Commander for Life
In Absalom’s brief coup attempt against his father, he appoints Amasa (1) as commander of his rebel troops. Amasa is the first cousin of Joab, who commands David’s army.
During the rebellion, Joab kills Absalom. This occurs despite David’s explicit command to spare his son’s life. Though doing so ends the coup and restores David to power, David mourns his son’s death and is angry with Joab.
David replaces Joab as commander of his army with Amasa, giving him a lifetime appointment. This is despite Amasa aligning with Absalom and helping facilitate his rebellion.
Unfortunately, Amasa’s appointment doesn’t last long. Joab murders him shortly after David promotes him.
This occurs when Joab approaches Amasa. Feigning friendship and even calling him brother, Joab plunges a dagger into the unsuspecting man’s stomach. Amasa dies.
What can we learn from David promoting Amasa despite being part of Absalom’s coup?
How can we guard against people who act friendly toward us but will do us harm?
[Read about Amasa in 2 Samuel 17:25, 2 Samuel 19:13, and 2 Samuel 20:4–13. Discover more in 1 Kings 2:1–6.]
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More Old Testament Sinners and Saints is part of the Bible Character Sketches series.
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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