Drama in the Courtroom

Reflections on 2 Samuel 14:1-22
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As king, one of David's responsibilities was to judge difficult cases according to law. Often enough, plaintiffs and defendants dramatized their cases, and David had to separate fact from fiction. In 2 Samuel 14, the entire case is a fabrication. A woman of Tekoa played the part of a widow in a play written by Joab. As a superb actress, she changed David's behavior toward his son Absalom.

BROTHERS IN A FIELD. The woman stated the case quite simply: "I your servant had two sons. They got into a fight with each other in the field, and no one was there to separate them. One struck the other and killed him" (2 Samuel 14:6). Immediately, David would recall the story of Cain, who killed his brother in a field. Though Cain was guilty of murder, God had spared Cain and even protected him from being killed himself (Genesis 4:15). Without denying her son's guilt, the woman artfully prepared the king to make a judgment favorable to her.

CLAN'S QUESTIONABLE MOTIVE. As would be expected, the elders of the clan asked that the remaining son be turned over to them so that they might kill him to avenge the death of his brother (see Numbers 35:16-25), but the woman insinuated that the clan was more concerned with profit than justice because they had said that when they got rid of the murderer, then they would "get rid of the heir as well" (2 Samuel 14:7).

BURNING COAL. Finally, the woman revealed her own motive for wanting to spare her son. He was the "only burning coal" she had left. Housewives used a glowing coal from the previous day's fire to start a fire for the coming day. If only one ember was left, it was very important to preserve it until the fire was started for the next day. Her son was her husband's one remaining descendant. If he was executed, her husband would have "neither name nor descendant on the face of the earth" forever.

The woman acted superbly, and she obtained the judgment she desired though at first it appeared half-hearted. Then when she applied her story to Absalom, she also obtained the judgment Joab desired. Joab wanted David to show mercy to his son who had killed a brother just as God had shown mercy to Cain. Joab, through the woman, also insinuated that David's motive for not recalling Absalom may not have been justice so much as a desire to "get rid of the heir" so that David could give the throne to young Solomon. David immediately suspected Joab's role in the plot, but he relented. Joab was relieved because he knew he had forced David's hand. David sent Joab to recall his son from Geshur.