Former Blackout Artist

“And remember, you have with you Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim, who called down bitter curses on me the day I went to Mahanaim. When he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the LORD: ‘I will not put you to death by the sword.’ But now, do not consider him innocent. You are a man of wisdom; you will know what to do to him. Bring his gray head down to the grave in blood.” – 1 Kings 2:8-9

When David was on his deathbed, he began giving his son Solomon some final instructions. Some of those words were positive and encouraging, something you would expect a son to hear from a father like David. “Walk in obedience to God and keep all His commands.” But then the tone quickly shifted. David started bringing up names: Joab, Shimei, and Barzillai. Each one of those names had a history.

Two of those names came with orders of unfinished business – executions, to be exact. Joab (David’s longtime military commander) had caused a political disaster by shedding innocent blood (2 Samuel 3:27), and Shimei had thrown rocks at David and cursed him years earlier while he was fleeing from his son Absalom (2 Samuel 16:5-8).

At first glance, David’s mention of Shimei feels out of place, almost disappointingly so. After all, David had once publicly sworn that he would not kill him. Back in 2 Samuel 19, when David had once again secured the throne, Shimei had fallen prostrate before him, begging for mercy. David graciously told him, “You shall not die.” And that was that.

So why, years later, on his deathbed no less, was David bringing up Shimei again? Why tell Solomon, “You are a man of wisdom; you will know what to do to him”?

It’s almost impossible to not feel the tension here. Did David break his promise? Was his earlier forgiveness just political theater? Or was there something deeper going on?

David’s Mercy Was Real, but So Was His Wisdom

When David forgave Shimei, it wasn’t an act of weakness or forgetfulness. It was mercy – meant to preserve national unity at a fragile time. David was returning to Jerusalem after a bloody rebellion and the nation was still somewhat divided. Killing a man like Shimei, who was from Saul’s tribe of Benjamin, had the potential to reopen old wounds. So David showed restraint… not because Shimei deserved it, but because he wanted peace.

But forgiveness doesn’t erase history. Shimei had cursed God’s anointed king in public, and that kind of contempt doesn’t just vanish overnight. David probably kept a close eye on Shimei over the years… perhaps he sensed that Shimei was one of those men who would bow when it was convenient but would rebel when the opportunity came.

So David, knowing his time was short, wanted Solomon to be aware. He was basically saying, “Be on guard. Some men are dangerous not because of what they’ve done, but because of what they’re still capable of doing.”

Solomon’s Wisdom is Put to the Test

Solomon didn’t immediately kill Shimei, which reveals something important: he understood his father’s heart. Solomon placed him under house arrest, so to speak. “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and stay there,” he said. “Don’t cross the Kidron Valley and you’ll live” (2 Kings 2:36-37).

Solomon was more than fair. As long as Shimei stayed put, he’d remain safe. But after three years, Shimei broke the agreement. He left Jerusalem to chase down two runway servants – probably thinking Solomon wouldn’t notice or even care. But Solomon noticed. He did care. And that’s when judgment fell upon Shimei.

The execution wasn’t for Shimei’s curse from years before. It was for his present disobedience. Solomon’s justice didn’t undo David’s mercy – it simply completed it.

The Tension Between Mercy and Justice

If we take a step back, this story paints a picture of how God Himself deals with us, too. He is full of mercy! Slow to anger, patient, forgiving. But His mercy doesn’t cancel His justice. It simply gives us time to change. David’s mercy gave Shimei time. Solomon’s justice revealed what Shimei did with that time that was allotted to him.

And we see this pattern all throughout Scripture: Adam and Eve were spared in Eden, but still faced consequences for their disobedience. Pharaoh was given chance after chance to soften his heart and willingly allow Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt to Canaan, but he refused. And then Israel’s persistent rebellion and disobedience to the Lord eventually led to King Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion of Jerusalem, the Temple’s destruction, and the exile of thousands to Babylon. Even in the New Testament, Peter says, “The Lord is patient… not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

GOD’S MERCY HOLDS OPEN THE DOOR; HIS JUSTICE EVENTUALLY CLOSES IT.

That’s a sobering thought, isn’t it. Mercy doesn’t mean freedom to do whatever we please. It’s an opportunity for real repentance. And when mercy is ignored or abused, justice follows.

Forgiveness Doesn’t Mean Naïveté

There’s also a personal lesson here. Forgiveness doesn’t require us to be naïve. It means we release bitterness, but not discernment. I believe David truly forgave Shimei from the heart. I don’t think he held a grudge. But he wasn’t blind, either. He had lived long enough to know that some people never truly change – they just wait for the right opportunity.

And that’s a hard truth, isn’t it. Especially if you’re the type who wants to believe the best in people. But wisdom says that mercy must walk hand-in-hand with watchfulness. You can forgive someone completely and still keep healthy boundaries.

Where Mercy and Justice Meet

In the end, this story points us toward the cross – the place where mercy and justice truly and finally meet perfectly. On the cross, God didn’t overlook sin. He dealt with it fully. But He also extended mercy to sinners.

Jesus absorbed the justice we deserved so that we could experience the mercy we didn’t. That’s the balance David could only glimpse, but God fulfilled completely in Christ.

So maybe the takeaway is this: Mercy isn’t blindness, and justice isn’t cruelty. The wisest heart – like Solomon’s – knows when to extend one and when to uphold the other. And the most Christlike heart knows they both come from the same place – the heart of a righteous and merciful King.