A Loyal but Overzealous Army Commander
Abishai is the brother of Joab, commander of King David’s army. Scripture tells us that Abishai is one of David’s mighty warriors, a subcommander of his army, and credited with impressive military victories.
He’s also zealous for David, perhaps too much so. Or maybe he has a thirst for killing and vengeance. Here are two stories that reveal his nature.
First, when David flees for his life from King Saul, he and Abishai sneak into Saul’s camp undetected.
With Saul asleep, Abishai sees this as an opportunity to kill David’s enemy. He asks David for permission to run his spear through the king.
David won’t allow it. He reprimands Abishai, noting that Saul is the Lord’s anointed, and they shouldn’t harm him. David has confidence God will deal with Saul in his own way and timing.
Though Saul is intent on killing David, David refuses to reciprocate.
Another time, during Absalom’s coup attempt, David again runs for his life. A man named Shimei curses the king as he flees, pelting him with rocks. Shimei calls David a murderer and a scoundrel.
Just as before, Abishai wants to defend David, this time by cutting off Shimei’s head. Again, David rebuffs Abishai and defers to God’s judgment.
Both times, David stops Abishai from being overzealous and killing another person.
Are we zealous to a fault?
When has someone rebuffed us for our eagerness to act?
[Read about Abishai in 1 Samuel 26:6–11 and 2 Samuel 16:9–13. Discover more in 2 Samuel 3:30, 2 Samuel 23:18, and 1 Chronicles 18:12.]
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Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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