Two stories:
David and Ziba
Shimei Curses David
A Lesson on David’s Character.
Consider: Is there something in this lesson that you could apply to your life?
2 Samuel 16:1-14 NLT
David and Ziba
16:1 When David had gone a little beyond the summit of the Mount of Olives, Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, was waiting there for him. He had two donkeys loaded with 200 loaves of bread, 100 clusters of raisins, 100 bunches of summer fruit, and a wineskin full of wine.
2 “What are these for?” the king asked Ziba.
Ziba replied, “The donkeys are for the king’s people to ride on, and the bread and summer fruit are for the young men to eat. The wine is for those who become exhausted in the wilderness.”
3 “And where is Mephibosheth, Saul’s grandson?” the king asked him.
“He stayed in Jerusalem,” Ziba replied. “He said, ‘Today I will get back the kingdom of my grandfather Saul.’”
4 “In that case,” the king told Ziba, “I give you everything Mephibosheth owns.”
“I bow before you,” Ziba replied. “May I always be pleasing to you, my lord the king.”
Shimei Curses David
5 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. 6 He threw stones at the king and the king’s officers and all the mighty warriors who surrounded him. 7 “Get out of here, you murderer, you scoundrel!” he shouted at David. 8 “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!”
9 “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king?” Abishai son of Zeruiah demanded. “Let me go over and cut off his head!”
10 “No!” the king said. “Who asked your opinion, you sons of Zeruiah! If the Lord has told him to curse me, who are you to stop him?”
11 Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “My own son is trying to kill me. Doesn’t this relative of Saul have even more reason to do so? Leave him alone and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to do it. 12 And perhaps the Lord will see that I am being wronged and will bless me because of these curses today.” 13 So David and his men continued down the road, and Shimei kept pace with them on a nearby hillside, cursing and throwing stones and dirt at David.
14 The king and all who were with him grew weary along the way, so they rested when they reached the Jordan River.
Examine the Scriptures
2 Samuel 16:1-14 NLT
David and Ziba
16:1 When David had gone a little beyond the summit of the Mount of Olives,
Refer to a Bible map.
Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth,
Read this brief review about Ziba:
2 Samuel 9 NLT
9:1 One day David asked, “Is anyone in Saul’s family still alive—anyone to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 He summoned a man named Ziba, who had been one of Saul’s servants. “Are you Ziba?” the king asked.
“Yes sir, I am,” Ziba replied.
3 The king then asked him, “Is anyone still alive from Saul’s family? If so, I want to show God’s kindness to them.”
Ziba replied, “Yes, one of Jonathan’s sons is still alive. He is crippled in both feet.”
… 5 So David sent for him and brought him from Makir’s home. 6 His name was Mephibosheth; he was Jonathan’s son and Saul’s grandson. …
12 … From then on, all the members of Ziba’s household were Mephibosheth’s servants. 13 And Mephibosheth, who was crippled in both feet, lived in Jerusalem and ate regularly at the king’s table.
- Ziba was the servant of Mephibosheth,
- Mephibosheth was the disabled grandson of King Saul, and the son of Jonathon, whom David had taken into his care.
(Ziba) was waiting there for him. He had two donkeys loaded with 200 loaves of bread, 100 clusters of raisins, 100 bunches of summer fruit, and a wineskin full of wine.
Ziba was waiting for David.
- Ziba arrives with provisions for David and his people.
Remember: (add this to the brief review of Ziba.)
2 Samuel 9:9-10 NLT
9 Then the king summoned Saul’s servant Ziba and said, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. 10 You and your sons and servants are to farm the land for him to produce food for your master’s household. But Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson, will eat here at my table.” (Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)
Ziba had easy access to these resources.
2 “What are these for?” the king asked Ziba.
Don’t you wonder why David asked that question?
Ziba replied, “The donkeys are for the king’s people to ride on, and the bread and summer fruit are for the young men to eat. The wine is for those who become exhausted in the wilderness.”
3 “And where is Mephibosheth, Saul’s grandson?” the king asked him.
“He stayed in Jerusalem,” Ziba replied. “He said, ‘Today I will get back the kingdom of my grandfather Saul.’”
Ziba implies that the gifts are entirely his idea, and that Mephibosheth sees David’s difficulty as an opportunity to reclaim the kingdom. Ziba accused Mephibosheth of saying “Today I will get back the kingdom of my grandfather Saul”.
Ziba was lying to David.
In reality, it was Ziba looking to profit from this political crisis.
- Ziba lied to David. Ziba was looking to profit from this political crisis in David’s life.
4 “In that case,” the king told Ziba, “I give you everything Mephibosheth owns.”
- David responds quickly, without hearing Mephibosheth’s side of the story.
David was quick to assume the worst.
“I bow before you,” Ziba replied. “May I always be pleasing to you, my lord the king.”
Mephibosheth has the opportunity to share his side of the story at a later date.
2 Samuel 19:24-27 NLT
24 Now Mephibosheth, Saul’s grandson, came down from Jerusalem to meet the king. He had not cared for his feet, trimmed his beard, or washed his clothes since the day the king left Jerusalem. 25 “Why didn’t you come with me, Mephibosheth?” the king asked him.
26 Mephibosheth replied, “My lord the king, my servant Ziba deceived me. I told him, ‘Saddle my donkey so I can go with the king.’ For as you know I am crippled. 27 Ziba has slandered me by saying that I refused to come.
- Shimei Curses David
5 As King David came to Bahurim,
Bahurim was in the territory of Benjamin located on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives.
Refer to a Bible map.
We know that some of Bahurim’s inhabitants were loyal to David, (Chapter 17) but since it was in the territory of Benjamin, Saul’s tribe, it is likely that many of the people harbored resentment against David’s rule.
a man came out of the village cursing them. It was Shimei son of Gera, from the same clan as Saul’s family.
- Shimei’s exact relation to Saul is unknown, but since he was from the same clan as Saul’s family, he likely had a strong loyalty to Saul.
6 He threw stones at the king and the king’s officers and all the mighty warriors who surrounded him.
Shimei was gutsy.
There were 600 men from Gath who had come with David, along with the king’s bodyguard. (15:18)
It would have been easy for David’s men to subdue Shimei.
7 “Get out of here, you murderer, you scoundrel!” he shouted at David. 8 “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!”
These accusations likely stem from Shimei’s resentment over David’s rise to power and the perceived displacement of Saul’s lineage.
However, in reality, David never directly harmed Saul or his family—Saul died in battle, and David mourned his death.
- Shimei’s accusations were clearly inaccurate, and if God was punishing David, it would have been for his sin with Bathsheba.
2 Samuel 12:10-11 NLT
10 From this time on, your family will live by the sword because you have despised me by taking Uriah’s wife to be your own.
11 “This is what the Lord says: Because of what you have done, I will cause your own household to rebel against you. …
9 “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king?” Abishai son of Zeruiah demanded.
Abishai is the son of Zeruiah, who is David’s sister, making him David’s nephew. His brothers are Joab (David’s military commander) and Asahel.
Abishai is one of David’s elite warriors.
- Abishai is depicted as fiercely loyal, courageous, and sometimes impulsive—quick to suggest violent action in defense of David or justice.
This dead dog is an expression of absolute contempt.
“Let me go over and cut off his head!”
- Abishai wanted to kill Shimei and he certainly had the resources to do so.
10 “No!” the king said. “Who asked your opinion, you sons of Zeruiah!
If the Lord has told him to curse me, who are you to stop him?”
David displays remarkable self-control.
David is working to defuse the tension.
David recognized that God was allowing Shimei’s actions. In his understanding, nothing happens outside of God’s ultimate authority.
David may be wondering whether all this opposition is the Lord’s just punishment for his past sins, and he humbly endures the abuse.
David may have seen Shimei’s actions as a possible form of divine chastisement.
- David leaves open the possibility that God has seen fit to terminate his rule.
2 Samuel 15:25-26 NLT
25 Then the king instructed Zadok to take the Ark of God back into the city. “If the Lord sees fit,” David said, “he will bring me back to see the Ark and the Tabernacle again. 26 But if he is through with me, then let him do what seems best to him.”
11 Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “My own son is trying to kill me. Doesn’t this relative of Saul have even more reason to do so? Leave him alone and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to do it.
David disagrees with Abishai’s impulsive violent reaction.
- David’s response demonstrates his humility and acceptance of his circumstances. He chose not to retaliate, but to submit to what he perceived as God’s will.
David chooses humility and faith over vengeance, demonstrating a deep trust in God’s sovereign control.
David understood why a relative of Saul might hate him.
12 And perhaps the Lord will see that I am being wronged and will bless me because of these curses today.”
13 So David and his men continued down the road, and Shimei kept pace with them on a nearby hillside, cursing and throwing stones and dirt at David.
14 The king and all who were with him grew weary along the way, so they rested when they reached the Jordan River.
The journey from Jerusalem to the Jordan River was 21 miles.
This passage highlights David’s character in adversity. (Some good and some not so good.)
Though deceived by Ziba, he maintains humility and patience in the face of Shimei’s curses.
His response foreshadows Jesus’ teaching on loving enemies (Matthew 5:44) and serves as a model for enduring hardship with faith.
Is there something in this lesson that you could apply to your life?
