Joab’s Plan

Today’s Daily Bible Reading is from 2 Samuel 14:1-17. Joab, who was the son of Zeruiah, realized that the king was concerned about his son, Absalom. So Joab devised a plan to try to get the king to forgive Absalom.

Joab sent to Tekoah to get a wise woman. He asked her to pretend to be a mourner. He told her to put on her mourning clothes, but not to anoint herself with oil. He wanted her appear to be a woman who had been mourning for a long time.

Joab sent the woman to speak to the king. Joab told her exactly what to say as if he was putting words in her mouth.

When the woman of Tekoah went to speak to the king, she fell on her face to the ground in honor of the king, and begged for his help.

The king asked her, what was wrong with her. She told him that her husband died and now she was a widow. She said she had two sons, who got in a fight with each other in the field. There was no one there to separate them, so one of them struck the other, and killed him.

She said her whole family had turned against her. They were asking her to deliver her son who killed his brother, so they could kill him, because he killed his brother. They wanted to destroy the only heir her husband had left leaving no one to carry on the family name.

The king told the woman to go to her house, and he would take care of the matter.

The woman of Tekoah said to the king, “My lord, O king, the iniquity be on me, and on my father’s house: and the king and his throne be guiltless.”

The king told her, whoever says this to you, bring him to me, and he will not bother you any more.

She told the king, “I pray thee, let the king remember the LORD thy God, that you wouldn’t suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more, lest they destroy my son.” The king replied, “As the LORD lives, there will not one hair of your son fall to the earth.”

The woman said, Let your handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word to my lord the king. He told her to go ahead.

The woman asked the king if he had thought such a thing against the people of God. She told him that he spake like one who was guilty, in that the king had not brought home his son who was banished.

We must die because we are like water spilled on the ground, which can’t be gathered up again. God does not respect any person: yet he devises ways so his banished aren’t expelled from him.

She told the king that she came to talk to him about this matter because she was afraid of the people. She said that she thought if she spoke to the king; it may be that he would perform the request of his handmaid.

The king will hear and deliver his handmaid from the hand of the man who wants to destroy me and my son both from the inheritance of God.

The handmaid told the king, “The word of my lord the king will now be comfortable.” You are like an angel of God to be able to discern good from evil. May the LORD your God be with you.

Instead of Joab going to King David and talking to him about the situation, he sent an intercessor. We have an intercessor between us and God. It is Jesus Christ who intercedes for us with the heavenly father.

Daily Bible Reading:

2 Samuel 14:1-17

1 Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was toward Absalom.
2 And Joab sent to Tekoah, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on now mourning apparel, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead:
3 And come to the king, and speak on this manner unto him. So Joab put the words in her mouth.
4 And when the woman of Tekoah spake to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, and did obeisance, and said, Help, O king.
5 And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, I am indeed a widow woman, and mine husband is dead.
6 And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other, and slew him.
7 And, behold, the whole family is risen against thine handmaid, and they said, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him, for the life of his brother whom he slew; and we will destroy the heir also: and so they shall quench my coal which is left, and shall not leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the earth.
8 And the king said unto the woman, Go to thine house, and I will give charge concerning thee.
9 And the woman of Tekoah said unto the king, My lord, O king, the iniquity be on me, and on my father’s house: and the king and his throne be guiltless.
10 And the king said, Whosoever saith ought unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more.
11 Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember the LORD thy God, that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, As the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth.
12 Then the woman said, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on.
13 And the woman said, Wherefore then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God? for the king doth speak this thing as one which is faulty, in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished.
14 For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him.
15 Now therefore that I am come to speak of this thing unto my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid: and thy handmaid said, I will now speak unto the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his handmaid.
16 For the king will hear, to deliver his handmaid out of the hand of the man that would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God.
17 Then thine handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable: for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad: therefore the LORD thy God will be with thee.

Things to think about:

What was Joab’s concern for the king?
What was Joab’s plan?
Who did Joab get to help him carry out his plan?

Prayer of the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father,

As we read this Scripture we see that Joab was concerned for King David. He could tell that David was worried about his son, Absalom and missing him. Joab had an intercessor to plead the cause for him. Thank You for Your son, Jesus, who intercedes on our behalf. Thank You for the inheritance that we have in heaven. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

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Deborah H. Bateman

Deborah H. Bateman encourages other believers in their walk with Jesus Christ through Bible study. She is a Christian Author, Blogger, Website Designer, and Book Publishing Coach. She is the Founder of Christian Daily Resources a Christian online ministry dedicated to "Sharing God's Word". Deborah is the author of more than thirty books in the Daily Bible Reading Series and one book about self-publishing called: Self-Publishing Simplified: How to Publish a Book on Kindle. Deborah shares Daily Bible Reading lessons here on her blog at http://DeborahHBateman.com/blog Her website: Christian Daily Resources is at http://ChristianDailyResources.com She shares a Daily Bible Verse on her blog Bible Verse Tweet at http://www.bibleversetweet.com/. Deborah has a family favorite recipe blog called Recipe for Life at http://deborah-bateman.blogspot.com. She invites you to check them out and subscribe to the ones you like.