Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
1 Kings has very few references to 'desert', and they are fairly disconnected from one another. But the first reference is in chapter 2, verse 34 -
So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and struck down Joab and killed him, and he was buried on his own land in the desert.
What had brought this mighty warrior to the point where he was simply struck down and killed?
To understand that, we need to look at his history.
2 Chronicles 2:16 tells us that David had two sisters -- Zeruiah, who had three sons, Abishai, Joab and Asahel; and Abigail, who had one son named Amasa.
But the first reference we have to Joab is when David crept into Saul's camp with Abishai, who is identified in 1 Samuel 26:6 as Joab's brother, with the author confident that anyone reading later would know who Joab was. In the 2 Samuel 23 list of David's 'Mighty Men', both Abishai and Asahel are mentioned, with both of them identified as 'Joab's brother', but Joab himself is not mentioned in any of the lists. Which I found rather interesting. I had just kind of taken it for granted that Joab was one of the standout supporters of David's refugee years but...not so much. Unless he was already counted as the leader of them all and therefore not included in the lists. But other leaders, not included, were named so...I dunno. Draw your own conclusions.
Joab himself enters the story in 2 Samuel 2:13. It was a time of civil war in Israel; David had been crowned king of Judah in Hebron, but Saul's military commander, Abner, had had Saul's son Ish-bosheth anointed king over Israel. On this occasion, Abner and the army of Israel met up with 'Joab son of Zeruiah and David's men' at the pool of Gibeon, Abner proposed a solution to the standoff -- twelve men from each side would battle in hand-to-hand combat and the winner would, well, be the winner, Joab, who seems to be in the position of authority at that time, agreed. But the 24 men each slew their opponent on the first stroke...a truly remarkable thing...so there was no resolution there and the battle raged. David's men defeated them and Abner was pursued by Asahel, the youngest of the sons of Zeruiah. Abner tried to dissuade Asahel from chasing him, but Asahel, who was a very fast runner, didn't swerve. Finally, Abner jabbed at him with the butt of his spear. Now, I do not for one minute think Abner meant to seriously harm Asahel. If you want to hurt someone, you use the pointy end of the weapon, not the blunt end. But Asahel apparently had a ridiculous amount of momentum going and he ended up impaled on the butt end of Abner's spear and died. A death in battle...not a murder. Over the course of the next couple of years, Ish-Bosheth offended Abner so badly that Abner declared his intention to bring all of Israel over to David...and he defected to David. At David's request, he brought Saul's daughter Michal back to him. David welcomed him and then sent him in peace to drum up the support of the rest of the nation.
Joab, however, wasn't having it. He was sure that Abner was up to no good and would betray them all. He left David angry, and, without David's knowledge or blessing, summoned Abner to himself. When Abner arrived, Joab took him aside as if to share some confidence, but instead stabbed him and he died, purportedly to avenge the death of his younger brother.
David was beyond furious. He actually spoke a curse over Joab and his descendants:
"I and my kingdom are forever innocent before the LORD concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner. May his blood fall upon the head of Joab and upon all his father's house! May Joab's house never be without someone who has a running sore or leprosy or who leans on a crutch or who falls by the sword or who lacks food." (2 Sam 3:28-29). The rest of the chapter is David's lament for Abner, whom he called 'a prince and a great man'. It's also significant that Joab, right from the beginning of David's kingship, demonstrated his ability for subterfuge, violence and betrayal.
Yet, 2 Sam 8:16 indicates that Joab was officially the head of the army. Joab had some good qualities. He was a great military strategist (see 2 Sam 10:9 - 12; also 2 Sam 20:20 - 22); he summoned David to come and lead the final attack of a long battle so that David would get the credit for the victory. He worked to facilitate a reconciliation between David and his son Absalom ( 14: 1-21, 32-33). He tried hard to dissuade David from foolishly counting the fighting men (24:3)...and, after Absalom's death, reproved David for mourning him so publicly and damaging the morale of his army (19: 5 - 8). But those 'good' qualities were overshadowed by his violence. He abetted David in the murder of Bathsheba's husband Uriah, which also caused the death of a number of other Israeli soldiers; he himself was the one who killed Absalom in cold blood as he hung, entrapped and defenseless, from a tree. After Absalom's uprising, David sent word to Amasa, his sister Abigail's son, who had led Absalom's army, that he wanted him to come and be the head of his army. Joab got wind of that and rather gruesomely and very coldly murdered Amasa...his cousin...leaving him 'wallowing in his blood in the road' in full view of the army as they went after Sheba, son of Bicri. (20:9-13)
Throughout the book of 2 Samuel, it could be argued that Joab's actions were those of a man who honestly wanted what was best for the kingdom...and believed that he knew better than the king what that would be. It's possible that he honestly believed he was removing a threat by killing Abner, and then Amasa, as they had each led the armies opposing the king. But in 1 Kings, we see something different. In chapter 1, David is old, likely suffering from hypothyroidism, nearing the end of his days. His next son after Absalom, Adonijah, decided he would be king at once. He sought out and actually won the support of two individuals who had stood by David in Absalom's rebellion: Abiathar the priest, which is its own mystery, and...Joab. Joab, who had so violently protected David and the kingdom in years past...now put his support behind Adonijah's coup attempt. Why would he do that? David did not have much longer to reign; if he died, Adonijah was the next in line. Why didn't Joab simply counsel Adonijah to bide his time? It appears that Joab must've known of David's plan to make Solomon king. And, for whatever reason, he didn't like his chances to stay in power under Solomon. If he cut a deal with Adonijah and saw to it that Adonijah succeeded where Absalom failed, then he could still maintain his position. Joab didn't seek to be king himself; but as general of all the king's armies he pretty much did as he pleased and there wasn't much David could do about it when he murdered anyone David called upon to take his place. It was a place he meant to keep under the next king.
Of course, they were a bit short and a bit late; Nathan and Bathsheba laid the situation out before David, who moved immediately to abdicate his throne in favor of his son Solomon. Solomon was anointed by Zadok and proclaimed king in Jerusalem, which completely unraveled Adonijah's plans. Before David died, he charged Solomon with a number of tasks...one of which was, 'Deal with [Joab] according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace.' (see 1 Kings 2:5 - 6).
After David's death, Solomon took no immediate action against Joab, or his half brother Adonijah . In fact, he had promised Adonijah, 'If he shows himself to be a worthy man, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground; but if evil is found in him he will die." (1 Kings 1:52).
But, when Solomon was firmly established as king, Adonijah made a request through Bathsheba. To our modern morality, it sounds perfectly innocent...He wanted to marry one of David's concubines, who had served him at the end of his life without being sexually intimate with him. A virgin girl. That doesn't sound so awful, does it? Ah, but this is now and that was then. And then...well, it was a sign of conquering a king, to sleep with his wives/ concubines (Absalom had so violated the 10 concubines David had left behind to tend the palace when he fled the city ...see 2 Sam 16:21 - 22). There was more to this request than appeared on the surface. Bathseba either didn't catch on, or she knew what the result would be, so she passed the request on to Solomon. Solomon at once saw it for what it was...another coup attempt...and his wrath didn't fall only on Adonijah, but on those who conspired with him, Abiathar and Joab. Benaiah, captain of the bodyguard, was dispatched to kill Adonijah and Joab but Abiathar, as he was a priest who had carried the Ark, was stripped from his position and banished to his land. Adonijah was dispatched without ceremony, but Joab ran to the tabernacle and grabbed the horns of the altar; traditionally a place of sanctuary. Benaiah ordered him to come out in the king's name, but Joab refused saying, 'No, I will die here.' (1 Kings 2:30). Benaiah reported back to Solomon, asking what he should do. Solomon replied, 'Do as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so clear me and my father's house of the guilt of the innocent blood he shed...may the guilt of their blood rest on the head of Joab and his descendants forever.' (2:31, 33).
So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and struck down Joab and killed him, and he was buried on his own land in the desert.
Brings to mind Matthew's record of Jesus' chastisement of Peter, when he had cut off Malchus' ear, "...all who draw the sword will die by the sword." (Matt 26:52). Joab was a violent man, who died a violent death. Was his insistence on dying by the altar a last ditch effort to try and absolve himself of the blood guilt he had carried for years? Or, ever the manipulator, maybe it was an attempt to put blood guilt on Benaiah, for killing an unarmed man clinging to God's altar? Joab's motives in his death were no less puzzling than his motives for actions he took in his life. Were you to talk to him, I am convinced he would maintain he did what he did for the good of the nation.
It's easy to shake our heads in judgment of that kind of self deception...but I have to ask myself, what am I deceiving myself about? What reprehensible actions do I defend from a self-interested position?
Joab certainly doesn't have the corner on the rationalization market...
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