ESOCS Devotional 11 September 2025 – Do You Act Before You Think?
MEMORY VERSE: “And the man said unto Joab, Though I should receive a thousand [shekels] of silver in mine hand, [yet] would I not put forth mine hand against the king’s son: for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Beware that none touch the young man Absalom.” 2 Samuel 18:12 KJV
TEXT: 2 SAMUEL 18:1-16
And David numbered the people who were with him, and set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them. 2 Then David sent out one third of the people under the hand of Joab, one third under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and one third under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the people, “I also will surely go out with you myself.”
3 But the people answered, “You shall not go out! For if we flee away, they will not care about us; nor if half of us die, will they care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us now. For you are now more help to us in the city.”
4 Then the king said to them, “Whatever seems best to you I will do.” So the king stood beside the gate, and all the people went out by hundreds and by thousands. 5 Now the king had commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, saying, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains orders concerning Absalom.
6 So the people went out into the field of battle against Israel. And the battle was in the woods of Ephraim. 7 The people of Israel were overthrown there before the servants of David, and a great slaughter of twenty thousand took place there that day. 8 For the battle there was scattered over the face of the whole countryside, and the woods devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.
9 Then Absalom met the servants of David. Absalom rode on a mule. The mule went under the thick boughs of a great terebinth tree, and his head caught in the terebinth; so he was left hanging between heaven and earth. And the mule which was under him went on. 10 Now a certain man saw it and told Joab, and said, “I just saw Absalom hanging in a terebinth tree!”
11 So Joab said to the man who told him, “You just saw him! And why did you not strike him there to the ground? I would have given you ten shekels of silver and a belt.”
12 But the man said to Joab, “Though I were to receive a thousand shekels of silver in my hand, I would not raise my hand against the king’s son. For in our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, ‘Beware lest anyone touch the young man Absalom!’ 13 Otherwise I would have dealt falsely against my own life. For there is nothing hidden from the king, and you yourself would have set yourself against me.”
14 Then Joab said, “I cannot linger with you.” And he took three spears in his hand and thrust them through Absalom’s heart, while he was still alive in the midst of the terebinth tree. 15 And ten young men who bore Joab’s armor surrounded Absalom, and struck and killed him.
16 So Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing Israel. For Joab held back the people.
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Have you ever done or said something before thinking about it? You can probably imagine a dozen instances when you wish you would have thought about the consequences before taking action. It usually doesn’t end well to act first and think later.
As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit to show us the difference between right and wrong. However, many of us often act before asking whether what we are about to do could have positive or negative effects.
In 2 Samuel 18, one of David’s men sees Absalom hanging from a tree. He immediately runs to Joab to tell him what happened. Joab rebukes the man saying, “What! You saw him? Why didn’t you strike him to the ground right there?”
The man who found Absalom considered David’s instructions, and after weighing the consequences decided not to kill Absalom.
“I would not lay a hand on the king’s son,” he said. “… if I had put my life in jeopardy—and nothing is hidden from the king—you would have kept your distance from me.”
Joab, on the other hand, acted quickly. He killed Absalom, ignoring David’s instructions and his own soldier’s warning.
Instead of rushing into an action, we should consider if what we are doing is right or wrong. Like Joab, those about to do evil often don’t take the time to consider their actions. They don’t care whether what they are doing is lawful or right.
Considering the outcome of our actions can stop us from doing something we’ll later regret. God has given us everything we need to make wise choices. The Holy Spirit and the Bible both exist to guide and direct us. But it’s up to us to pause long enough to consider if what we are doing is right or wrong.
CHALLENGES
- Where are you most prone to act without thinking? Why do you think that’s the case?
- What’s one way you can become more aware of the decisions you make?
- Are you spending time praying?
PRAYER POINT
- Lord, help me to take steps that will make prayer more of a priority in my life, in Jesus name, Amen.
FURTHER READING: Romans 11:1-15, 2 Samuel 18:17-33, Romans 11 :11-27
ESOCS Devotional 11 September 2025
