2 SAMUEL 20 - THE PURSUIT OF SELF
2 Samuel 20
Chapter 20 begins with a wonderfully colorful description of the central character, a man named Sheba.
We are told: “Now there happened to be there a worthless man, whose name was Sheba,”
The Bible does not provide any detail for how it determined the worthlessness of Sheba, instead it simply allows us to observe his actions.
Following the demise of Absalom the power vacuum has left Israel and Judah in turmoil, with no clear leadership. King David has not been restored and the local leaders are puzzling over what should come next. Israel is first to embrace David and David uses some cajoling to regain Judah’s favor, including replacing Joab (the head of his army) with Amasa of Judah.
This leads to wrangling amongst the tribes, as everyone seeks to regain favor with the king. In the midst of this confusion, Sheba steps up; but not to pursue peace or the greater good of Israel, but rather to seek his own ascendance. And in this we see what God calls a worthless man. The pursuit of a narrow selfish agenda will always be worthless in the eyes of the Lord. Whatever favor Sheba had with the men of Israel could have been used for reconciliation and healing during a chaotic time. Instead, Sheba has chosen to pour fuel on the fire as a means of self-promotion.
His end will come soon. The Bible contrasts Sheba’s actions with that of a woman who is never named, but the Bible tells us is wise. She will deliver the head of Sheba to Joab in order to save her city from destruction.
Left without commentary in the midst of all this action is Joab. Joab has been a faithful defender of David, but one who is ruthless in the pursuit of his own agenda. We will see this again as Joab will murder Amasa, the man who David has given Joab’s position as leader of his army.
It is not the first time Joab will turn to treachery and murder in order to obtain his goal. We saw Joab murder Abner as Abner was seeking peace with David, but threatened Joab’s position.
So, what are we to make of Joab. The Bible does not tell us, yet. It leaves it to our own discretion. What are we to make of a man who uses treachery in pursuit of what we would agree is a good or even Godly objective (in this case the reinstatement of David as King)? Well, the Bible will make clear in short order, he is also a worthless man. Just because his selfish pursuits align with God’s, does not make his actions right. As Paul makes clear in Romans 3:8 God does not endorse doing evil that good may come.
With the Lord our motives matter as much as our actions. Doing the right thing for the wrong reason is no better than doing the wrong thing. God cares as much about the why as he does the what and we should be examining our hearts in all we do. As Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 1:5,
“The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith”.
In all we do, let’s ask ourselves not only whether we are doing the right thing, but does it come from a loving intent.