The Friend Who Brings Us Back to Reality
One of the questions we have to ask about the end of Absalom's rebellion concerns the actions of Joab toward the young rebel. He violently strikes him down and buries his body in a heap of rocks. Mind you, this is after Joab received clear instructions from David to deal gently with the boy for his sake.
2 Samuel 18:16–17 (ESV) Then Joab blew the trumpet, and the troops came back from pursuing Israel, for Joab restrained them. 17 And they took Absalom and threw him into a great pit in the forest and raised over him a very great heap of stones. And all Israel fled every one to his own home.
When news of Absalom's death comes to David, he falls to pieces as any father would over a dead child. But Joab once again seems emotionally detached from the entire experience. He reprimands David for disrespecting his men and showing more love for the one who hated him than those devoted to him.
2 Samuel 19:5–6 (ESV) Then Joab came into the house to the king and said, “You have today covered with shame the faces of all your servants, who have this day saved your life and the lives of your sons and your daughters and the lives of your wives and your concubines, 6 because you love those who hate you and hate those who love you. For you have made it clear today that commanders and servants are nothing to you, for today I know that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then you would be pleased.
So the question has to be asked: Is Joab justified in these things?
I would first suggest that Joab is the kind of friend many of us have that does things we may not like but need to happen. Did Absalom need to die? According to the law, absolutely. He not only rebelled against the Lord's anointed, but he also rebelled against his father. The law called for the death of rebellious sons by stoning. Joab buried Absalom under a pile of stones to symbolically fulfill the law.
Sometimes the best kind of friend is one who can call you out for your emotional craziness and bring you back to reality. Even David was subject to the emotional fluctuations of a parent concerning their child. Yet let us not forget that Absalom was nothing more than a self-indulgent, me-first rebel who scorned his father's grace! David is a basketcase and needs someone who can level his head and Joab is just the right medicine.
We see the justification of Joab's actions in David's response. He takes his place at the gate, assuming his royal authority and is ready to show the people the nation is coming back together.
2 Samuel 19:8 (ESV) Then the king arose and took his seat in the gate. And the people were all told, “Behold, the king is sitting in the gate.” And all the people came before the king. Now Israel had fled every man to his own home.
David, at the end of the day, is just like many of us. We can get attached to familial relationships at the expense of the relationships we should cultivate. In some cases, people are fortunate to have close blood relatives also following the Lord with them. In many more cases, this is not so. One of the hardest hurdles to faith in Christ is learning to pour yourself into the family of God over our unsaved biological family. Jesus modeled this in the Gospels, telling us, "For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” Matthew 12:50.
In the end, we need a Joab to wake us up to the important relationships that will lead us forward and strengthen us in God. Yes, Joab has his faults and can be impetuous at times but he's a welcome voice to David's craziness here.
Thankfully, in Christ, we have a friend who is willing to wake us up to the importance of faith-filled relationships. The Holy Spirit bears witness that we are children of God and brothers and sisters in Jesus. To embrace this new family is always a work in progress, and like David, we may have weak moments as we bemoan the life we leave for the family we get in Christ. Yet He is patient and kind to bring us along and develop the faith ties that truly bind.
Amen.
2 Samuel 18:16–17 (ESV) Then Joab blew the trumpet, and the troops came back from pursuing Israel, for Joab restrained them. 17 And they took Absalom and threw him into a great pit in the forest and raised over him a very great heap of stones. And all Israel fled every one to his own home.
2 Samuel 19:5–6 (ESV) Then Joab came into the house to the king and said, “You have today covered with shame the faces of all your servants, who have this day saved your life and the lives of your sons and your daughters and the lives of your wives and your concubines, 6 because you love those who hate you and hate those who love you. For you have made it clear today that commanders and servants are nothing to you, for today I know that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then you would be pleased.
I would first suggest that Joab is the kind of friend many of us have that does things we may not like but need to happen. Did Absalom need to die? According to the law, absolutely. He not only rebelled against the Lord's anointed, but he also rebelled against his father. The law called for the death of rebellious sons by stoning. Joab buried Absalom under a pile of stones to symbolically fulfill the law.
Sometimes the best kind of friend is one who can call you out for your emotional craziness and bring you back to reality. Even David was subject to the emotional fluctuations of a parent concerning their child. Yet let us not forget that Absalom was nothing more than a self-indulgent, me-first rebel who scorned his father's grace! David is a basketcase and needs someone who can level his head and Joab is just the right medicine.
We see the justification of Joab's actions in David's response. He takes his place at the gate, assuming his royal authority and is ready to show the people the nation is coming back together.
2 Samuel 19:8 (ESV) Then the king arose and took his seat in the gate. And the people were all told, “Behold, the king is sitting in the gate.” And all the people came before the king. Now Israel had fled every man to his own home.
David, at the end of the day, is just like many of us. We can get attached to familial relationships at the expense of the relationships we should cultivate. In some cases, people are fortunate to have close blood relatives also following the Lord with them. In many more cases, this is not so. One of the hardest hurdles to faith in Christ is learning to pour yourself into the family of God over our unsaved biological family. Jesus modeled this in the Gospels, telling us, "For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” Matthew 12:50.
In the end, we need a Joab to wake us up to the important relationships that will lead us forward and strengthen us in God. Yes, Joab has his faults and can be impetuous at times but he's a welcome voice to David's craziness here.
Thankfully, in Christ, we have a friend who is willing to wake us up to the importance of faith-filled relationships. The Holy Spirit bears witness that we are children of God and brothers and sisters in Jesus. To embrace this new family is always a work in progress, and like David, we may have weak moments as we bemoan the life we leave for the family we get in Christ. Yet He is patient and kind to bring us along and develop the faith ties that truly bind.
Amen.
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