May
6
Written by:
Route 365
5/6/2010 9:19 AM
written by by Melinda Messick
Process engineering. That’s what I did when my work was paid. While we process engineers were working to improve the manufacturing process, there were product engineers who were working to improve the final product itself. So what does this have to do with God and King David? In verse 12 Joab says, “Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The LORD will do what is good in his sight.” It sounds to me like Joab was thinking of himself as a process engineer, who knew how God expected the process to look. He seemed to have had complete confidence in God as the product engineer who was responsible for the final outcome.
What can I learn about being a good process engineer from this passage? It’s amazing the great models these men provide, through their ancient chariot battles, all the way to a 21st century wife and mother.
From David’s well intentioned idea (v2) that started the whole mess in this passage, I learn to act on God’s ideas and not my own.
I learn to commune with God. While the passage here doesn’t show David or Joab communing with God, we know from other passages that David had a very close relationship with the Lord, and his behavior, except where specifically noted, bore evidence of that. Likewise, Joab’s words indicate that he placed his ultimate hope in the Lord (v12).
I learn not to bury my head in the sand, but to pay attention to what is going on around me, and to respond appropriately. These verses mention how David and Joab did just that, with passages such as “When David was told…” (v5), “On hearing this,” (v7), and “Joab saw…” (v9).
I learn to help others and to let them help me, as David and Joab planned to rescue each other (v11). And, I learn to know my purpose, as Joab knew that his purpose was to protect “our people and the cities of our God.” (v12)
The best lesson, though, is that God is our perfect product engineer, completely compassionate and completely in control. David, as God’s representative, demonstrated God’s compassion to his humiliated servants, providing for their restoration (v5). Joab affirmed his faith in God’s control, proclaiming to his troops that God was in charge and that He is good (v12). The final outcome belongs to the Lord.
Your Fellow Traveler,
Melinda
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