Joab, Abishai’s Brother
Without going into much negative detail, perhaps it would be profitable to look a little at the life of Joab, Abishai's brother. This man served David for most of his life. He seems to have been a man of considerable intelligence and foresight. He was an effective and valuable general to David. We even find at times that he had greater wisdom than David, as in the matter of the numbering of the people (2 Sam. 24). Yet, he was motivated entirely by self-interest, as opposed to his brother who was motivated chiefly by his love for David. We find David's final appraisal of Joab in 1 Kings 2:5.
Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet.
Notice here that David does not mention the killing of Absalom, for there is no doubt that David was wrong in wanting to spare the life of such a guilty man as Absalom. Yet, a look at the circumstances surrounding the death of Absalom can teach us something of the utter disregard that Joab had for the will of David.
And Absalom met the servants of David. And Absalom rode upon a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth; and the mule that was under him went away. And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak. And Joab said unto the man that told him, And, behold, thou sawest him, and why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? and I would have given thee ten shekels of silver, and a girdle. And the man said unto Joab, Though I should receive a thousand shekels of silver in mine hand, yet would I not put forth mine hand against the king's son: for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Beware that none touch the young man Absalom. Otherwise I should have wrought falsehood against mine own life: for there is no matter hid from the king, and thou thyself wouldest have set thyself against me. Then said Joab, I may not tarry thus with thee. And he took three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak. 2 Sam. 18:9-14.
Here we see that Joab acts in utter disregard to the manifest will of David. His only thought was to rid the earth of this man, not because he intended to kill David, but because his attempt to overthrow the government, to which Joab was attached, represented another threat to Joab's position of power.
So we see the contrast between these two brothers of such similar temperament. The one was motivated by an unselfish and intense love for David, and the other was motivated by an intense love of power.
It is with sorrow that we see one blot on the character of Abishai in that he is mentioned in 2 Sam. 3:30 with his brother in connection with the death of Abner. It appears that though the primary force and actual murderer of Abner was Joab, yet because of the family relationship of Abishai and Asahel, Abishai was at least consenting to Joab's wicked deed.
What a lesson for us, that we may not be turned from obedience to our blessed Savior by some wrong, real or perceived, that may have been done to a member of our family. How often it has been so! May the Lord give to each one of us the unselfish and devoted character that was so often displayed in Abishai!
"Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?”
Acts 9:6
My son, give me thine heart,
and let thine eyes observe my ways.
Proverbs 23:26