In many ways, King David is a type of Christ, as well as being an ancestor. Betrayed by those he loved, having his throne usurped, and then returning to his rightful place.
In the same way, Christ was betrayed by those he loved and had his throne usurped as we rebelled against him, thus allowing Satan to become ruler of this world. But the day is coming when he will reclaim his throne here on earth.
And as with David’s return in this passage, we will see three things at the return of Christ: mercy, judgment, and rewards.
Mercy.
Shimei deserved punishment, perhaps even death, for cursing the king. Abishai certainly was in favor of killing Shimei.
But David showed mercy. Though Shimei deserved punishment, David stayed his hand.
In the same way, when Christ comes, we who are Christians will come before him, deserving punishment, deserving death.
And yet, because of what Jesus did on the cross and our faith in his work there, we, like Shimei, will receive mercy.
I should point out, however, that there is a big difference in the mercy we receive and the mercy Shimei received.
There was no price paid for the mercy Shimei received, and as a result of his further actions, he would be judged and killed by David’s son Solomon.
The mercy we receive, on the other hand, came at the price of Christ’s blood. And as a result of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, our mercy will never be revoked.
Judgment.
All of us will be judged for what we do, both the good and the bad, when Jesus returns. And that includes Christians.
The apostle Paul wrote,
[Jesus] will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts.
At that time each will receive his praise from God. (1 Corinthians 4:5)
This is not to say that we will go to hell for the evil that we do. But God will shine his light on every aspect of our lives, and based on what we’ve done, we will receive his praise or rebuke.
David called Mephibosheth to account for not supporting him when he was running from Absalom.
It is my impression that it was actually Ziba, Mephibosheth’s servant, who was in the wrong. That he had been seeking to slander his master, that he might receive rewards from David.
But David did not have the wisdom to discern who was lying, and so he just split the property of Saul between them.
Unlike David, however, nothing is hidden from God. He knows our hearts and our every motive, and he will give perfectly just judgments.
Rewards.
A rich man named Barzillai had come out to help David and his men in his time of need, and so when David’s throne was restored, he offered rewards to him.
In the same way, Jesus will do the same with us when he returns. Jesus said,
Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me…
I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:34–36, 40)
Christ will return to claim his throne someday. What will he say when he sees you?
Moment to Moment (Bible blog) 