TUESDAY 9 February, 2016
A Message of Appeasement
Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war, and charged the messenger, saying, “When you have finished telling the matters of the war to the king, if it happens that the king’s wrath rises, and he says to you: ‘Why did you approach so near to the city when you fought? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? Who struck Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Was it not a woman who cast a piece of a millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you go near the wall?’—then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.’” - 2 Samuel 11:18-21
Joab sent word about the battle front to David. He prepared his messenger beforehand on what to tell the king. David might be angry concerning his strategy against the city; as Joab had allowed the death of some of his men. As an expert of war, David knew that you never send men too close to the city walls. Anyone there would become an easy target for the enemy.
For instance, a woman had thrown a millstone from the wall of a city and the stone crush Abimelech’s skull (Judges 9:53). If David questioned Joab’s actions, to appease the king the messenger was instructed to let David know that Uriah was among the casualties. Joab had fully aligned himself with David’s evil plans. How about each of us, do we join with others in their sin?
First Corinthians 5:5 tells us: deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. If we continue to fellowship with them we would keep them from true repentance.
Sin is the wound, repentance is the medicine.
~John Chrysostom~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit Somebodylovesyouradio.org!