HEBREW WORD STUDY – RESTORATION – SHUV שוב  Shin vav Beth

II Samuel 16:11b-12: “Let him alone, let him curse for the Lord has bidden him. It may be that the Lord will look upon my affliction and that the Lord will requite me good for his cursing this day.” 

“If a man loses pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.”  Henry David Thoreau – “Walden” 

Watchman Nee during his ministry in China underwent some very strong criticism for his teachings. Most of the criticism was false and his friends kept encouraging him to defend himself. However, Watchman Nee would not defend himself.  His response was that every criticism bore some truth and thus he could learn something about himself and his relationship with God if he were to listen closely to the criticism and find that grain of truth. Watchman Nee marched to the pace of a different drummer.  The world would say, “Go get ‘em, fight ‘em, defend your reputation.”  However, the drum beat Watchman Nee heard was: “Listen closely, find out what is in harmony with God and you shall draw closer to God.” 

This had to be the lowest time in David’s life.  His own son and best friend staged a coup, seizing the throne and forcing David to flee for his life.  In one clean swoop David lost his kingdom and now he was fleeing with a price on his head. If things weren’t bad enough, as he is running for his life some Benjamite appears and starts throwing rocks at him and cursing him.  

Finally one of David’s servants had about all he could take and said: “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king, you just say the word and I will go lop his head off.”  David’s response is very curious.  He rebuked this loyal servant and said that God told this guy to curse him, so let him curse. So he continued to let the Benjamite curse him and throw rocks at him. 

The last phrase: “He will requite me good for his cursing this day” would express David’s heart in this matter.  The word requite is shuv which means to return or restore.  The word good is tov which means to be in harmony with God. David is saying that the cursing of this Benjamite might just restore his harmony with God. 

My rendering of this passage would be that David is telling this servant to let the Benjamite curse him because God told him to curse him. The word curse is kalal which means to slight, or belittle someone. “Let him belittle me because God told him to do it.  Perhaps God will show me what is wrong with my spiritual discernment and will restore me to harmony with him through this humbling process.

Many years ago I was challenged by a rabbi to try and understand David’s heart. In doing so I would likely read many passages translated by our Christian translators differently. So I searched out David’s heart, a I do read passages differently. David lost his kingdom, his beloved son lead the revolt with the help of his best friend. But, he also lost something else, something more important to him that his kingdom, beloved son and his best friend. He lost that close abiding presence of God. He knew he was out of harmony with the God He loved. 

King Saul came from the tribe of Benjamin.  The whole tribe was like the royal tribe until David from the tribe of Judah came along and took the throne.  The Benjamites were descended from the last child born to Jacob who was the child of Rachel whom Jacob loved. What right did a member of the tribe of Judah have to the throne? The Benjamites were a thorn in David’s flesh never accepting his kingship. No wonder this servant was itching to lop the guy’s head off. But David said to let the guy alone for the Lord told him to curse him. Perhaps the Lord would see.  That word see is ra’ah which has numerous applications. I believe the best application is that the Lord would observe his repentant heart and would then requite.  The word requite is shuv, another word with a broad usage.  In this case I would say the best word is restore.  The Lord would look at his heart, see his repentance and restore good to him or restore him into harmony.

That follows David’s heart, a heart after God’s own heart.  A heart which looked beyond his loss in the natural world to the loss he suffered spiritually. Restoration of harmony with God was first on David’s agenda.  

If you suffered a broken heart, loss of friendship, a loved one stabbing you in the back and a loss of the presence of God in your life, what would be first on your agenda to have restored?  

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