Pastor and 1st Lady Mims

Mims Chapel Church

LESSON 9

Sharing in Iniquity

Lesson Text:

2 Samuel 11:14-25; 12:26-30; Proverbs 16:12-15

Memory Verse
"Righteous lips are the delight of kings; and they love him that speaketh right "
Proverbs 16:13

Key Terms
Charade • An empty or deceptive act or pretense.
Coup de grace (koo' de gras') • A finishing stroke or decisive event.

Paramour • A lover, especially a lover of a person who is married to someone else.

Suggested Emphasis

King David was a desperate man. Unbridled lust had led him to adultery, which led to unwanted pregnancy, which led to rank deception. His paramour Bathsheba was a married woman, and her husband Uriah was away on the battlefield; so if she turned up "with child," her faithlessness would have been revealed, and perhaps her life jeopardized (Israel sometimes stoned adulterers). David called Uriah home from the war front, but the man refused to enjoy matrimonial comforts while his compatriots were still in harm's way. Since the man would not provide the cover that David needed for the inconvenient pregnancy, the king sent him back to the front carrying his own death warrant.

Emphasis 1: The Plot Against Uriah

The instruction in the letter to Joab was to put Uriah where the fighting was fiercest and then withdraw from him. The Israelites were besieging Rabbah (2 Samuel 11:1), the capital of the Ammonite kingdom (2 Samuel 12:26), so the enemy was already frenzied. Joab carefully assessed the city to find the best location for a failed incursion, and assigned Uriah and other soldiers to that exposed position. The outcome was predictable: the Ammonites beat back the Israelites and Uriah (along with others) died in the misadventure. It was so discreet, observers would have assumed it was simply a tactical blunder.

A report had to be sent back to Jerusalem about the state of the battle. Joab anticipated that the messenger would be fearful to bring such ostensibly bad news, so he coached the young man about what to say. If upbraided about their strategy—the recklessness of an attack that left them so vulnerable to the enemy—the messenger was supposed to specifically mention that Uriah was a casualty. That would be Joab's "wink and nod" to David; his way of saying "I was purposely careless to accomplish what you wanted." And David kept up his end of the charade: upon receipt of the news, he sent back a message to "encourage" the general. "Thus shalt thou say unto Joab," he instructed the messenger. "Let not this thing displease thee, for the sword devoureth one as well as another: make thy battle more strong against the city, and overthrow it" (2 Samuel 11:25). Oh, what compassion! What empathy!

Emphasis 2:

Joab No Longer Respected His King

The biblical record is very clear about how the king was recompensed for these actions. "The thing David had done displeased the LORD" (2 Samuel 11:27), and the prophet Nathan was dispatched to tell him that because he slew Uriah "with the sword of the children of Ammon," as judgment "the sword shall never depart from thine house" (2 Samuel 12:9-10). David's kingdom would never have a secure peace; he would fight wars for the rest of his life. Yes, the penalty for King David was obvious, but how about the judgment on Joab? It was less evident what consequences he suffered for participating in the plot against Uriah.

However, one result of trafficking with David's sin appears to have been the loss of the respect the general had for him. Consider how when Rabbah was on the verge of falling, Joab requested the king come in person to administer the coup de grace. The protocol was correct, but his language was a little salty: "Now bring the rest of the army and capture the city. Otherwise, I will capture it and get credit for the victory" (2 Samuel 12:28, NLT). From that point in their relationship, Joab often presumed to know better than David. He engineered the return of Absalom when he perceived that the king was too stubborn to do so (2 Samuel 14:1-21); he killed Absalom when he considered the king too sentimental to call for it (2 Samuel 18:5-15); and he supported Adonijah as successor to the throne although David favored Solomon (1 Kings 1:7). Joab came to believe he was wiser than his king, and created a climate for destructive conflict between the two of them.

Emphasis 3:

Strengthening the
Leader's Conscience

In David's example, it is difficult to make the case that Joab had to be a "yes-man" when Nathan was willing to confront the king, and lived to tell about it. Rather than becoming an accomplice to a leader's wickedness, the believer is encouraged to try to persuade him to do right. If a king becomes depraved, there will be repercussions for the entire nation. So we extend wise counsel to a leader, in hope that we can help steer him from folly or sin. This will require a modicum of boldness: you can't be afraid to have your motives maligned or your intent misconstrued. However, the wise leader will eventually show appreciation for thoughtful counsel and honest opinions.

Missions Application Questions:

Explain how Joab was complicit in the sin of King David.
What repercussions befell David? What repercussions befell Joab?
How can we overcome a natural fear of confronting leadership?

World Missions Prayer Points

Let us pray that our leaders are surrounded by godly counselors who challenge them when they are in error.
Let us pray for the fortitude to refuse to obey evil instructions.
Let us meditate on how the wickedness of a leader will have negative repercussions for the entire organization.