[One-Verse Meditation]

2 Samuel 10:12 (ESV)

“Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what seems good to him.”

(Meditation)

As Joab fights against the Ammonites and the Syrians who have risen up against Israel, he divides the army into two groups to face them. He takes command of one, and entrusts the other to his brother Abishai. And in the very midst of battle he says, “Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God.” Joab clearly knows why the army of Israel must be courageous. They are not fighting merely for their own lives or their own honor, but for the people of God and the cities of God.

So Joab’s courage is not vague self-confidence. His strength does not come from trusting in his own ability, but from knowing who they are. The reason for their courage is this: they are God’s people, and God has made them His own. This is where the believer’s courage begins as well. We are not courageous because we are strong, but because we belong to God.

Joab then goes on to say, “May the Lord do what seems good to him.” In these words, we see the faith of God’s people clearly displayed. Joab does not avoid the battle he must fight, yet he does not place the outcome in his own hands. Instead, he entrusts the result to the goodness of the Lord. Hidden within this brief confession is the believer’s faith that God is good, and that in His goodness He never turns away from His people.

This word shows us the same path today. The believer’s life is not courageous because it can guarantee the outcome, but because the God who has made us His people is good. That is why we can remain at the place entrusted to us without running away. Even if that place is still a battlefield, the goodness and faithfulness of God are with us. Those who know that God will do what seems good to Him take their next step today with faith and courage.

(Prayer)

Lord, let my courage not come from myself, but from the grace by which You have made me Your own people. Entrusting this day to Your good will, I step into this new day by faith. Amen.
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(Daily Meditation)

2 Samuel 10:4–11:1