Let Us Play The Man

In 1 Chronicles 19, Joab, King David’s favorite general, was facing battle. Hanun, the new king of Ammon, had put together a coalition to fight against Israel. He hired 32,000 chariots and the kingdom of Maacah (Syria, also know as Aram) to go into battle. When they all drew up for battle, they had the Israelites surrounded. This was not shaping up to be a good day!

Do you have days like that? I do. It seems that every enemy I have ever had, or was afraid I had, is drawn up against me and I am surrounded. What am I going to do now? Is there anything in the story of Joab from 1 Chronicles 19 that can help us go out and fight this week’s battles? Well...let’s see.

Joab was a very capable general. It did not take him long to figure out that they were in trouble. So, he divided his forces and, basically, stood them back to back. He took the choicest men to fight what seemed to him to be the most ominous threat...the mercenaries from Syria (the Arameans, 19:10). The remainder of his forces he put under the command of his brother, another capable soldier named Abshai. Abshai and the Israelites under his command faced the Ammonites. Joab’s words to Abshai, I find very encouraging and what I want to leave you with this week: “Be strong, and let us show ourselves courageous for the sake of our people and for the cities of our God; and may the Lord do what is good in His sight” (1 Chronicles 19:13).
Joab had a great attitude. He was willing to let the Lord do what was good in His sight. At the same time, he prepared to win the battle.

Joab encouraged his brother to “be strong.” We need to be strong in the face of the enemies we face, don’t we? He also said, ...let us show ourselves courageous for the sake of our people... I chose the title of this article from the way the American Standard Version (1901) puts that phrase. It says, “...let us play the man…” It is something a man might say to his brother, but its message is not lost on us.

Sometimes we need to say to each other, “Let us play the man!” We need to stand up, sometimes, and fight for what is right. And when our enemy (the devil) surrounds us with the afflictions of this life, we need to have Joab’s attitude of being satisfied with whatever the Lord wills, but then to fight courageously and “play the man!”

Do not give up the fight! It may be a hard fight, but with the Lord on your side, you will win...if you fight. Joab’s fight was over before it started. For all the threat they could see before them, when Israel showed they were ready to fight, the surrounding armies quit the field of battle (fled) without a fight. There were other battles, though. It may be that your enemies flee at your willingness to fight. It may also be that they stand and fight. Either way, your attitude must be one of faithfulness to God. If it is, you do not have to worry. God will take care of you. And that is because He loves you and so do I.