2 Samuel 10:6-14: a reflection

6When the children of Ammon saw that they had become odious to David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth Rehob and the Syrians of Zobah, twenty thousand footmen, and the king of Maacah with one thousand men, and the men of Tob twelve thousand men. 7When David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army of the mighty men. 8The children of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array at the entrance of the gate. The Syrians of Zobah and of Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the field. 9Now when Joab saw that the battle was set against him before and behind, he chose of all the choice men of Israel and put them in array against the Syrians. 10The rest of the people he committed into the hand of Abishai his brother; and he put them in array against the children of Ammon. 11He said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the children of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. 12Be courageous, and let’s be strong for our people and for the cities of our God; and may the LORD do what seems good to him.” 13So Joab and the people who were with him came near to the battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him. 14When the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians had fled, they likewise fled before Abishai, and entered into the city. Then Joab returned from the children of Ammon and came to Jerusalem.

As Joab faces a battle with enemies arrayed both before and behind him, he sets his men in order, encourages his brother, and speaks words that hold together resolute effort and trust in God. Be courageous, he says, and let's be strong for our people and for the cities of our God; and may the LORD do what seems good to him. He does not fold his hands and wait passively, nor does he presume the outcome is his to command; he does his part with courage and leaves the outcome to God. Be strong, do your part, act with courage, he says, and may the LORD do what seems good. His was a wise combination: resolute effort joined to trustful submission, doing all he could while entrusting the result to God's will. He neither sat back and did nothing nor grasped at the outcome as his to control.

Notice how Joab held together effort and trust: be strong and courageous, and may the LORD do what seems good. He did not treat the battle as though its outcome depended wholly on him, to be seized by his own strength; nor did he treat his own effort as needless, sitting back to let God act without him. He did his part with courage, setting his men in order and resolving to be strong, and then entrusted the outcome to God's will: may the LORD do what seems good to him. This is a wise balance: doing all we can with courage, while leaving the result in God's hands. We are neither to be passive, doing nothing and waiting, nor presumptuous, grasping at outcomes as though they were ours to command. We do our part; God does his. Resolute effort and trustful submission belong together.

That is worth taking to heart, for we are called to do our part with courage while leaving the outcome to God. We can err in two directions: sitting back passively, doing nothing and waiting for God to act; or grasping at outcomes as though they depended wholly on us, as though we could command the result by our own effort. But Joab did his part with courage and left the outcome to God: be strong, and may the LORD do what seems good. There is wisdom in this balance, resolute effort joined to trustful submission. Do not sit back passively, nor grasp at the outcome as yours to command; do your part with courage, and leave the result to God, as Joab did. Do your part with courage while leaving the outcome to God's will, neither sitting back passively nor grasping at the result as yours to command, as Joab said, let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God, and may the LORD do what seems good to him; for we are called to resolute effort joined to trustful submission, doing all we can with courage while entrusting the outcome to the God who does what is good.

Lord, as Joab faces a battle with enemies arrayed both before and behind him, he sets his men in order, encourages his brother, and speaks words that hold together resolute effort and trust in you. Be courageous, he says, and let's be strong for our people and for the cities of our God; and may the LORD do what seems good to him. He does not fold his hands and wait passively, nor does he presume the outcome is his to command; he does his part with courage and leaves the outcome to you. Be strong, do your part, act with courage, he says, and may the LORD do what seems good. His was a wise combination: resolute effort joined to trustful submission. Show me how Joab held together effort and trust: be strong and courageous, and may the LORD do what seems good. He did not treat the battle as though its outcome depended wholly on him; nor did he treat his own effort as needless, sitting back to let you act without him. He did his part with courage, and then entrusted the outcome to your will. This is a wise balance: doing all we can with courage, while leaving the result in your hands. We are neither to be passive nor presumptuous. Take that to my heart, for I am called to do my part with courage while leaving the outcome to you. I can err in two directions: sitting back passively, doing nothing and waiting for you to act; or grasping at outcomes as though they depended wholly on me. But Joab did his part with courage and left the outcome to you. Keep me from sitting back passively, and from grasping at the outcome as mine to command; help me do my part with courage, Lord, and leave the result to you, as Joab said, may the LORD do what seems good to him.