42 So the king sent and called for Shimei and said to him, "Did I not make you swear by the Lord and solemnly warn you, saying , 'You will know for certain that on the day you depart and go anywhere , you shall surely die '? And you said to me, 'The word which I have heard is good .' 43 "Why then have you not kept the oath of the Lord , and the command which I have laid on you?" 44 The king also said to Shimei , " You know all the evil which you acknowledge in your heart , which you did to my father David ; therefore the Lord shall return your evil on your own head .
Matthew Henry's Commentary on 1 Kings 2:42-44
Commentary on 1 Kings 2:35-46
(Read 1 Kings 2:35-46)
The old malignity remains in the unconverted heart, and a watchful eye should be kept on those who, like Shimei, have manifested their enmity, but have given no evidence of repentance. No engagements or dangers will restrain worldly men; they go on, though they forfeit their lives and souls. Let us remember, God will not accommodate his judgment to us. His eye is over us; and let us strive to walk as in his presence. Let our every act, word, and thought, be governed by this great truth, that the hour is quickly coming when the smallest circumstances of our lives shall be brought to light, and our eternal state be fixed by a righteous and unerring God. Thus Solomon's throne was established in peace, as the type of the Redeemer's kingdom of peace and righteousness. And it is a comfort, in reference to the enmity of the church's enemies, that, how much soever they rage, it is a vain thing they imagine. Christ's throne is established, and they cannot shake it.