Could David be any more resigned to his fate? When Shimei, a member of Saul’s family, comes
out and curses David and the entourage and throws stones at him, calling him a
man of blood on whom all the blood of the house of Saul will be avenged, his men
want to stop Shimei but David says to let him continue, it is possible that
David deserves to be cursed. Was David
responsible for the blood of Saul’s house?
It wasn’t David’s men who killed Saul and Jonathan. David, however, knows his sin and he knows
God’s word concerning the reality that there will be no peace in his house as a
consequence. As Nathan had prophesied,
another went in to David’s concubines, his own son, Absalom, at the counsel of
Ahitophel. At this point, Absalom had
thrown down his claim to succeed his father in every way. What had David done to Absalom to deserve the
treatment he was given? Was it still
part of the revenge for Amnon’s rape of Tamar and David’s failure to act?
Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem provides quite a
contrast with David’s exit doesn’t it?
Where Shimei threw stones and dust and shouted curses at David, the
crowds greet Jesus like a king, strewing palm branches on the way and shouting,
Hosanna, which means Lord save us and referring to Him bringing the kingdom of
their father David. Where does Jesus go
when He enters the city? The house of
His Father, the temple, to look around at everything. It had to have been a bittersweet moment for
Him, hearing the crowds, receiving the adulation, and yet knowing what will
soon take place in this very city and many of these same people will be
shouting not, Lord save us and blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord,
but “Crucify Him!” Little could anyone know
that this was the answer to the prayer, “Lord, save us.”
When Paul says that he was sent to the Gentiles the crowd
turns on him. Their cry is that he isn’t
fit to live and react as Shimei reacted to David’s presence. The man is preaching their only hope for
salvation and they want him dead. The tribune
knew Paul spoke Greek and Hebrew but Paul had identified himself only as a Jew
who had been born in Cilicia to this point so the man had no idea that Paul was
also a Roman citizen. The tribune
thought perhaps the best way to get Paul to explain the truth about why these
people were so angry with him (the tribune probably didn’t speak Hebrew and
couldn’t have understood the controversy) was to torture him by flogging him. At the last moment, after Paul has already had
his civil rights violated by being bound, he informs them that this is unlawful
to do to a Roman citizen. Purchasing your
citizenship was less prestigious that having natural-born status as Paul did,
no matter what your title might be. We
have a tendency to measure all things by present circumstances, David down,
Jesus up, Paul, not too good. We don’t
have any idea how to understand the moment and yet we try.
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