People Who Delight in Others’ Misfortune

5When king David came to Bahurim, behold, a man of the family of Saul’s house came out, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera. He came out and cursed as he came. 6He cast stones at David, and at all the servants of king David, and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. 7Shimei said when he cursed, “Be gone, be gone, you man of blood, and wicked fellow! 8Yahweh has returned on you all the blood of Saul’s house, in whose place you have reigned! Yahweh has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son! Behold, you are caught by your own mischief, because you are a man of blood!” 9Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Please let me go over and take off his head.” 10The king said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? Because he curses, and because Yahweh has said to him, ‘Curse David;’ who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’” 11David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, “Behold, my son, who came out of my bowels, seeks my life. How much more this Benjamite, now? Leave him alone, and let him curse; for Yahweh has invited him. 12It may be that Yahweh will look on the wrong done to me, and that Yahweh will repay me good for the cursing of me today.” 13So David and his men went by the way; and Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him, and cursed as he went, threw stones at him, and threw dust. 14The king, and all the people who were with him, came weary; and he refreshed himself there.

I have a friend with an unusual personality. At first I could not quite understand this friend’s behavior, and it took me a long time to grasp what was really in their heart. Every time I ran into trouble, they did everything they could to help me, and I wondered whether I could ever do the same; so I, too, helped them wholeheartedly whenever they were in difficulty. What was hard to understand was that once I got through a hard stretch, my friend would suddenly turn cold, as if I had done something to hurt them. Not yet understanding my friend’s nature, I tried each time to smooth things over, but the relationship never really recovered until some new trouble came my way.

Because I was poor in those days, my troubles kept coming, and only by watching this strange pattern repeat did I finally understand my friend’s nature. Even now I find that behavior hard to understand, but it does not seem that they treat me out of ill will, so I have kept up the friendship.

Looking back now, I think my friend wanted me to live a little less well than they did. In a sense, ordinary people may have such feelings and simply not show them; everyone probably carries a little of this in their heart. Whoever it may be, when something good happens to another person, we may congratulate them and yet feel hurt inside because of our own sense of defeat. Humanly speaking, such feelings are entirely understandable.

But such feelings spring from a deeply evil human nature, and so you must be especially careful with them. After all, to envy another’s well-being, and to lose heart as though it were your own misfortune, is a sign that you have not formed a good character.

Cain, who gave full vent to the evil of human nature, killed Abel, whose faith was true; and Esau, envying Jacob, who longed to be a child of God, ended up far from God. They foolishly imagined that Abel and Jacob were loved more than they were, and because they could not master their envy and jealousy, they attacked them. Had they been wise, they would have held a true faith like Abel’s and Jacob’s. Had they tried to take hold of the faith of Abel and Jacob, God would have forgiven the sins of Cain and Esau too and guided their lives. Yet the evil thoughts of Cain and Esau were seeds of sin sown by Satan, so that sin sprouted, grew, and bore the fruit of death.

Because Satan is cunning, you must drive out evil thoughts by faith.

Of course, overcoming the thoughts Satan plants in us is never easy. Still, since a sound faith can conquer evil thoughts, we must lean wholly on God and persevere through his word. The reason Jesus said that harboring lust in the heart is the same as committing adultery is that lust eventually leads to adultery itself.

If it pains and torments us when others live better than we do, that shows how little hope we have in the eternal Kingdom. The heart Satan gives in this way makes us miserable and even tempts us to abandon our faith. In every circumstance we must strive for a faith that trusts God to lead us on the right path, a faith that endures and gives thanks. If that faith does not change, God will lift such a person up and glorify them, if only to boast of them before many.

Fleeing from Absalom, David set out with those who followed him.

On the road into exile he met wicked men: Ziba, Saul’s servant, who sought to profit from his misfortune, and Shimei, who delighted in it. Ziba, as Saul’s servant, had once been commanded by David to serve Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth as his master. Now he came to David on the road of flight with two donkeys loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred clusters of raisins, a hundred summer fruits, and a skin of wine. David was glad and grateful that Ziba had brought food for him and his people, who had fled with nothing prepared. At the time, David did not know with what motive Ziba had prepared all this.

Deuteronomy 15:7

7If a poor man, one of your brothers, is with you within any of your gates in your land which Yahweh your God gives you, you shall not harden your heart, nor shut your hand from your poor brother;

God told his people to open their hand and give a poor brother whatever he needs. He also promised that if they kept and did all his commandments, he would bless them for their obedience, and there would be no poor among them. If we freely share grace with a brother or sister in the faith who is struggling, God will help all who take part in that work so that they do not become poor. Giving away what one owns, expecting nothing back, is admittedly hard; but if we meet the needs of others while enjoying grace ourselves, God will praise us as wise and bless us beyond measure.

Ziba knew this word of God, but because he lacked a good character, he pretended to help David while seeking to satisfy his own greed. The food he brought out to David was prepared to exploit David’s hardship and get what he wanted. Giving for their own satisfaction, people like this cut off the relationship without a second thought once they get what they want.

David had earlier given all of Saul’s property to Mephibosheth and told Ziba to serve Mephibosheth as his master. Resenting this, Ziba seized his chance when Mephibosheth, being lame, could not come out to meet David, and he laid a plan to slander him and take the whole estate. He told David an outrageous lie: that Mephibosheth was in Jerusalem rejoicing, saying that David’s misfortune meant the restoration of Saul’s house. He probably thought his lie would never be found out. On hearing Ziba’s words, David was furious with Mephibosheth for betraying his kindness. He had shown grace to a man who deserved to die, and now that man was siding with Absalom’s rebellion; the thought enraged him.

On Ziba’s word alone, David gave him the entire estate. Since a wrong decision like this only creates further problems, we must confirm the facts first and then act; only then will we avoid David’s mistake. When David, once so wise, makes such a careless decision on impulse, we see how a bribe can blind a person’s eyes. David’s heart had already been captured by the food Ziba brought, and so he lacked the wisdom to see the situation clearly.

However wise someone may be, when a wicked person sets out to deceive them, they cannot help falling for it unless God protects them. Ziba took what he wanted by force, exploiting both David’s misfortune and the disability that kept Mephibosheth from walking. You may not, like Mephibosheth with his disability, become anyone outstanding in the world, and you may suffer injustice at the hands of the wicked. Not being as shrewd and wicked as Ziba, you may fail to keep your wealth. Watching the backs of the worldly people who hurt you as they run on ahead, you sometimes feel let down and discouraged, as if you had failed. You may even feel the urge to run as fast as they do, though it means sinning.

But we must not forget that our destination is different from theirs. If this world were the end, one could sin as much as one liked, and perhaps even exploit God’s wisdom to live more wickedly still; but because after our own life ends we must meet the Judge who is waiting for us, we must not live as Ziba did.

2 Samuel 16:5

5When king David came to Bahurim, behold, a man of the family of Saul’s house came out, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera. He came out and cursed as he came.

The second man who delighted in David’s misfortune was Shimei, a relative of Saul. On his flight, David met good people, but he also met wicked men like Shimei, who mocked and tormented him. You too may meet both good and evil people as you go through life. That is what life is, which is why I hope you will think carefully each time about how to conduct yourself and make the right decision.

Shimei was a close kinsman of Saul and a leading figure of great influence. So savage were the curses he poured on David that David even said that perhaps God would look on him with pity and show him favor.

While David held power, Shimei never said a word; but once David fell into trouble, he chased after him and poured out curses until it hurt. Clearly he was enjoying David’s misfortune. As Saul’s kinsman, naturally, he may well have found joy in David’s suffering. In this way, things that seem perfectly natural in the world are sin before God. You need not fear the world’s ridicule and contempt, for the persecution of God’s people is itself ground for God’s judgment on the world.

Shimei mocks David, seeing only his present plight. Had he known that David would return to the palace and recover his throne, he would not have acted this way. Such are human beings: unable to see even an inch ahead. That is why, when they nailed Jesus, who is life, to the cross, people mocked him to their hearts’ content, for they did not know that he would conquer death, rise again, and reign as King of kings and as Judge. Had they known that Jesus, the Son of God, had come to atone for sin, they would never have crucified him. To the world we may look like fools who rely on an empty god, but if the world had known that we are God’s children, served by angels, it would never have dared to sneer at us or mock us. People mock us and treat us as nothing because they do not know how great Jesus Christ is. They are not afraid to mock and curse the great Savior who rescued us from eternal death. To mock God’s people is to mock God, and whoever mocks God is following Satan’s orders and will come under judgment. Since salvation is this precious, we must proclaim the gospel with boldness.

2 Samuel 16:10

10The king said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? Because he curses, and because Yahweh has said to him, ‘Curse David;’ who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’”

When Shimei’s cursing went too far, Abishai offered to kill him. David restrained Abishai and said that Shimei was cursing him because God had allowed it, since David needed to hear those words. Honestly, few people could say such a thing. To weigh things so wisely in the midst of suffering too great to bear shows how mature David’s faith was. It was God’s will that made him hear those curses and caused him to meet such a man, and knowing this, David tried to bear Shimei’s mockery. He strove not to be shaken, but David was only human, and Shimei’s words must have wounded him deeply. Shimei, meanwhile, did not know something very important. His curses and mockery could wound David; but because God was listening to those curses too, they would come back on Shimei and bring harm on him. A curse falls only where David has done wrong, and because David was armed with strong faith, Shimei’s curse fell back on Shimei himself.

It works the same way as when believers intercede for someone: if that person has no room in their heart to receive the blessing, the prayer returns to the one who prayed and becomes a blessing to them. So as long as we stand firm in our faith, the curses of the world and of the wicked do not fall on us.

When David returned to the palace, Shimei, afraid of what he had done, knelt before David, but he was eventually put to death by Solomon. So the wise person is one who, whatever their circumstances, acts rightly out of a good character and a full faith. To size up others and act recklessly is truly foolish, and those who are sure their own assessment is right are small vessels God does not use. God weighs people not by what they own but by their faith. We must take care, then, knowing that words and deeds thrown carelessly at others will one day come back on us as a curse. Those who truly understand this are wise, and those who lower themselves and walk humbly are the believers who receive God’s help.

2 Samuel 16:22

22So they spread a tent for Absalom on the top of the house, and Absalom went in to his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.

Having succeeded in the rebellion with Ahithophel, Absalom had nothing to fear. Then Hushai, sent at David’s request, came to Absalom and flattered him, saying he had come back to be with the king whom Yahweh and the people had chosen; and Absalom received him. Drunk with the joy of victory, Absalom made the mistake of not examining closely this Hushai who claimed to have betrayed David. The first counsel Ahithophel gave was that Absalom should lie with his father’s concubines before the eyes of all the people. Ahithophel, nursing his grudge, chose an act that violated every bond of nature so that David could never recover; but Absalom, the son, also committed that sinful act without hesitating. However much Ahithophel and Absalom held against David, they should have thought of God and never done such a monstrous thing.

But Absalom reckoned Ahithophel’s counsel the best way to bring David down, and he lay with his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel. How could a son lie with his father’s wives? It is beyond understanding. However well a rebellion succeeds, there are things a human being may do and things that must never be done. But as long as he could gain power, Absalom was ready to do anything at all. That very thought was already sin before God, and because of it he could not remain long on the throne.

Friends, may you never forget that God hates sin. It is not particular people he hates, but sin.

So at every moment you must ask yourselves whether what you have just said or done is sin. I believe people know when they are sinning. Even those who do not know God have a conscience, which makes them hesitate and turn back before they sin. That shows that those in the church and those in the world alike know that sin is wrong, yet they sin because they cannot overcome temptation.

Those who sin grow more wicked in order to hide their sin. Knowing the love they have received from God and from others, they act still more wickedly to rid themselves of the guilt. But my hope is that when you feel the urge to sin, you will stop and think, even once, about God’s judgment. When people do evil, it is as though they were mocking the good God, telling him that they are ready to be judged and daring him to judge them. If they knew how fearsome God is, they could not act like this. No one can withstand God when he raises his hand in judgment, and we must therefore repent quickly. People may act this way because they take God lightly; but whatever they think, God is the living God and fearsome beyond words, and that is reason enough to turn back without delay.

Through 1 and 2 Samuel we have learned what kind of person is cursed and what kind is blessed. King Saul, who cared more about people than about God, and the many who shared in his sin came under judgment. But David and his people, who lived with God at the center, were blessed; seeing this, we must never mock God or take him lightly.

Ahithophel, who until then had served at David’s side as counselor, sinned once his heart turned, betraying not only David but God himself. David bore Shimei’s mockery and left even the curses with God. Had Ahithophel likewise left his desire for revenge with God, God would have comforted him in some other way.

In this way your own faith decides whether you receive praise or rebuke. If you want to go to heaven yet live like Ahithophel, no different at all from the people of the world, that very conduct mocks God, and God will not stand behind such a soul. Ziba, Shimei, and Ahithophel came under judgment because they used another’s misfortune as an opportunity to satisfy themselves. Revenge only sets off a vicious cycle in which revenge breeds revenge; it never helps. Whoever tries to profit from another’s misfortune will only suffer that misfortune in their place. If there is someone near you who has met misfortune and you help them with a merciful heart, God will lift you up and bring you honor.

God, who made heaven and earth, is the Lord of all things. If you rely on God as David did, you will not lose heart when you hear curses and mockery, nor grow proud when you receive praise. David suffered the terrible pain of being driven out by his son Absalom, but he took hold of God’s hand and rose again. Your circumstances may not be easy either, but if you lean on and serve the God who is rich in love and mercy, he will bless you. I hope you will never fly into a rage or lie in order to bring another person down. May you never drift from God for the sake of worldly gain. Then the Holy Spirit, who knows your heart, will help you live without shame.

May you always live abundantly and enjoy the blessing that belongs to God’s holy children.