The Choices We Make

As King David came to Bahurim, a man came out of the village cursing them.  It was Shimei son of Gera, from the same clan as Saul’s family.  He threw stones at the king and the king’s officers and all the mighty warriors who surrounded him.  “Get out of here, you murderer, you scoundrel!” he shouted at David.  “The Lord is paying you back for all the bloodshed in Saul’s clan.  You stole his throne, and now the Lord has given it to your son Absalom.  At last you will taste some of your own medicine, for you are a murderer!” [2 Samuel 16.5-8]

This is an extremely interesting take on David's situation!  After what seemed to be a 'turn' in David's dynasty (starting with Bathsheba) and the 'misfortune' that followed, here we have Shimei publicly insulting David because of what he thought was the murder of Saul's family.

Did Shimei (or anyone for that matter besides Joab-and even he may not have known about the adultery) know about the ordeal with Bathsheba and Uriah?  I think Shimei had no clue.

We however, having the historical account of the Bible, know that David's fate was directly the result of his sin regarding Bathsheba.  David's situation is only compounded by Shimei's not-so-accurate accusations.  What's David going to do - deny the accusations and tell everyone the truth?

Oh, the choices we make!

It is evident that David's sin with Bathsheba had long-term consequences. We have every reason to believe David repented early on, however the course of events set in motion by his sin had not yet even begun to fully unfold.

I wonder how many times David thought, "If only I had left her alone!"  I am sure this 'little indiscretion'  caused David more trouble than he could ever have imagined. 

Father, help us to follow You and avoid every opportunity for sin to get rooted in our lives - help us to hold to Jesus!