What Does II Samuel 16:12 Mean?

David introduces a note of hope within the theology of suffering: "It may be that the Lord will look on mine affliction, and that the Lord will requite me good for his cursing this day." The statement is conditional, using "it may be" rather than "it will be," and this tentativeness is itself a sign of spiritual maturity. David does not presume upon God's mercy or claim an automatic right to restoration. He simply opens the door to the possibility that the suffering he is enduring may, in God's economy, produce a compensatory blessing.

The theology of potential divine compensation for unjust suffering anticipates the apostolic teaching that "our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." David perceives, however dimly, that the curses he absorbs on the road may be credited to his account by a God who observes the difference between deserved and undeserved suffering. The curses come from Shimei, but the accounting is in God's hands.

The Lord Jesus received no "may be" from the Father but a definitive guarantee: "For the joy that was set before him he endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." The affliction that Christ endured was not met with a conditional hope but with a certain promise, and the good that was requited for His suffering was the salvation of every soul that would ever believe. The cursing of the cross produced the blessing of the resurrection, and the stones aimed at the Savior became the foundation of the church.