Marching Orders#2
And the king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” And all the people heard when the king gave the orders to all the commanders about Absalom. 2 Samuel 18:5. ESV
Joab said, I will not waste time like this with you.” And he took three javelins in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the oak. And ten young me, job’s armor-bearers, surrounded Absalom and struck him and killed him.
In the scripture above King David, was going to war with his son Absalom who had deceived the people’s hearts. The people’s hearts had turned against King David and towards his son Absalom. Absalom had taken over King David’s throne and they were now in a fight for rulership.
David had ordered those who were in charge of his army to be gentle with his son Absalom for his sake. The entire army heard what King David had requested. Joab was told that Absalom was trying to escape the battle on a donkey when his hair had gotten caught on a tree limb and he was hanging from the tree. Joab asked the men if they had struck him down and they said, “No, because of the king’s request.”
Joab had the opportunity to follow the king’s order, but he chose not to. Instead he killed the king’s son with three javelins that he thrust into Absalom’s heart. When we are put in a position of authority, we do not get to make the decisions we think are right, we have to follow the orders given. It appeared that Joab did not suffer the consequences for his behavior, but later we find that he murder’s Abner whom King David had made peace with. 2 Samuel 3 Afterward, when David heard of it, he said, “I and my kingdom are forever guiltless before the Lord for the blood of Abner the son of Ner. May it fall upon the head of Joab and upon all his father's house, and may the house of Joab never be without one who has a discharge or who is leprous or who holds a spindle or who falls by the sword or who lacks bread!” 2 Samuel 3:28-29, ESV
Just as King David said, when his son Solomon became king he ordered Joab to be killed because Joab went against him. When Joab knew he was going be assassinated, he ran to the house of the Lord and would not come out. The king replied to him, “Do as he has said, strike him down and bury him, and thus take away from me and from my father's house the guilt for the blood that Joab shed without cause. The Lord will bring back his bloody deeds on his own head, because, without the knowledge of my father David, he attacked and killed with the sword two men more righteous and better than himself, Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah. So shall their blood come back on the head of Joab and on the head of his descendants forever.
Disobedience and taking matters into your own hands can have a devastating impact on not only you, but on your generation to come. Scripture says, I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live. Choose wisely because your choices impact the lives of your offspring.
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
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