The news reached Joab. Since he had supported Adonijah but not Absalom, Joab fled to the LORD's tabernacle and took hold of the horns of the altar.
It was reported to King Solomon: "Joab has fled to the LORD' s tabernacle and is now beside the altar." Then Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada and told [him], "Go and strike him down!"
So Benaiah went to the tabernacle and said to Joab, "This is what the king says: 'Come out!'"
But Joab said, "No, for I will die here."
So Benaiah took a message back to the king, "This is what Joab said, and this is how he answered me."
The king said to him, "Do just as he says. Strike him down and bury him in order to remove from me and from my father's house the blood that Joab shed without just cause. The LORD will bring back his own blood on his own head because he struck down two men more righteous and better than he, without my father David's knowledge. With his sword, Joab murdered Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel's army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah's army. Their blood will come back on Joab's head and on the head of his descendants forever, but for David, his descendants, his dynasty, and his throne, there will be peace from the LORD forever."
Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up, struck down Joab, and put him to death.
1 Kings 2:28-34
I've always felt that Joab was slighted here. As commander of the army, he was a key figure in Israel's military successes for over three decades. In that respect, Joab's life shouldn't have ended in such a way. But in another respect, Joab was not the most loyal subject of David--he definitely followed his own agenda at times.
- Joab assassinated Abner, the commander of the army under Saul and Ishboseth, even though Abner had allied himself with David. This was the primary reason David felt Joab deserved to die. David never took initiative in the remaining 32 years of his kingship to kill Joab, but commanded Solomon to do so instead.
- Joab secretly killed Absalom even though had David explicitly charged the army not to keep his son alive. Of course, killing Absalom was arguably beneficial to David's kingship, but it wasn't beneficial to David personally, who had already suffered the loss of a son to murder.
- Joab killed the newly appointed commander of the army, Amasa, in order to get that political position back.
- Joab only took a partial count of Israel because he abhorred David's command to take a census. Note, however, that Joab did not find David's command to indirectly murder Uriah the Hittite abhorrent enough to disobey the king.
- Joab supported Adonijah's attempt to ascend his father's throne; David had decided to give the kingship to his other son, Solomon.
Perhaps Joab is analogous to Christians who mostly serve God but deep down they're more interested in serving themselves. Or maybe this is just one of those cases where the morality isn't as clear as the reality:
A king is delighted with a servant who acts wisely, but he is furious with one who acts shamefully.Proverbs 14:35
