--Rudolph Stier
A man once told me that I was a "wicked shepherd who was destroying and scattering the sheep." Those were his very words.
I asked him if he knew that he was quoting scripture. He said he did. I asked him if he knew by whom it was said and about whom. He didn't. At which point I told him it was the Prophet Jeremiah who said it (23:1) and that it was said about each of Judah's last four kings, Zedekiah, Shallum, Jehoiakim, and Coniah, four of the worst men who ever lived (Jeremiah 23:1). I thought that would change his mind but it didn't.
The best of life is swallowed up by the worst and sometimes the worst are these mean-spirited attacks on our character. Yet, even heartless censure can be redemptive. God uses the worst that men can say about us to shape our character and strengthen us. An incident in the Old Testament comes to mind--the story of Shimei, the mean-spirited little man who threw rocks at David (2 Samuel 16:5-14).
The book of 2 Samuel is about David--his fortunes and misfortunes. David was a brilliant and far-sighted leader, and, more importantly, a man with a heart for God, but he had almost constant trouble with his family. His wives and children repeatedly caused him grief. The background for this story is another instance of family dysfunction; the rebellion of Absalom, his son.
The trouble began when Absalom's sister, Tamar, was raped and humiliated by Amnon, another of David's sons. David did nothing. Absalom waiting for 2 years, then took matters in his own hands by murdering his brother (2 Sam. 13:20-29) and fleeing into exile in Syria. He was allowed to return later, and was forgiven by David, but soon after began plotting to seize the throne.
Absalom devoted four years to preparation, currying favor with the people, and setting up his agents throughout the kingdom (15:1-12). Then, his plans laid, he went to Hebron, gathered the people, engineered his own anointing as king, and marched on Jerusalem with his army.
When the report of Absalom's revolt came to David he was taken completely by surprise. He had either minimized Absalom's intrigue or was unaware of it. "David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, 'Arise and let us flee, for otherwise none of us shall escape from Absalom. Go in haste, lest he overtake us quickly and bring down calamity on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword'" (2 Sam. 15:14).
David was not a coward. His flight was not motivated by fear, but by the tactics of ancient warfare. He knew he would be pinned down in the city. To spare Jerusalem the horrors of a siege and to gain time for his friends to gather, he withdrew.
"And the king went out and all the people with him, and they stopped at the last house. Now all his servants passed on beside him, all the Cherethites, all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, (his personal bodyguard, six hundred men who had come with him from Gath) passed on before the king" (15:17,18).
David felt one blow after another, calamities fell on him like bricks tumbling from a dump truck. He had to send Zadok, his priest and pastor, back to Jerusalem; he discovered that his trusted friend and wise counselor, Ahithophel, was a traitor; he sent his loyal, aged friend, Hushai, back to Jerusalem; and he was told by Ziba that Saul's son, Mephibosheth, to whom David had shown such kindness, was among the conspirators.
Then, "when King David came to Bahurim, behold, there came out from there a man of the family of the house of Saul whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera; he came out cursing continually as he came" (16:5).
Bahurim was a small village a few miles from Jerusalem on the road to Jericho. As David approached the city, Shimei, one of Saul's descendants and a man who shared the Saulide hostility to the House of David, came out cursing him and pelting him with rocks."And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David; and all the people and all the mighty men were at his right hand and at his left" (16:6). (The intensive form of the verb translated "threw" suggests that he was gunning each rock in!) David's body guard anxiously gathered around to shield him.
"And thus Shimei said when he cursed, 'Get out, get out, you man of bloodshed ('murderer'), and worthless fellow ('trash')! The Lord has returned upon you all the bloodshed of the House of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. And behold, you are taken in your own evil, for you are a man of bloodshed!'" (16:7,8).
Shimei's charge was unfounded. Saul's life had been in David's hands more than once, but he had refused to touch "the Lord's anointed," as David put it, even though Saul ruthlessly pursued him and tried to put him to death. David executed the man who later killed Saul and put to death those who assassinated Saul's son, Ishbosheth. He wept for Saul and his son Jonathan when they fell at Gilboa and composed a beautiful and poignant poem about these two brave men (2 Sam. 1:19-27), and then took Mephibosheth, Jonathan's son, into his own home. He was totally innocent of Shimei's charge.
"Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, 'Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over now, and cut off his head" (16:9). Abishai was David's nephew, one of his hot tempered young retainers, fiercely loyal to the king. He was protective of his uncle, and on at least one occasion had saved his life (2 Sam. 21:16-17). His violence was legendary (2 Sam. 29:18,19).
But David restrained him: "The king said, 'What have I to do with you, O sons of Zeruiah? If he curses, and if the Lord has told him, 'Curse David,' then who shall say' 'Why have you done so?' then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, "behold, my son who came out from me seeks my life; how much more now this Benjamite? Let him alone and let him curse, for the Lord has told him. Perhaps the Lord will look at my affliction and return good to me instead of his cursing this day. So David and his men went on the way; and Shimei went along on the hillside parallel with him, and as he went he cursed, and cast stones and threw dust at him. And the king and all the people who were with him arrived weary and he refreshed himself there" (16:10- 14).
Shimei followed David and his entourage to Bahurim where David and his men stopped to rest. It's probable that he continued to molest the camp, raving and cursing into the night, but the text says that David refreshed himself there.
We're told later that when David returned to Jerusalem after putting down Absalom's revolt, Shimei met the returning king at the fords of the Jordan and begged for mercy (2 Sam. 19:15-23). David forgave him, but later warned Solomon of his treachery. He was not a man to be trusted. Later, Solomon put Shimei to death. But David never avenged himself on this spiteful little man.
As I have thought about Shimei and my own critics several judgments have formed in my mind: the first is that criticism always seems to come when we least need it.
David had been driven from his city, separated from his family, betrayed by this best friends, and by his own son. He was already in the dumps when Shimei began his attack. "Who needs it," he must have thought.
Criticism rarely comes when we're up and on top of things. It's usually when we're down and out that some critic gets going. People pile judgments on our sorrow and suffering and once they get going they can't seem to stop.
Also, it seems to me, the worst critiques come when we least deserve them. David wasn't always right, but on this occasion he was innocent of any wrong-doing. He didn't deserve Shimei's curses. But we shouldn't be surprised. "Evil is always more readily spoken of and believed of another than good," Thomas á Kempis said.
And then, it's my experience that criticism usually comes from people who are not qualified to give it. Much of it is generated by people who don't know what they're talking about, or who are so morally unqualified they have no right to throw stones. Like Shimei. they have no heart for God, or God's plan to bring salvation to the world. Yet these are often the people from whom we receive the harshest blows.
And finally criticism often comes in a form that is least helpful. It's hard enough to take a critique when it comes in love, but no one likes to hear it when it's hard and harsh and when our character and motives are assailed. It would be good if all our critics were gentle and redemptive, but that's not always the case. Sometimes they just like to throw rocks.
The wisest of souls have always warned us not to expect too much of people. Jesus assures us: "No one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age--and with them, persecutions....(Mark 10:29,30).
Paul agrees: "Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted"(2 Timothy 3:12). Everyone who sets out to follow the Lord will be criticized, opposed and misunderstood. Every step of the journey will be contested; every decision will be tested and challenged.
The only way to avoid reproach is to determine to be nothing, do nothing and say nothing. Charles Briggs wrote, "If your ambition is to avoid the troubles of life, the recipe is simple: shed your ambitions in every direction, cut the wings of every soaring purpose, and seek a little life with the fewest contacts and relations.... Tiny souls can dodge through life; bigger souls are blocked on every side. As soon as men and women begin to enlarge their lives, their resistances are multiplied." To be significant is to be misunderstood.
Something needs to be said to critics: they ought to lighten up. But something also needs to be said to the criticized: we need to toughen up.
Our critics may hurt us profoundly, but we mustn't let them deter us. "Even though much provoked," Abraham Lincoln said in the face of intense and cruel criticism, "let us do nothing through passion and ill temper.... neither let us be slandered from our duty by false accusations against ourselves.... Let us have faith and in that faith let us to the end dare to do our duty as we understand it,"
The first step in toughening up is to acknowledge God's hand in the matter. David said of Shimei's ruthless rock-throwing, "Let him alone and let him curse, for the Lord has told him...." (2 Sam. 16:11). David clearly God's hand in the matter. There are no secondary causes. As the Heidelberg Catechism puts it, "All things...come to us not by chance but by God's hand."
Criticism may be God's voice dealing with some sin in us that must be dealt with before we can move on. He may be speaking through our worst critics, pointing out some carnality or stupidity in us. "Truth is truth," George MacDonald said, "whether it's spoken by the lips of Jesus or Balaam's ass." Though our critics are speaking we must listen to God's voice. He may be speaking through our worst enemies, pointing out some wrong in us.
"Consider the source," we say. No, consider the criticism, especially if it comes from more than one person. An old Yiddish proverb says, "If one man calls you an ass, pay him no mind. If two men call you an ass, go buy a saddle."
There may be more truth in our enemies' words than in the counsel of our friends. Perhaps their eyes are sharper than our friends' eyes, or our friends may be aware of our weakness and unwilling to tell us. Love is quick to note our faults, but sometimes slow to point them out and correct them. The highest love always girds itself for the task of washing our feet, but it's a dirty job and one our friends are often reluctant to do.
Spurgeon said, "Get your friend to tell you your faults, or better still, welcome an enemy who will watch you keenly and sting you savagely. What a blessing such an irritating critic will be to a wise man. What an intolerable nuisance to a fool."
We learn from our friends,When there is an element of truth in a rebuke, we must be willing to hear it and deal with the sin involved. David said, "Let the righteous smite me in loving kindness. It is oil on my head. Do not let me refuse it" (Ps. 141:5).
But heaven knows,
The lasting lessons
come from our foes.--Pat D'Amico
We should search our hearts to see if the criticism is true before dismissing it or treating it with disdain. Before we tear up that searing note, or reject that harsh comment we should present ourselves before our Lord's gentle presence and ask ourselves if we can honestly say we are blameless.
We should listen carefully and consider what's being said, giving the Holy Spirit adequate time to impress it upon us. We may respond by asking for time to think about what has been said. Then if we are truly convinced of our sin we should immediately confess it before God and before those we have wronged.
We should not delay. As Jesus said "Settle matters quickly with your adversary" (Matthew 5:25). And again, "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift" (Mt. 5:23).
Some people will not be satisfied with any confession, no matter how genuine. They cannot forgive and forget and they will not believe that our repentance is sincere. They endlessly process past sins and their pain and they cannot let go and move on. It's hard to let such issues remain unresolved, but we must do so. We will always receive more mercy from God than we will from men and women. David prayed, "Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men" (2 Samuel 24:14).
If there is no basis for reproach, give thanks. We should be grateful that God has kept us from actual sin and we should thank him for his empowering grace. We might have committed that sin or worse!
Ultimately, no criticism is undeserved. Though we may not be guilty of the sin of which we're accused, in one way or another, small or great, hidden or revealed, we are sinful to the core.
Boris Kornfield, the physician who led Alexander Solzhenitsyn to Christ wrote,
On the whole, I have become convinced that there is no punishment that comes to us in this life on earth which is undeserved. Superficially, it can have nothing to do with what we are guilty of in actual fact, but if you go over your life with a fine tooth comb and ponder it deeply, you will always be able to hunt down that transgression of yours for which you have now received this blow.
There is an old story about Martin Luther and one of his detractors. It seems that he was approached one night and presented with a written list of his sins. When he finished reading, Luther said to the man, "Think a little harder; you've forgotten some." (Or to evoke a more contemporary example, owner Tex Scramm after hold-out running back Duane Thomas called him "sick, demented and dishonest," replied: "That's not bad. He got two out of three right.)
But what of those malicious people who are out to hang us? Is it God's will that they be unleashed on us? Indeed! Even when the criticism is cruel it will do us good to hear it because we must learn to endure hatred. Our Lord was nailed to the cross. You can count on it that you will be nailed to the wall!
God gives us over to such hurt because it is part of the process to make us what he intends us to be. The hurting makes us sweeter, more mellow. We lose the fear of losing; we learn to let go of what we want. We're not so easily provoked to wrath by harm or reproof. We learn to absorb abuse without retaliation, to accept reproof without defensiveness, to return a soft answer to wrath. It makes us calm and strong...
Firm in the right; mild to the wrongHostility and accusation teach us to pray: David wrote, "In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer" (Psalm 109:4) The translators supplied "a man of," but the text reads simply, "I am prayer." Prayer became the essence of David's life.
Our heart, in every raging throng
A chamber shut for prayer and song.--George MacDonald
Criticism is a powerful instrument to develop our relationship with God. It moves us closer to him and makes us more susceptible to his shaping. Wiliam Law wrote, "Receive every inward and outward trouble, every disappointment, pain, uneasiness, temptation, darkness and despair with both hands as a true opportunity and blessed occasion for dying to self and entering into a fuller fellowship with your self-denying and suffering Savior. Look at no inward or outward trouble with any other view. Reject every other thought about it and then every kind of pain and bitterness will become the blessed day of your prosperity."
Sometimes it is good that we put up with people speaking against us, and sometimes it is good that we be thought of as bad and flawed, even when we do good things and have good intentions. Such troubles are often aids to humility, and they protect us from pride. Indeed, we are sometimes better at seeking God when people have nothing but bad things to say about us and when they refuse to give us credit for the good things we have done! That being the case, we should so root ourselves in God that we do not need to look for comfort anywhere else (Thomas à Kempis,The Imitation of Christ).
We should accept every hostile comment as an opportunity to draw near to God. We should look upon anyone who speaks against us as God's voice saying to us, "Come closer."
Hebrews says we should "consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that (we) will not grow weary and lose heart" (Heb. 12:3). Jesus knows what it means to be overwhelmed by one's enemies and by one's friends.
In his hour of greatest need, when his soul was "overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," he opened his heart to his three best friends, Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and asked them to stay with him and pray. They fell asleep. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he lamented. What poignancy! And then in the end, his friends "forsook him and fled" (cf. Mt. 26:26-56).
So, when our friends fail to come through, when no one supports us, when no one calls or drops by to ask how we're doing, when there are no cards or letters, no cheery notes of comfort, we know our Lord knows and cares.
A portion of Psalm 4 comes to mind:
How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame?
How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?
Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself;
the Lord will hear when I call to him.--Psalms 4:2-3
David was concerned about the rising tide of disloyalty in his nation. His authority was being undermined. He was in the minority, always an uncomfortable place to be, but more so when the minority is shrinking. Nevertheless, David insists, "the Lord has set apart the godly for himself."
"Godly" sounds daunting since we associate the word with awesome piety, but the term simply refers to those that have chosen to be loyal to God alone. Rabbi Kimchi, wrote, "The kasid (the godly man) is the man whom God loves and who loves God."
People make up fantasies and tell lies about us, but, the Lord has set us apart for himself. He chooses us for his own enjoyment. Out of the many there are the few with whom he can commune. They are those whom criticism and blame have brought to their knees. Hatred, hurt, stings of indifference are all part of the process by which God weans us away from earthly attachments and worldly ambition and brings us to the place that we look to him alone for our approval--where we say with David "You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. (Psalms 4:8).
That's worth everything in the world.
Jesus' disciples came to him complaining about the Pharisees and their bitter opposition to his work. "He answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father has not planted, will be rooted up. Let them alone!" (Matthew 15:13,14).
I take great comfort in the psalmist's words,
Do not fret because of evil men, or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret--it leads only to evil. For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land. A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace" (Psalms 37:1-11).
Meekness is not weakness, but strength under control. It is a refusal to defend ourselves or to retaliate against wrong--to be humble, non-defensive and unassuming in the face of brutal and heartless attack. There is a wonderful sense of the Father's approval and affection when we lay down our lives in this way. Jesus said, "My Father loves me because I lay down my life..." (John 10:17).
Remember Peter's words, "Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in his mouth; and while being reviled, he did not revile in return; while suffering, he uttered no threats, but kept entrusting himself to Him who judges righteously" (I Peter 2:20- 23). Jesus did not repay the world's curses and blows. He waited for the Father to defend him.
One church Father, Justin Martyr said, "Jesus' greatest miracle is that he did not retaliate." When our Lord's turn came and he was stretched out on the cross, instead of bitter resentment against his executioners he offered up his life to God and waited for his vindication. That was the secret of his composure and ours.
With Augustine we should pray again and again, "Heal me of this lust of mine of always vindicating myself." Why do we smart under others' criticisms? Why do we care so much what others say about us? Is it because we place too much value on our own reputations and the favor and the appreciation of men? Do we have a terrible fear of being despised and rejected?
A. W. Tozer writes, "The labor of self-love is a heavy one indeed. Think of yourself whether much of your sorrow has not arisen from someone speaking slightingly of you. As long as you set yourself up as a little god to which you must be loyal there will be those who will delight to offer affront to your idol. How then can you hope to have inward peace? The heart's fierce effort to protect itself from every slight, to shield its touchy honor from the bad opinion of friend and enemy. will never let the mind have rest."
We're God's servants. If he is satisfied with us why we should we break our hearts over what others say? The Lord of the Church has chosen us and put us into the positions we enjoy. He is our judge and if he is pleased with us there is nothing anyone can say or do that can ever dislodge us.
"Let them talk," Alexander Whyte said. "Let them write; let them correct you; let them traduce you; let them judge and condemn you; let them slay you... Oh the detestable passions that corrections and contradictions kindle up to fury in the proud heart of man! Eschew controversy as you would eschew the entrance into hell itself. Let them have their way."
We may ask our opponent to justify his charges, or, if the charges are false, we can meet them with steadfast denial. Truth spoken to establish the truth is not defensiveness. Nehemiah, when accused of falsehood and shifty motives simply replied, "Nothing like what you are saying is happening..." (Nehemiah 6:8). But if they will not believe us we must "let the turbid stream of rumor flow" and wait for our Father's "well done."
Paul says, "I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed I do not even judge myself.... It is the Lord who judges me" (1 Corinthians 4:3,4). God is the only one who can properly evaluate the quality of our lives. He knows all the latent forces underlying our behavior as well as the patent facts that other's see. When we are unjustly criticized we should remember that he knows us as no one else does. As A. J. Cronin's much-maligned priest, Father Chisolm, said with such calm simplicity, "I shall render an account of my life to God."
--F. B. Meyer
"Perhaps the Lord will look on my affliction and return good to me instead of his cursing this day," David said (2 Sam. 16:12).
We must take every criticism to our Advocate and let him vindicate us: "(He) stands at the right hand of the needy to save him from those who judge his soul" (Psalm 109:31).
God knows what others are saying about us and it grieves him deeply. He has considered every angle; he has taken every factor into account. In time he will take our side.
F. B. Meyer writes, "Whenever an affront or wrong is inflicted on thee, avoid vindicating, or answering for thyself. Be still towards man, unless it be to induce thy brother to repent; but turn instantly to thy righteous Judge, asking him to right the wrong and vindicate the right. He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as noonday. When Christians go to law, and seek to maintain their cause against wrong-doing they miss this. The weaker you are, the more certrainly will God judge for you."
There is an old Quaker saying, "If we fight the beast by becoming a beast then bestiality has won." Jesus says, "Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord. (Romans 12:19).
When we have done all we can do, the only thing left is to wait patiently until God avenges the wrong and vindicates us. God will refute our critics in his own time and way--in this life or in the next. God is the Alpha and Omega. He and not our accusers will have the last word. It may be that our enemies will find out then that we are not so much to blame as they thought.
God is aware of every factor and has pondered every angle of our circumstances. Why do we say, "My way is hidden from the Lord my cause is disregarded by my God?"
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no-one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:27-31).
God "loves justice" (Psalms 11:7). In his time and in his way he will set everything right. He stands between us and our enemies; he will not leave us in their hands. He acts firmly and no one can interfere. In the meantime, we are shadowed and sheltered under his wings. No one can hinder or harm us there.
God says insistently and strongly: "They will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you" (Jeremiah 1:19). He does not say you will not be assaulted, belabored or disquieted. He says you will not be overcome. "Nothing in life is quite so exhilarating," Winston Churchill chortled, "as being shot at without result."
Knowing that God has taken up our cause enables us to be non-defensive. The weak have to defend their dignity and rights. Those who are strengthened by God can yield. "Let your forbearance be evident to all," Paul writes, "The Lord is near" (Philippians 4:5).
St. John of the Cross says that those who are guarded by God have three distinguishing characteristics--tranquillity, gentleness, and strength. Anxiety, intensity, instability and pessimism plague us when we try to protect ourselves, but those who are shielded and strengthened by God share the calm and quiet nature of the One in whom they trust.
The wind of words may toss my heart,
But what is that to me!
'Tis but a surface storm--Thou art
My deep, still resting sea.
So if my heart with trouble now
Be throbbing in my breast
Thou art my deepest heart, and Thou
O God, dost ever rest.--George MacDonald
Don't worry if people mock you, malign you, tell lies about you. Don't worry if they turn on you. Just don't turn on them. Ask God to give you the grace to tolerate those who grieve you.
We must never nourish thoughts of hatred or retaliation. We should rather think of the misery of our enemies hearts--full as they are of jealousy, envy and bitterness. We must pity them and pray for them.
Jesus said, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you" (Luke 6:27). Love, generosity, blessing and intercessory prayer are the gifts we have to give to those who revile us.
Consider Judas: though our Lord knew from the beginning who would betray him not one of his disciples knew (John 13:22). Nothing in Jesus' behavior betrayed the betrayer. (The more I ponder his love for that wicked man the more my own wickedness is disclosed.)
Jesus prayed from the cross, "Father forgive them," not when the crucifixion was over, and men were sorry for what they did, but in the very moment it was being done. So it must be us. "To see that my adversary gives me my rights is natural"; Oswald Chambers writes, "but from our Lord's standpoint it does not matter if I am defrauded or not; what does matter is that I do not defraud."
We must go beyond forgiveness to tender love, concerning ourselves more with the misery of the person from which the criticism came than our own misery, showing our critics mercy, serving them, praying earnestly for them, refusing to wrong them or withdraw from them, taking their wrongs as God takes ours. Brooding over wrong keeps the wounds open. Only forgiveness heals.
O give us hearts to love like Thee
Like Thee, O Lord, to grieve
Far more for others' sins than all
The wrongs that we receive.
Impossible? "Nothing is impossible with God" (Luke 1:37). We should pray as George MacDonald prayed:
O God, make me into a rock which swallows up the waves of wrong in its great caverns and never throws them back to swell the commotion of the angry sea from whence they came. Ah! To annihilate wrong in this way--to say, 'It shall not be wrong against me, so utterly do I forgive it!'
This is the majesty of meekness: To bear patiently the spiteful attacks of malice and envy; to overcome evil with good; to live in the midst of difficult people and love them, to keep our mouths closed and our hearts open when we're in the presence of our critics; to be unruffled and composed through a storm of unkindness and misrepresentation; "to let the turbid stream of rumor flow thro' either babbling world high or low... to never speak against a foe."
This is only possible to those "in whose breast the dove-like Spirit has found an abiding place, and whose hearts are guarded by the peace of God. These are those who bear themselves as heroes in the fight" (Oswald Chambers).
The end of the story of David and Shimei is Psalm 3, the poem David wrote that night:
O Lord, how many are my foes!
How many rise up against me! BR>Many are saying of me,
"God will not deliver him."
But you are a shield around me, O Lord;
you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.
To the Lord I cry aloud,
and he answers me from his holy hill.
I lie down and sleep...
David gave Shimei and all his detractors to God, zipped up his sleeping bag, fluffed up his pillow, rolled over and went to sleep.
David Roper