Special Saturday Edition
Ethan Barton, Pastoral Resident, Tallowood Baptist Church
The king is back! After a period of chaos and war, the anointed, rightful king of Israel is returning to Jerusalem in all his glory and might! Well, kind of. David was a rather lousy leader and lousy father during the war.
But he is still king in spite of his faults, and the Lord, as always, is working to set things to rights. On his return journey, David’s former enemies are meeting him to beg for forgiveness. Remember Shimei? He was the guy that hurled curses and stones at David while he was fleeing from Absalom. But David had mercifully let him live, and now does the same again. I’m sure he was remembering his own sins and the fact that God had mercifully spared his life.
One would have to be really naïve to think Shimei was truly repentant. He wasn’t sorry for his offense—he was sorry that he’d have to be held responsible. Even his apology was self-seeking. How often is that true in our lives? I remember when I was little, any time I would throw a tantrum to my mom, she would threaten to get Dad involved, and a petrifying panic would immediately shut me up and get me apologizing. In my juvenile mind, Dad had a kingly authority (though he never used it) to inflict the greatest misery imaginable on me. I was like Shimei—no actual repentance, just fear for my life.
No Bible study is complete without understanding how the passage points to Jesus. This story is no exception. One day King Jesus, the king of the universe, will return in power! We, his enemies who had rebelled against him, will face him and receive his judgment. But unlike David, this king will be perfect and mighty, a good leader and a good father. And unlike Shimei, we will approach him truly mourning our sin and truly yearning to be free from it and be like our king. Then King Jesus will look on us and see his sons and daughters whom he loves, and whom he has called righteous. Our king has forgiven our sin and called us righteous! That means that before he returns, our redeemed minds contritely repent of sin—not out of fear, but out of love for our king.
Let us be faithful to repent; he is faithful to forgive.
