“Then Joab went into the house to the king and said, “Today you have humiliated all your men, who have just saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters and the lives of your wives and concubines.
We have all heard the line “Et tu Brute?” It comes from the Julius Caesar play from Shakespeare. It is said by Caesar himself when he realized that his good friend, Brutus is involved in a plot kill him. Brutus ate and drank with Cesar and he was considered a close friend. Seeing his friend involved in the plot to kill him at that moment was worse than the knife stabs from the others.
Absalom was David’s son and the Bible says he was a good looking man without a blemish. He cut his hair once a year and after the cut, it weighed 5 pounds. Good looking with hair, now that is a winning combination. Absalom had just killed his brother for raping his sister. He then leaves Jerusalem for two years because he does not want to see his dad, David. Once the wound heals in David’s heart, he invites him back to Jerusalem.
Four years later, Absalom is found outside the city gates turning the people away from David. He does this little by little until he finally has a group of men that convince him take the crown away from David because the people love him more. This ends up with David leaving in the middle of the night running from Absalom.
Now Joab, David’s first in command, told David to fight and a civil war broke out which left many dead. Absalom against David, father against son. Joab routed Absalom and had him on the run. Absalom, riding a donkey and running away, got his hair caught up in some oak branches and was left hanging there. And all the balding men say!?
Joab found Absalom hanging in the tree and killed him. This ended the civil war and when news got back to David that Absalom was dead, he lost it and cried out “oh Absalom, oh Absalom”. David’s men had won the civil war against a renegade son and all of Israel is saved. However, David is broken over Absalom’s death.
One could argue that after what Absalom did, David could have hated him, but he still loved his son in spite of all the mess. Joab found David still broken and grieving. Joab scolds David for his seclusion and not addressing the troops. Joab knew that if David did not encourage his men they would all turn and find another king.
Verse 7 reminds us that sometimes we have to listen to the voice of truth and move on in spite of our feelings. David was clearly broken because of his son but he could not stay there, he had to get up and get moving. Love is not a feeling and on your life train, feelings should not be pulling the whole train. They are a part of what God made, yes, but Proverbs 3:6 says “in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Today, in the middle of these crazy times, submit your feelings to God and watch your path become straight. We also need to listen to the Joab’s in our lives. Those trusted people who speak wisdom, can see past the feelings, and speak the truth in love. The people that coach us to understanding that God is in control and He can use our pain for His glory. You don’t get a testimony without the test!
Prayer: Father, we can get caught up in the feelings of sorrow and misery over the death of a loved one or when something has left our lives unexpectedly. Help us to take the time to grieve our loss while our hearts heal. But also Lord, help us to pick ourselves up, move on, and listen to the voice of truth. In this story, an entire country was waiting on David to speak to them, encourage them, and to give them hope that their king was capable of leading after a tragic loss. Help us gather ourselves together and be strengthened in the Lord no matter what life throws at us. Ephesians 6:10 says to “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” Father, help us gather ourselves together under your power knowing that Satan would love nothing more than to steal our joy after tragic losses. Let the joy of the Lord be our strength today. In Jesus name, amen.
Let It Go 
Leave a comment