A Lesson in Faithfulness From Joab
“Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the LORD do what seems good to him,” (II Samuel 10:12).
There are many reasons that Joab is not a man whom we might typically think of as a model for godliness. The pages of holy Scripture reveal that his character was often unbecoming of a believer. However, despite his other shortcomings, in this verse Joab helpfully demonstrates what it looks like for a person to simultaneously affirm God’s absolute sovereignty while also doing all that they can within their human responsibility to work toward the end they believe to be best.
Joab knew that the outcome of the battle was already determined in God’s sight and that nothing he could do would change God’s eternal sovereign decree. However, Joab also knew that there was still breath in his lungs and a sword in his hand to fight for the cause of righteousness. Therefore, he determined in his heart that until God’s sovereign will was revealed, he would do all that was in his power to be faithful in his service. Joab determined that if it was God’s will that he should die in this battle, he would die expending all his might to courageously defend the people of God.
In other words, Joab’s view of God’s sovereignty did not paralyze his sense of human responsibility, but rather more firmly empowered it. Such should be the case with all who rightly recognize God’s sovereignty. God’s unchangeable plan does not negate our calling to be found faithful in fulfilling our varied responsibilities until the end.
How might we apply this to ourselves? There are many ways but here is one: evangelism. We do not know if it is God's will that the person we have been praying for and hoping to reach with the gospel will be saved. That depends on God's unchanging sovereign plan. But whether or not God has sovereignly chosen that person from before the foundation of the world or not, our responsibility as servants of the Lord does not change. So long as we have breath in our lungs and the sword of truth in our hands, we must continue to share that truth in hope and be found faithfully proclaiming Christ to the world until God's foreordained outcome of the battle is finally revealed.
Therefore, in the right sense of application, we too can say,
“Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the LORD do what seems good to him,” (II Samuel 10:12).
Knowing that God has a perfect, eternal, and unchangeable plan that is already determined does not remove our responsibility to be found faithfully working toward holy ends. We do not know if God will give us the victory in the varied battles we face, but whether by life or by death, our calling is to honor and serve him until the end.