“When the news came to Yo’av, he fled to the tent of Adonai and took hold of the horns of the altar; for Yo’av had given his support to Adoniyah, even though he had not supported Avshalom.”– 1 Kings 2:28
When the second Joab heard what Solomon had done to Adonijah and Evyatar, he knew his life was worth less than a dead cockroach lying underneath Aunt Jemima’s porch.
In desperation, he exercised the only option he felt he had left.
He escaped to where the holy altar was located.
Now, which altar did he go to?
That’s a good question.
And the fact that I’m even asking it shows just how far Israel had strayed from the Torah at this time, because there’s only supposed to be one altar.
Anyway, the answer is that Joab probably tried to escape to the ark located at Gibeon.
This is probably correct, homies.
Why?
Because Chapter 2 says the altar was located at the “tent of the Lord.”
That particular phrase usually only refers to the remaining remnants of the Wilderness Tabernacle…
And NOT the tent David had set up in the City of David to store the Ark of the Covenant.
It’s also not referring to the ark in Jerusalem where Adonijah fled to.
So don’t confuse David’s tent, located in Jerusalem, with the Tabernacle that was located in Gibeon.
Bottom line, Joab wanted to put some serious distance between himself and Solomon.
He hoped that if he fled to the most holy site in Israel (Gibeon at this time), he would be safe.
Unfortunately for Joab, his crimes were so grievous that there was no sanctuary located anywhere on planet Earth that could save his butt.
And Solomon was in no mood to simply banish him, as he did with Evyatar.
Before passing, David made it clear to Solomon that he needed to find a reason to execute Joab.
Solomon had all the reasons he needed to get rid of this wicked man who never hesitated to murder others when they stood in his way.
So Solomon sent B’nayah to find Joab and kill him.
When B’nayah arrived at Gibeon, he found Joab clinging to the horns of the altar.
He commanded Joab to release his hands from the altar and leave the sacred site.
Joab refused.
He told B’nayah that if he wanted to kill him, he’d have to do it right there.
Of course, Joab was betting on the hope that B’nayah wouldn’t do that.
And it worked.
B’nayah hesitated.
He wasn’t sure he had the right to kill someone hanging onto the sacred altar.
So he returned Solomon and explained the situation.
The next time we meet, we’ll get into the specific legalities as to why B’nayah didn’t have to care about Joab hanging onto the horns of the Altar.
But for now, let’s transition to the takeaway.
The lesson for today is as clear as the blue sky on a sunny, cloudless day.
B’nayah, in this situation, is a perfect example of how a lack of Torah knowledge can hinder us from doing what’s right and proper in our lives.
B’nayah didn’t know that even the altar can’t save one who has innocent blood on his hands.
So he hesitated.
How often have we hesitated because we didn’t have enough Godly knowledge to do the right thing, or make the correct choices?
Or worse, we acted on what we thought was the truth, but turned out to be false.
Ya feel me here?
When we try to live our lives without diligent study of Scripture, it leads to a lot of committing sins out of pure ignorance.
Such as praying over unclean foods that the Messiah himself would never have eaten.
The next time we meet, we’ll find out what Solomon told the confused B’nayah when he asked what to do about Joab grasping onto the horns of the Altar.
Later!
One thing that is an uncomfortable truth is stated by God in Leviticus 5:17 (CJB):
“If someone sins by doing something against any of the mitzvot of Adonai concerning things which should not be done, he is guilty, even if he is unaware of it; and he bears the consequences of his wrongdoing.”
In other words, we are guilty of sins we commit, even when we don’t know we commtted them, so what chance do we have of being forgiven when we don’t know we have to be?
Well, for starters, know what is sin and what is not- that’s the best way to know when you have crossed the line.
The next best thing, which is what I do every morning, is to pray for forgiveness of any and all sins I may have committed, by means of the blood of Messiah shed so that I can do what I am doing- coming before God and asking to be forgiven.
In Joab’s case, he knew his sins, and was hoping to be absolved by being in a holy place, but that won’t always work, as he found out (the hard way!).
Exactly. We are guilty of the sins we have committed, whether we are aware of them or not. Fortunately, the Lord in His boundless grace has provided a way for both our intentional and unintentional sins to be forgiven. Shabbat Shalom, brother.