As the oldest male in my family growing up I felt the responsibility to watch out for or protect if needed my younger brother and sister. I don't ever remember being told I had to do it by my parents. It just seemed like a natural thing to do. That isn't to say that I never tormented, teased or got into it with them, because I did. But as the older brother my instinct was to look after the younger ones. My guess is most older siblings assume that role.
Although David had plenty of older brothers, it doesn't appear that they did too much to look after him. In fact, the only real interaction we see that David has with his older brothers is somewhat contentious. They seem to treat him as an irritant or with disdain; that is before he slew Goliath. Once David became King of Israel, we don't really hear anything about his brothers or their relationship.
But David did have a brother, so to speak, who looked after him. Joab was a man of action. He was a military man and a man with some savvy. Joab did a lot of behind the scenes work. He eliminated many of David's enemies, including David's own son. He did the dirty work that was necessary for David to be successful. Not always a pleasant task, but someone had to do it. Joab protected David from himself at times, sometimes even going against David's direct orders. And there where times that Joab got in the face of his leader and friend, challenging him or confronting him or giving him a swift kick in the old behind.
Much of David's success could be attributed to the work of Joab. I would love to have a friend like Joab in my life; someone who was that loyal, who had my best interest at heart, who protected me, who cleaned up my messes, who kicked me in the seat of my pants when necessary, who encouraged me, who stood by me, who gave me great advice, who would literally go to war for me, who would protect me from myself.
According to the Bible, we have someone who sticks closer than a brother in Jesus. And Jesus promised us that he would send His Holy Spirit to be that Joab for us. For all of us in Christ, we have an advocate, a comforter, an advisor, a counselor, a guide, a protector in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is there to convict us when necessary. He won't make us do anything we choose not to do, but I can tell you from experience He can sure put the heat on. I may not have a person like Joab in my life who is flesh and blood, but I do have the Holy Spirit in me and with me. And I am so thankful for that!
God, I confess I would love to have a real flesh and blood person like Joab in my life; a partner, a comrade in arms, a loyal friend, a defender, and much more. But I am so grateful for the Holy Spirit whom you gave to me. Thanks for not leaving me to my own demise. I need the empowerment that only your Spirit can provide!
Although David had plenty of older brothers, it doesn't appear that they did too much to look after him. In fact, the only real interaction we see that David has with his older brothers is somewhat contentious. They seem to treat him as an irritant or with disdain; that is before he slew Goliath. Once David became King of Israel, we don't really hear anything about his brothers or their relationship.
But David did have a brother, so to speak, who looked after him. Joab was a man of action. He was a military man and a man with some savvy. Joab did a lot of behind the scenes work. He eliminated many of David's enemies, including David's own son. He did the dirty work that was necessary for David to be successful. Not always a pleasant task, but someone had to do it. Joab protected David from himself at times, sometimes even going against David's direct orders. And there where times that Joab got in the face of his leader and friend, challenging him or confronting him or giving him a swift kick in the old behind.
Much of David's success could be attributed to the work of Joab. I would love to have a friend like Joab in my life; someone who was that loyal, who had my best interest at heart, who protected me, who cleaned up my messes, who kicked me in the seat of my pants when necessary, who encouraged me, who stood by me, who gave me great advice, who would literally go to war for me, who would protect me from myself.
According to the Bible, we have someone who sticks closer than a brother in Jesus. And Jesus promised us that he would send His Holy Spirit to be that Joab for us. For all of us in Christ, we have an advocate, a comforter, an advisor, a counselor, a guide, a protector in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is there to convict us when necessary. He won't make us do anything we choose not to do, but I can tell you from experience He can sure put the heat on. I may not have a person like Joab in my life who is flesh and blood, but I do have the Holy Spirit in me and with me. And I am so thankful for that!
God, I confess I would love to have a real flesh and blood person like Joab in my life; a partner, a comrade in arms, a loyal friend, a defender, and much more. But I am so grateful for the Holy Spirit whom you gave to me. Thanks for not leaving me to my own demise. I need the empowerment that only your Spirit can provide!
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