Even Joab Knows It’s Wrong
Joab was the commander of David’s army as well as the king’s cousin. He was a brave man, a cunning warrior, and – like many men of war – a rather unspiritual character. In fact, Joab was bloodthirsty. He killed for revenge. He shed the blood of war in peacetime. He killed when it wasn’t necessary. Joab’s violence grieved David, and on his deathbed the king charged Solomon with bringing justice to the former commander for his crimes.
Joab was an unspiritual man and a murderer. David was a righteous man, a man after God’s own heart. But what if I told you that Joab once rebuked David for issuing a command that was a sin against God? Would it surprise you to learn that so carnal a man would have the moral and spiritual perception to warn David of committing wrong? It is true. When David proposed numbering Israel’s fighting men, a census that God had not authorized and that the Old Testament implicitly forbade, Joab rose before the king and said, “May the LORD make His people a hundred times more than they are. But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? Why then does my lord require this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt in Israel?” (1Chr. 21:3).
It’s sad that sometimes the people of the world have greater moral and spiritual discernment than the people of God. Gospel knowledge is not instinctual. Man is not born understanding the eternal implications of sin, the substitutionary atonement available in Christ or the necessary conditions of salvation. These concepts must be heard and learned (Jn. 6:45; Ro. 10:17). But there is a certain level of moral awareness that is basic to man. There is an affection that is natural, at least for most men (Ro. 1:31). There is a general awareness of God that pervades even the most primitive society but is regrettably absent in the more enlightened (Ro. 1:18-23). Unspiritual people sometimes have a better sense of what is appropriate behavior for a Christian than some disciples of Christ seem to.
Most people in our community know that it is inconsistent for a Christian to smoke. I have studied with smokers who know very little about the Bible but know that smoking is not proper behavior for a Christian. Perhaps they could not explain why, but they know it is so. Unfortunately, some brethren seem to lack this most basic level of discernment. They are content to serve God and to smoke. Brethren, smoking is an addictive, destructive habit. Paul was determined not to be controlled even by lawful things. An addict is controlled by the cravings of his flesh, not by the Spirit of God (Ga. 5:16-17). The saint’s body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1Co. 6:19-20). Would you destroy that body and submit it to the power of an instrument of death?
Even the most unspiritual people know that cursing and Christianity do not go together. That realization seems not to have occurred to some religious people. There are Christians who continue to use at least mild profanities, euphemisms, and to speak the Lord’s name in a careless and irreverent way. Some denominational preachers have even caused a stir in recent years by using profanity in the pulpit to better relate to their audience. Brethren, we should know better, the world certainly does. God’s name is to be treated with reverence. Our speech is to be pure and purposeful. Jesus said, “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Mt. 12:36-37). People in the world may use profane and vulgar speech, but even they know that it is out of place for a Christian to do so.
If people in the world can discern one error that often escapes our notice, it is our hypocrisy. When Christians behave in ways that even the world knows are wrong, we lose our spiritual credibility and we diminish if not destroy our evangelistic influence. It is to our shame that brethren will sometimes defend their right to practice something that tarnishes the holy name they wear and serves Satan’s purposes. When we behave hypocritically, God’s name is blasphemed among the people of the world. Instead, let us resolve to be lights unto the world and live in such a way that others might be led to glorify God (Mt. 5:16). A hypocrite has little influence to use evangelistically and little hope of being saved eternally. -JME