Re:Verse passage – 2 Samuel 16 (day six)
So David and his men went on the road, while Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went and threw stones at him and flung dust. 2 Samuel 16:13
The progressive stories, as David flees Jerusalem, serve as a powerful reminder: sin separates. Shimei stood on the hillside, with a ravine separating he and David. Isn’t this truly symbolic of David’s condition? His son was trying to kill him and take his throne, his country was splitting in two, even servants were betraying their masters. It’s hard to imagine how things could get any worse.
Sin is a wedge; it always splits things in two. David’s sin created a fault line that would ripple through his family and kingdom. Whether hidden or public, sin will always lead to painful separation. This is why forgiveness is not an end in itself; it is always intended to make a way for reconciliation, to make that which is separate, whole again. Like husbands and wives, old friends,… or God and man.