In
pursuing Sheba, Joab, who took over the lead after killing Amasa, came and
besieged Abel Beth-maacah. Sheba was hiding in that city. So the men led by Joab
took a siege ramp and scaled up the wall of the city. What they did was slowly
but surely damaging the wall. Realizing that the wall was fast toppling, an
unnamed woman wisely called out to Joab and engaged him in a dialogue. When
told to speak up, she responded saying, “Formerly they used to say,
‘They will surely ask advice at Abel,’ and thus they ended the
dispute. I am of those who are peaceable and faithful in
Israel. You are seeking to destroy a city, even a mother in Israel. Why
would you swallow up the inheritance of the Lord?”
She
gave four reasons why Joab and his men should stop destroying the city.
Firstly, she suggested that the city of Abel was known for her wisdom and was a
place where advice was sought, and the dispute would end. Secondly, this city
was a peaceful place, and people including her were faithful to Israel.
Thirdly, this city was “a mother of Israel”, meaning in this city many
Israelites were produced for the nation. And finally, it was an inheritance
that the LORD had
given. To destroy it was to destroy the inheritance that was given by the LORD to His
people.
Joab
then gave her the reason why they were besieging the city. He assured her that
he and his men had no intention of destroying the city. All they wanted was the
rebel Sheba, whom the city was harboring. Joab promised the woman that if the
city of Abel would surrender the rebel, he and his men would withdraw from the
city. The woman then promised that Sheba’s head would be thrown over
the wall to them. Turning to the people of Abel, that wise woman explained why
they needed to behead Sheba and to have his head thrown over to Joab and his
men. So the people of Abel did as she had said, and they threw the
head of Sheba over to Joab. The commander then blew the trumpet and ended the
chase. So, Joab returned to Jerusalem.
The chapter concluded by reiterating the eight key people who served the king. They
were: Joab the commander of his army; Benaiah the
son of Jehoiada who took charge of David’s personal bodyguards, the Cherethites
and the Pelethites; Adoram was like the minister of labor for he
took charge of the forced labor, Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was
the recorder, Sheva was the scribe, and Zadok and Abiathar were
priests, and Ira the Jairite was also a priest to David.
A lesson that stood out in these verses is this: Wisdom is key to life. It is
particularly helpful in resolving conflicts. In this account, we see one
rebellious man putting the city at risk of destruction, but with wisdom,
another person saved it. The unnamed person was a woman who deployed her wisdom
and saved the city of Abel. Wisdom helped her see the impending danger, gave
her a courageous spirit, and enabled her to negotiate a peace deal. From her
wisdom, we see four things which wisdom can help us in effective living.
Firstly, wisdom enables us to seize an opportunity. Secondly, it will help us
to develop common courtesy in our dealings with others. Thirdly, it will help
us to assess a situation aptly and accurately. Fourthly, with wisdom, we can
clarify any misconception and come up with the best solution. The Bible leaves
us with no uncertainty that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of all wisdom. So let us
fear the LORD and operate in the wisdom that He will provide!
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