2 Samuel 19:16-40
During the American Civil War, President Abraham
Lincoln appointed Edwin Stanton as his Secretary
of War. What makes this remarkable is that
Stanton had once publicly ridiculed Lincoln—calling
him a “fool, ” a “buffoon,” and unfit for leadership.
Lincoln knew all of this.
Yet Lincoln still chose Stanton, not because of
personal affection, but because he believed Stanton
was the best man for the job.
Over time, Stanton came to deeply respect Lincoln.
When Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, Stanton
stood over the president’s body and famously said,
“Now he belongs to the ages.”
Here’s the powerful connection:
Lincoln never retaliated against the one who hurt
him. He absorbed the offense, chose grace over
vengeance, and extended trust instead of
punishment. Stanton, on the other hand, responded
with humility and gratitude—not entitlement.
That moment captures a timeless truth:
Forgiveness has the power to transform enemies
into allies, resentment into respect, and broken
relationships into testimonies of grace.
2 Samuel 19:16-40
The civil war is over. Absalom is dead and David is
headed back to Jerusalem. On his way back he meets
several of his past acquaintances.
We are going to see David act with kindness as he
handles these interactions.
2 Samuel 19:16-23
David Forgives Shimei
Verse 16 tells us that Shimei hurries down to meet David.
You may remember Shimei from chapter 16.
He was the one who cursed David when Absalom was
trying to take the throne from David.
Shimei was from the family of Saul.
You remember the story, Shimei cursed David continually
as David was walking from Jerusalem.
He called him names,
and threw stones at him
and kicked dirt at him.
He accused him of stealing Saul’s throne.
He told David that God had given Absalom the throne,
which we all know wasn’t true.
Shimei also brought 1000 men with him.
The Bible doesn’t tell us why, but maybe he thought
David would hold a grudge against him because of his
previous behavior.
Also with Shimei was another familiar person, Ziba.
Ziba was also a servant from the house of Saul.
He had 15 sons and 20 servants.
He was the one who informed David back in Chapter 9
that Mephibosheth was the only living relative of his
friend Jonathan.
Mephibosheth was lame due to an accident when he was
5 years old.
Ziba was tasked by David to take care of all the land that
David gave to him – the land that belonged to Saul.
But Mephibosheth went to live in the house of David.
In chapter 16 Ziba brought gifts to David when he was
fleeing from Jerusalem from Absalom.
At this time Ziba lied about Mephibosheth’s whereabouts
and told him that he was hoping for Absalom to take over
David’s throne.
David immediately handed over all of the land that had
belonged to Mephibosheth to Ziba.
Shimei Confesses and asks for Forgiveness
When Shimei and Ziba reached the king, Shimei fell down
before the king and asked for his forgiveness.
He also confessed his sin against David.
Clearly David remembered being forgiven by God after
sinning with Bathsheba and against Uriah.
As Christians we must be willing to forgive those who
have wronged us.
Paul wrote
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one
another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32
Jesus said
“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly
Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive
others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive
your trespasses.” Matthew 6:14-15
Forgiveness is an integral part of the gospel.
And we should be living the gospel out in our own lives as
well.
We should not be holding grudges or refusing to forgive,
no matter how angry or hurt we are.
God forgave us, we can forgive others.
Abishai responded before the king could and he
recommended that Shimei be put to death for cursing the
Lord’s anointed. This is a worldly response to sin.
David responds by calling him an adversary, which in
Hebrew means Satan. Here it means one whose business
is to entice and accuse a man.
David pardons Shimei and gives him his word that he will
not kill him for his previous transgressions.
There is no recorded conversation here between David
and Ziba, but he did come down to where the king was.
2 Samuel 19:24-30
David Connects with Mephibosheth
I wonder how Mephiboshesh was able to make his way
from Jerusalem to the Jordan with his legs unable to
function. Clearly Ziba did NOT bring him.
The Scripture says he had not handled any of his
personal grooming since the king left.
When David saw him, he asked why he had not come
with Ziba when David had fled Jerusalem.
Mephibosheth told David that he had wanted to come but
Ziba lied and deceived him and even slandered him to
David.
Mephibosheth tells David that he is like the angel of God
to him. David had a special connection with
Mephibosheth because he was the only surviving son of
Jonathan. And clearly Mephibosheth was grateful for all
that David had done for him.
Mephibosheth shows David Gratitude and Humility
He tells David to do what seems right to him.
He is still grateful for David taking him into his home and
caring for him and providing for him and letting him sit at
his table.
David responded in a slightly strange way.
It seems like he would have taken all of the property
back from Ziba and given it to Mephibosheth again since
he lied about the reason Mephibosheth didn’t come, but
David split the land between the two men.
Mephibosheth had no expectations from David.
He didn’t come to receive anything, he was content that
David had returned.
Mephibosheth showed contentment and humility when he
told David that Ziba could have all the land.
2 Samuel 19:31-40
David Blesses Barzillai
The interaction between David and Barzillai shows two
men trying to bless and honor each other.
David wanted to bless Barzillai by bringing him to
Jerusalem and allowing him the comforts of the castle.
David was returning the favor that Barzillai did for him
when he was in Mahanaim. Barzillai was very wealthy and
provided food for David and his people.
Now that the civil war is over and Absalom is dead, David
wants to repay the kindness.
Barzillai politely refuses saying he is just content that the
king is back and the war is over. He just wants to honor
David by walking him over the Jordan and going a short
distance past the Jordan.
Barzillai reminds David of his age and tells him the
comforts of the castle will be wasted on him.
He does ask if his servant who was also his son could go
to Jerusalem in his place. David agrees to treat him
however seems good to Barzillai.
He also tells him he prefers to stay close to home so he
can be buried by his family when he passed.
David agrees and kisses him as a token of their
friendship. He also blesses him
APPLICATION
The Scripture gives us several examples of human
relationships. If we expect to grow in our relationship
with others we need to model the following
characteristics.
Characteristics for Growing Personal Relationships
Forgiveness
We have been forgiven by God, we should also forgive
others when they repent and confess their sin to us.
There is nothing anyone can do to us that is worse than
what we did to make Jesus go to the cross.
Honesty
Honest Conversation clears up miscommunications.
Honesty is the bedrock of a solid relationship. If you
know you can trust the other person there is no fear in
telling them your hurts, your fears, your dreams.
When wires get crossed, talking is the only way to clear
things up.
Humility
Humility is not devaluing yourself, it’s having an accurate
view of yourself, while putting the needs of others ahead
of your own.
Contentment
Contentment is knowing that God is sufficient even when
life is challenging. He never leaves us or forsakes us.