Daily Manna 14 November
KEY VERSE: “And I am this day weak, though anointed king; and these men the sons of Zeruiah be too hard for me: the LORD shall reward the doer of evil according to his wickedness.” – (2 Samuel 3:39)
TEXT: 2 Samuel 3:31-39
31 Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothes, gird yourselves with sackcloth, and mourn for Abner.” And King David followed the coffin. 32 So they buried Abner in Hebron; and the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. 33 And the king sang a lament over Abner and said:
“Should Abner die as a fool dies?
34 Your hands were not bound
Nor your feet put into fetters;
As a man falls before wicked men, so you fell.”
Then all the people wept over him again.
35 And when all the people came to persuade David to eat food while it was still day, David took an oath, saying, “God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else till the sun goes down!” 36 Now all the people took note of it, and it pleased them, since whatever the king did pleased all the people. 37 For all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been the king’s intent to kill Abner the son of Ner. 38 Then the king said to his servants, “Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel? 39 And I am weak today, though anointed king; and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too harsh for me. The Lord shall repay the evildoer according to his wickedness.”
Read yesterday’s Daily Manna here
Horace Gray, former associate justice of the US supreme court once told a man who had appeared before him in a lower court and had escaped conviction on a technicality: “I know that you are guilty and you know it. And I wish you to remember that one day you will stand before a better and wiser judge, and that there you will be dealt with according to justice and not according to law.”
The passage under consideration reveals King David’s reaction to the revengeful killing of Abner, the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, by Joab and his brother, Abishai. Abner was murdered for killing Asahel their brother. Abner had visited David in Hebron with the intention of unifying all Israel under his kingship. When on his way back, Joab sent messengers to bring him back under pretence and had him stabbed to death. David wanted all Israel to know that the order to kill Abner did not come from him; he therefore ordered all present to accompany Abner’s remains to the grave, with himself joining the funeral procession and making lamentations over him with fasting.
Joab, according to the law, should have been put to death for this fragrant violation. But he escaped because of his power and influence as commander of the army at this time. David could not enforce the law because Joab and his brothers were too strong for him. Any attempt to bring Joab to justice could spark a division in the army and destabilise the nascent regime of David. But justice delayed is not justice denied. The long arm of the law eventually caught up with Joab who was executed by the hand of Benaiah through the order of Solomon (1 Kings 2:29-34).
No matter how long it takes, those who do evil cannot escape divine justice. The only way out is genuine repentance and restitution.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: No matter how long, justice will be served.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 9-13
Thank you for studying today’s Daily Manna – Justice Delayed – by Pastor Enoch A.
Don’t forget to Follow Elanhub on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
Daily Manna 14 November 2021
