I don’t know why but I am often drawn to the stories of unnamed people in the bible. People whose stories made the headlines but whose names remain unknown. This morning I came across one of these unnamed in 2 Samuel 20:16. (She may in fact be the inspiration behind Tyler Perry’s Madea character…..)
In this passage David’s army is hunting down Sheba – a Benjamite who has proven he will just be a big problem for Judah. Sheba has taken refuge in Abel and David’s armies have built a siege ramp to take the city.
15 All the troops with Joab came and besieged Sheba in Abel Beth Maakah. They built a siege ramp up to the city, and it stood against the outer fortifications. While they were battering the wall to bring it down, 16 a wise woman called from the city, “Listen! Listen! Tell Joab to come here so I can speak to him.” 17 He went toward her, and she asked, “Are you Joab?”
“I am,” he answered.
She said, “Listen to what your servant has to say.”
“I’m listening,” he said.
18 She continued, “Long ago they used to say, ‘Get your answer at Abel,’ and that settled it. 19 We are the peaceful and faithful in Israel. You are trying to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why do you want to swallow up the Lord’s inheritance?”
20 “Far be it from me!” Joab replied, “Far be it from me to swallow up or destroy! 21 That is not the case. A man named Sheba son of Bikri, from the hill country of Ephraim, has lifted up his hand against the king, against David. Hand over this one man, and I’ll withdraw from the city.”
The woman said to Joab, “His head will be thrown to you from the wall.”
22 Then the woman went to all the people with her wise advice, and they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bikri and threw it to Joab. So he sounded the trumpet, and his men dispersed from the city, each returning to his home. And Joab went back to the king in Jerusalem.
Notice in verse 16 she is called “a wise woman” and again in verse 22 she is noted as having “wise advice.”
Does anyone else just love this account? Here is a powerful man with an army ready to take out an entire city and it’s people to have one man and a woman stands up and says “hellerrr….” in a Madea voice – We will just throw this guys head over the wall and you can spare us.
This tickles me – not only because I really can see a Madea like character cast in this story but because of the times I feel like I have had to throw myself in front of my husband who sometimes gets riled like a moving freight train and seems destined to overkill the challenge. Can I get a witness?
Daddyzgirl 