2 Samuel 20:8-13
Verse 9 Joab said to Amasa, “How are you, my brother?” Then Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him.
Even though David wasn’t using Joab as one of his top commanders for this battle, Joab was still going out under his brother’s command. While they were in Gibeon Amasa showed up. This was not expected nor welcome. He had missed his three day deadline and was now meeting the men on the way to find Sheba. This tells us he likely bypassed Jerusalem and David.
Amasa’s sudden appearance was not lost on Joab and he wasn’t happy to find his cousin there. He wasn’t going to let on that he was upset with Amasa though and so he knew he had to do something to keep Amasa from joining them on this hunt for those involved with the revolt against the king. The text says his dagger fell out as Joab was walking forward to meet Amasa but that doesn’t fully explain the next verses.
It is likely the dagger falling out wasn’t an accident but a clever plan to pick up the dagger and be able to greet Amasa with it still in hand. Joab was a military mastermind after all. He had been with David in many different situations and had likely picked up some great tricks the king had used over the years. This would have been quite the clever move to come up with on the spur of the moment.
With a feigned excitement to see his cousin, Joab greeted Amasa with a kiss. With a customary pull of the beard to draw the man close Amasa could not see Joab’s left hand with the dagger aimed for his midsection. With the ultimate betrayal, Joab plunged the dagger deep into Amasa’s gut leaving a wound big enough for his insides to come out. Then Joab showed the truth about his feelings about his cousin as he drops him to the ground to die and continued in the pursuit of Sheba.
One of Joab’s men stayed with the body using it to ask if the people were really for David or not. But when he realized it was a distraction to the men heading off to find Sheba, he removed Amasa’s body from the road and threw a piece of clothing over him. He was treated as a worthless piece of garbage and was left beside the road. With his body hidden the army continued on its way without distraction. They had a mission and they needed to get on it.
Making It Personal
Have you ever despised someone so much you thought up ways you could hurt them physically, emotionally or socially? Did you act upon your thoughts? What would be wrong about acting on such thoughts?
Making It Personal Kids
Have you ever wanted to hurt someone because you didn’t like them? Did you do it? Why doesn’t Jesus want to you to do those kind of things?
Closing Prayer
Father, please forgive us for even thinking those hateful thoughts about others. Help us see the ways this kind of thinking hurts us, maybe even more than it hurts the other person. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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