Be of Good Courage and Strong

“Be of good courage and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And may the Lord do what is good in His sight” 2 Samuel 10:12.

If I were in this situation that Joab finds himself in, sadly I’d be pretty nervous. Joab, the commander of the army and all the mighty men have been ordered by David to go out and fight. And the numbers are against them and Joab knows it. Previous to this moment David sent, in from what I can tell all sincerity, men to comfort the new King of Ammon, whose father had just passed. David was friends with the father and thus wanted to extend the invitation. But whether Hanun the son was still of young age or not wise enough to ignore his friends, he listened to their paranoia and couldn’t see the kindness of David’s actions by sending men to comfort him in his distress. Instead Hanun shamed these men and sent them away.

So of course, the nations are mad at one another. As I read this I think how absurd all the events are leading up to this battle. Silly people putting false meanings behind other people’s actions and because of overthinking they are now looking at thousands of people dying. I realize I probably have a higher view of the sanctity of life than they had back then but come on people. In my opinion (whatever it’s worth) many wars are fought over a great deal of overthinking and miscommunication between parties (and terrible people in those pivotal spots leading everyone else astray). However, I do sympathize with Hanun because I wonder how often I’m lead astray by popular opinion.

But Joab is preparing to fight. He’s split the army in two with his brother leading the other half. If one needs help the other will assist. I love the idea behind what this verse says- “Be of good courage and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And may the Lord do what is good in His sight.” I love his strength, his calm, his enduring belief that if God wills, God provides. I love his confidence. But what I really love is his willingness to do what he can to make the situation better.

Too often we look at dire situations and we’re prone to give up. When we see the odds against us we’re far too quick to throw in the towel and run away. But David and Joab pray. They know God and they believe that if He chooses to, He can. But they believe in a practical sense knowing they still have responsibility here. There’s no pouting from Joab, no whining to make sure God’s actually paying attention and knows what’s going on. He’s pledged loyalty to God and will complete his task. He’s going to be strong and courageous just like God challenged Joshua to be. But Joab’s final word isn’t a plea for help; it’s a statement of faith in God’s plan being bigger than his.

“And may the Lord do what is good in His sight.” Do I have this kind of faith? Not my will Lord, not mine but Your will be done. Not what seems good to me or what’s popular but what’s good to You, do that. Do I know God well enough to deeply trust that what’s good in His sight is actually good?

We spend our prayer lives asking for this and that, money, jobs, health, marriage and a laundry list of other services. But I wonder how much time we spend with God, learning from Him, listening to Him, to find that what’s good in His sight is what’s good for us and we can trust in His goodness. I wonder if we actually believe He knows what’s going on all the time and our whining, complaining and sobbing before Him may help us feel better but I’m not sure how much good it actually does to teach us. We have this amazing God before us, longing to be in intimate relations with us, longing for us to know His goodness so that we can find His confidence, even in dire situations.