Resolved Like Joab
Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may Yahweh do what seems good to him. (2 Samuel 10:12)
These are the words of Joab, the leader of Israel’s army, as he and David’s mighty men were engaged in a fierce battle against the Ammonites and Syrians. Israel’s best soldiers were pinched by the two enemies, one in front and one behind. Joab’s strategy was simple: he’d divide the army and lead one half to fight the Syrians, and his brother, Abishai, would lead the other half to fight the Ammonites, and if either of the brothers needed help, they’d let the other brother know.
I’m no military expert, but that strategy sounds about as sophisticated as two buddies in a bar fight. And regardless, Joab emboldens his army for battle in verse 12. He exhorts them to have courage and to leave the results to Yahweh. That’s what he means when he says “and may Yahweh do what seems good to him.”
This is a statement of surrender. Joab could have said, “Let Yahweh’s kingdom come and his will be done!” (see Matthew 6:10). Or he could have said, as the psalmist tells us, “Whatever Yahweh pleases, let him do that!“ (see Psalm 135:6).
This is indeed surrender, but why did Joab stop there? To be sure, he wanted victory, right? He wanted to defeat his enemies. So why didn’t he tack on a petitionary prayer? Something like: “may Yahweh do that seems good to him, and Yahweh, would you please make that the defeat of these enemies?”
Without that kind of petition, does it mean that Joab’s surrender is just rolling the dice? Is he simply que sera, sera?
The answer is no.
Joab’s surrender to Yahweh’s will is fueled by a confidence that God is pleased to give Israel victory, according to the surrounding narrative of 2 Samuel 10.
Remember back in Chapter 7 that God made a covenant with David, in perhaps the highest peak of redemptive history in the Old Testament. God said David would have a son who would reign as king forever: “Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16). The rest of the Old Testament thinks back to this promise, and it’s basically how the New Testament begins and ends:
“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” (Matthew 1:1)
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” (Revelation 22:16)
God made an eternity-shaping promise to David, and if its effects are felt throughout the rest of Scripture, what about just a few chapters later?
We see in the chapter immediately after, in Chapter 8, David experiences a series of military victories. God is blessing him: “And Yahweh gave victory to David wherever he went” (2 Samual 8:14).
David, then, in response to God’s blessing, blesses others (i.e., Mephibosheth in Chapter 9). Then by Chapter 10, when David’s enemies became unjustly aggressive and had the advantage over Israel, what should we expect?
Judging by the narrative, we should expect what Joab expected. Victory. Somehow, in some way, God would make good on his promise to David. For God to establish David’s throne forever certainly means that God would not let Israel be annihilated by their enemies. God would give victory, as we’ve already seen.
Joab’s resolve then, his confidence, was rooted in the word of God. Joab, presumably, is aware of God’s blessing on David just as we are as readers, and his faith is an example to us.
In whatever ‘pinch’ we might find ourselves, however badly the odds are stacked against us, when we’re not even sure how to pray, we can say with Joab: “let Yahweh do what seems good to him!” And we can say that with confidence that what seems good to Yahweh is to fulfill his promises, to never let us be condemned, to never let us be separated from his love, to always work all things together for our everlasting good in Christ. Amen.
