba would not delay very long to put David’s assurance, that all the possessions of Mephibosheth should belong to him, in force against his master.” (Keil). “An angel,” etc., i.e., “he sees all just as it really is” (Keil) or, “he knows what is truth and right.” (Erdmann).
2Sa_19:29. “Why speakest thou,” etc. Some see in these words of David a disbelief in the explanation of Mephibosheth, and others an expression of displeasure against Ziba. But they seem rather to express David’s vexation at his former hasty decision, and, at the same time, his lack of courage to confess himself wholly in the wrong on that occasion.
2Sa_19:29. “I have said,” etc. Some expositors think that David here goes back to the first arrangement mentioned in 2Sa_9:7-10., whereby Ziba, as the tiller, would of course have an interest in the produce. But Keil remarks that the words here are directly at variance with the first promise: “I will restore thee all the land of Saul,” etc. The half-measure here adopted was, says Erdmann, “only a half-exculpation of an innocent man, and David was herein probably controlled by political considerations, being unwilling to make the respectable and influential Ziba his enemy.” “Jerome says, that the later Jews believed the division of David’s kingdom was an act of retributive justice for the unequal measure awarded to Mephibosheth.” (Jamieson.)
2Sa_19:35. “Can I discern.” Perhaps “intellectually too dull to be useful as a counsellor.” (Erdmann) or simply too weak in body to enjoy the luxuries of a court.
2Sa_19:37. “Chimham.” According to Josephus, his son. This is confirmed by 1Ki_2:7.
2Sa_19:40. “Half Israel.” “The thousand Benjamites who came with Shimei, and other Israelites who dwelt near.” (Keil and others).
2Sa_19:41. “All the men,” etc. The representatives of the other tribes. This is generally understood to have taken place at Gilgal.
2Sa_19:42. “Have we eaten,” etc. i.e., Have you reason to be envious of us because we have enjoyed advantages that yon were deprived of?” (Erdmann).
2Sa_19:43. “That our advice,” Both Keil and Erdmann read here “And was not my word first to bring back the king.” From 2Sa_19:10-11, it appears that they were the first to propose David’s recall.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.—2Sa_19:16-40
SHIMEI, MEPHIBOSHETH, AND BARZILLAI
David on his way back to his capital exhibits in his conduct and experience some of the penalties, the dangers, and the blessings of prosperity.
I. One of its penalties. The man who had most bitterly insulted David in his day of adversity was the first to render him homage on his restoration to power. Taking into account the change in David’s circumstances, we can scarcely be doing Shimei an injustice if we assume that he was much more real when he was cursing and stoning the fugitive king than when he was asking pardon at the feet of the victorious monarch. It is one of the blessings of adversity that men then reveal their real feelings towards us; we are not sought by the hypocrite, or the self-seeker, when there is nothing to be gained by serving us or professing to esteem us. And on the other hand, all who are prosperous to any great extent, must pay the penalty of sometimes being in doubt about the sincerity of some of those who court their favour and sound their praises. The more exalted the position, the more likelihood there is of attracting false friends and of finding it difficult to discern between the real and the seeming in those who surround us, and it is one of the trials which those in high places must always have to bear. It meets David on the very threshold of his return to prosperity.
II. One of its dangers. The treatment which David gives to Mephibosheth exhibits an indifference to the feelings of the son of Jonathan, and an amount of injustice which are very unworthy of him. Almost all students of the Bible agree in accepting Mephibosheth’s explanation as the truth of the matter—the meekness with which he submits to David’s decision reminds us of the unselfish spirit of his father, and makes us feel sure that he had been the victim of a false and designing man. How painful, then, must have been the reception which David gave him, granting him no opportunity of proving his innocence and fidelity, but dismissing him with the implication at least that he and his traitorous servant stood on a level in David’s estimation. Various motives have been assigned to account for David’s unworthy conduct in this matter. Some think he acted from motives of policy (see critical notes), and others that he was irritated by the consciousness that he had been deceived by Ziba, yet was unwilling to confess himself wrong. But in whatever light we regard his action we must find David guilty of an arbitrary exercise of rights which might belong to him legally, but which were no more morally his than if he had been in a private station. If Mephibosheth had had only the ordinary claim of a subject, David could have had no moral right to dispose of his case in this summary manner, and deprive him of half his estate without good reason. But it would have been difficult for David to find any man in the land to whom he owed so much as to the son of Jonathan, and his obligation was not lessened but increased by the error of judgment into which he had lately fallen. The fact that he had passed so unjust a sentence upon him on the former occasion made it his duty now to make every reparation in his power, instead of which he treats him with a haughty indifference, if not with disdain. This indifference to the feelings and claims of those whose destinies are in their hands is a sin to which men in power are especially prone; when their deeds are not liable to be called in question by their fellow men they are apt to act as though their will was the rule of the universe, and to forget that the higher the position the greater the responsibility. David at this time seems to have thus fallen into this common temptation.
III. One of its greatest blessings. There can be no more blessed gift of wealth or power than the ability which it affords a man to show gratitude to those who have befriended him in his time of need. It is always more blessed to give than to receive, but it is a special joy to a grateful heart to repay those whose kindness has cheered it in the dark days of sorrow, and to show them that we know how to value the most precious gift which one human creature can bestow upon another. David experienced this joy when he found himself in a position to say to Barzillai, “Whatsoever thou shalt require of me, that will I do unto thee,” and we may be sure that he did not fail to fulfil his promise to the son, although unable to do so to the father. We can but desire that he who rewarded Barzillai’s fidelity in the person of Chinham, had remembered to repay Jonathan’s love by being generous to Mephibosheth. In this inconsistency of David—in this mingling of dutiful remembrance and ungrateful forgetfulness, we see how far removed are the best men from that symmetry of character which marked the Perfect Man, Christ Jesus.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
2Sa_19:30. It is just a soul capable of such noble self-denial that feels most keenly the sting of any suspicion of its love or fidelity, and as no further reference is made to Mephibosheth in the sacred narrative, especially as David gives no charge concerning him to Solomon at his death eight years later, it is not unlikely that he did not long survive the grief and pain that Ziba’s treachery caused him.—Taylor.
Mephibosheth thought, perhaps, of the word of the law, that God visits sins on children unto the third and fourth generation.—Peter Martyr.
2Sa_19:31-40. The picture and example of a venerable and pious old age.
1. Blessed of God, it devotes the temporal goods it has received to the service of compassionate brotherly love, far from all avarice;
2. Honoured by men, it desires not the vain honour of this world far from all ambition;
3. Near the grave, it longs only for home, far from all disposition to find blessedness in this life;
4. But as long as God grants life, even with failing powers it still serves the Lord and His kingdom, and in this service honours him by the devotion even of its dearest—far from ail self-seeking.—Lange’s Commentary
Barzillai’s words remind us of the influence that age produces upon men. I. A mellowness of heart. There is a feeling soft and subdued running through the words of this patriarchal Gideonite. Old Time has, I think, generally this effect on the hearts of men. “Men, like peaches and pears,” says Holmes, “grow sweet a little while before they begin to decay. I don’t know what it is—whether a spontaneous change, mental or bodily, or whether it is through the experience of the thanklessness of critical honesty, but it is a fact that most writers, except sour and unsuccessful ones, get tired of finding fault at about the time they are beginning to grow old. At thirty we are all trying to cut our names in big letters upon the wall of this tenement of life; twenty years later we have carved them or shut up our jack-knives. Then we are ready to help others and care less to hinder any, because nobody’s elbows are in our way. Do you know that in the gradual passage from maturity to helplessness the harshest characters have sometimes a period in which they are gentle and placid as young children? I have heard it said, but I cannot be sponsor for its truth, that the famous chieftain, Lochiel, was rocked in a cradle like a baby in his old age.” Time produces upon men.—II. An indisposition for exertion. It seems benevolently arranged that, as the limbs get feeble and incapable of action, the inclination to exertion decreases too. The patriarch, therefore, gets reconciled to his position. The mind ceases to will what the body is incapable of performing. A craving for rest creeps over the frame as years advance. It is well that it should be so, in order that the soul may calmly ponder upon questions of its imperishable interests and that death may come with no sudden shock. If age brings on this indisposition to effort, let us work while we can—work while the mind is active and the limbs are blithe. Time produces upon men—III. A lack of interest in the world. At one time an invitation to attend in state a king to his capital would have been a very strong temptation to this very great man, but now such an invitation has no attraction; he declines the king’s pressing offer. To an old man the world is a plum that has lost its bloom—an orange that has been sucked till the peel is dry. Time produces upon men—IV. An incapacity for earthly enjoyments. Years not only steal away our strength, but our relish for earthly pleasures. In this I see divine benevolence, for it means a loosening of the bonds that link us to this mortal state. Time produces upon men—V. An interest in the dead. “Let thy servant, I pray thee, turn back again that I may die in my own city and be buried in the grave with my father and my mother.” Here is the filial instinct glowing in the breast of an old man. After the romantic wanderings of a long life, time brings the spirit back to the home of the childhood, and makes it yearn to sleep the long sleep of death by the side of “father and mother.” Here is a rebuke to worldliness. What if you amass a princely fortune? Whilst it will not make you happy, either in the morning of your youth or the zenith of your noon, it will be utterly worthless to you if you live to old age.
Here is too, an argument for religion. Form an alliance with those eternal principles that will make your spirits young and strong amidst the infirmities of age.—Dr. David Thomas.
The subject of 2Sa_19:41-43 belongs to the next chapter.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv16, 19, 21 Gera ... Ziba
Gera ... Ziba
These are the names of men. Translate the name "Ziba" the same as you did in 2 Samuel 9:2. (See: How to Translate Names)
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Bahurim
Translate the name of this place the same as you did in 2 Samuel 3:16. (See: How to Translate Names)
one thousand men ... fifteen sons ... twenty servants
"1,000 men ... 15 sons ... 20 servants" (See: Numbers)
in the presence of the king
This means that the king was there and was aware of what was happening. AT: "at the place where the king was" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
translationWords
Shimei
Benjamin
Judah
David
Saul (OT)
family
good
bow
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv17, 20, 21, 23 19:17 Ziba: See 16:1-4.
19:17 Ziba: See 16:1-4.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.