Peaceful, Faithful & Wise
“Then a wise woman called from the city, 'Listen! Listen! Tell Joab, "Come here, that I may speak to you."' And he came near her, and the woman said, 'Are you Joab?' He answered, 'I am.' Then she said to him, 'Listen to the words of your servant.' And he answered, 'I am listening.' Then she said, 'They used to say in former times, "Let them but ask counsel at Abel," and so they settled a matter. I am one of those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why will you swallow up the heritage of the Lord?'”—2 Samuel 20:16–19 (ESV)
Have you ever read a story where you thought it was going one way, but it ended up going somewhere entirely different? That’s exactly what happened to me with this one.
To give you a little background: Joab, a mighty warrior in King David’s army, is pursuing a man named Sheba. Sheba is causing great division in the kingdom and trying to stir rebellion against David’s rule. In fact, King David feared Sheba might cause even more damage than his own son, Absalom.
As you can imagine, a great army was sent to track Sheba down and stop the revolt. That pursuit, led by Joab, led them to a town called Abel. Sheba hides inside the city, and David’s army begins their assault—ready to do whatever it takes to capture him, even if it means conquering the entire city.
Then the Bible tells us that a wise woman calls out from the city and initiates a conversation that ultimately saves it. She speaks of an old saying about how people used to come to Abel to seek counsel and settle disputes. She then identifies herself as one of those who are peaceful and faithful in Israel.
At this point, we know this woman is considered three things: peaceful, faithful, and wise.
As I read this story, I found myself anxiously waiting to see how she was going to resolve the conflict between Joab and Sheba. How will she save her city? Will she open the gates and let Joab’s army in? Will she try to deceive Sheba into surrendering? Will she just try to get everyone to move on and “get over it”?
She does none of those things.
Instead, she takes matters into her own hands. She gathers the people, shares her wise counsel—and they cut off Sheba’s head and throw it over the wall.
(Vv. 21–22)
This peaceful, faithful, and wise woman handled the conflict in her city by addressing it directly. Sheba posed a threat to her people and her home. Rather than waiting for someone else to fix it, hoping it would go away, or trying to manipulate the situation, she acted with courage and clarity.
Sometimes, the most peaceful, faithful, and wise thing we can do when facing adversity is to deal with it directly and head-on.
What’s interesting is the language Jesus uses in Matthew 5:9:
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
Notice He said peacemakers—not peacekeepers.
To make peace, you sometimes have to confront conflict before it escalates. Keeping the peace often means calming tensions after they’ve already taken root.
The challenge is clear for you and me: we need to make peace.
What areas in your life are you hesitant to deal with head-on? Are you afraid that confronting the conflict will only make things worse?
Take a note from the wise woman: She didn’t invite Sheba into her life—he brought the drama with him. She just chose not to let it stay.
Don’t be afraid to handle the challenges in your life. Maybe the peace you’re seeking can only be found by dealing with those challenges directly.
And, for what it’s worth—we’re not actually advocating for anyone to cut someone’s head off.
But we are big fans of dealing with issues “head”-on… or, in this case, off.
Let me pray for you:
Jesus, I pray that You would continue to reveal the challenges in our lives that we need to face directly. Help us make peace in our homes, families, and hearts. Give us the strength and courage to do the right thing—because it’s the right thing to do. Fill us with wisdom and peace as we walk it out. Amen.
