"A man named Shimei,...was coming out of the place, cursing as he came, (and) he threw stones at David." (2 Sam16: 5-6)
David's wisdom in today's reading stuns us. Threatened by his own son, he flees Jerusalem barefoot, but still has the presence of mind to listen to Shimei who is cursing him and throwing stones and dirt at him. David recognizes that Shimei is a prophet calling him out of his fear and into a renewed relationship with God.
Sometimes it is only the person who appears crazy and out of control to others who is able to get our attention, and literature is full of this kind of wisdom. Seneca the Younger unnerves us when he says, "Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by rulers as useful," (1) but after a few moments of reflection we realize that he is offering us a warning, just like Shimei warned David. Unless we are willing to acknowledge how unreflectively we can use false religion to enslave others, we will never benefit from the actual wisdom of our own religious heritage.
Today, don't be afraid to listen to those who seem crazy.
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