The Regrets Of Shimei

‭2 Samuel 19:18-20 KJV‬ [18] And there went over a ferry boat to carry over the king’s household, and to do what he thought good. And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king, as he was come over Jordan; [19] and said unto the king, Let not my lord impute iniquity unto me, neither do thou remember that which thy servant did perversely the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, that the king should take it to his heart. [20] For thy servant doth know that I have sinned: therefore, behold, I am come the first this day of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king.

There is a difference between repentance and regrets. Daren Waters in March 2016 explained it this way, ” Regret arises from pain, sorrow and grief—but it never leads to life because regret looks backward.
Repentance, however—often but not always arising from pain, sorrow and grief—leads to salvation and freedom from regret, because repentance looks to God”. Waters quotes an example from the people of Israel. ” In Judges 10:16 we read that the Israelites “put away the foreign gods from among them”. They didn’t destroy them, they just put them away for a rainy day. They regretted their idols for a time, but did not repent from them”. When you apply this principle to Shimei, you will know that he was a crude politician who could bootlick his way to anything. Regret doesn’t bring any lasting change. Its just a bad feeling for being affected. It is self centred and not God centered. He would have made a successful manipulating politician, but not a Christian. David knew him. He pushed hi case aside, pit him within boundaries, until he fell out of it. Be careful of the kind of Shimei. Pray God to deliver you out of their hands.