25David told the messenger, “Say this to Joab: ‘Don’t let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another. Press the attack against the city and destroy it.’ Say this to encourage Joab.”
David has just arranged to get Uriah, the husband of the woman he had an affair with killed. He sends this message to his army commander in the field after his death. I hear two things. First, David wants Joab to know that he does not hold Joab responsible for the death. This is of course true. David ordered Joab to do exactly what he did knowing that it would lead to Uriah’s death. The second thing I hear is a veiled threat. If you are not careful, Joab, the same fate could await you. Oh, the lengths we will go to cover up our sin. When we have an affair our life becomes one failed attempt after another to keep it secret, to cover it up. That is one of the reasons to not have an affair: we won’t have to try to cover it up. Eventually, the truth will come out. It could be that no one else knows, but it bothers you everyday of your life. It gnaws at your conscience, coloring every aspect of your life. I also notice the diminished value that David places on life. In an almost off-handed comment, David talks about the sword devouring, as though a human life were like a watermelon at a country fair, cut up for all to enjoy. There is no remorse, no guilt, just the insensitive sayings of a foolish moment in a king’s life. Do we ever have foolish moments like this, moments were we make light of something serious?
The Arnold Journey 