Wednesday 29 January 2025
But the man said to Joab, “Even if I felt in my hand the weight of a thousand pieces of silver, I would not raise my hand against the king’s son; for in our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, saying: For my sake protect the young man Absalom!" (v. 12)
Background
This week the Bible readings come from 2 Samuel and centre on David, who rose from shepherd boy to king, ruling over the feuding tribes of the Israelites. David’s sons competed to succeed him and Absalom, David’s favourite son, initiated a coup against his father (2 Samuel 15:1-12).
Having forced David to flee from Jerusalem, Absalom squanders an initial tactical advantage, allowing David to muster his forces under the command of three experienced leaders, Joab, Abishai and Ittai. As the army prepares for battle, David urges the commanders to "deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom" (2 Samuel 18:5).
David’s forces defeat Absalom’s army and many of the vanquished troops die in the forest (v. 8). Among the casualties is Absalom, who is discovered by David’s soldiers and is killed by Joab. Joab is one of David’s most loyal supporters, but there is also a suggestion that his ferocity gives David pause for thought (see 2 Samuel 3:26-30, 39 and 16:9-11). One of David’s pieces of advice to his son Solomon is to see that Joab is punished for his violent deeds (1 Kings 2:5-6, 28-34).
Here Joab deliberately sets aside David’s command to ‘deal gently’ with Absalom. The comment of the soldier who found Absalom caught in a tree indicates his sharp awareness of Joab’s political cunning – had he disobeyed the king and killed Absalom, Joab would not have protected him.
In the bigger story of 2 Samuel, David’s fatal mistake is to engineer the death of another loyal soldier, Uriah, to conceal an adulterous affair he had with Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba. Joab is David’s trusted lieutenant in disposing of Uriah. God disapproves of David's behaviour and tells David that "the sword shall never depart from your house". (2 Samuel 12:10). Now Joab kills Absalom, David’s rebellious son.
To Ponder:
- Have you been faced with a dilemma over obeying orders? How did you resolve it? What did you do? And what happened as a result?
- The story of Absalom shows a fatal chain of causes and effects. How might that chain be broken?
Prayer
Help us, loving God, to break the cycle of resentment and retribution, in ourselves and in our world. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.
Bible notes author: The Revd Dr Martin Wellings
Martin Wellings is a Methodist presbyter, serving in north London.