Who killed Abimelek son of Jerub-Besheth? Didn't a woman drop an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?' If he asks you this, then say to him, 'Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.'" – 2 Samuel 11:21

Today's Scripture Reading (June 8, 2022):  2 Samuel 11

Overconfidence historically has often been the fertile ground for growing bad mistakes. Recent history would seem to include Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It appears that Russia believed that the defeat of Ukraine would be easy. And, to be brutally honest, I think the rest of the world would have shared that opinion. But instead of lying down and surrendering their freedom, the feisty Ukrainians decided to fight Russia with everything they had and more. Maybe, had Russian not been so overconfident, they could have come up with a better strategy, but that didn't happen. And the Russians have had to modify their expected outcomes as a result

Historically, Afghanistan seems to be another location on the planet where the overconfident come to die. We have never seemed to learn the lesson that Afghanistan presents to the nations who want to take it over. Unfortunately, the lesson of Afghanistan often also applies to the countries that would like to help it become a stronger and more progressive nation.

Joab sent a full report to David about the failed battle. Joab's problem was that he knew that his critics would tear his performance apart. His forces had already destroyed the Ammonites, and they were besieging the city of Rabbah. Joab already had the situation well in hand. But then he did something that must have appeared like he was suffering from overconfidence. He allowed his forces to get too close to the city's walls. It was a military mistake that had cost him the lives of some of his soldiers. And Joab knew that David would have every right to be angry with him. But there had been a method in Joab's madness that no one but David would understand. And so, he instructs the messenger also to let David know that Uriah the Hittite was dead.

Uriah's death was the one piece of the information puzzle that made Joab's strategy make sense. And maybe the one piece of information that made David's sin even worse than it already appeared. David had committed adultery with Bathsheba and then conspired to have her husband, Uriah, killed in battle. But, amid the latter, other soldiers had also died. Joab probable knew that he had to allow the soldiers to perish to make the death of Uriah more believable as just another consequence of war and so that neither Joab nor David could be implicated in his death. The murder of Uriah was actually the murder of several soldiers who were serving Israel by taking the battlefield in defense of the nation.

It might have been an unforeseen consequence of the death of Uriah, but sin often comes with those kinds of results. Evil often seems to multiply beyond our intentions. So, Joab instructs the messenger to tell David the total cost of the murder of Uriah, knowing that David would understand the reason why these soldiers had to die.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 12