Psalm 7, II Samuel 16, and I Kings 2

For my personal Bible reading in the morning, I read 2 Samuel chapter 16. Then later as a family, we read Psalm 7. I thought that Psalm 7 went very well with what I read about David in 2 Samuel, and also what happened later in 1 Kings chapter 2. While David was fleeing from his son Absalom, a Benjamite named Shimei came out and began to throw rocks at David and curse him. David probably felt like this right at that time: O Lord my God, in You I have taken refuge; save me from all those who pursue me, and deliver me, or he will tear my soul like a lion, dragging me away, while there is none to deliver (Psalm 7:1 and 2). Abishai, one of David’s mighty men, offered to go over and kill Shimei. David replied that not only would he never do such a thing, but he would not have his men do it either. After that, his thoughts may have been like this: O Lord my God, if I have done this, if there is injustice in my hands, if I have rewarded evil to my friend, or have plundered him who without cause was my adversary… (Psalm 7:3 and 4), but David had done right, so he did not need the second part: Let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it; and let him trample my life down to the ground and lay my glory in the dust (Psalm 7:5). As David continued on with his men, and with Shimei throwing rocks at him, David said, "Perhaps the Lord will look on my affliction and return good to me instead of his cursing this day." That same thought is in Psalm 7: Vindicate me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me. O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous; for the righteous God tries the hearts and minds. My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart (Psalm 7:8b-10). Because he did the right thing and was content to leave it to God, he could then say, I will give thanks to the Lord according to His righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High (Psalm 7:17). It was not until David’s son became king that the Lord actually answered his prayer. “[Solomon] also said to Shimei, ‘You know all the evil which you acknowledge in your heart, which you did to my father David; therefore the Lord shall return your evil on your own head’” (1 Kings 2:44), Solomon then killed Shimei because Shimei had went against a promise he had made to Solomon. The Psalm also refers to this by saying: He has dug a pit and hollowed it out, and has fallen into the hole which he made. His mischief will return upon his own head, and his violence will descend upon his own pate (Psalm 7:15 and 16).