Yesterday we looked at two of the big names: today someone who doesn't get mentioned much. Lucy Mills drew him to my attention, commenting on a slightly earlier episode in which Joab featured.
Who was he? He was David's general, a grizzled military hard nut and trusted enforcer. He got given the dirty jobs by David, and generally performed them to the King's complete satisfaction. But he had a mind of his own, and as time went by, and the King began to make some wayward decisions, Joab occasionally took affairs into his own hands.
Day 125: David restored to the throne
David has just survived a palace coup by his eldest son Absalom. He was forced to fight against him, and David ordered his forces to spare the young man's life. Joab thought this was crazy - now was the time to be ruthless, and if David didn't show some backbone he could forget about getting his kingdom back. So Joab kills vain pretentious Absalom, and then tells David to pull himself together and stop crying like a baby. If he hadn't done this, then David would have lost the respect of his army.
Or so says Joab. But David often did emotional things. Once, he said in the presence of his friends and fellow soldiers that he was thirsty. They broke through the enemy lines, found a well, and brought David back a drink. When he heard where they had got the water from, he poured it onto the ground, saying he would never drink something so dearly bought. You can read it here: 2 Samuel 23:15-17.
So who's right? Calculating Joab, or emotional David? I think the verdict of the Bible writers is that sometimes it's better to do the wrong thing gloriously, passionately, than to be grimly correct.
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