Sermon Central
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Staying Within Your Boundaries
Contributed by Steven Strickland on Apr 13, 2020 (message contributor)
Summary: SHEMEI HAD A TREMENDOUS HATRED FOR DAVID BECAUSE HE WAS OF THE HOUSE OF SAUL AND HE HAD ANGER AND RESENTMENT IN HIS HEART BECAUSE SAUL WAS DEAD AND HE BLAMED DAVID FOR HIS DEATH.
STAYING WITHIN YOUR BOUNDARIES
36 Then the king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and dwell there, and do not go out from there anywhere. 37 For it shall be, on the day you go out and cross the Brook Kidron, know for certain you shall surely die; your blood shall be on your own head.”38 And Shimei said to the king, “The saying is good. As my lord the king has said, so your servant will do.” So Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days.39 Now it happened at the end of three years, that two slaves of Shimei ran away to Achish the son of Maachah, king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, “Look, your slaves are in Gath!” 40 So Shimei arose, saddled his donkey, and went to Achish at Gath to seek his slaves. And Shimei went and brought his slaves from Gath. 41 And Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had come back. 42 Then the king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the LORD, and warn you, saying, ‘Know for certain that on the day you go out and travel anywhere, you shall surely die’? And you said to me, ‘The word I have heard is good.’ 43 Why then have you not kept the oath of the LORD and the commandment that I gave you?” 44 The king said moreover to Shimei, “You know, as your heart acknowledges, all the wickedness that you did to my father David; therefore the LORD will return your wickedness on your own head. 45 But King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the LORD forever.”46 So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he went out and struck him down, and he died. Thus the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.
THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT SHIMEI IN 2 SAMUEL 16:5-13 CURSED AND THREW ROCKS AT DAVID AS HE LEFT JERUSALEM BECAUSE OF HIS SON ABSOLAM TRYING TO KILL HIM AND TAKE OVER HIS THRONE.
SHEMEI HAD A TREMENDOUS HATRED FOR DAVID BECAUSE HE WAS OF THE HOUSE OF SAUL AND HE HAD ANGER AND RESENTMENT IN HIS HEART BECAUSE SAUL WAS DEAD AND HE BLAMED DAVID FOR HIS DEATH.
SHEMEI HAD A SEVERE BITTERNESS IN HIS HEART.
I WONDER IF ANY OF YOU HAVE BITTERNESS IN YOUR HEART TOWARD SOMEONE? IF SO BITTERNESS WILL EAT YOU UP AND CAUSE YOU TO THINK AND DO THINGS YOU NORMALLY WOULDN’T THINK OR DO.
I’M SURE DAVID’S HEART WAS BROKEN BECAUSE OF FLEEING FROM HIS SON ABSALOM AND SHEMEI WAS CAUSING INSULT UPON INJURY WITH CURSING DAVID AND THROWING ROCKS AT HIM.
YET SHEMEI’S BITTERNESS WAS BASED ON FALSE PREMISES AND GROUNDLESS. DAVID DID NOT CAUSE THE DEATH OF SAUL.
IF YOU HAVE BITTERNESS AGAINST SOMEONE IT IS OFTEN BECAUSE WE MISUNDERSTOOD WHAT SOMEONE HAS SAID OR IT MAY BE JUSTIFIED BY WHAT SOMEONE DID OR DIDN’T DO. BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS THIS, AS I HAVE STATED BEFORE, BITTERNESS WILL DESTROY YOU INSTEAD OF THE PERSON YOU HAVE BITTERNESS TOWARD.
A PRIME EXAMPLE IS IN OUR TEXT WITH SHEMEI AND HIS BITTERNESS TOWARD DAVID.
EVEN IF THE BITTERNESS YOU HAVE IS JUSTIFIED BITTERNESS ACCORDING THE SCRIPTURE IS WRONG.
Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.
WHEN YOU STUDY THE BOOK OF SAMEUL IT SHOWS THAT SAUL HAD BEEN DEAD FOR TWENTY YEARS AT THIS POINT OF THE STORY.
HERE IS DAVID AND HIS PEOPLE WEEPING OVER THE FACT THAT HIS SON ABSALOM HAD TURNED AGAINST HIM AND YET HERE IS A MAN CURSING DAVID AND THROWING ROCKS AT HIM.
THE PICTURE OF SHIMEI PUBLICLY CURSING DAVID AND THROWING STONES AT HIM SHOWS THE SHAMELESS CONDUCT THAT RESULTS FROM BITTERNESS.
THE RESULTS OF YEARS OF PRIVATE SEETHING ONLY CAUSES THE BITTERNESS TO GROW AND IT BOILS OVER IN OUR ATTITUDES AND LANGUAGE.
TIME HAD PASSED AND NOW SOLOMON WAS ON THE THRONE AND DECIDED TO SEND FOR SHEMEI.
1 KINGS 2:36 “THEN THE KING “SENT” FOR SHEMEI.
AS YOU THINK ABOUT THIS I’M SURE SHEMEI THOUGHT THAT SOLOMON WAS GOING TO KILL HIM BECAUSE OF THE THINGS HE DID IN THE PAST.
IT GOES TO SHOW HOW THAT “WHAT WE SOW WE SHALL ALSO REAP.”
DO NOT BE DECEIVED, GO DIS NOT MOCKED; FOR WHATEVER A MAN SOWS, THAT HE WILL ALSO REAP. FOR HE WHO SOWS TO HIS FLESH WILL OF THE FLESH REAP CORRUPTION BUT HE WHO SOWS TO THE SPIRIT WILL OF THE SPIRIT REAP EVERLASTING LIFE. AND LET US NOT BE WEARY WHILE DOING GOOD FOR IN DUE SEASON WE SHALL REAP IF WE DO NOT LOSE HEART.
