Today’s Devotion
Topic: Patience In Suffering
Self Assessment

Background: Revenge, they say, is sweet; but Jesus taught us better. He said, “If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also” (Luke 6: 29b). Absalom, David’s “finest” son conspires with some of the officials of Israel and advances a coup d’état against his own father, David. This leaves the king no choice than to flee the palace with his family and the few loyal officials he has.

On their way, they meet Shimei, a man from king Saul’s tribe (Benjamin) who believes that but for David, the throne of Israel would have remained in their clan.

Let us delve into the story and ascertain how king David responded to Shimei’s accusations, especially at that critical moment of his life where his world and the kingdom were falling apart.

READING: 2 Samuel 16:5-14

Questions:
i. What is tolerance, and why is it always good to practice tolerance/ restraint? (Is 53: 7, James 5: 7- 12, Rom 12: 12, Acts 8: 32- 35)

ii. What is retaliation, and why is it NOT always a good idea for a Christian to retaliate? (John 18: 10-11, Rom 12: 19)

iii. How will you describe Shimei’s behaviour towards David, and what are the factors that make people behave that way? Explain with examples.

iv. Abishai offered to retaliate by killing Shimei but David rebuked and stopped him. What were the king’s reasons for this rebuke? Do you agree with him? If so, why? (Also read Luke 9: 51-55).

v. Verses 13 and 14 revealed that although Shimei didn’t stop raining accusations on David, that did not stop David from reaching his destination and being refreshed even though the journey was exhausting. How does this reveal the kind of person David was, and what lessons can we learn from him especially as far as our distractors are concerned? (Also read 1 Peter 5: 10)

vi. What have you learnt from today’s study. Kindly share your thoughts with us.

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