{"id":60967,"date":"2019-08-11T15:44:58","date_gmt":"2019-08-11T12:44:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=60967"},"modified":"2023-03-05T13:07:28","modified_gmt":"2023-03-05T11:07:28","slug":"does-david-show-too-much-mercy-to-his-opponents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/does-david-show-too-much-mercy-to-his-opponents\/","title":{"rendered":"Does David Show Too Much Mercy To His Opponents?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[622,834,402],"acf":{"old_id":"60967","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":34250,"related_cahpter":"282","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"A leader must balance leading with serving those who serve him \u2013 even when it hurts","content":"

Time and again, those around David view his political opponents as nothing more than enemies \u2013 and time and again, David takes a different view.<\/span><\/p>\n

Saul was killed while still king, Abner had pledged loyalty to David, and Ish-bosheth had done nothing; in each case, David takes an objectively principled stand, calling each death unjust and a loss. We should not be surprised, then, that he would be displeased with his own son\u2019s death, though others saw the son purely as his father\u2019s enemy (e.g. 18:19).<\/span><\/p>\n

Absalom, however, was a rebel, a threat to the stable rule of God\u2019s chosen monarch; even David knew that he had to be fought. He even planned to go to battle himself, until his soldiers convinced him not to \u2013 perhaps out of concern that he wouldn\u2019t be able to put his feelings aside when the time came. And indeed, as the soldiers head out, David asks them to be gentle with Absalom \u201cfor my sake\u201d (v.5).<\/span><\/p>\n

Joab, though, has less conflicted ideas about how to deal with Absalom, and is quick to seize the opportunity to kill him \u2013 despite knowing David will not take the news well.<\/span><\/p>\n

Which of them is right?<\/span><\/p>\n

We admire David\u2019s emotional depth and commend his ability to grieve Absalom; we would be horrified if he could callously welcome his own child\u2019s death. At the same time, however, losing himself in personal grief over an outright rebel is different from protesting the unjust killing of political rivals (or potential rivals). While the latter raised standards of justice and integrity in the nation, the former sours David\u2019s troops\u2019 victory, leaving them confused and ashamed as he retreats into cries of \u201cMy son! My son!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

And Joab has had enough. Complicated emotions or not, he believes David\u2019s subjects need their king, not the father of their defeated enemy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou have humiliated all your followers, who this day saved your life\u2026by showing love for those who hate you and hate for those who love you\u2026 if Absalom were alive today and the rest of us dead, you would have preferred it.\u201d (v. 6-7) David\u2019s love for a self-declared enemy has overshadowed the love of his allies, and Joab warns that David will lose every last insulted ally if he doesn\u2019t show some appreciation.<\/span><\/p>\n

The last time Joab killed a man under David\u2019s protection (Abner), the king condemned him for it. This time, he\u2019s killed David\u2019s own son \u2013 yet David accepts Joab\u2019s biting criticism.<\/span><\/p>\n

David consistently taught his people that the necessity of fighting doesn\u2019t always mean we erase the love or respect we hold for others.<\/span><\/p>\n

And Joab taught David that neither can our love for others overshadow zeal for a fight that must be fought, and that ultimately a leader must balance leading with serving those who serve him \u2013 even when it hurts.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":60968,"id":60968,"title":"2sam19-heart crown","filename":"2sam19-heart-crown.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam19-heart-crown.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/does-david-show-too-much-mercy-to-his-opponents\/2sam19-heart-crown\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"2sam19-heart-crown","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":60967,"date":"2019-08-11 12:44:42","modified":"2019-08-11 12:44:51","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1920,"height":1509,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam19-heart-crown-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam19-heart-crown-300x236.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":236,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam19-heart-crown-768x604.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":604,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam19-heart-crown-1024x805.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":805,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam19-heart-crown.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1207,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam19-heart-crown.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1509,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam19-heart-crown-1200x943.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":943,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam19-heart-crown-534x420.jpg","home_baner-width":534,"home_baner-height":420}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"Does David Show Too Much Mercy To His Opponents?","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"A leader must balance leading with serving those who serve him \u2013 even when it hurts","preview_embedded":"","preview_image":{"ID":60968,"id":60968,"title":"2sam19-heart crown","filename":"2sam19-heart-crown.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam19-heart-crown.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/does-david-show-too-much-mercy-to-his-opponents\/2sam19-heart-crown\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"2sam19-heart-crown","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":60967,"date":"2019-08-11 12:44:42","modified":"2019-08-11 12:44:51","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1920,"height":1509,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam19-heart-crown-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam19-heart-crown-300x236.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":236,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam19-heart-crown-768x604.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":604,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam19-heart-crown-1024x805.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":805,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam19-heart-crown.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1207,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam19-heart-crown.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1509,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam19-heart-crown-1200x943.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":943,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam19-heart-crown-534x420.jpg","home_baner-width":534,"home_baner-height":420}},"preview_video":"","external_link":"","link_for_pay":false,"tile_gallery_items":false,"credits":""},"alternate_tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"","hide_media":false},"tile_group":{"preview_image_url":false,"main_caption":"","sub_caption":"","":null,"popup_package_extra_content":"","read_time":""},"home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo":{"seo_title":"","seo_description":"","seo_default_title":"","seo_default_description":""},"links":false,"send_noty":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60967"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60967"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60967\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60969,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60967\/revisions\/60969"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}