The Sons of Zeruiah

The very mention of them has long brought me to goosebumps. These lads were (and are) my heros; they were the original 'three musketeers' in my mind's eye and as a child I longed to be among them as the fourth. I was first 'introduced' to the sons of Zeruiah by my father who spoke of them as though they were his old and respected friends from a time before my own. "And there were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel [was as] light of foot as a wild roe." 2 Samuel 2:18 Joab, Abishai, and Asahel, these were the sons of David's sister and they were instrumental in not only establishing the Davidic kingship but in also extending and preserving it in every sense of the word. They were numbered among the great 'mighty men' of David, and their exploits and deeds are mentioned and preserved in scripture for all of eternity. Yes, Zeruiah was David's sister and these three, his nephews, seemed to have taken personal interests in the well being and success of their anointed uncle. However, their actions and loyalty weren't always welcomed by David. In fact, a look at the narrative would give us ample reason to think that the sons of Zeruiah were among the greatest thorns in David's royal side. On more that one occasion David would bewail, "What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah". David also lamented, "...And I am weak today, though anointed king; and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too harsh for me." It seems these three of his kith and kin were not often pleasing to their uncle. Among the three great brothers Joab stood out as the one who would. Would, what? He would storm the walls of the enemy, would be the first to liberate Yerushalaim, would dare contradict the king, would dare chastise the king, would do that which was right in his own eyes... and, yes, would make the occasional mistake. One of the most infamous 'misdeeds' of Joab was the killing of the one time rebel, Abner. This act, perhaps more than any other, brought David's stated displeasure upon Joab. And, David cursed, not only Joab, but his own nephew's entire bloodline with a mighty curse. Hmm, talk about a disfunctional family... "And afterward when David heard [it], he said, I and my kingdom [are] guiltless before the LORD for ever from the blood of Abner the son of Ner: Let it rest on the head of Joab, and on all his father's house; and let there not fail from the house of Joab one that hath an issue, or that is a leper, or that leaneth on a staff, or that falleth on the sword, or that lacketh bread." 2 Samuel 3:28+29 Towards the end of his life, as David was leaving his son and successor Shlomo (Solomon) his final instructions, there were two people, and only two people, which David marked for death; one was a rebellious relative of Saul by the name of Shimei (Shlomo decided to grant mercy to Shimei), ....and one was Joab, by that time the last living son of David's own sister, Zeruiah. Joab, the nephew, servant, and nearly lifelong compatriot of David was marked for death by the same man he himself had long sought to establish and keep alive. And, his cousin, Shlomo, seemed none too grieved to carry out the sad deed. In the following verse David gives Shlomo the instructions to kill Joab: "Therefore do according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to the grave in peace." 1 Kings 2:6 The stated reasons were given in the previous verse, which is below: "Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed. And he shed the blood of war in peacetime, and put the blood of war on his belt that was around his waist, and on his sandals that were on his feet." 1 Kings 2:5 This was the stated reason for Joab's death. But, Kings David and Shlomo also desired the end of Joab's life due to the fact that Joab did not fancy the choice of Shlomo, the son of Bathsheba, as the royal heir and both David and Shlomo feared his future actions and begrudged Joab his past choice of Shlomo's brother, Adonijah, for the crown. Joab, they may have thought, simply had it in for Shlomo. "Then tidings came to Joab: for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he turned not after Absalom. And Joab fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD, and caught hold on the horns of the altar." 1 Kings 2:28 In Shlomo's case was this taking of life simply a calculated matter of consolidating political power? "And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ask for him the kingdom also; for he [is] mine elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah" 1 Kings 2:22 In the previous verse Shlomo seems to have confessed to a more political reason for Joab's dispatchment than David admitted to. David claimed a newly awakened, but in this case decades late, need for justice. Shlomo, on the other hand, his problem was Joab's choice of Adonijah for king. "And it was told king Solomon that Joab was fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD; and, behold, [he is] by the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, Go, fall upon him." 1 Kings 2:29 Now, a tradition held that the fugitive of the sword could flee to the 'horns of the altar' and seek mercy, this is what Joab did. Such an understanding is based upon the following scripture which speaks of the altar, calling it and that which touches it 'holy' and therfore sinless. "...and it shall be an altar most holy: whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy." Exodus 29:37 Did Joab flee to the altar of God in a coward's fear-filled grasp for grace, as many have suggested? The storied lives of this fearless 'mighty man' and his brothers suggests otherwise: Joab sought to spend his last moments before the Eternal, with the God of his fathers. What better place to go? To place oneself at the 'horns of the altar', this world dies to us there and nothing else matters, nothing but our standing with God. "And Benaiah came to the tabernacle of the LORD, and said unto him, Thus saith the king, Come forth. And he said, Nay; but I will die here. And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me." 1 Kings 2:30 The fact that Joab replied, "Nay; but I will die here." suggests he was prepared for man's worst, and seeking God's best. Who would be so bold as to slaughter another before the altar of the Holy God? Would not the killer risk desecrating that which was holy in his eagerness to shed blood? "And the king said unto him, Do as he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away the innocent blood, which Joab shed, from me, and from the house of my father." 1 Kings 2:31 "And the LORD shall return his blood upon his own head, who fell upon two men more righteous and better than he, and slew them with the sword, my father David not knowing [thereof, to wit], Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah." 1 Kings 2:32 "Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed for ever: but upon David, and upon his seed, and upon his house, and upon his throne, shall there be peace for ever from the LORD. " 1 Kings 2:33 The previous three verses are extremely telling and are worth rereading. Now, consider that the curser of Joab was King David, and the son of David was the arm of death extended unto him... Hmm, the son of David, not exactly Messianic in this instance. Praise God! There came a day when David's Greater Son entered the world of man! Yeshua didn't come enforcing curses or placing death sentences upon others. He came to take such things upon Himself! On the cross Yeshua carried Joab's sins and faults along with our own! The true heir of David's throne wasn't Shlomo or anyone else, it was always Yeshua! And, in the exact opposite of Shlomo's declaration Yeshua DID take the blood of the slain upon His own head, and He made a way for all, even headstrong sons of Zeruiah, to find the blessings and peace of God... through the shed blood of David's Greater Son! If you are there to see the day when Yeshua haMelech returns in the clouds to liberate Israel with the thousands upon thousands of righteous don't be surprised if you see the three sons of Zeruiah there in the very front lines of heaven ...with Joab charging forward to restore the Yerushalaim he took from the enemy so long ago. "...So Joab the son of Zeruiah went first up, and was chief." 1 Chronicles 11:6 Oh, and yes, I'd still like to be among them as that fourth musketeer...

THE HORNS OF THE ALTAR

At the horns of the altar, that's where I will be At the horns of the altar, should my brothers come for me At the horns of the altar I do seek His face Let them vainly curse -My God, but I do seek Your grace At the horns of the altar I tighten my hand's last grip but as the blade comes down upon me my hand begins to slip My knees did buckle, my back was bent, the slayer did see me bow The piercing blade brought furrows anew to my worn and weathered brow My face is now toward You, as I lean on the altar pure, I lower my eyes, and yet I arise ...to meet the God of Shamayim It was before You, my God and hope, that I placed my weary head down My call unto You, Oh Glorious King- Let it be my very last sound Come, oh come, Moshiach, Come to give us rest For we are lost and weary, without You we fail the test