About
Joab was David’s nephew, the brother of Abishai and Asahel, and general of David’s army.
Backstory
Under Joab’s command, David’s army won many strategic victories. While he was a loyal soldier, he also worked against David’s interests in favor of his own.
The first sign of trouble was his rivalry with Abner, the leader of King Saul’s army. After King Saul died, Abner continued working for his successors for seven years. When he later defected, Joab could not accept that David would let him join them so easily. After all, Abner was the man who had killed his brother Asahel in hand to hand combat, albeit in self defense.
Abner proved his loyalty to David and gained his blessing (2 Samuel 3:12-21). But Joab sent a group of messengers after Abner to bring him back to Hebron. When he arrived, Joab was waiting to kill him in cold blood and avenge the death of his brother.
Joab neglected to consider the strategic implications of Abner’s defection. The former leader of Saul’s army promised David he would bring the rest of Israel under the new king’s leadership (2 Samuel 3:12-13). But Joab’s personal agenda got in the way of a higher purpose.
David was furious and went to great lengths to honor Abner’s memory and show that he had not been behind his death. David even made Joab lead the funeral procession. (2 Samuel 3:26-37)
In spite of his poor judgment, Joab retained his position at the head of the army and went on to win many victories. David continued to count on him in battle and leaned on him after committing adultery and getting Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife, pregnant. When David asked Joab to place Uriah in the hottest place of battle, Joab understood that he wanted to kill him discretely, and went along with the plan (2 Samuel 11:14-17).
Later, Joab attempted to mitigate the conflict between David and Absalom. Knowing that David missed his son, he copied Nathan’s tactic of using storytelling to get through to him. While David allowed Absalom to return, they did not address the root cause of the conflict (2 Samuel 14).
Now, Absalom directed his frustration toward Joab. He tried to get Joab’s attention by asking him to meet. When he did not, he responded by burning his barley fields. Joab relented and passed on the message to David, who then allowed Absalom back into Jerusalem.
Eventually, Absalom raised an insurrection and drove his father from the capital (2 Samuel 15:10-14). When David’s army, under Joab’s command, counterattacked, David gave explicit instructions not to harm Absalom (2 Samuel 18:5). All the men heard his order. Nonetheless, when Joab learned that Absalom was hanging from an oak tree by his hair, he killed him (2 Samuel 18:9-17).
David was heartbroken when he learned the news, but Joab showed no sympathy. (2 Samuel 19:1-8) He accused David of failing to appreciate the sacrifice the army had made on his behalf. The dispute renewed the rift between them.
David replaced Joab with Amasa as commander of the army (2 Samuel 19:13). When he took too long to fulfill an assignment, Joab seized the opportunity to get his old job back. David sent Abishai with an elite fighting unit fulfill the mission and Joab went with him. As soon as they caught up to Amasa, Joab embraced the young man and stabbed him with a hidden dagger. Then one of Joab’s men stood beside Amasa, saying, “Whoever favors Joab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab!” Though the soldiers were briefly paralyzed at the sight of Amasa laying in a pool of blood, once Joab covered him they carried on to fulfill the assignment. (2 Samuel 20:4-13)
When David was near death, Joab supported David’s son Adonijah rather than Solomon, to whom the throne was promised (1 Kings 1:5-7). So Solomon ordered him killed and put Benaiah in his place (1 Kings 2:5-6, 28-35).
Joab was talented and hard working. But he did not have David’s heart. He valued winning at any cost and aggressively defended his own interests over the king’s. In end, his missteps caught up to him and he forfeited his legacy.