1 Kings 2:30-35: a reflection

30Benaiah came to the LORD’s Tent, and said to him, “The king says, ‘Come out!’” He said, “No; but I will die here.” Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, “This is what Joab said, and this is how he answered me.” 31The king said to him, “Do as he has said, and fall on him, and bury him, that you may take away the blood, which Joab shed without cause, from me and from my father’s house. 32The LORD will return his blood on his own head, because he fell on two men more righteous and better than he, and killed them with the sword, and my father David didn’t know it: Abner the son of Ner, captain of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the army of Judah. 33So their blood will return on the head of Joab and on the head of his offspring forever. But for David, for his offspring, for his house, and for his throne, there will be peace forever from the LORD.” 34Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and fell on him, and killed him; and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness. 35The king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his place over the army; and the king put Zadok the priest in the place of Abiathar.

This passage records the execution of Joab, who had shed innocent blood, killing Abner and Amasa treacherously years before. For a long time Joab had escaped the consequences of those killings; but now, at last, justice catches up with him, and he is put to death for the blood he had shed without cause. The wrongs he thought long past and forgotten came back upon his own head. And the passage contrasts this with the peace promised to David's house.

Notice that Joab's long-past wrongs finally caught up with him. Years had passed since he shed that innocent blood; he may have thought it forgotten, that he had gotten away with it. But the wrongs were not forgotten, and in time justice came. This is a sober reminder that grave wrongs are not escaped forever simply because consequences are delayed; what is done in wrongdoing is not forgotten, and in time it returns upon the wrongdoer's own head, as Joab's bloodshed returned on his.

That sober truth is a warning, but it points beyond itself to grace. As a warning: we cannot escape the consequences of grave wrong forever simply because they are delayed; what we do is not forgotten by God, and justice, though delayed, is not denied. But over against Joab's end stands the peace promised to David's house, a peace not earned but given. And the gospel is that the judgment our own wrongs deserve, Christ has borne, so that we might have peace. Do not presume, because consequences are delayed, that grave wrong is escaped forever; what is done is not forgotten. But do not despair either; for the peace Joab could not have, God gives freely to those who are his, through Christ, who bore the judgment our wrongs deserved. Flee from wrong to the One who gives peace, rather than presuming, as Joab may have, that delayed consequences mean escape.

Lord, this passage records the execution of Joab, whose long-past treacherous killings finally caught up with him; the wrongs he may have thought forgotten came back upon his own head, in contrast to the peace promised to David's house. Let that sober truth be a warning, and point me beyond itself to grace. As a warning: I cannot escape the consequences of grave wrong forever simply because they are delayed; what I do is not forgotten by you, and justice, though delayed, is not denied. But over against Joab's end stands the peace promised to David's house, a peace not earned but given. And the gospel is that the judgment my own wrongs deserve, Christ has borne, so that I might have peace. Keep me from presuming, because consequences are delayed, that grave wrong is escaped forever; what is done is not forgotten. But keep me from despair too; for the peace Joab could not have, you give freely to those who are yours, through Christ, who bore the judgment our wrongs deserved. Help me flee from wrong to you, who give peace, rather than presuming that delayed consequences mean escape. Thank you for the peace you give in Christ, Lord.