“Joab: Loyal or Not?” ~ ✨
2 Samuel introduces us to a famous general who served beside King David of Israel – Joab. What kind of man was he? By carefully examining the introduction in 2 Samuel chapters 19-20, we can take a closer look at Joab.
Joab’s role has always been clear: he was the commander of Israel’s army, largely loyal to the nation. However, the methods he used to fulfill this role often sparked controversy.
Joab was a man who utterly followed his own fleshly instincts, and he was also the one who best understood David’s own fleshly nature. Therefore, he was the most daring in speaking frankly to David; he was also the most willing to carry out unrighteous deeds for David.
According to the biblical record, Joab’s words to David were generally persuasive. 2 Samuel 19:5-7 records one such instance. In this passage, we see Joab’s intense speech had an immediate effect on David. Verse 8 states, “Then the king arose and took his seat in the gate.”
Who was Joab? Why did David seem somewhat afraid of him?
When Saul was seeking David’s life, Joab protected him (1 Samuel 26:6). While David was building his power base (during his time in Gath and Ziklag; 1 Samuel 27:3-8), Joab supported him (Joab led the initial attack against the Jebusites, driving them out of Jerusalem, and was subsequently made commander; 1 Chronicles 11:4-6). And, when David became king over all Israel, Joab served as his commander, helping him to lead the army and quickly subduing enemies on all sides (2 Samuel 8:14-18).
Furthermore, when the Ammonites and Arameans joined forces against Israel, David sent Joab with the entire army of mighty men, and they repelled the attack (2 Samuel 10:6-14). It could be said that David regarded Joab as a trusted confidant. He even instructed Joab to arrange the death of Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband. Joab was also David’s nephew (son of David’s sister Zeruiah; 1 Chronicles 2:15-16). Both officially and privately, they were close partners for over forty years. In practical terms, how could the achievements and words of someone who had stood by you through thick and thin for so many years fail to carry significant weight?
Joab was meritorious official who stood by David’s side. So why did David instruct his successor Solomon not to let Joab’s gray head go down to Sheol in peace? In 1 Kings 2:5-6, David states the reason himself: during peacetime, Joab shed the blood of two commanders – Abner and Amasa. It is truly sorrowful to hear these words from David himself. Though he was the king, his own servant, behind his back, murdered men who were beneficial for unifying Judah and Israel and, years later, murdered the man David intended to appoint as the new army commander. David seemed powerless to prevent it.
The arrogance of Joab was not cultivated overnight. David’s failures were the result of his own actions according to the flesh. When God’s anointed one or those in authority cease to rely on God and instead act according to the flesh, when they cease to follow God’s statutes and ordinances and instead follow their own measures, their endings are often tragic.
This passage also leads me to consider another important question: “What is righteousness?” and “The execution of righteousness.” Why did David not hold Joab accountable for killing Absalom? Perhaps because Absalom died in battle, or perhaps because, although Joab acted unrighteously, Absalom had initiated the unrighteousness. As I pondered this, I considered what righteousness is – that is, what ought to be done (the “what”) – and the execution of righteousness – that is, how this ought to be done (the “how”).
Firstly, I read that God intended to bring disaster upon Absalom. However, the Bible does not specify what kind of disaster. It could easily have been a calamity resulting in death, or a calamity designed to bring him to repentance. There are many previous examples where God sent disasters to cause Israel to repent (e.g., Saul). Dealing with Absalom was the right thing to do, given his past crime of murder and his present offence of usurping the throne against God’s anointed, David. The question lies in how to deal with him.
There are many opinions on this. I base my view on a single principle: Absalom should have been dealt with according to God’s statutes and ordinances. This is what it means to administer justice impartially. For Joab to stab a helpless, trapped commander of Israel’s armies on the battlefield – effectively executing a prisoner of war – was an act of unrighteousness and legally indefensible. Joab did not give Absalom an opportunity to repent; consequently, he himself did not receive an opportunity to repent from David. We live in an age of grace. The Lord Jesus tells us: “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthews 6:14-15).
In summary, at first glance, Joab appears as a valiant man in military campaigns, achieving victory after victory. But in reality, he served the flesh, not as a faithful servant of God. Observing his methods in killing Abner, Absalom and Amasa reveals the actions of a treacherous, petty person, not what a loyal and courageous man would do. David and Joab were, in a sense, serving each other’s fleshly desires.
What we learn from this is that righteousness and unrighteousness cannot be yoked together. To address the unrighteousness in others, we must first deal with the unrighteousness in ourselves. Due to his own unrighteousness, David lost the authority to rule the unrighteous people effectively, forcing him to “turn a blind eye.” Joab, on the other hand, was a mighty warrior driven by fleshly impulse; the courage within him made him fierce in battle, fighting for the earthly kingdom of Israel. If Joab’s courage had come from the Spirit of God, his ending might have been rewritten.
From God’s perspective of election, David became a great figure in the history of Israel. Yet he repeatedly failed due to the weakness of the flesh. This is both sorrowful and a powerful reminder for us to remain vigilant, to humble ourselves, and to submit to God – for that is the way of life.
✨✨💖 ~
en yan hua fang 