The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Kings 2:31-32,
"Strike him [Joab] down and bury him, and so clear me [King Solomon] and my whole family of the guilt of the innocent blood that Joab shed. The Lord will repay him for the blood he shed, because without my father David knowing it he attacked two men and killed them with the sword."
As the head of David's military forces, Joab held a powerful position. Unfortunately, he exploited that position and killed two innocent men, Abner and Amasa. David's son, Solomon, now sat on the throne and it was left to him to bring justice to these transgressions.
Solomon makes a startling point here. He took the action to bring Joab to justice, in part, to clear himself as well as his whole family, from the guilt of the blood Joab had spilled. Why would Solomon be held to account for the murders committed by Joab?
Most obviously, as king, Solomon held the position of power to insure justice be done. Yet, failure to follow through on the justice that would be appropriate from the perspective of both his court, and the court of God, should only constitute failure to fulfill his responsibility as the chief officer of justice for the nation, shouldn't it? We might think there is a big difference in being held culpable for murder versus failure to prosecute and punish for that murder.
Yet, Solomon observes his concern that he and his family be cleared "of the guilt of the innocent blood that Joab shed."
All ground for determining what is just, what is right, and what is appropriate resides within the purview of our Creator. He is the designer of life and he created us. It is to his sense of justice that we are beholden. Just ask those who will be cast into the lake of fire in the judgment to follow this age as to whose sense of justice we are beholden. And a sense of justice is one of our Creator's driving passions: "'Let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,' declares the Lord." Jeremiah 9:24.
What I learn from Solomon here is that if I hold a responsibility and/or position to right a wrong, my failure to do so brings to myself, beyond the guilt of irresponsibility, the very guilt of that wrong.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
"Strike him [Joab] down and bury him, and so clear me [King Solomon] and my whole family of the guilt of the innocent blood that Joab shed. The Lord will repay him for the blood he shed, because without my father David knowing it he attacked two men and killed them with the sword."
As the head of David's military forces, Joab held a powerful position. Unfortunately, he exploited that position and killed two innocent men, Abner and Amasa. David's son, Solomon, now sat on the throne and it was left to him to bring justice to these transgressions.
Solomon makes a startling point here. He took the action to bring Joab to justice, in part, to clear himself as well as his whole family, from the guilt of the blood Joab had spilled. Why would Solomon be held to account for the murders committed by Joab?
Most obviously, as king, Solomon held the position of power to insure justice be done. Yet, failure to follow through on the justice that would be appropriate from the perspective of both his court, and the court of God, should only constitute failure to fulfill his responsibility as the chief officer of justice for the nation, shouldn't it? We might think there is a big difference in being held culpable for murder versus failure to prosecute and punish for that murder.
Yet, Solomon observes his concern that he and his family be cleared "of the guilt of the innocent blood that Joab shed."
All ground for determining what is just, what is right, and what is appropriate resides within the purview of our Creator. He is the designer of life and he created us. It is to his sense of justice that we are beholden. Just ask those who will be cast into the lake of fire in the judgment to follow this age as to whose sense of justice we are beholden. And a sense of justice is one of our Creator's driving passions: "'Let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,' declares the Lord." Jeremiah 9:24.
What I learn from Solomon here is that if I hold a responsibility and/or position to right a wrong, my failure to do so brings to myself, beyond the guilt of irresponsibility, the very guilt of that wrong.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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