May the text speak for itself!

2 Samuel 18:5-15
5The king charged Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” And all the people heard when the king charged all the commanders concerning Absalom. 6Then the people went out into the field against Israel, and the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim. 7The people of Israel were defeated there before the servants of David, and the slaughter there that day was great, 20,000 men. 8For the battle there was spread over the whole countryside, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured. 9Now Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. For Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak. And his head caught fast in the oak, so he was left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him kept going. 10When a certain man saw it, he told Joab and said, “Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.” 11Then Joab said to the man who had told him, “Now behold, you saw him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? And I would have given you ten pieces of silver and a belt.” 12The man said to Joab, “Even if I should receive a thousand pieces of silver in my hand, I would not put out my hand against the king’s son; for in our hearing the king charged you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, ‘Protect for me the young man Absalom!’ 13“Otherwise, if I had dealt treacherously against his life (and there is nothing hidden from the king), then you yourself would have stood aloof.” 14Then Joab said, “I will not waste time here with you.” So he took three spears in his hand and thrust them through the heart of Absalom while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak. 15And ten young men who carried Joab’s armor gathered around and struck Absalom and killed him.

I am certain, that today I will be faced with a similar situation and have to make a similar choice. Although the details of the situation may not unfold in the same manner for me today, but still, I will be faced with the same underlying factors that these two servants had to face when the situation arose. The question is, what will I do?

Jesus Christ our King, has given all of us servants a charge or a command, or calling, as a whole and individually and there is only two choices we have, obey or disobey.

Will we be like servant one, known only as “a certain man.” Who when tempted by the wealth of this world and faced with the fear of man, and the possibility of praise to his name, he refused all of the above and obey the charge of King David.

OR... Will we be like servant two, known as Joab, a nephew of King David, also his right hand man and commander of the King’s army. Who willing disobeyed the Kings charge, even after being personally charged by the King and was also reminded by servant one, of the charge given to him.

The question is, what will we do today…. obey or disobey our king’s charge?
We have a charge, a command, and a calling from our King Jesus, both as a whole of His Body of believers and individually as His servant that He has given to us personally. Will we give into the temptations that will come when the situation arises and because of them disobey our King, like Joab did OR will we be like the unknown servant and have Jesus Christ sanctified as Lord in our hearts and because of that obey our King. The cost of obedience to our King is great but the reward of that obedience is much greater.

John 14:21
He how has My commandments and keeps them, is He who loves Me, and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father and I will love him and disclose Myself to him.

Romans 8:18
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

Ryan Whitson