February 9, 2024
Passage Read: 1 Kings 2-5
Meditation Verses: 2:40-43
Thought
After the years of living in Jerusalem, knowing he wasn't to leave under penalty of death, Shimei left the city in pursuit of two runaway slaves. Solomon's men knew when he had gone and knew when he returned. Was it gate guards who recognized him or were there regular patrols that checked in on him? Somehow Solomon knew that he had left the city. No one reminded Shimei before he left that he would violate the terms of his parole, not his friends and not the men who might have seen him packing for a journey. No one tried to stop him before he left the city. He was left to make his own decision, and when he returned, he was given no grace, no mercy. He was expected to remember his oath and agreement, and one violation was enough to end his life. So ended the life of Shimei.
Application
The conditions of the oath Solomon made Shimei swear were clear and simple, and for three years he kept them. So when he broke his vow, that was it. There was no excuse or justification accepted on his behalf, no plea, no mercy. His life was over. Today it seems we believe that no one can understand anything they're agreeing to. No one can understand regulations they are required to have studied and mastered. We live in a society that has mastered grace and mercy, and we believe we are better for it. But either we have become dumber, so that we can't grasp terms, or else we have learned that we can get away with a few violations of any agreement before any real punishment comes. And it seems the more grace we are willing to extend, the more grace we are required to extend, until it becomes arbitrary at which point we finally bring consequences. So grace becomes the undoing of righteousness and obedience. Grace becomes the enemy of good and uprightness. In our flesh, we are so eager for grace so that we can get away with sin, and in our flesh we don't want to be the "bad guy" who actually brings justice, which makes us the righteous one. We prefer corruption for our own convenience, while all around us the world descends into ever increasing chaos. Men should be held accountable on the first violation of any agreement. We shouldn't assume ignorance but expect understanding and act accordingly. Our abuse of grace is responsible for the "dumbing down" of society.