Topic: “NAY… I WILL DIE HERE”
Text: 1 Kings 2:28-35
2:28 Then news came to Joab, for Joab had defected to Adonijah, though he had not defected to Absalom. So Joab fled to the tabernacle of the Lord, and took hold of the horns of the altar.
2:29 And King Solomon was told, “Joab has fled to the tabernacle of the Lord; there he is, by the altar.” Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, strike him down.”
2:30 So Benaiah went to the tabernacle of the Lord, and said to him, “Thus says the king, ‘Come out!’ ” And he said, “No, but I will die here.” And Benaiah brought back word to the king, saying, “Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.”
2:31 Then the king said to him, “Do as he has said, and strike him down and bury him, that you may take away from me and from the house of my father the innocent blood which Joab shed.
2:32 So the Lord will return his [a]blood on his head, because he struck down two men more righteous and better than he, and killed them with the sword—Abner the son of Ner, the commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, the commander of the army of Judah—though my father David did not know it.
2:33 Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab and upon the head of his descendants forever. But upon David and his descendants, upon his house and his throne, there shall be peace forever from the Lord.”
2:34 So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and struck and killed him; and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.
2:35 The king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his place over the army, and the king put Zadok the priest in the place of Abiathar.
STUDY:
When news reached Joab that Solomon has executed Adonijah, he perceived danger for himself because of his past loyalties and actions against David’s wishes (1 Kings 2:5-6). So, he fled to the altar seeking refuge, as his last hope for survival. However, this moment demonstrates that we cannot escape the consequences of our action simply because we seek physical refuge through sacred objects. Past choices will ultimately attract results, regardless of where we seek shelter. A life that is not governed by the testimonies (the two tablets of commandment) on the altar, cannot hope to hide under the shadow of the altar for safety. 2 Samuel 3:29 records that on hearing that Joab murdered Abner, David said: “Let it (the blood of Abner) rest on the head of Joab and on all his father’s house; and let there never fail to be in the house of Joab one who has a discharge or is a leper, who leans on a staff or falls by the sword, or who lacks bread.”
David was so pained about the ruthless activities of Joab that he placed a curse on him and his generation.
The story of Joab is similar to those of us who always shout ‘Jesus’ in the day of trouble. Yes, the name of the Lord is a strong tower, but it is only the righteous that run into it to find safety (Prov. 18:10). Let us also be careful not to incur the wrath of men whom the Lord is determined to honour.
Prayer:
Lord, deliver me from the company of the wicked. Amen.
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