Fairweather Sidekick by Robin Densmore Fuson

 

Some sidekicks are a onetime helper, while other sidekicks assist throughout the main character’s life. David had such a sidekick in Joab. King David’s life needed many sidekicks, advisers, friends, warriors, and one that stands out is a nephew who became a commander of the king’s army.

The sidekick, Joab, weaved through David’s life with warrior skills and as friend and at times advisor. Joab had a good side and a bad, even sinister. He helped cover a murder for David, but he also murdered an alliance that David needed. He killed David’s son, Absalom.

On the flip side, he carried out campaigns and stood beside David when others didn’t. He was mysteriously missing at times, but when his words were accurate and needed to be heeded, at the critical time—David ignored him.

Joab, the good guy…who was bad. A friend who turned against his king. Fairweather indeed.

Today, we will look at the most challenging time for Joab. He didn’t want to obey his king and it sickened him to do so. We find this troubling event in 1 Chronicles 21 and 2 Samuel 24. These are difficult passages of scripture. Each one records the same event but has different wording. So, to combine them and to interpret as best as I can from what I’ve read, Satan or a satanic influenced voice spoke to David and enticed him to count the people.

First off, let me make it clear that Satan or demons can speak to us in our thoughts and speak in first person singular. In other words, it sounds just like our voice, and we think it is our own thought. Then, believing it originated from us, we own it, and make it happen. Sometimes the enemy will use others to give us wrong advice. Other times, God will use others to give us poor choice thoughts to be used in a lesson we need to learn.

So how David got the thought he did, isn’t the point, it’s that he did it, knowing scripture told him not to. “Whenever you take a census of the people of Israel, each man who is counted must pay a ransom for himself to the Lord. Then no plague will strike the people as you count them (Exodus 30:12 nlt).”

Each person counted needed to make a sacrifice to the Lord for being counted as belonging to another. The Lord owns all people. Israel belongs to the Lord. David counting them sounded like he said, “Hey these are mine. How many do I have?”

This is the interaction between David and Joab, his right-hand man, his sidekick. David called Joab. “Hey buddy, I have an important job for you. I want you to count the people. I want to know how many troops I can count on should someone attack. So, head out and cover our vast land and count those able body soldiers. Number them all!”

Joab was aghast! “My king, may the Lord bless you abundantly with great numbers, triple what you have. Are they not all yours? Why do you want Israel to sin against the Lord by counting the people?”

David insisted and faithful sidekick went all over Israel to count. Distressed and sickened by what he knew was wrong, he stopped short of counting the tribes of Levi and Benjamin.

David’s sin was bad and the people had to pay for his sin. The prophet Gad told David to pick one of three punishments. Three years of famine, three months of being destroyed by the sword from his enemies, or three days of sever plague from the Lord. David choose the one from God’s hand. “God is merciful let it not be from man.”

Three days of plague came upon the people. David cred out and said, “let it be my family instead, for they are innocent, I’ve sinned!”

Remember the passage in Exodus that the people had to pay for being counted. Unfortunately, David’s sin caused people to die. 70,000 people met the price with their lives. The Lord stopped the death angel right at Jerusalem’s door.

Joab had been right. It was wrong. David should have listened to his sidekick. Many people wouldn’t have died.      

David felt he had sinned, so he knew the thought or temptation wasn’t from God as some have said. It was either his pride or Satan’s voice in first person singular. David acknowledged his sin. David was good about confessing his sin. At that moment, he also built an altar and sacrificed and prayed on a threshing floor he purchased for 600 pieces of gold. (See 1Chronicles 21:18:30)

Later, the place where David sacrificed burnt offering and peace offering is the site of the temple of the Lord, his son Solomon built.  

When we want to do the outrageous thing, we should always seek council before plunging ahead. Our thoughts can be deceptive. Satan can whisper, mimicking our own voice, another reason to asks others to pray with you on any given task.

Sometimes our counselor may stand on the completely opposite side of what we think is the right thing to do. If that happens, get another opinion, but most importantly, always go to the Lord first. David didn’t ask the Lord if he should do the census. Had he, many people would thank him, including Joab his Fairweather Sidekick—who this time, stood on the side of good and honorable.