Shimei's cursing

“As he cursed, Shimei said, ‘Get out, get out, you man of blood, you scoundrel! The Lord has repaid you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. The Lord has handed the kingdom over to your son Absalom. You have come to ruin because you are a man of blood!!’” 2 Samuel 16:7-8
Previously, we read about how Absalom staged a conspiracy against his father David, and called on Ahithophel to join him. Absalom went to Hebron to announce this, and soon word of the uprising came to David in Jerusalem. Upon hearing all of this, David fled the city with his elite soldiers. On his way over the Mount of Olives through the region of Bahurim, a man called Shimei met him.
Shimei was a Benjamite, from the same clan as Saul, the former king of Israel. This was probably part of the reason of his cursing David, but it was no excuse. Shimei accuses David of a number of things, none of which are true. Firstly, he accuses David of killing innocent people in Saul’s family. David had not killed anyone in Saul’s family – Saul and Jonathan died in battle. On the contrary, David had twice had the opportunity to kill Saul, but refused to. Next, he accuses David of taking Saul’s throne (‘in whose place you have reigned’). It was God who had anointed David to become king – David had not exalted himself to the position. Thirdly, Shimei announced that it was God who had given the kingdom over to Absalom. This was not true. God was still with David; Absalom had taken the kingdom by force and had no right to the throne. Finally, Shimei said, ‘You have come to ruin because you are a man of blood!’ While David being a warrior was the reason that God did not let him build the temple (1 Chr. 22:8), this was not the reason that these trials had come upon him at this time.
There’s a lesson here for us. Ultimately, Absalom was killed and David returned to Jerusalem. Shimei did not go unpunished for his cursing (see 1 Kin. 2:8-9, 36-46). It’s easy for us to point the finger at a leader when they fall. But if we don’t know the whole story, it’s best to keep our mouths shut.