THE VOICE OF REASON

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel Beth Maacah and through the entire region of the Berites, who gathered together and followed him. All the troops with Joab came and besieged Sheba in Abel Beth Maacah. They built a siege ramp up to the city, and it stood against the outer fortifications. While they were battering the wall to bring it down, a wise woman called from the city, "Listen! Listen! Tell Joab to come here so I can speak to him." He went toward her, and she asked, "Are you Joab?"

"I am," he answered.

She said, "Listen to what your servant has to say."

"I'm listening," he said.

She continued, "Long ago they used to say, 'Get your answer at Abel,' and that settled it. We are the peaceful and faithful in Israel. You are trying to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why do you want to swallow up the Lord's inheritance?"

"Far be it from me!" Joab replied, "Far be it from me to swallow up or destroy! That is not the case. A man named Sheba son of Bicri, from the hill country of Ephraim, has lifted up his hand against the king, against David. Hand over this one man, and I'll withdraw from the city."

The woman said to Joab, "His head will be thrown to you from the wall."

Then the woman went to all the people with her wise advice, and they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bicri and threw it to Joab. So he sounded the trumpet, and his men dispersed from the city, each returning to his home. And Joab went back to the king in Jerusalem.

Joab was over Israel's entire army; Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites; Adoniram was in charge of forced labor; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder; Sheva was secretary; Zadok and Abiathar were priests; and Ira the Jairite was David's priest.

2 Samuel 20:14-26

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Have you ever been in a situation where you were about to make a really bad decision only to be saved by someone who became a voice of reason and prevented you from really messing up?

I know I have…and in fact, it happens all the time. More on that later.

In today’s scripture passage, we see Chapter 20 of 2nd Samuel end with Joab in pursuit of Sheba. You’ll recall that David had sent all of Joab’s men out after Sheba with Abishai in charge after Amasa, his appointed commander, was late returning as ordered. And as they pursued Sheba, Joab proceeded to kill Amasa who joined up with the army after they had departed. Joab’s actions, technically left Abishai as the commander if the Israelites would have followed David’s guidance but instead it was Joab who ended up back in charge of the army after the men chose to follow him. Of course, David was unaware of any of this.

Well, Sheba, needing a place to escape from the approaching Israelite army, “passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel Beth Maacah and through the entire region of the Berites”, finally gaining some men for his side when the Berites “gathered together and followed him”. Once Sheba was inside the fortress walls of Abel Beth Maacah, “all the troops with Joab came and besieged Sheba” in the city. Seeking to gain access, Joab had his men build a “siege ramp up to the city”, standing it “against the outer fortifications” and “battering the wall to bring it down”.

Now you’ll remember that Joab had shown his ruthless nature before this. His reputation definitely proceeded him.

And so as he had his men batter their way into the city, Joab had no real concern for the city or its people within…even if they were fellow Israelites and the city was part of God’s promised land. He would do whatever it would take to capture and kill Sheba…unless of course, he received a voice of reason.

Scripture tells us that this came in the way of a “wise woman called from the city” who called down to Joab’s men as they battered away saying, “Listen! Listen! Tell Joab to come here so I can speak to him." And as Joab turned toward the woman, she asked him to “Listen to what your servant has to say” and he agreed to hear her out.

So with communications lines opened, the woman went on to question Joab, almost querying him to see if he had really though about what he was doing saying:

"Long ago they used to say, 'Get your answer at Abel,' and that settled it. We are the peaceful and faithful in Israel. You are trying to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why do you want to swallow up the Lord's inheritance?"

In other words, the wise woman was essentially asking Joab, “Have you lost your mind? Why in the world would you want to destroy a peaceful people and destroy a blessed city in Israel, thus swallowing up people and property that belonged to God?”

The voice of reason had spoken…and as we see, it got immediate results.

For Joab quickly responds to the woman’s assertions basically letting her know that he was not as interested in swallowing up and destroying the city as he was in capturing Sheba who had “lifted up his hand against the king, against David”.

And so Joab asked for just one thing from the woman…that she hand over Sheba…and if she did this, he would “withdraw from the city” to which the woman replied, “His head will be thrown to you from the wall." We next read where she made good on her promise for after she “went to all the people with her wise advice”, they “cut off the head of Sheba” and “threw it to Joab”.

And with that, Joab “sounded the trumpet” and “his men dispersed from the city, each returning to his home” while “Joab went back to the king in Jerusalem”. Needless loss of life and destruction had been averted…all because of a voice of reason.

Now…back to my opening remarks. For I am consistently receiving the voice of reason and, in turn, I am consistently kept out of trouble. The only difference between the voice of reason I receive from the one Joab did is that mine comes from the Master to His servant…where Joab received his reasoning from a woman who acknowledged she was his servant.

Indeed, the Lord is always speaking to us through the Holy Spirit, which consistently brings reason and wisdom to our lives. And if we follow that reasoning, then and only then can be assured we’ll stay out of trouble and avoid making major mistakes…just as Joab was diverted from needlessly destroying a city and its people to capture just one man.

David’s son, Solomon, would write important words to validate this truth as he said, “For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (Proverbs 2:6) And given this, we would be well served to stop relying on our own reason, instead allowing the Lord’s wisdom, knowledge and understanding to be ours.

And what is the pay off?

How about happiness as one knows they are walking obediently in the ways of the Lord? For don’t we all wish to be consistently happy?

We can if we listen to the Lord’s voice of wisdom…for Solomon also wrote “Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding…” (Proverbs 3:13)

I don’t know about you but I like being blessed by the Lord. I can’t get enough of it. And so I am always going to strive to listen to his voice of reason…for I know it will always lead me in the right way…to the way He wants me to live and to do the things He wants me to do.

Won’t you join me if you aren’t doing so already? Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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