2 Samuel 11:14

DAVID MURDERED EIGHTEEN MEN; INCLUDING URIAH

"In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah. In the letter he wrote, `Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down and die.' And as Joab was besieging the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew there were valiant men. And the men of the city came out and fought with Joab; and some of the servants of David among the people fell. Uriah the Hittite was slain also. Then Joab sent and told David all the news about the fighting: and he instructed the messenger, `When you have finished telling all the news about the fighting to the king, then, if the king's anger rises, and he says to you, "Why did you go so near to the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? Who killed Abimelech the son of Jerub-besheth? Did not a woman cast an upper millstone upon him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?" then you shall say, `Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.'"

"In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab" (2 Samuel 11:14). This act of treachery on David's part was exceedingly despicable in that he even sent the letter by the hand of Uriah whom he had ordered slain! This was effort no. 6 on David's part to avoid public knowledge of his own adultery. Yes, the dog-like loyalty of Joab to David is evident in the truth that Joab would not have hesitated to do anything, no matter how wicked, if he knew that David desired it done.

"Some of the servants of David ... fell. Uriah the Hittite was slain also" (2 Samuel 11:16). The Septuagint (LXX) has a somewhat fuller account of this episode, and from it we learn that the number of the slain was eighteen men,[20] all eighteen of them murdered (their death was nothing else than murder) by the express command of David and the expert compliance with his order on the part of Joab. This massacre was effort no. 7 by the sinful king to cover up his crime. However, even more was to follow.

"Joab then added his own touch to this iniquitous drama. He went through the form of sending the king a report of the disaster which followed his sending men too near the wall. With well-feigned hypocrisy, he makes the messenger believe that David will be displeased at the loss of life, and will blame him for his lack of caution; but it is curious that the messenger was instructed to make mention of the death of Uriah only after the king expressed his anger."[21]

It is not at all unlikely that David had suggested this kind of a report in that letter to Joab. Such a procedure would make everything look "oh, so normal." We cannot be certain of this. Nevertheless, we shall call this effort no. 8!