Who Joab Was
Joab was David's military commander, and he was good at it.
He was also a man who operated by his own judgment. When David's son Absalom led a rebellion and was defeated, David had ordered his men to spare Absalom's life. Joab killed him anyway (2 Sam 15:8).
Later, when David was paralysed by grief over Absalom's death, it was Joab who spoke plainly to him, telling David to pull himself together before he lost the loyalty of his people (2 Sam 19:5-7).
David listened. Then David demoted Joab, appointing Amasa as commander in his place.
Amasa had fought on Absalom's side.
Joab’s Defiance
For Joab, who had served through everything, this would have been a hard thing to swallow. When Amasa shows up, Joab greets him like a brother.
"Are you in health, my brother?" And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him, but Amasa did not notice the sword that was in Joab's hand - he struck him with it in the stomach, and his entrails poured out on the ground. (2 Sam 20:9-10)
Amasa had been delayed, though we aren’t told why. Perhaps Joab responded this way because he assumed that Amasa had turned against David. Or perhaps he simply saw it as an opportunity for his own career. Either way, they were not at war against Amasa. Joab’s intent does not justify his disobedience to David and to God.
The chapter ends with Joab restored as commander over all Israel's army (2 Sam 20:23). He outlasted Amasa, by his own manoeuvring, and got the position back.
The Smokescreen
This was not the first time Joab had killed this way. He had done the same to Abner. David had been furious. Yet, here in chapter 20, Joab did it again. That sustained defiance ran underneath everything else Joab did.
His capability was a smokescreen for his disobedience, a pattern we saw earlier in Absalom’s life. Joab remained useful enough that the defiance seemed to be excusable. Not only did Joab climb the ranks next to a king anointed by the Lord God, he also supported David in receiving his God-given kingdom. At difficult times, he even declared his trust in the Lord (2 Sam 10:11-12).
However, God had said something about this kind of partial obedience not too long before. Samuel warned a stubborn Saul: "to obey is better than sacrifice" (1 Sam 15:22).
Joab never stopped sacrificing. He just never fully obeyed.
What this means for us
It is possible to show up, serve capably, and be faithful in some areas - … while holding back on obedience elsewhere. As we are present and useful in other ways, it is easy to leave that area unexamined.
Nevertheless, the consequences will come.
Years later, on his deathbed, David charged Solomon to deal with Joab for the blood he had shed in peacetime – for Abner and Amasa’s deaths (1 Kgs 2:5-6).
This chapter may leave us with Joab back in the spotlight, but it doesn’t end here. God sees, and eventually, the consequences come.
Prayer
Lord, show me where I am following You on my own terms. Give me the honesty to face this weakness, and help me to willingly surrender this to You.
Reflection questions
Is there an area of your life that you are holding back from fully obeying God?
Joab could identify sin in David while his own pattern ran uninterrupted. Where might you be doing the same?
What would it look like to bring that area to God honestly today, without conditions?
