II Samuel 16:15-20:26
So what are we to make of Joab? On the one hand, Joab supports David as king more strongly than David himself. After all, it is Joab who eliminates Absalom as a threat to David’s kingdom, and it is Joab who rebukes David’s mourning of Absalom as a devaluation of his loyal men and wisely counsels David to speak encouragingly to his men in order to retain their support. But Joab is also a murderer. Having murdered Abner at the beginning of David’s reign, he now also murders Amasa, his own cousin. In both cases, his motive is to eliminate a rival to his own position of power.
And that makes me question Joab’s motives for all his loyalty to David. Is he truly serving David? Or is he really just serving himself, knowing that David is his “ticket” to power that he could not attain (or keep) on his own? I am somewhat reluctant to make that charge, seeing as how Joab has fought valiantly on David’s behalf, putting his own life very much on the line out on the battlefield amidst the blood, sweat, and gore. He has indeed been instrumental in David’s military victories. And he himself has never attempted to rise up against David to seize the throne for himself. But I still wonder: Maybe Joab is just looking out for number one…
Of course it is easy for me to speculate about Joab’s motives, especially since he is not standing in front of me, sword in hand! More difficult — and more important — is the task of examining my own motives. How devoted to the Lord am I really? Am I seeking Him or just His blessings? How much am I looking out for myself, rather than dying to self? Who, in fact, is “number one”?
One more thing…
In case you missed it, Absalom’s activity with David’s concubines (II Samuel 16:22) is a direct fulfilment of what the LORD told David through Nathan the prophet as a consequence for David’s sin with Bathsheba: And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. (II Samuel 12:11b) And that should be a reminder to us of what David is already keenly aware: that this entire mess with Absalom is a consequence of David’s sin.