January 25, 2023
Passage Read: 1 Kings 2-5
Meditation Verse: 2:40
Thought
Shimei had agreed to the terms to never again leave Jerusalem, but perhaps after three years he'd forgotten why he always remained in Jerusalem. Or maybe he thought just one little trip to fetch his runaway slaves would be all right. Jerusalem was a walled city with gates and surely guards at the gates, and those guards probably had standing orders to watch for Shimei. Evidently no one warned Shimei that he was about to violate the king's command. It was his responsibility alone to abide by the agreement; it wasn't Solomon's responsibility to make sure Shimei kept to Jerusalem, but only to put him to death if he ever left Jerusalem. So when Shimei returned and Solomon learned of the trip, Shimei was put to death without a second chance, and without mercy for possibly having forgotten his promise. Shimei knew his sin and was punished with death for violating his promise.
Application
It is not the responsibility of the one in authority to keep people from doing wrong. Their responsibility is to make clear laws and rules, and enforce them faithfully. At their discretion, they can offer mercy or forgiveness, but they are not obligated to do so. It is the responsibility of the governed to know and abide by the laws and rules handed down. If an authority often grants mercy, then the people begin to act as if the laws don't matter, and chaos grows. If I know the rules and break them, I have no right to demand mercy; if I don't know the rules and break them, I still have no right to demand mercy if the authority has made those rules plain and available. It is my responsibility to know and follow the rules. It is not the authority's fault if I have not made it a priority to know what is required of me in his realm. The authority is guiltless in punishing me for violating rules I didn't care to learn or follow, even if I must die for my own ignorance. While my desire as an authority is for my people to succeed in obedience, always reminding and warning isn't the path to that success, because it keeps responsibility on myself rather than transferring it to the governed, who need to learn self-government, submission and honor towards all authorities, especially God. Punishment for violations is the primary means to transfer that responsibility to the governed.