DCLM Daily Manna 2025: DCLM Daily Manna 8 August 2025: No refuge For Wilful Sinners
Text: 1 Kings 2:26-35 (KJV)
And unto Abiathar the priest said the king, Get thee to Anathoth, unto thine own fields; for thou art worthy of death: but I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou barest the ark of the Lord God before David my father, and because thou hast been afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted.
27 So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto the Lord; that he might fulfil the word of the Lord, which he spake concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
28 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.
29 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.
30 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.
31 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.
32 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.
33 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.
34 So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up, and fell upon him, and slew him: and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.
35 And the king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his room over the host: and Zadok the priest did the king put in the room of Abiathar.
KEY VERSE: (1 Kings 2:31).
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.
The Book of Blunders (1980), contains a story of a burglar who robbed a house in Antwerp, Belgium. The thief fled out the back door, clambered over a nine-foot wall, dropped down the other side, and found himself in the city prison.
Today’s passage serves as a reminder of the consequences of wickedness and sin. Abiathar and Joab faced repercussions for their roles in a failed plot by Adonijah. King Solomon removed them from positions of power to strengthen his kingdom, replacing Abiathar with Zadok as Priest. This fulfilled a prediction made by God about the priesthood. Abiathar was spared due to his past loyalty to David, but Joab was executed for selfish political reasons. Benaiah took over as the army commander. The passage highlights the importance of sowing good deeds and avoiding wilful sinning to prevent negative consequences.
After learning about the punishment of Adonijah and Abiathar, Joab sought refuge by grabbing hold of the altar’s horns in God’s sanctuary. Despite being a wilful murderer, Joab tried to exploit the sanctuary’s protection meant for those who sinned unintentionally. However, God’s command stated that those who sinned wilfully should be removed from the altar and executed. In a plea for divine mercy, Joab attempted to escape his deserved punishment. Nevertheless, Solomon ordered Joab’s execution, fulfilling his father’s dying wish and cleansing the nation from blood guilt. Joab’s story serves as a warning that the altar cannot provide refuge for those who disobey God’s laws without repentance. Those who serve in God’s sanctuary but continue to live in sin are like Joab clinging to the altar’s horns, destined to face divine judgment.
Today, many people play the religion card to cover up their atrocities. After embezzling public funds, some culprits go to build places of worship or give large sums to fund religious programmes. Meanwhile, they continue sinning. Others embark on social services and philanthropy with stolen funds. These are improper ways of dealing with past sins. The right thing to do is to repent, confess, make amends, and receive God’s forgiveness through Jesus’ vicarious death on the cross. That is how to avoid ultimate condemnation.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: There is no asylum for unrepentant sinners in God’s sanctuary.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Nehemiah 11-13
Daily Manna 8 August 2025
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