He’s my friend, but…
2 Samuel 20: Amasa didn’t notice the sword in Joab’s other hand.
Following the defeat and death of Absalom David returns to Jerusalem, victorious but weakened. Soon, there’s another uprising led by Sheba. David realizes that he has to act decisively if he’s to hold Israel together. He shakes up his inner circle, replacing commander Joab with Amasa. The new general is given three days to rally troops to go after Sheba. Time passes and Amasa, for some reason, doesn’t report in and David, feeling time is of the essence bypasses Joab again, this time naming Abishai to lead the force. Being overlooked again angers Joab and with ruthless cunning he acts to regain his position. He, and those loyal to him, joins Abishai’s expedition to root out Sheba. When this group meets Amasa and the force he’s rallied, Joab approaches Amasa as though he’s going to warmly greet him. He then plunges a sword into him, killing him instantly. Amasa is now numbered with Abner and Absalom, all murdered by Joab. Before anyone can respond, he calls for unity in the name of David. In reality, it’s all about him and his power. Joab, though faithful to David, is a ruthless person but David never deals with him. However, he tells his son Solomon that Joab has spilled much innocent blood and that because of him his legacy is stained. I can’t help but wonder why David let Joab get away with it all. He’s David’s nephew but I doubt that has anything to do with it. I think the problem is that Joab serves David’s purposes so well. He’s on David’s side even though his actions aren’t approved of by David. We Christians would do well to study the relationship between David and Joab. Is it possible that we’re too quick to overlook wrong doing by our allies? If someone who’s on “our side” is behaving in an unethical way do we tend to look the other way? Christians are called to a high standard. That should include our reigning in or even disavowing our “friends” when their behavior violates that standard.
Take Away: Ultimately, there’s no right way to do a wrong thing.