1Ki 2:5 Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet.

In this chapter, we read about the death of David. But before he died, he gave some instructions to his son Solomon regarding friends and foes. David warned him about Joab, his former chief of army, and Shimei, who cursed him. He asked Solomon to show kindness to Barzillai the Gileadite who helped him when he was fleeing from Absalom. Who was Joab and why didn’t David kill Joab himself but entrust this dirty work to his son? David was Joab’s uncle. In 1Chronicles 2:13-16, we read Jesse had seven sons and David was number seven. Jesse also had two daughters, Zeruiah and Abigail. And, Zeruiah had three sons, Abishai, Joab, and Asahel. That makes Joab David’s nephew. When we were first introduced to David in 1Samuel 16:12 when Samuel came to his house to anoint him as king, we see that David was just a youth. We can deduce he was not much older than Joab; could be younger. In the beginning, Joab was fiercely loyal to King David. David made him chief of his army. Joab won many battles for his king. He had also risked his life in many occasions for the sake of kingdom of Israel and David. Yet, Joab was ambitious and ruthless. He would do anything to secure his position as chief of David’s army. When David replaced Amasa as chief of his army, Joab murdered him (2Samuel 20:1-10). Joab also killed Abner, former captain of Saul’s army, who came to reconcile with David. Joab might have felt threatened by this reconciliation (2 Samuel 3:26-30). Joab was arrogant. He killed Absalom for whom David had given specific instructions not to harm him in any ways (2 Samuel 18). Joab thought he was indispensable and therefore had the audacity to disobey the king’s command. As a consequence, David appointed Amasa to take the place of Joab. Though Joab was loyal to David, he sided with Adonijah who seized the throne from Solomon (1Kings 1:5-9). David knew Joab and Adonijah well. David knew the loyalty and sacrifice Joab made for him over the years; but he also knew his violence and ruthlessness. Since Joab’s loyalty was not with Solomon, he would do anything to have Adonijah become king and he (Joab) regained his position as chief of army. Joab and Adonijah were threats to Solomon’s reign.                                                     At first reading, we might suppose that the old king cherished a personal bitter feeling against Joab. But, it should be remembered that he spoke from a public standpoint. It was about national security. He knew that these two men constituted a grave peril to the peace and stability of the kingdom. Is it right for us to warn about certain folks who could be a threat to the church? Yes, it is right. For elders not to do so is to neglect their responsibilities as shepherds of the church (Acts 20:28-30). Paul mentioned names when he warned the brethren about false teachers (1Timothy 1:20). John mentioned one named Diotrephes who was unruly in the church (3John 1:9). Paul named one called Demas who had fallen away (2Timothy 4:10). Christ named one woman called Jezebel who called herself a prophetess and seduced the brethren to commit fornication and idolatry (Revelation 2:20). It is not an unloving act to name names when the purity of the church is at stake. Members need to be warned against those who threaten the peace and purity of the church: “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them” (Romans 16:20).