Payback?

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. 2 Samuel 16:5 NASB

Shimei – David’s last words seem to be nothing but payback. Just before he dies, he instructs Solomon, “Behold, there is with you Shimei the son of Gera the Benjamite, of Bahurim; now it was he who cursed me with a violent curse on the day I went to Mahanaim. But when he came down to me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’ Now therefore, do not let him go unpunished, for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you will bring his gray hair down to Sheol with blood” (1 Kings 2:8-9). Why does David tell Solomon to kill Shimei? Is it only revenge? Is it a way for him to save face while his son does the wet work?

Weitzman offers some important insight. Shimei denounced David during the attempted coup of Absalom. At that moment, the united monarchy was at risk, and there was a possibility that the house of Saul might reemerge. “Shimei’s very existence reminded the people that David was a usurper, and that there were alternatives to who they might turn, which is why, in his last words to Solomon, David urges his son to send Shimei to his grave—not just as payback for a public insult but as a preemptive effort to snuff out any potential revival of Saul’s dynasty after his death.”[1] In other words, David’s advice is politics, not payback. He knows that Solomon must eliminate any possibility of a challenge to his throne, and the way to do that is the way kings have always dealt with potential rivals—eliminate them.

Why does this little bit of political background matter to us? First, it should cause us to re-evaluate our approach to biblical texts. Our concerns about the ethics of David’s instructions often ignore the political reality of the tenuous nature of Solomon’s ascension. In other words, the text is about the real life situations of the people. We might not like David’s solution, but unless we understand his circumstances we will miss the purpose and point of this bit of history. We must know the context of the text before we start applying it to our lives.

Second, what we learn is that people are people whether God is invisibly in the picture or not. David deals with power politics in the same way that all the kings of the ancient (and modern) world deal with power politics. Squash the opposition. If we find this uncomfortable it should not be because it is so different than our own times. We might object that David didn’t leave the situation in God’s hands, but we should probably ask if we don’t do the same things today. The Bible never whitewashes its actors. That’s a good thing since it means that their lives confront behaviors in our lives. History repeats itself—unless you and I make a determined effort to act differently.

Finally we see that self-preservation is a powerful motivator, so powerful that it often causes even the most spiritual among us to take control in our own hands. It is important to note that Solomon does not execute Shimei, at least not at the beginning. He actually constructs a scenario that allows Shimei to live but removes him from any possible threat. Ultimately Shimei presumes on Solomon’s graciousness and is executed, but the lesson is that the desire of the father, even for the son’s protection, does not mean that the son will do what the father wants. Every man chooses. Solomon did.   So do you and I. We can change the course of history today. Lesson learned.

Topical Index: Shimei, politics, Saul, David, Solomon, 1 Kings 2:8-9, 2 Samuel 16:5

[1] Steven Weitzman, Solomon: The Lure of Wisdom, p. 44.