SHIMEI THE TROUBLEMAKER

SHIMEI THE TROUBLEMAKER

And when King 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 Gera: he came forth, and cursed still as he came. And he cast stones at
David, and at all the servants of King David (2 Samuel 16:56)

When Shimei son of Gera crossed the Jordan, he fell prostrate before the king 19 and said to him, May my
lord not hold me guilty. Do not remember how your servant did wrong on the day my lord the king left
Jerusalem. May the king put it out of his mind. 20 For I your servant know that I have sinned, but today I have
come here as the first from the tribes of Joseph to come down and meet my lord the king. 2 Samuel 19:18-
20

And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Build thee an house in Jerusalem, and dwell there,
and go not forth thence any whither. For it shall be, that on the day thou goest out, and passest over the
brook Kidron, thou shalt know for certain that thou shalt surely die: thy blood shall be upon thine own head.
(1 Kings 2:3637).

King David faced a lot of challenges in his kingdom. So much as he had to contend with the enemies of Israel
which were external; he also had to deal with enemies internally the kingdom. Not everyone who was in
Israel was happy with him being king or saw him as an anointed servant of GOD, therefore we will look at a
number of people whom David had to deal with and we will start with Shimei.

1. Not everyone around you will see you as their leader or as an anointed servant of GOD.
- Shimei originally came from the house of Saul. He wasnt at peace with the drifting away of the
kingship to the house of David from the house of Saul.
- He didnt realise the divine hand in the turn of events at that time, remember David didnt manually
push and navigate his way to the throne; his kingship was planned by God.
- Sadly in our churches today, we have those carrying the spirit of Shimei, they oppose what leadership
is doing and wish their thoughts and decisions had been factored in; they want to control leadership
or determine who becomes leader.
- Some also, struggle to move with God but desire to move with personalities. Shimei saw Abner turn
to David. He saw the elders of Israel come and anoint David. Yet in his heart he wasnt in agreement
with all these decisions.
2. Some people will seek to attack during your difficult season in life, ministry or church.
- It is clear Shimei wasnt happy about David being king. Yet he kept his displeasure hidden for a long
time.
- Shimei did not approach David and voice his concern, but when David was wrestling the kingdom
with his son Absalom.
- When David was trying to deal with Absalom, Shimei added more issues to stress him.
- Some people will never approach their leaders and discuss their concerns, but they wait for
something to happen and then they add in the stress and frustrations.
- On one side David is trying to handle rebellion from his son, on the other Shimei comes out from his
silence and voices his position about David and kingship.
- In churches and even in apostolic houses, we have people, leaders who have issues about
appointments, promotions and even with the very leader themselves!
- They keep quiet and do not say anything. They pretend to flow along while they still have issues in
their hearts.
- In the day of trouble, they come out and voice their displeasure finally. They speak out and imply that
the problem the leader is facing is divine judgement.
3. Some people will take sides with your enemies so as to frustrate you even worse.
- Shimei was happy Absalom was fighting with his father and to him David was paying for his sin of
taking away the kingdom.

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- It wasnt really because Shimei had a good working relationship with Absalom, but to him they shared
an enemy and so he had to support him.
- This often happens in our churches, where some people will side with those fighting with their
leaders.
- Shimei used this chance to come out guns blazing at David. He used the crudest words any man can
use against a King. He brought up the issue of the House of Saul which had long been forgotten in
Israel!
-
4. Some people will curse or even seek to expose whatever they know about you and your ministry.
- Shimei publicly cursed David, he was telling people that David is a murderer; he was aiming to expose
David and if possible tarnish the image of David.
- Often this happens, be it with people in church or who have left, they seek to expose their previous
leaders and churches, in private and in public they will expose what the weaknesses and
shortcomings of their leaders.
- Shimei called David a murderer and accused him of murdering the members of the house of Saul.
- Sometimes we have people in church seeking to imply that people who backslid, who lost their
callings, lost their way with God are because of the leaders. This is said while they know nothing of
the true and real circumstances which took place.
- They use social forums to spite and embarrass their leaders, churches or ministries.
- Shimei was just a member of the house of Saul, he wasnt a big person. As such you wonder why he
exalted himself to the place of cursing David.
- This is why church members must understand when leaders do not respond to accusations from
people who leave churches and who rebel against leaders. This is because these Shimeis are small
fish in the pond of God.
5. Some people will seek to go further and literary harm the leader, ministry and church.
- Shimei escalated, he wasnt cursing anymore, and he was throwing stones at David and his man.
- David and his men had to be very careful, as Shimei was now seeking to harm them.
- Often we see this with a lot of people, they throw lots of stuff a leaders and ministries, they seek to
harm the leader, ministry or church in whatever way they can.
- Shimei sought physical injury to leaders in the same sense people seek the destruction of a ministry,
church or leader.
6. Abishai asked for permission to kill Shimei.
- One thing all people who have bones to chew against people of the stature of David must know is;
there is a mighty man out there who can come and fiercely defend the leader. He will not strike twice.
- Meaning he will not spare you, with one sweep you are gone.
- Attacks by people in a church always bring out who is a loyal son and who will defend their father.
- If you father is attacked and you are not seen seeking to defend him, you are exposing yourself.
7. David knew the rebellion of Absalom was his own doing, but from Shimei he was innocent.
- From the reaction of David, one could see that He did accept that the rebellion of Absalom was his
own doing.
- Yet the attack by Shimei wasnt. Shimei was wrong. Shimei brought up issues which were irrelevant
and had no link to the trouble David was having.
- Once in a while, when a leader leaves a church, some Shimeis have their own explanations.
- To Shimei, David was being removed because of Saul. This was far from the truth.
- Always church members have their own interpretations of events.
- Even leaders, elders, pastors, they miss the meaning of events. They have their own meanings.
Strange meanings indeed.
- Those who listened to Shimei were left confused as they didnt understand the events taking place.
- The explanation of Shimei makes sense to a novice. It makes sense to an uninformed person.
8. Show grace but be very carefully.
- When David finally managed to wrestle the kingdom back to him from Absalom, Shimei came back to
him and apologised going further even to call David his king and lord.
- David didnt kill him or revenge but he was very careful, he already knew the heart of Shimei.
- Forgive people when they come back to you as a leader and show grace but check the state of the
heart.

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- Verbally Shimei was seeing David as king and lord but his heart was different, he still believed he was
a murderer.
- Not everyone who calls you men/women of GOD actually does see you as GOD appointed and
anointed.
9. Shimei spoke sweetly to David while he had cursed him days before.
- This was very funny. You called him a murderer, but today to say you came first from the house, not of
Benjamin, no; but from the whole tribes born from Joseph! This was 3 tribes in total; Manasseh,
Ephraim and Benjamin!
- Wow! Looking and sounding like a person who loves and honours David. Yet a few days before one
was cursing him.
- As a leader always be careful of people who shower you with praise and who make mistakes but want
to go extravagant in honour of you.
- They will give gifts; serve in the most public of ways.
- They will stoop very low in service so as to give an impression of deep felt loyalty, while they do not
mean it at all.
- Shimei fell prostrate in the dust before David. Wow! If you do not know you will think such a loyal
man!
10. Those that expose, frustrate and seek to harm you and your church they will do so even if when
you are gone
- When David is about to die, he gives Solomon a charge and he also mentions the danger Shimei
posed to the kingdom.
- Shimeis problem was with the kingdom being in the house of David, even when Solomon was king,
he was also a wrong leader, and he was also benefiting from his father who was a murderer.
- Its the duty of fathers to relay information to their sons on challenges facing the kingdom.
- Just like David, fathers should equip sons and give them wisdom on how to handle the Shimeis of our
time.
- Fathers might have let some Shimeis go and not responded to allegations , threats etc but it is the
duty of sons to be even more carefully especially if these people are still within the confines of the
church.
11. As son implement systems that your father has set.
- Solomon was aware of Shimei, in order to test his loyalty he advised him to stay within the confines of
Jerusalem and to stay within the boundary of Jerusalem,
- Jerusalem was established by King David, so by doing this Solomon was forcing Shimei to live by the
standards, systems and ways set by King David.
- Anyone who claims sonship to any father should know the ways of his father and implement them.
- Shimei was in a very tight position. Systems always expose the real things in ones heart. He may
outwardly respect David, but since inwardly he wasnt lining up, the systems of David were going to
frustrate him and expose him.
- If you are a son in a house, any person you are not sure of, engage the system and expose then to
standards of your father. The standards will test them.
12. Sons build on the foundation or continue where their fathers left.
- King Solomon advised Shimei to build in Jerusalem and dwell there, by building in Jerusalem Shimei
was indirectly authenticating the work David had done in Jerusalem.
- Sons observe the pattern their fathers have established and build on it.
- Build on the doctrine and anointing of your father, thats why there is nothing wrong in me preaching
or teaching word for word a sermon that my father has preached.
- If possible get material from your father, listen and read it so as to get the spirit, pattern and the ways
of the father.
- If therefore you are a son, what are you building on that has been laid by your father?
- Shimei was being asked to contribute in a sense to the economy of Jerusalem. His profit is Jerusalems
profit. His success is Jerusalems success.
13. Sons dwell on the ways, foundations and systems of their fathers.
- Shimei was to dwell in Jerusalem; he was to restrict himself to it.
- Solomon as well had to unpack the charge his father gave him and run it with it. Are you running with
the charge you father gave you ?

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- Sons know the ways and foundations of their fathers.
- As a son doctrinally and in ministry dwell within the limits set by your father.
- They carry the spirit of the father even when he is gone, they dwell and build on that which their
father left for them as an inheritance.
- Sonship is more than inviting someone for a conference and asking them to oversee you.
- Its a relationship, its the spirit shared between both parties, where the father deposits ways,
knowledge and wisdom for the son to be able to go far in future.
14. Sons dwell close to their father.
- By restricting Shimei to Jerusalem, Solomon was making sure Shimei is very visible to him, there is
nothing he was going to do that Solomon wouldnt know about.
- As a son, always be very visible and transparent to your father.
- It will be important so that when you go into error, your father will quickly see it and correct you.
- Sons who are very far to their fathers are prone to error, prone to being pulled away by any wind of
doctrine.
- Accept correction and rebuke, speak to the father and dwell very close to him whatever you do.
- Shimei implied he was a son and was brought close to be tested as such. He failed the test as a son.
- Observe what your father does and implement it in your life and church.
- Dwell close the father in everything you do.
- There are many people who claim sonship to some men of GOD but they are not visible to him, they
are doctrinally and far from the men of GOD. The ministerial beliefs are very wide apart.
15. Sons consult their fathers.
- Shimei had a problem with slaves. As such he left Jerusalem to go and bring them back.
- This was a trap for him and he fell for it.
- This is because the slaves were not a problem, but Shimei didnt respect David and the systems of
David. Also Shimei never consulted David or his sons.
- So when he had a crisis, instead of going to Davids son and ask how to handle it, he made his own
decision.
- People who have issues with leaders and apostles and senior pastors in their churches seldom consult
when they have a problem.
- Shimei went out and brought back his slaves. Was he wrong? What was wrong with his method? He
achieved his objective to get the slaves back.
- Yet he missed it for there was another command which said do not leave Jerusalem
- He failed to consult the king and assumed that he will understand since he was looking for slaves.
- Sometimes we leave the boundaries of doctrine of our churches because we have a small problem.
This we do without consulting our leaders or apostles or pastors or bishops. We expect them to
understand

Conclusion:
Unless one heals and flows with the program of God they will become a Shimei.
Unless one submits to apostolic fathers, they will follow Shimei.

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