Apr | 13 | Find Me A Wriggling Maggot & Get Me A Pierced Worm!

Dream Word – CHANGE

1 Kings 2:36-39 Then the king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, "Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and dwell there, and do not go out from there anywhere. For it shall be, on the day you go out and cross the Brook Kidron, know for certain you shall surely die; your blood shall be on your own head." And Shimei said to the king, "The saying is good. As my lord the king has said, so your servant will do." So Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days. Now it happened at the end of three years, that two slaves of Shimei ran away to Achish the son of Maachah, king of Gath. NKJV

Find Me A Wriggling Maggot & Get Me A Pierced Worm!

For a platoon, a ship, a billet and even a nation, when you are facing the enemy, the changing of the guard is always a most vulnerable time. Our text for tonight is couched in the recent death of King David after the hasty anointing of King Solomon to avert yet another civil war. So, now Solomon is cleaning house. Now Solomon is fulfilling the last commands of his father, and like a wise executioner, whose hand has recently been stayed over the guilty, is giving them just enough time and just enough rope to hang themselves. Allow me to set the scene little further for you tonight.

It was another good looking guy who had previously plunged the Kingdom into civil war. Yes indeed, Absalom, the king’s son, in his vicious anger had even had David hastily depart Jerusalem, his beloved capital city. At that time, Shimei, a Benjamite of the family of the fallen King Saul, came casting stones and curses at the fleeing David. Happy, no gleeful in satisfied revenge at the fall of this old heart enemy. In this way, Shimei probably reflected the dissatisfaction of the whole of Benjamin with King David. (2 Samuel 16:5-13) Tribal jealousies you see, ran very deep here, and blood vengeance lay just below the surface. Yes, Shimei wanted blood! Yet David, having the perspective that the crime of his son Absalom was enormous compared to this most present and public humiliation of Shimei was want to hold judgement upon him, and even more so when upon his own victorious return to Jerusalem, it is the same cursing Shimei who is now at the head of a thousand of his tribe and is the first to prostrate himself at David’s feet and ask for mercy. Wise move! Here David, perceiving now to possess the whole of Israel once more and Benjamin in particular, publicly forgives him and declares Shimei safe from the sword. Safe that is, until David’s demise.

Frankly, I don’t know exactly what is going on here. I don’t think David is after personal revenge, though judging by Psalm 7, David’s response to the curses of Shimei indicate that the barbs of these words went deep into his soul. No, I do think however, that David did not trust this man and he knew that at the changing of the guard, Solomon this young King was in great danger for yet further vengeful insurrection. So David says to Solomon, 1 Kings 2:9 Now therefore, do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man and know what you ought to do to him; but bring his gray hair down to the grave with blood." NKJV
There is an unrequited public offence here against King David, the danger of which is still enshrined in Shimei. Maybe John Dryden that 17th century poet of Puritanical ambiguity but definite precision, in his poem Absalom and Achitophel has it right when he says:

That Absalom, ambitious of the Crown,
Was made the Lure to draw the People down:
That false Achitophel's pernitious Hate,
Had turn'd the Plot to Ruine Church and State:
The Councill violent, the Rabble worse
That Shimei taught Jerusalem to Curse.

There you have it! Maybe Shimei carried a curse in his heart towards the Lord’s anointed king.

The story of Shimei’s cursing had been capital comment for years. After all, Shimei publicly cursed the king and got away with it! Shimei when the tables had turned upon him, with his political repentance had even forced the king’s hands into forgiveness the second time! Yes, Shimei that old curser of Kings, just smiles at court and sneers up his sleeve at the King. Shimei, outwardly subject but inwardly rebellious! Simply, waiting to outwardly curse the King and his family again and so to bring the David line to a bloody and abrupt end. Yes Shimei, remaining unpunished, still taught Jerusalem to curse.

Two of Shimei’s slaves shall flee to Gath and then Shimei, after three years of pretence, shall forget himself and without recourse to Royal permission, break his covenant of confine and bring down the black and avenging sword of Benaiah upon his own king cursing head.

Except a worm wriggles on the hook in your place, you cannot curse the King and get away with it. Ever. Remember that. Note also that unless your repentance is true and from the heart, the pretence of it will eventually slip and you shall break your own covenant of deceptive confine. It’s just a matter of time. If your repentance be mere pretence, that you shall pay for cursing the king.

So, my advice to you tonight Shimei, is to make your repentance real and find a worm to wriggle like a maggot on the sharp barb of the judgment of the King, which right now, is glinting and ready to pierce your most arrogant and deceitful eyes and drag you to justice. Yes, above the cloud of your pretence, the shimmering sword of justice is ready to fall upon you. Make your repentance of the cursing of the king both real and sure.

Finally, if you are in process of changing the guard, watch out for all the Shimei’s and as soon as you can, deal with them, else they shall deal with you.

Listen: - Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them. 5 They cried to You, and were delivered; They trusted in You, and were not ashamed. But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people. All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, "He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!" NKJV.

Pray:- Jesus be my pierced worm. Jesus be my wriggling maggot. Jesus be my Saviour. Lord, my evil heart would unjustly curse You in condemnation and try to deceive You with pretentance. So, Oh my Jesus please! Come be my wriggling maggot and come be my pierced worm, yes, Jesus be my Saviour from the rightful judgement of your Almighty Father. Amen.