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II Samuel
Chapter
19 (Continued)
16
And Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite,
who
was of Bahurim,
hasted
and came down with the men of Judah to meet king David.
17
And there were a thousand men of Benjamin with him,
and
Ziba the servant of the house of Saul,
and
his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him;
and
they went over Jordan before the king.
18
And there went over a ferry boat
to
carry over the king's household,
and
to do what he thought good.
And
Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king,
as
he was come over Jordan.
19
And said unto the king,
"Let
not my Jehovah/God impute iniquity unto me,
neither
do you remember that which your servant did perversely
the
day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem,
that
the king should take it to his heart.
20
For your servant does know that I have sinned
therefore,
behold, I am come the first this day
of
all the house of Joseph
to
go down to meet my lord the king.
21
But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said,
"Shall
not Shimei be put to death for this,
because
he cursed the Jehovah/God's anointed?"
22
And David said,
"What
have I to do with you, you all sons of Zeruiah,
that
you all should this day be adversaries unto me?
Shall there any man be put to death this day in Israel?
For do not I know that I am this day king over Israel?
23 Therefore the king said unto Shimei, "You shall not die."
And the king sware unto him.
19:24~~Then
Mephibosheth the grandson of Saul
came
down to meet the king {Absalom}.
Now
he had neither cared for his feet,
nor
trimmed his beard,
nor
washed his clothes
from
the day the king {David} departed
until
the day he came again in prosperity/peace.
{Note: Mephibosheth was handicapped and could not fight. So, he let his handicap show (not caring for his deformed feet). And, was obnoxious in the court. No bathes. Same dirty clothes. Looked like a dirty hippy. He was protesting the revolution - he was for David.}
25``
And it came to pass,
when
he was come to Jerusalem to meet the king,
that
the king said unto him,
"Why
did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?
26~~And
he {Mephibosheth} answered,
'My
lord, the king {David}, my servant {Ziba} deceived me.
For
your servant {Mephibosheth} said,
'I
will saddle me an ass, that I may ride thereon,
that
I may accompany the king . . . because your servant is lame'.
{probably saying you are a handicap to David - you will slow him
down - take up his rations etc. and Mephibosheth, fell back into
self-loathing and stayed behind thinking this was the best he
could do.}
27~~Then
he {Ziba} slandered your servant {Mephibosheth}
to
my lord the king.
But
my lord the king is as an angel/messgenger of God
{idiom meaning he 'sees all in the land'}
do
therefore what is good in your eyes.
{Note: {Mephibosheth does not beg. People of integrity never beg. They do not appeal to the emotion. They give the facts and let the matter rest in David's hands.}
28~~For
all of my father's house/estate {grandfather Saul's land}
was
nothing . . . but dead men
before
my lord the king
yet
did you placed your servant {Mephibosheth}
among
those who ate at your own table.
{Mephibosheth recalled the grace of king David applied to him 17
years ago! Now he has the capacity for gratitude so he must have
taken in doctrine these 17 years.}
What
right do I have anymore to cry out the king?
{Mephibosheth was a dispirited person in chapter 9 - now he is a
mature believer and will not revert to what he was before - or
even lower himself to the lowlife that Ziba is}
29~~And
the king said unto him,
"Why
speak you any more of your business?
{means 'I have made a decision'}
You
and Ziba shall divide the estate."
{Note: This seems unfair at first but what it did was settle the matter. The great estates of Saul were going to be divided between the two contending parties Mephibosheth and Ziba. Ziba will be left to perish from his own personality. It will catch up with him eventually. David knew this. Ziba had half the estate but did not have the capacity to be happy. It would only be miserable. David's son Solomon used the same logic in determining the mother of a baby when he said, 'cut it in half' and give each one half. Seems like a hard decision, but genius in judicial matters should be left in the hands of geniuses and not questioned. Now then, see Chapter 21:7 for the future benefits for Mephibosheth.}
30~~And
Mephibosheth replied to the king,
"Yes,
let him take all,
{remind you of what the true mother of the child said to Solomon?}
since
my lord the king
has
entered prosperously unto his palace.
{Note: No spiritual handicap here at all. This is the attitude of a very mature believer! He is now a great and noble man! In fact, Ziba and Saul were very much alike - petty and ambitious. Mephibosheth was greater than Saul (and even maybe his father Jonathan)!}
31
And Barzillai the Gileadite came down from Rogelim,
and
went over Jordan with the king,
to
conduct him over Jordan.
32
Now Barzillai was a very aged man,
even
fourscore years old:
and
he had provided the king of sustenance
while
he lay at Mahanaim
for
he was a very great man.
33
And the king said unto Barzillai,
"Come
you over with me,
and
I will feed you with me in Jerusalem."
34
And Barzillai said unto the king,
"How
long have I to live,
that
I should go up with the king unto Jerusalem?"
35 I am this day fourscore years old.
And can I discern between good and evil?
Can your servant taste what I eat or what I drink?
Can I hear any more the voice of singing men and singing women?
Why then should your servant be yet a burden unto my lord the king?
36 Your servant will go a little way over Jordan with the king.
And why should the king recompense it me with such a reward?
37
Let your servant, I pray you, turn back again,
that
I may die in mine own city,
and
be buried by the grave of my father and of my mother.
But
behold your servant Chimham,
let
him go over with my lord the king
and
do to him what shall seem good unto you all.
38
And the king answered,
"Chimham
shall go over with me,
and
I will do to him that which shall seem good unto you
and
whatsoever you shall require of me, that will I do for you all.
39 And all the people went over Jordan.
And
when the king was come over,
the
king kissed Barzillai,
and
blessed him
and
he returned unto his own place.
40
Then the king went on to Gilgal,
and
Chimham went on with him
and
all the people of Judah conducted the king,
and
also half the people of Israel.
41
And, behold, all the men of Israel came to the king,
and
said unto the king,
"Why
have our brethren the men of Judah stolen you away,
and
have brought the king, and his household,
and
all David's men with him, over Jordan?"
42
And all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel,
"Because
the king is near of kin to us.
Why then be you all angry for this matter?
Have we eaten at all of the king's cost?
Or has he given us any gift?
43
And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, and said,
"We
have ten parts in the king,
and
we have also more right in David than you.
Why
then did you all despise us,
that
our advice should not be first had in bringing back our king?"
And
the words of the men of Judah were fiercer
than
the words of the men of Israel.
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