(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

And so in 2 Samuel chapter 16, of course, it starts out there with the story of Ziba coming there and bringing the loaves and the bread and the raisins and all of that. And, you know, the first three verses kind of deal with that and, you know, he shows up and David asks him, hey, where's Mephibosheth? And he says, you know, basically he lies, okay? And I really don't want to spend a lot of time on that. We'll come back to that in chapter 19. That issue gets addressed again. But I really want to look at this evening is this character Shimei, because I think this is, he's an interesting guy. And really, you know, he's somebody that we should take note of in scripture because of the fact that we still see people like this today. We still see people that do things like Shimei did. And what Shimei did in the story is, of course, he's railing on David. He's attacking David. And this is something that still happens today. You know, people think, you know, well, how does this apply? We don't see that type of thing taking place, but we don't see these enemies attacking all the time. That's true, but that doesn't mean that they're not out there. You know, and we might not see it directly on our church, but, you know, we might look around and see other men of God being attacked. We might see other churches being attacked. And that's the first point I want to make tonight about this character Shimei is that he came forth. If you look there in verse five, it says, verse four, rather, then said the king to Ziba, behold, thine are all that, excuse me, behold, thine are all that pertain to the Mephibosheth. And Ziba said, I humbly beseech you that I might find grace in the sight of my Lord, O king. Verse five, and when David came to Bahurim, behold, thence came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gira. He came forth and cursed as he came. So, you know, David didn't go out expecting to run into this guy, but this is somebody that eventually came into his life. This is eventually somebody that he crossed paths with. And this is something that we need to understand is that, you know, enemies are not always present, but they always exist. They're always out there. Now, it's not that we're constantly dealing with people like this, but from time to time we are going to deal with people who rail, who lie, who attack godly people, okay? Look, we might deal with this as a church. You might deal with this in your own personal life. You're going to cross paths with people in your life who don't like the fact that you're a Christian, that don't like the fact that you live for god. And when they see an opportunity to try and discourage you, to put you down, that's what they're going to do. Look, they're always out there, okay? We don't always run across them, but from time to time we're going to. I don't want to give this idea that the Christian life is just, you know, one, you know, attack after another, just one long battle of attrition with the enemies of god. But look, there are battles that we fight from time to time. And there are times when we run into these shimmy eyes in our life who want to come at a time when we're weak, maybe when we're distressed, and trying to discourage us, and slander us, and try to keep us from carrying on for the Lord. So the first thing about shimmy eyes is the fact that he came forth, okay? He's somebody that is out there. And if you would, go over to 1 Peter, chapter number five, 1 Peter, chapter five. When you get to 1 Peter, keep a bookmark there. We'll be coming back later to 1 Peter, 1 and 2 Peter. I'll read to you from Ephesians 4, it says, that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive. Look, there's men out there, there's people who use cunning craftiness, they lie in wait to deceive people. There are these people that lie in wait, that want to attack. And of course, we think of 1 Peter chapter five verse eight, it says, be sober, be vigilant. Why? Because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. You know, and what's, he's saying, look, there is an enemy we haven't out there who wants to devour, what is the, what are the precautions we should take to avoid that enemy? To be vigilant, to be sober, to be aware of the fact that there's people out there like this, that want to attack, that want to discourage us, that want us to quit living for the Lord. They come forth in our lives, okay? Now, the next thing I want us to notice, of course, is the nature of Shimei's attack. When he came forth, you know, it wasn't just that he showed up and that was enough, right? He showed up and he did what? He cursed, right? If you look there in verses seven and eight, it says, and he cast, verse six, and he cast stones at all the servants of the king of David and all the people and the mighty men that were on his right hand and on his left. And thus said Shimei, when he cursed, so he came forth and then he cursed, come out, come out, thou bloody man and thou man of Belial. So he comes out and he's cursing him. And that's a lot of time how, you know, we talk about the spiritual attacks, the attacks that we're going to go through in the Christian life, it's not, you know, very rarely, if ever, is it going to be a physical attack. You know, I've been a Christian for, you know, almost 20 years serving the Lord, and I have yet to be pushed, I have yet to be struck, I have yet to have anybody spit at me, you know, at least for soul winning. That's another story. But, you know, I've never been physically assaulted as a Christian. You know, but I'll tell you what, I've had plenty of doors slammed in my face, I've had plenty of people call me names and say things and try and discourage me and be upset with me and be angry over what I believe, you know, and if you live the Christian life very long, you know, you will too. You know, if you're living a godly Christian life, it's a guarantee, and all they that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. And how are they going to attack? How, what form is that persecution going to take? They're going to attack with their words. They're going to curse, right? That's what Shimei did. He came forth, and then when he attacked, he attacked with his words. And notice, you know, in this particular case, what he did here, you know, it was a railing accusation that he made against them. It was, you know, something that wasn't true. He was trying to make David look bad, and look, not all, not every negative statement that is made about somebody is railing, okay? Don't, that's something that needs to be clarified. You know, railing is when you're saying something that's not true about somebody. You know, when you're lying, it's a form of lying when you're trying to, you know, besmirch their character, when you're trying to drag their name through the mud. You know, that's called a railing accusation, okay? And that's what Shimei here does if you look there in verses seven and eight. It says, and thus said Shimei when he cursed, come out, come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial. Now that's quite the thing to say to a guy like David, the Lord's anointed, the sweet psalmist of Israel, to call him a man of Belial. I mean, because that's basically saying you're a devil worshiper, you're satanic, right? Because he's of Belial, or Baelial, you know, or Bael, Beelzebub. That's what he's saying when he says, thou man of Belial. The Lord hath returned, verse eight, upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul. In whose stead thou hast reigned, and thou hast delivered, and hast, the Lord hath delivered thy kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son. And behold, thou art taken a mischief, because thou art a bloody man. So we understand here in the case of David that there is a grain of truth to this, okay? David did commit murder, David did have some mischief in his life, but that's not what he's referring to here. If you pay attention there, he's saying, look, he's, verse eight, the Lord hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul. Okay? He's accusing him of all the blood of the house of Saul. Okay? He's accusing him of taking out Saul. And you have to remember that he's a Benjamite, right? That's who Shimei is. He's a Benjamin, he's a Benjamite. And Saul also was a Benjamite. And there's some meaning there, but again, what he's accusing him of is actually having killed Saul. And this is what makes it a railing accusation, because that couldn't be further from the truth. You know, we went through 1st Salmon, you've read the story, it's the complete opposite that's true when it comes to it. It's the complete opposite of the truth. It's the complete opposite of the truth. It's the complete opposite that's true when it comes to Saul. David spared Saul on more than one occasion when he could have taken his life. And everybody around him was for it, were encouraging him, hey, this is your chance, the Lord's delivered your enemy in your hand, kill him. And he said, I will not stretch forth my hand against the Lord's anointed. And even after Saul died, you know, the beginning of the book you have the Amorite coming and taking Saul's crown and his bracelet and coming to him and saying that he killed Saul. He didn't even the one that killed Saul. He's just saying, hey, I did it, hoping to gain something from David. And David does what? Him and his men, they fast all that day and they mourn for him. And then he kills that guy. And he says, why weren't you not afraid to kill the Lord's anointed? So when this, when Shimei comes out and just says, oh, you're a bloody man, you man of Belial, you know, God's repaying you for all the blood of Saul's house, that's the first, that nothing can be further from the truth. David didn't shed any blood of Saul's house. In fact, he tried to spare Saul on multiple occasions. But where is this coming from? Why would someone just make such a, just a blatant lie like this? Why would somebody just make up such a railing accusation and go so far as to actually call, you know, a man of God, a son, a child of Belial, a man of the devil? Why would you go so far as to accuse them something that everyone knows he's not guilty of? And I believe what this comes from is resentment, is bitter resentment. Look, whenever you have somebody making railing accusations and just speaking evil of people, there's always a motive behind it. And if they're going to go so far as just to make things up about people and malign their character, you have to ask yourself, why would they say that? Just because they enjoy being nasty? I mean, maybe that's the case. Some people, I've known people like that. They just, they just wake up in the morning and say, I'm a mean, nasty person today. But a lot of times where it's really coming from is something in their heart. It's coming from some form of bitter resentment, some kind of envy, and they just want to lash out against somebody that they think is to blame. Because you have to remember at this point in the story, Saul's been dead for decades. I mean, maybe if it was fresh, if it just happened and the news hadn't gone around, how the battle played out that day, and it was just assumed that David did that, you might see how maybe you could come to this conclusion, but even then, you'd still be wrong, you know, you'd still be answering a matter before you hear it. But this is literally like at the very end of David's reign. This is getting real close to the end, you know, and it's been decades that Saul has been dead. And this guy, Shimei, has just been brooding about this for decades. And he, you know, notice he didn't say, and notice he didn't say anything, you know, the entire time David's been reigning in Jerusalem, when he's been at the height of his power, when everyone's behind him, he waits until David is what, being, you know, running away, fleeing for his life, and he says, this is my chance to come out and say something to him, and finally let David know what I really think when he's on the ropes, and let him know how I really feel. So this just goes to show you that when these type of railing accusations come, when these type of just, these just, you know, lies are spoken, it's coming from a place of bitterness. A lot of times it's coming from a place of resentment. So this is the nature of and the character of this guy, Shimei. He's just a bitter, resentful Benjamite who wants to just curse and attack David. And look, these type of people are out there. We have these type of people in our lives. They will be out there. They're going to try and discourage us. They're going to lie about us. They're going to try and, you know, just make things up, maybe because they're bitter at us about something. Okay? Now, notice another thing that he did here in verse 13. It says there in verse 13, and as David and his men went by the way Shimei went along the hillside over against him and cursed as he went and threw stones at him and cast dust. Now, I don't know why you would cast dust. I mean, if you're trying to hurt somebody, it doesn't mean that I'm going, what are you doing? It just seems like that would be more of a nuisance to you. I mean, how far can you throw dust? Not very far. And I don't think he was that, he was over, he was against the hill. Like, he was far enough away to be heard, but I don't think he wanted to get that close to David. So, he's throwing dust, and it just seems like dust would just be right there in your face. But maybe he's kind of doing like the umpire thing, you know, you go up to the umpire and you kick dust at him and, you know, he's just making a scene, right? He's just being loud and boisterous and he's kicking this dust, he's casting this dust, but also, what else is he doing here? Is that he's throwing stones, right? He's casting stones at him. And this is another thing that these shimmy eye types do. You know, they're out there, they're going to come forth. You know, and when they come forth, they're going to curse, they're going to malign, they're going to lie, they're going to slander, they're going to say things that aren't true. Then they're going to also cast stones. And it's such a funny picture to think about this guy coming out against David and his mighty men, right? Because remember, later in the story, when Ahithophel goes back and he gives his counsel to defeat, or Hushai, he defeats the counsel of Ahithophel, he goes back and he says, look, you don't want to go fight David right now because he's like a lion and all his men are valiant men. And everyone goes, yeah, you're right, we should think about that. But here you have this guy, this shimmy eye, who's so bold and so brazen to go out there and just start cursing the king when he's got all of his soldiers right there. I mean, this guy doesn't have any sense in his head. And it's such a funny picture to think of this guy picking up stones and just lobbing them at David, just like trying to get them. And you know what this reminds me of today that we deal with a lot, you know, most of you probably don't have to deal with this, maybe that's why you won't be able to relate to it so much, but you can make an application. This reminds me a lot of internet trolls, which is something I have to deal with a little bit more and other people who, you know, put their stuff online, is these people that, you know, attack from afar. You know, we've got a lot of keyboard warriors out there today, a lot of people who are just, you know, kicking up dust and what, casting stones, coming on some church's YouTube channel and trying to just make some obscene statement or post links to some obscene video. You know, that just reminds me of this shimmy eye guy, just what, casting stones at people. And it's the same type of, it makes me laugh in the same way, I mean, it's the same type of just ridiculousness. It's, I mean, what are we to think of somebody who's spending their whole life just, you know, cursing people online and going after people online. It's the same type of person that would go out and throw rocks at, you know, a king and his soldiers, would go out against King David and think, well, I'm going to get him with this rock. Now, here's the thing, though. What are stones to soldiers? I mean, do you see in the story where David and his men are running for their lives? Oh no, shimmy eye's got a stone. Everybody run for it, look out, what a big threat. You know, no, all that guy is is annoying at best. I mean, yeah, if you got hit by a stone, now kids don't say, hey, the deacons said you could throw stones, it wouldn't hurt, no, that'll hurt. You know, we used to have rock fights when I was in junior high school and it was pretty stupid, you know, we'd just pick up a bunch of rocks and whip them at each other, you know, and if you didn't want to get hit, it'd hurt, right, I mean, you could break a tooth, you could get a black eye, you know, things could happen, but is it going to kill you? No, it's not, it's one guy throwing a stone, you know, lobbing one at afar, you know, it's not going to have a lot of speed on it, you're going to see it coming, you're going to see what it is, oh, it's shimmy eye again throwing more stones, and, you know, probably just moving right out of the way. Even one of those stones even got near, even came close to hitting David, you know, he's just throwing these stones, and the soldiers, even if it hit him, I mean, it's just going to hit armor, it's just going to bounce off a shield or a spear, it's not going to make any difference. All they are, they're more annoying than they are harmful, you know, people come out and just want to throw stones at other people, but I want you to notice here, in verse 9 through 13, David's reaction to shimmy eye and his cursing and his casting of stones, if you look there in verse 9, then said, Abishai, the son of Ziriah unto the king, why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head. Right? And I love the spirit here, you know, maybe I'm wrong for that, of Abishai, the son of Ziriah, who wants to just go, you know what, that's my king, you're offending him, you're throwing rocks, you're cursing him, you know, I'm just going to go cut that dog's head off, you know, that's what he calls him. And, you know, but David here, the king, and it says in verse 10, the king said, what have I to do with you, you sons of Ziriah? So let him curse, because the lord hath said unto him, curse David, who then shall say, wherefore hast thou done so? And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, behold, my son, which came forth from my bowels, seeketh my life. How much more now may this Benjamite do it? Let him alone, and let him curse, for the lord hath bidden him. It may be that the lord will look in mine affliction, and that the lord will requite me evil, and that the lord will requite me evil for, excuse me, requite me good for his cursing this day. And David as men went by the way, Shimei went along on the hillside over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust. So David just says, you know what, just calm down, cool your jets, you're not cutting anybody's head off today, you know, my own, my own son is risen up against me. How much, it makes a lot more sense that this guy would be doing this. Is it really that surprising when my own son is in rebellion against me and chasing me out of my own kingdom? He says, he's saying, look, we have bigger fish to fry. We have more important things to be worried about here than some Benjamite who's just been bitter for the last 40 years, what happened to Saul, and wants to just come out and curse me. Okay? And you know, and that's something, and I was making the application earlier against, you know, internet trolls, okay? Bringing this into, you know, our modern times, right? When we deal with people who, you know, troll our, our, our church channels and things like that, and say nasty things. And look, people get tempted to, to go and mix it up with these people. You know, they, or like sometimes I've even seen, and I appreciate this, you know, I'm not, I understand where people are coming from, you know, they'll say something personal about me, you know, or about our pastor, Pastor Anderson. And it's like, oh, you're, you know, I'm going to take that dog's head off. You know, I'm going to go over there. I got just the right thing to say. I'm going to put that guy in his place. But you know, my attitude is like, let him alone, you know, there's always the block button, you know, you always just delete that loser, you know, but let him alone. You know, we've got more important things to do. We've got other battles to fight. This guy casting stones really isn't that big a deal. And besides that, you know, the Bible tells us that, you know, we should speak not in the ears of a fool for he will despise the wisdom of thy words. I've never seen an internet, internet debate turn out well, you know, that's why I don't do it. I mean, I've been, I've been guilty in the past. I've seen people get it on Facebook and social media where they're just going back and forth. It's very rare if ever, I've never seen it where people say, you know, I see your point of view. Yeah, you know, actually you're right. I take back everything I said. You know, the Bible says speak not in the ears of a fool for he will despise the wisdom of thy words. You know, when you have these shimmy eyes that come into your life and just want to curse and cast stones, really the best thing you can do is just let them do their thing. I mean, I don't know what kind of shape shimmy eyes is, my arms sore. I'm like, well, that's, I'm done. You know, these people wear themselves out and go away on their own. And really, if they, whatever they're doing, you know, it's more annoying than anything. But David's reaction here, he's saying, look, let them alone. It may be the Lord will look, verse 12, on my deflection and that the Lord will requite me good for his cursing this day. And this is something that we need to keep in mind. This is something that's taught in the New Testament as well. That when we are persecuted for righteousness' sake, that we are rewarded for that. That is something that we should embrace. That is not something we should try to avoid in life. They say, well, you know, I'd let people know I was a Christian. I'd let people know that I believe the Bible. I'd let people know, you know, that I believe certain things about the scripture, but, you know, I wouldn't want to upset them. I wouldn't want to suffer any persecution. You know, I'd go to that church, but man, that doesn't work out. And he says some things that aren't very popular in the world today. And if people find out I go there, if my family finds out I go there, you know, I might get into hot water. I might suffer what? Some persecution. But here's the thing. That persecution equals rewards. And that's what David says. He said, maybe the Lord will look on my deflection, right? He said, let him curse, for the Lord hath bidden him. And maybe the Lord will look on my deflection and the Lord will requite me good for his cursing this day. He might look down and see that Shimei calling David a son of Belial, a man of Belial. He might see David look, or Shimei calling David, you know, a bloody mischievous man who's responsible for the death of Saul and his house. And he might say, you know what? That's not true. Let me actually show you who's true, what's right, and bless David. We should allow these things to come. If you would, go over to 1 Peter chapter 3. We should not avoid persecution in the Christian faith. We should not avoid persecution in the Christian faith. We should not avoid persecution in the Christian life. And look, we're in the United States. The level of persecution at this time is not very high. You know, we might preach some sermon that's going to go red hot, you know, and go viral. And, you know, I might end up on the 11 o'clock news. You know, we might have a bomb through the front window like they did in L.A. You know, we might suffer some persecution. But look, no one's lost their life. You know, buildings can be replaced. You know, we just did it, and we just moved from 1 to the next. There's other ones we could move into if we had to. You know, news people move on to other stories. Internet trolls go away. Your family will get over it and just say, well, that's the way they are now. We should not avoid persecution. We should, in fact, we should embrace it. The Bible says, Jesus said, blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake rejoice and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. He's saying, look, you're blessed when people revile you. You're blessed when people persecute you. God's going to see that and bless you for it. He said, blessed are you when men shall hate you, right? When they shall separate you from their company and say, I don't want anything to do with those guys. I don't want anything to do with that person. I don't want anything to do with you anymore. You're such a Bible thumper or whatever it is. Oh, you're such a Christian. You're a Christian. And not only that, you're a Baptist. Oh, and not only that, you're an independent fundamental Baptist. I don't want anything to do with you. I want to separate from your company. Oh, no, please, please. I'm not saying it's easy, but I'm saying this is that you're blessed. The Lord will look down on that and it may just be that He will what? Repay you. That He will do you good for the suffering that you're enduring. Look at 1 Peter chapter 3, verse 14. Look at 1 Peter chapter 3, verse 14. Look at 1 Peter chapter 3, verse 14. But and if you suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye. Well, that doesn't sound right. I mean, suffering? What's so happy about suffering? That's what the Bible says. But and if you suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye. And be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear, having a good conscience that whereas they speak evil of you as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that what falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. For it is better if the will of God be so that ye suffer for well-doing than for evil. Look, if we do evil, if we do do bad things and we suffer for it, you know, that's right. We should suffer for those things. We shouldn't be surprised by that. But look, if we do well and we suffer for it, you know, that's a good thing. That's what the Bible's saying. You're blessed. It's saying you should be happy about that. You should literally rejoice in that day and what? Leap for joy. I'm not gonna leap because you see my three inch vertical and it's not very impressive. And I might break this platform here. It's not that thick of plywood. Well, that's what he's saying, literally. When you get persecuted, hey, you should be leaping. That's how happy you should be. Have you ever been so happy you've leapt? Like literally throwing your arms up, yeah, and just been that excited? It's happened a few times in my life. I can't remember what over, but I know I've done it. You know, and look, when we get persecuted, when people speak evil of us, when they put us down, when they're persecuting us for righteousness' sake. You know, I went to, you know, I got in trouble for being a, you know, this or that. You know, I was doing bad things and people, I got busted. It's like, well, yeah, don't leap for that. You deserve that. Well, look, when we're living for the Lord and we get persecuted for it, look, we should leap for that. We should be so excited about the blessings that's coming, that are coming. And that was David's reaction to the story. When he's being persecuted, when he's being run out of his own kingdom by his own son, and this Shimei comes along, when he comes forth and he does what? He curses and he casts his stones. David says, you know what, let him alone. It might be that the Lord will look on that and reward me good for his evil. He embraced that suffering. So you have to ask yourself, why would a guy like Shimei do what he did? Why would he be so bold to go out there and attack a man like King David who's surrounded by his valiant men? Why would he go out there and be so bold and call him a son of Belial and all these other things and just rail on him? Well, it's because he's convinced. I mean, you know, one, he's got a lot of resentment in his heart, but he believes he's right. I mean, you have to be convinced that you're right to go out and be that bold, right? He was sure that he was right. You know, and the Bible says that the way of a fool is right in his own eyes. But he that hearkeneth unto the counsel is wise. Look, the way of a fool is right in his own eyes. That's why, you know, we should not strive. The servant of the Lord must not strive. That's why a lot of times these Shimei types, they're best to just be ignored. Maybe even in some instances placate them. You know, if they're not trying to get you to do something wrong or sinful, just, you know, let them go and just say, yeah, you're right, whatever. And just give them what they want and let them go away, because you're never going to convince them that they're wrong, because they're convinced that they're right. And, you know, here's the thing, the point I want to make about that is that there's nothing noble about being stubborn. You don't want to be like a Shimei. We're trying to relate to David and his story, right? How, you know, we have Shimeis that come into our lives and cause us harm and curse us and persecute us, and we should rejoice over that. We should count that a blessing and all that. Well, let's relate to Shimei a little bit. Why is Shimei so bold to do what he did? Because he's stubborn, because he's convinced he's right, and no one's going to tell him different. Okay, now, he comes to his senses. We'll see that here in a minute, and he realizes he was wrong later. But at the time, you know what? There was no convincing him, because he's a fool, and he thinks his way is right in his own eyes. We don't want to be like that. We want to be what? Stiff-necked people. Look, if somebody can come to us and show us that we're wrong about something, we should have enough humility about ourselves to say, you know what? You're right. I'm wrong. Let me fix it. We don't want to be like Shimei, who's just so convinced that he's right that it leads to these brash actions that he's taking. We should be people that are willing to admit it when we're wrong. And I want to spend a lot of time on that point, but the last couple things I want to look at, you know, you say, well, I don't like the idea that, you know, Abishai couldn't go cut off his head. You know, I think, you know, I see where David's coming from, but I would have got a lot more satisfaction out of this story if it was just about him drawing a sword and lopping off Shimei's head, and, you know, it had been like a, you know, some kind of action movie or something, right? But don't worry about it, because he gets what's coming. If you want to go over to second, just go over to chapter 19. Eventually, you know, he does cower. So what did Shimei do? He came forth, right? Look, the Shimei's are out there. We might not have them in our lives at all times, but they will come forth. We will cross paths with them eventually. What do they do when they come forth? They curse, right? They use their words to try and discourage us. What else do they do? They cast stones, right? They do things from afar, like cowards, right? You know, and again, that's why I don't worry about a lot of these things, you know, that are set online and stuff like that. Because a lot of people that say things online would never have the steel to say it to your face. It was one of the first things my dad taught me when I was just a little boy. I remember I was out playing with some friends, and someone had said something nasty about my dad like he's a boogerhead or something. You know, some dumb thing that kids say. And I mean, I just got all offended. You don't talk about my dad like that, so I'm going to go tell my dad. And he was real upset about him. And he was real concerned. Anybody said, you know what? He said, if people don't say it to my face, he said, I really don't worry about it. And that stuck with me, you know? And then even later in life, when I was like 13 or 14, I was with him on the job. He took me to work with him. And I was, you know, I was dumb and ignorant, didn't really realize how the world worked completely, and I'm there at work. And my dad was a supervisor, so supervisors typically aren't the most liked people by the people that they supervise, because they're always telling them what to do. So this group of the guys that he was supervising, they came in before my dad into this break room, and they brought me in, or I was already in there, and they say, hey, go tell your dad this. And this was down in the West Indies in the Virgin Islands. And they said, go tell him he's this. And I didn't know what it was. I can't even recall what the word was, and even if I did, I wouldn't repeat it, because it wasn't anything good. So I went and said, hey, the guys told me to tell you this. And the thing he said to me when I was like five or six, he said, if they don't have, well, he said some other words, if they don't have, you know, the stones to come out here and say it to my face, then they might as well not have said it. And that was that same lesson my dad taught me. And look, when these shimmy eyes come into our life and they want to just curse and cast stones, you know, from afar, when they want to just say things that they would never say to our face, sometimes the best thing is just ignore them. Because did they really say it to you if they didn't say it to your face? It says more about a person when they have to go around behind your back or say something from, you know, hundreds or thousands of miles away, even, on the internet, on some, you know, anonymous account. It just makes them look like what they are, a coward. You know, and I just think to myself, would this, if this person were standing or sitting here in front of me, would they have the nerve to say what they just said? And most of the time, they wouldn't. Because people are completely different in person than they are online or talking with friends about somebody, right? So, you know, I was kind of backtracking there a little bit, but you say, well, you know, I really want shimmy eye to get what's coming. Well, he does come to his senses. He gets what's coming eventually. If you look there in 2 Samuel 19, we'll start there in verse 17. And there went a thousand men of Benjamin with him and Ziba the servant of the house of Saul and his 15 sons. So this is David coming back into Jerusalem after they've won the battle. And his servant's with him, and they went over Jordan before the king, and they went over a ferryboat to carry the king's household and do what he thought good. And shimmy eye, the son of Gerah, fell down before the king as he was come over Jordan. And he said to the king, Let not my Lord impute iniquity unto me. Neither do thou remember that which thy servant did previously the day that my Lord the king went out of Jerusalem, that the king should take it to his heart. For thy servant doth know that I have sinned, therefore, behold, I have come to thee first this day of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my Lord the king. So he's coming back, he's saying, Look, that whole stone thing, sorry about that. When he realizes he was on the wrong side of that battle, at least, you know, shimmy eye has enough sense to say, Well, you know, David didn't kill me then. He told Abishai to, you know, to put his sword back and not to do anything. But now it's kind of a different situation. Maybe David's like me and thinks, and just is going to hold a grudge and be resentful over something and want to lash out at me, and now that I'm the one on the ropes, maybe he'll take it out on me. Look, shimmy eye eventually, he cowers, doesn't he? And he's groveling and begging for his life. And of course, David spares him, and it says in verse 20, or verse 21, But Abishai the son of Zerah answered and said, Shall not shimmy eye be put to death for this, because ye have cursed the Lord's anointed? So there's Abishai again. He's just ready to just like, Just let me at him. Let me at him. Right? He just wants to get him. And David said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zerah? He says that again, That ye should this day be adversaries unto me. Shall there be any man put to death in this day in Israel? For do not I know that I am this day king over Israel? He's like, Look, I know I'm king. I don't have to prove anything by taking off this guy's head by having you kill him. So he threw some rocks. So he cursed me. You know, there's been a lot of bloodshed today. There's been a lot of other things that are more concerning than this guy. And you know what? He is begging for his life. Therefore the king said to Shimei, Thou shalt not die, and the king sware it unto him. Now, there's a little bit of a clause in the story, okay? He said, he didn't really say, You're never gonna die. He's just saying, You know what? I'm not gonna let Abishai kill you right now. Because if you go to 1 Kings, go to 1 Kings, Abishai, or Shimei actually ends up, does end up getting killed in the story, if you know the story of Shimei. And this is after David has died, and one of the last things he tells his son. I'll just look there at 1 Kings chapter 2, verse 8. He says, Behold, thou hast with thee, Shimei, the son of Gira, a Benjamite of Baharim, which cursed me with a grievous curse this day when I went to Mahanaim. But he came down to me at Jordan, and I sware to him by the Lord, saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword. Now, therefore, hold him not guiltless, for thou art a wise man, and thou knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him, but his whorehead bring thou down to the grave with blood. He says, You know what? At the time I spared him, well, you remember Solomon, what he did to me, and don't you let him live out. You bring down his whorehead, a gray head, right? With blood. So David, you know, does eventually give Shimei what he's got coming. And this is what happens a lot of times to the Shimeis in our life. I'm not saying we take it into our own hands, but a lot of times circumstances work out and they get what's coming, because what goes around comes around. Whatsoever man soweth, that shall he also reap. It's a law, okay? Now, if you would, go over to 1 Kings chapter 23. 1 Kings 2. Because then we'll see what happens to Shimei ultimately in 1 Kings chapter number 2. David's reminding Solomon about him in 1 Kings 2. In fact, let me see here. I'm almost there. And we're going to look at verse 36. 1 Kings chapter number 2 and verse 36. He says there in verse 36, And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king That's not the one I'm looking for. No, I got the wrong passage. Anyway, the story goes like this. The story is this, is that Solomon, he tells Shimei, look, you can stay in Jerusalem, but if you leave Jerusalem, you're a dead man, okay? He says, I'm going to let you live, but you're bound here, okay? So not only does he cower, you know, Shimei ends up what? Being confined, right? He's confined and eventually killed. If you read the story, he says, look, you've got to stay here, and then one of Shimei's servants takes off, okay? And Shimei goes after his servant to try and get him back. And then Solomon gets word that he left and says, look, you broke the vow, and now you're dead, and he ends up killing him. Here's the thing about Shimeis, is that life has a way of doling out what people have coming. You know, circumstances will work. We don't have to take things in our own hands. We don't have to be Abishai in the story. One cross word, someone curses us, casts stones at us, and it's like, that's it, I'm going to kill this guy. You know, the sword's out, and just, you know, the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God, the Bible says. Sometimes we just let these things work out, you know? And life has a way of rewarding people for their things, and ultimately it's the Lord that's at work, that engineers all these circumstances and things. So the moral of Shimei is this, is that, look, they're going to come. We don't have to take it into our own hands to avenge ourselves, but rather we should rejoice. We should be glad that when someone comes and crosses our path like a Shimei and curses us and casts stones and wants to do evil, you know, that's something to leap for joy over. And you can just say, well, that doesn't seem very fair. Yeah, but they'll get it eventually. You know, God said, the Lord said, vengeance is mine, I will repay, sayeth the Lord. And He's a lot better at it than we are. You know, and He could do a much better job. So, you know, judgment comes to these railers in time. People who just want to rail and make accusations and attack people, me, you, the Lord's anointed, you know, it will eventually come back to them. It will get them. Did you keep something in 1 Peter? If you're still in 1 Peter, go to chapter 2. Judgment eventually comes to these people. We don't have to sit here and feel like we have to, you know, right every wrong. Look at verse 21, 1 Peter 2. For even hereunto were he called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow His steps. And what were His steps? Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth, who when He was reviled, reviled not again. You know, sometimes when we're reviled, the best thing to do is just not revile again. And look, you have to use discernment. I understand sometimes there's a time and place to stand up and say something. You know, when people are attacking a doctrine, where people are attacking, you know, things like soul winning, like something we've seen recently, someone's attacking, you know, going out and preaching the gospel. Look, we're going to say something about that, because you're attacking the word of God, you're attacking a doctrine, you're attacking an important work. But when it's just an attack against me, when it's just an attack against us personally, they're just like, I don't like your face, or you ugly, or whatever. They just have some nasty personal thing that they want to say to us, because they're full of resentment and bitterness. Sometimes the best thing is just not revile again. Just not go full Abishai on them, you know, and pull out the sword. But just rather, you know, let the Lord work those things out, let God deal with them, and they'll get what's coming. I'm not saying they're going to get killed, you know, but they'll get put in their place. They'll get confined, they'll say, Jerusalem's your only, you know, life will constrain them and say, you're stuck here in life now. And God can work like that. Because who was it that did that to Shimei in the story? Who said, look, you can stay in Jerusalem, but that's it. Can't go anywhere else. It was the king, Solomon, right? And who's that representative to us, the king? It's God, it's the Lord. The Lord has a way of working these things out for us on our behalf. Our job is to do what Jesus did, you know. He left us his example to fall on his steps, who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth, who when he was reviled, reviled not again, when he suffered, he threatened not. And if there's anybody that could have followed through on their threats, it was the Lord. I mean, when they came to take him in the garden, and Peter smote off the high priest, the ear of the high priest's servant, you know, Jesus healed him and told Peter, said, put up thy sword. And what did he say? He said, I could presently call ten legions of angels and my father would presently give them to me. I mean, he could have stopped everything. I mean, he could have turned all those guys, killed them with a word. But did he? No, in fact, he didn't even threaten. He threatened not. But what did he do? He committed himself to him that judgeth righteous. And that's what we need to do. That's what this passage is telling us. When we deal with people like Shimei's who curse us, who cast stones at us, who want to do harm to us, you know, we need to what? Just suffer and leave it in the Lord's hands and to not revile again. And let life work on those people. You know, and pray for them. You know, we ought to pray for people who use us and want to do us harm. We should be praying for them. We should be praying for them. Say, Lord, you know, change their heart. Help them to not be that way. That's the example that Christ left us. You know, that's the example we see with David. Granted, later, you know, maybe he was a God a little bitter too, I don't know. But in that particular instance, you know, he's saying, look, we got other things to worry about. We don't have to go around trying to right every wrong in life. We need to just understand that God will deal with people. Let's go ahead and pray.