2 Samuel 14:1-5: a reflection

1Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was toward Absalom. 2Joab sent to Tekoa and brought a wise woman from there, and said to her, “Please act like a mourner, and put on mourning clothing, please, and don’t anoint yourself with oil; but be as a woman who has mourned a long time for the dead. 3Go in to the king and speak like this to him.” So Joab put the words in her mouth. 4When the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, showed respect, and said, “Help, O king!” 5The king said to her, “What ails you?” She answered, “Truly I am a widow, and my husband is dead.

When Joab wanted to move David's heart toward his estranged son Absalom, he did not approach the king directly with an argument; instead he sent a wise woman with a story, a story that would reach David's heart in a way a direct appeal might not. He had her come as a grieving widow with a tale of her two sons, one having killed the other, so that David, drawn into the story and moved to mercy for her, would be led to see his own situation with Absalom. Joab knew that a story could reach the king's heart where a direct argument might meet resistance. This reflects something true about how stories can work: a well-told story can reach and move the heart, drawing us in and helping us see truth, in a way that direct argument or confrontation often cannot. A story slips past our defenses and touches the heart. Joab used a story to reach the heart a direct approach could not. A well-told story can move the heart where argument fails. Stories reach the heart in ways direct appeal cannot. A story can carry truth past our defenses to the heart.

Notice Joab's wisdom in using a story rather than a direct appeal. He knew David's heart was toward Absalom, but that a direct request might meet resistance; so he had a wise woman tell a story that would draw David in, engage his sympathy, and lead him to a judgment that would then apply to his own situation. The story reached David's heart in a way a direct argument might not have. This reflects the real power of a well-told story: it can reach and move the heart, slip past our defenses, engage our sympathy, and help us see a truth we might resist if confronted with it directly. We often defend ourselves against direct argument or confrontation; but a story can draw us in, move us, and lead us to see truth almost before we realize it. This is why so much of Scripture, and so much of Jesus' teaching, comes in stories and parables: because a story can reach the heart. To reach a heart, sometimes a story does what argument cannot. A well-told story engages and moves the heart. Stories can carry truth to the heart past our defenses. The heart is often reached better by story than by argument.

That is worth taking to heart, for a well-told story can reach and move the heart in a way direct argument often cannot. We can try to reach or persuade others only by direct argument or confrontation, which often meets resistance; but Joab reached David's heart through a story, and much of Scripture and Jesus' own teaching comes in stories for this reason. A story can slip past defenses and touch the heart where argument fails. This is worth remembering, both in how we might reach others and in how truth reaches us. Do not rely only on direct argument to reach a heart; a well-told story can move it where argument cannot, as Joab reached David through the woman's story. Remember that a well-told story can reach and move the heart in a way direct argument often cannot, as Joab, wanting to move David's heart toward Absalom, sent a wise woman with a story that drew the king in and led him to see his own situation; for we often defend ourselves against direct argument or confrontation, but a story can slip past our defenses, engage our sympathy, and lead us to see a truth we might otherwise resist, which is why so much of Scripture and Jesus' teaching comes in stories, so that in reaching others and in receiving truth ourselves, we do well to remember that the heart is often reached better by a well-told story than by direct argument alone.

Lord, when Joab wanted to move David's heart toward his estranged son Absalom, he did not approach the king directly with an argument; instead he sent a wise woman with a story, a story that would reach David's heart in a way a direct appeal might not. He had her come as a grieving widow with a tale of her two sons, one having killed the other, so that David, drawn into the story and moved to mercy for her, would be led to see his own situation with Absalom. Joab knew that a story could reach the king's heart where a direct argument might meet resistance. Show me Joab's wisdom in using a story rather than a direct appeal. He knew a direct request might meet resistance; so he had a wise woman tell a story that would draw David in, engage his sympathy, and lead him to a judgment that would then apply to his own situation. The story reached David's heart in a way a direct argument might not have. This reflects the real power of a well-told story: it can reach and move the heart, slip past our defenses, and help us see a truth we might resist if confronted with it directly. This is why so much of Scripture, and so much of Jesus' teaching, comes in stories and parables: because a story can reach the heart. Take that to my heart, for a well-told story can reach and move the heart in a way direct argument often cannot. I can try to reach or persuade others only by direct argument, which often meets resistance; but Joab reached David's heart through a story, and much of Scripture and Jesus' own teaching comes in stories for this reason. Help me remember, Lord, both in how I might reach others and in how truth reaches me, that a well-told story can slip past defenses and touch the heart where argument fails, as Joab reached David through the woman's story, so that the heart is often reached better by a story than by argument alone.