Then the king sent for Shimei and said to him, “Build yourself a house here in Jerusalem and live there, but do not go anywhere else.  The day you leave and cross the Kidron Valley, you can be sure you will die; your blood will be on your own head.” – 1 Kings 2:36-37

Because I’m cranking through the Bible a little faster than normal, I caught this about Shimei.  When King David left Jerusalem because of his son, Absalom, Shimei hurled insults and rocks at the king as he left.  David’s men wanted to mow him down, but David wouldn’t let them.  Later, when David returned to the throne, Shimei was apologetic.  The men still wanted to kill him, but David would not allow it again.

One of the last things David did with his time on Earth was tell his son, Solomon, to make Shimei pay for what he said and did.  Solomon made a simple rule for Shimei which makes up the two verses I’m using for this WMD.  Shimei heartily agrees to the rule, apparently grateful for the opportunity to live.  However, three years later, some of his slaves run away from Jerusalem.  I wish I knew what in the world he was thinking when he left Jerusalem to take off after them.  When he returned to Jerusalem, he was executed.

Today, I have the honor of counseling a good many people.  So many believe in God and say they trust Him as Lord, Savior, and King.  As we talk, it is beyond obvious what God is telling them to do . . . and they just will not do it.

Don’t get me wrong, I remember the obvious things God asked me to do when I first started to take Him seriously, and they were not easy.  Looking back, they should have been easy, but in the moment, I just either could not, or would not make the right decision.  I was very impulsive, which I imagine Shimei was as well . . . he acted before he thought.  

I think it would be wise for each of us to ask God if we are deliberately disobeying any of His commands.  We should ask Him to give us a heart of obedience.  I feel so badly for these folks who believe and trust God for their salvation, but because of disobedience, have no real confidence in Him.  Because they have no real confidence in Him, nobody wants the salvation they claim to have.  

I’m reading this book called, “A Farmer Looks at the Parables.”  Here is a paragraph I just had to highlight:  

I am afraid that the United States of America with its liberty which too often degenerates into license, and its affluence which all too often encourages gluttony, laziness, self-indulgence, ease and indolence is not the most conducive atmosphere in which to produce the best quality saints.

Lord, this world does nothing to encourage us to follow You.  Almost everything about it is designed to take us to hell.   On top of that, we have this flesh, which only wants what it wants . . . and it is almost never anything good.  Help us to transform our hearts and minds by renewing them daily in Your word and in prayer.  Help me to be more consistent in doing so.  I am so prone to wander and prone to leave the God I love.  Like Shimei, I can just mindlessly leave the only place I’m truly safe.  Help me, Lord.  Amen.