The King Who Forgives

By Danny Saavedra

“Now the men of Judah had come to Gilgal to go out and meet the kind and bring him across the Jordan. Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim, hurried down with the men of Judah to meet King David. With him were a thousand Benjamites, along with Ziba, the steward of Saul’s household, and his fifteen sons and twenty servants. They rushed to the Jordan, where they crossed at the ford to take the king’s household over and to do whatever he wished. When Shimei son of Gera crossed the Jordan, he fell prostrate before the king and said to him, ‘May my lord not hold me guilty. Do not remember how your servant did wrong on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem. May the king put it out of his mind. For I your servant know that I have sinned, but today I have come here as the first from the tribes of Joseph to come down and meet my lord the king.’ Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said, ‘Shouldn’t Shimei be put to death for this? He cursed the Lord’s anointed.’ David replied, ‘What does this have to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? What right do you have to interfere? Should anyone be put to death in Israel today? Don’t I know that today I am king over Israel?’ So the king said to Shimei, ‘You shall not die.’ And the king promised him on oath.”—2 Samuel 19:15-23 (NIV)

Forgiveness is one of the hardest things we’ll ever have to do, but it’s also one of the best things we can do as humans. Countless studies in psychology have shown that people who forgive experience less stress, lower blood pressure, and greater emotional resilience. Forgiveness can bring freedom from bitterness and help people heal in ways that revenge never could. But even more than all of that, forgiveness is one of the clearest ways we reflect the heart of God. In fact, I’ve heard it said that we’re never more like Jesus than when we forgive others.

David understood this. We see that in this passage as he crossed back over the Jordan. Shimei—the same man who once stood on a hillside cursing and hurling stones and accusations at the king as he fled from Absalom—now comes running to meet him. Shimei throws himself at David’s feet, confessing his sin and pleading for mercy. By all rights, David could’ve ordered his execution. Abishai certainly thought he should. “Shouldn’t Shimei be put to death for this? He cursed the Lord’s anointed,” he said. The law supported it. The culture expected it. But David does something countercultural. He forgives. He declares, “Should anyone be put to death in Israel today? Don’t I know that today I am king over Israel?”

That response isn’t weakness. It's strength under control. David isn’t condoning Shimei’s actions or pretending they never happened. He’s choosing to let mercy triumph over judgment (James 2:13). His kingship is secure. He doesn’t need to assert it through vengeance.

It reminds me of one of the most powerful moments in Captain America: Civil War. After all the chaos, betrayal, and loss, T’Challa finally corners Helmut Zemo, the man who orchestrated the destruction. Zemo is ready to take his own life, but T’Challa stops him. “Vengeance has consumed you...I’m done letting it consume me.” In that moment, T’Challa refused to let the evil done against him dictate his next steps. He didn’t allow bitterness to drive him down to the same level as those who did evil against him and his family.

I know what that battle feels like. I spent years being abused by a relative—years where pain and anger threatened to consume me. For a long time, I let the wrongs done against me shape how I viewed myself and others. But through the work of the Holy Spirit, I came to see that forgiveness doesn’t excuse what was done. It doesn’t make the pain go away overnight. Forgiveness sets you free. It’s refusing to let wicked acts control your heart any longer. It’s choosing to entrust justice to God and walk in the freedom Christ purchased on the cross (Romans 12:19).

Jesus said in Matthew 5:44 (NIV), “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” That’s not natural to us, but it’s supernatural in Him. The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 12:21 (NIV), “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” This is the heart of Christ in us. Forgiveness isn’t about weakness. It’s about reflecting the strength and mercy of the One who forgave us first.

That’s what David does here. And it’s a faint reflection of what our true King has done for us. We were once like Shimei—rebels, standing against God, in every way living, thinking, speaking, and acting in a manner deserving of God’s wrath. But Jesus didn’t come to crush us. He came to rescue us. At the cross, He absorbed the justice our sins deserved and rose to offer us mercy. As Colossians 1:21-22 (NIV) says, “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.” When we come to Him in repentance, even if it’s messy and imperfect like Shimei’s, Jesus speaks over us: “You shall not die.”

And just as we’ve been forgiven, we’re called to forgive—not because it’s easy, not because the offense wasn’t real, but because the King has made us new. Ephesians 4:32 (NIV) says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Matthew 6:14 (NIV) reminds us, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” This isn’t optional for the believer; it’s essential.

Forgiveness isn’t about forgetting or pretending the wound doesn’t exist. It’s about refusing to let the wound define you. It’s letting Christ define you instead. And in that choice, you’ll find a freedom and peace that vengeance could never give.

Pause: Who’s your “Shimei”? Who has hurt you deeply, and how have you let their actions shape your heart? Where do you need to release vengeance and entrust justice to God?

Practice: Ask God to help you forgive. Write down the name of the person you need to release and pray for them. Read Romans 12:17–21 and ask God to help you overcome evil with good. Then take one small step toward extending grace.

Pray: Jesus, You forgave me when I was still Your enemy. You poured out mercy when I deserved judgment. Help me to reflect Your heart and forgive those who have hurt me. Free me from the chains of bitterness and let me walk in Your peace. In Your name I pray, Jesus. Amen.