Joab’s Betrayal

Through the story of Joab, King David's cousin and army commander, this passage looks at how devotion and loyalty can degenerate into pride and eventually lead to betrayal. Joab risked his life for David, winning many battles and playing a decisive part in establishing the kingdom. But the greater his achievements grew, the more he overrated his own abilities, and he changed into someone who put his own righteousness ahead of David's judgment.

This pride began with small incidents and led to deadly results. Leading a reckless battle on the pretext of avenging his brother Asahel, he killed Abner, and afterwards repeatedly ignored God's will and David's commands, even killing David's son. Caught up in his pride at having made David king, he lost his reverence for God and for David, and in the end took the path of betraying the one who had been closest to him.

Believers must mature spiritually so that they do not become proud because of their own devotion and zeal. When, like Joab, we mistake the grace and abilities we have received for our own achievements, we can fall to Satan's temptation and set out on the road to ruin. We must acknowledge God's absolute sovereignty, set aside our own righteousness and live in obedience to the Word. Then, taking Joab's failure as a mirror, with what heart should we treat God and our neighbours?