Wisdom Truck 10

 

This week's story lies basically between 2 wisdom mentions...

2Sa 14:2  And Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman and said to her, “Pretend to be a mourner and put on mourning garments. Do not anoint yourself with oil, but behave like a woman who has been mourning many days for the dead. 

And...

2Sa 14:20  In order to change the course of things your servant Joab did this. But my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God to know all things that are on the earth.” 

So what's going on?  Joab is the general of Israel, the leader of David's army. And it's not a position that David especially wants him in.  You see, when Saul went down to defeat, David didn't automatically become king of all Israel- some was commanded for a time by Saul's son, Ishboseth, commanded by his general Abner.  But after a couple of years, Abner split and swore allegiance to David.  Joab didn't believe the conversion, and accused Abner of spying.  When David refused to act on what seemed to Joab to be his own interests, he took it on himself to kill Abner.  But while David rebuked Joab- even laid a curse on his family- he didn't fire him...

2Sa 3:38  And the king said to his servants, Do you not know that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel? 

2Sa 3:39  And I am weak this day, though anointed king. And these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too hard for me. Jehovah shall reward the doer of evil according to his wickedness. 

What he was saying was, the kingdom was still fresh in his hands, and Joab was a popular commander.  Removing him MIGHT mean more civil war, and he was ready to consolidate the kingdom, and let God deal with Joab as He would.  All of this raised 2 questions for me: What were the motivations of Joab AND David as, years later, with the kingdom basically strong, that led to our main story?

And that story is thus:  Part of the fallout of David having Uriah killed to cover up his affair with Bathsheba was God telling David, "the sword will never leave your house."  And God was manouvering to make this happen.  David's son Amnon had raped his half-sister- and brother Absalom's full-sister- Tamar.  In retaliation, Absalom had Amnon murdered, and then fled the justice of David.  Still, David never sought him, as he ought to have... 

2Sa 13:37  But Absalom fled and went to Talmai, the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day. 

2Sa 13:38  And Absalom fled and went to Geshur, and was there three years. 

2Sa 13:39  And King David longed to go forth to Absalom, for he was comforted about Amnon, since he was dead. 

So now, 3 years had gone by, and Joab wanted to bring closure to the story.  Hence question 1- why?  I first thought, "He's angling for a way to take power for himself."  But he could have done that more easily before.  Witness this: 

2Sa 12:26  And Joab fought against Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, and took the royal city. 

2Sa 12:27  And Joab sent messengers to David and said, I have fought against Rabbah, and have taken the city of waters. 

2Sa 12:28  And therefore gather the rest of the people together, and camp against the city and take it, lest I take the city and it be called after my name. 

So even after that first break- and even after Joab followed David's orders for Uriah's death (which gave him blackmail power), Joab was concerned for lifting David up.  No, it wasn't for power- despite David's attitude, he was supportive of David.  And he knew, to grow David, the breach between father and son had to be healed.  To that end, we see our opening verse- Joab hired a "wise woman"- we might call her instead a "good actress"- to tell David a story that would make him see how he himself was acting- much as Nathan the prophet had done in exposing David's sin to him years before.  Nathan had used the analogy of the evil neighbor stealing a little lamb from a neighbor.  In this case the woman spun a tale about having 2 sons.  Her husband had passed, and one son had killed the other.  The family wanted him dead in revenge, as was the Law, but she was about to lose everything.

David, I'm guessing remembering Nathan pointing at him and saying, "You are the man!", realized where she was leading...

2Sa 14:19  And the king said, Is the hand of Joab with you in all this? And the woman answered and said, As your soul lives, my lord the king, none shall turn to the right hand or to the left from anything which my lord the king has spoken. For your servant Joab commanded me. And he put all these words in the mouth of your handmaid. 

Joab had been trying to get the two of them back together for three years; David knew, once he realized what the story was about, knew it was Joab who had ordered it.  This is where I question David's motives.  He was strong by then. And it dawned on me- he was afraid of the blood curse that Nathan had proclaimed.

So it was he had Joab bring Absalom back to Jerusalem, but...

2Sa 14:23  And Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. 

2Sa 14:24  And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face. And Absalom returned to his own house, and did not see the king's face. 

And for 2 years, they remained like this.  David was as content as he was liklely to get, and Joab respected that.  So much so, that after several attempts by Absalom to talk to Joab about approaching the king, he finally set Joab's field on fire, so that Joab would finally come see him to complain.  Joab, loyal still, went to David, and... 

2Sa 14:33  And Joab came to the king and told him. And when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king. And the king kissed Absalom. 

All's well that ends well, right? WRONG, and that's the point of our tail.  Because Absalom would use his position in Jerusalem to start a revolt against his father, and it would end in all of Nathan's prophecies being fulfilled and Joab slaying Absalom.  How does this become a lesson for us?

Say YOU are David.  Joab is a compromise with sin, whether through fear or what have you.  You keep that compromise close to you, because, after all, it is useful.  But it becomes a gateway to a greater sin, one that tries to destroy you- in other words, it becomes Absalom.  And by this time, you are so attached to the sin, that you cannot bear to kill it...

2Sa 18:33  And the king was much moved, and went up to the room over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said this, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would God I had died for you, O Absalom, my son, my son! 

And even if you root the sin (Absalom) out, you still have that gateway compromise (Joab) with you.  And eventually it will turn on you, as Joab did at last when he schemed to put Adonijah on the throne instead of God's choice, Solomon.  David really didn't have a choice; but we do.