How To Handle Criticism Series

How To Handle Criticism

2 Samuel 16:1-14

1 When David was a little past the top of the mountain, there was Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth, who met him with a couple of saddled donkeys, and on them two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred clusters of raisins, one hundred summer fruits, and a skin of wine.

2And the king said to Ziba, "What do you mean to do with these?" So Ziba said, "The donkeys are for the king's household to ride on, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for those who are faint in the wilderness to drink."

3Then the king said, "And where is your master's son?" And Ziba said to the king, "Indeed he is staying in Jerusalem, for he said, 'Today the house of Israel will restore the kingdom of my father to me.' "

4So the king said to Ziba, "Here, all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours." And Ziba said, "I humbly bow before you, that I may find favor in your sight, my lord, O king!"

5Now when King David came to Bahurim, there was a man from the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei the son of Gera, coming from there. He came out, cursing continuously as he came.

6And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David. And all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. 7Also Shimei said thus when he cursed: "Come out! Come out! You bloodthirsty man, you rogue!

8The LORD has brought upon you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the LORD has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son. So now you are caught in your own evil, because you are a bloodthirsty man!"

9Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Please, let me go over and take off his head!" 10But the king said, "What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? So let him curse, because the LORD has said to him, 'Curse David.' Who then shall say, 'Why have you done so?' "

11And David said to Abishai and all his servants, "See how my son who came from my own body seeks my life. How much more now may this Benjamite? Let him alone, and let him curse; for so the LORD has ordered him.

12It may be that the LORD will look on my affliction, and that the LORD will repay me with good for his cursing this day."

13And as David and his men went along the road, Shimei went along the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went, threw stones at him and kicked up dust.

14Now the king and all the people who were with him became weary; so they refreshed themselves there.

I am a little hesitant to preach a sermon from this passage.

Some people might interpret it to mean

that throwing dirt and cursing a leader is Biblical.

Let me say this.

It's not in the Bible to say it's O.K.

to say bad things to the pastor and try to hurt him.

The main characters in today's text are King David

a man named Ziba and a man named Shimei.

In our last look into the Life of David

we found him driven out of Jerusalem by his son Absalom.

Absalom has declared himself king over all of Israel.

Today we find David and his army is traveling in the mountains.

He meets Ziba who was a servant of Mephibosheth.

You might recall that Mephibosheth was a grandson of King Saul.

Back in 2 Samuel chapter 4

we saw that King David heard

that there was just one surviving grandson of Saul.

Mephibosheth was hiding in a place called Lodebar.

David gave orders to have Mephibosheth brought to Jerusalem.

Mephibosheth thought David was going to have him executed.

Instead, David gave him all the lands that had belonged to Saul

and gave him a place to live in the King's palace.

This man Ziba came out to King David with 2 donkeys.

The donkeys were loaded with food and wine

for David and all the people traveling with him.

Ziba is repaying the kindness shown to him by King David.

We covered that back in chapter 9.

Point #1. Sometimes people we have been kind to turn against us.

3 Then the king said, "And where is your master's son?" And Ziba said to the king, "Indeed he is staying in Jerusalem, for he said, 'Today the house of Israel will restore the kingdom of my father to me.' "