And when it was told King Solomon, “Joab has fled to the tent of the LORD, and behold, he is beside the altar,” Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, strike him down.”
Abiathar and Joab were equally guilty of treason, yet Solomon rightly made a difference: Abiathar is only degraded and confined to Anathoth, spared because he had borne the ark before David and suffered all his afflictions. Kindness to God's people shall be remembered to their advantage.
AI summary
Commenting on 1 Kings 2:26-34
And Benaiah came to the tabernacle of the Lord,.... At Gibeon: and said unto him; that is, to Joab: thus saith the king, come forth; meaning, out of the tabernacle; which plainly shows that his orders were not to slay him in it: and he said, nay, but I will die here; since he must die, he chose to die there; but what was his...
Joab's crimes warranted death long ago, but his power with the army shielded him until now. He fled to the altar hoping religious scruple would stay the executioner's hand, but the law permits no sanctuary for a murderer and rebel.
AI summary
Commenting on 1 Kings 2:28-45