Series: Youth for Jesus
Number: Vol. 2, No. 37
“And today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak, and these sons of Zeruiah are too strong for me. May the LORD repay the evildoer according to his evil deeds!” (2Sam 3:39NIV)
David, as we see in the bible, was a mighty man of war and great king. He was a man that was highly respected because of his love for God and love for his people. God Himself testified that he was a man after his heart (Acts 13:22). Then the bible says of his leadership over Israel, “David took care of them with unselfish devotion and led them with skill.” (Ps 78:72GNT) So, evidently, this man was one of the greatest men and leaders of all time.
Nevertheless, there was one man in David’s administration that he really could not handle, as he would love to. And that was the commander of his army, Joab. In fact, on one occasion, as we see in our opening text, he confessed that Joab and his brother, Abishai, were too strong for him to handle, even though he was the Lord’s anointed king. And that was because Joab in particular was a man that liked to do things his own way, even if it meant disobeying, displeasing or threatening the king.
For instance, there was a time he killed Israel’s army general Abner, in his quest to avenge the death of his brother Azahel, whom Abner had killed in a battle. But he did that without David’s knowledge or permission and without any concern for how what he did would affect his master’s integrity. Also, just because he was not pleased with the appointment of his nephew, Amasa, as the army commander in his place, he assassinated that man in cold blood. In addition, he killed David’s rebellious son, Absalom, even though David had commanded him and the other army generals to spare the young man’s life. And to make matters worse, he sided with Adonijah, another son of David, in his conspiracy to make himself king after David, when the king, by the wisdom of God, had already chosen someone else, Solomon, as the one to rule after him. So, you can see that Joab was indeed a thorn in the flesh of his master. (Cf. 2Sam 3:26-27, 18:9-15 & 20:8-10; 1Kings 1)
Why, then, would David not fix this man once and for all? Why did he allow him to carry on with his nonsense throughout the days of his reign over Israel? It was because of what it might cost him and his kingdom. First, Joab was his nephew, his own blood (1Chro 2:13-17). Second, he was one of those few men that faithfully stood by him and protected him with their lives during his years as a fugitive – David could trust him with his very life (1Sam 22:1). Third, he was one of his greatest warriors and the commander of the entire army of his Israel (2Sam 20:23). Fourth, he was one that was always ready to do any dirty work the king might desire to do (2Sam 11).
Therefore, Joab was a talent that was almost indispensable to David. Many things about his life and kingdom had been built around him. Therefore, getting rid of him or punishing him in certain ways may be as bad as bringing down the kingdom itself. And he knew it. He knew that he was not someone that the king or anybody in the kingdom could take lightly or dispense with easily. So, he used this to exploit David and to do as he pleased on many occasions, knowing that the worst punishment he probably would get was a scolding. But he really did not lay to heart the fact that David would not always be king and that the next king may not see him as indispensable as David had seen him. And so, when Solomon became king, he saw to it, as his father had instructed him, that the land was rid of him and other characters like him (1Kings 2).
Now what is there to learn from all this? First, it is that, as a leader, no matter how talented or useful someone may be to you and the cause you represent, don’t build everything you do around them. Instead, make room for other talented people that can be trusted too to work with you. Otherwise, if they are not yielded to the Spirit of God, they may someday grow wings and become a thorn in your flesh. Also, don’t give them reasons or excuses to manipulate, blackmail or subvert your authority. Instead, be clean and upright in all your dealings with them, so that if they misbehave, you will be free to judge them righteously.
And the second lesson is that you too must not become a problem to your leader, however useful or indispensable you may seem to be to him. That is because there is really no one that is indispensable; only God is. So, even if for certain reasons a leader you are manipulating with your ability or usefulness will not get rid of you, someday, some other person or the system you are working in will get rid of you. And God Himself will make sure of that, for He hates a heart that devises wicked schemes (Prov 6:18). Therefore, be wise.
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