Remember the old rhyme, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Is it true? In my experience, words can be very painful. How should we respond when people talk badly about us and to us?
As David ran for his life from his son, he encountered a number of people along the way. Ziba, the steward of Mephibosheth, came bearing gifts. He told David that lame Mephibosheth stayed behind because he thought he might get to become King as Saul’s grandson. David gave Ziba Mephibosheth’s land as a repayment for his kindness. We can’t tell whether Ziba was telling the truth. When there is a vacuum of power, many people rise up to try to gain from it. We learn more later in the story.
Meanwhile, Shimei, who was part of Saul’s clan, came out cursing David and throwing rocks at him. One of David’s military leaders, Abishai, offered to go and kill him for David. David refused to retaliate. He told Abishai that God may have told Shimei to be mean to him. David left room for God’s wrath at this moment. His temperament reminds me of his treatment of Saul when Saul was trying to kill him. David thought, “Maybe God will see that I am being mistreated and show me mercy.”
Where else do we see this response to unkindness? On the day Jesus was condemned and crucified, bystanders slandered him and mocked him, “Hail the King of the Jews.” Jesus, the Son of David, would pray for those who crucified him, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Because words hurt, we must choose not to use them as weapons. But when others weaponize words against us, instead of punching back, we may choose to be like David and like David’s descendant Jesus.
Evil may stop with us, if we refuse to retaliate. But if everybody practices “eye for eye, tooth for tooth,” eventually, we will all be blind and toothless.
