MTL - To Four Thousand Years Later-Chapter 20 kingship and theocracy

Benaiah and Solomon, leading an army and curious people, went a second time to Joab's hiding place.

Although Benaiah went back to the inner temple to ask Solomon for advice because he couldn't make up his mind, he was not an overly careless fool. Before he departed, he left some of the army behind, and lay in ambush near the tent with sword in hand.

If Joab escaped from the tent, they would pursue him and kill him with spear and sword.

However, Joab didn’t know whether he had guessed what Benaiah was thinking, or he was too cautious—until Benaiah came back, Joab didn’t even look outside.

"That's because he knew from the beginning that you were going to kill him, Benaya."

Solomon looked at the tent behind Benaiah and shook his head: "Joab is at least smarter than Doniah."

David was dead, and it was easy for Solomon to kill Joab now. In the simplest case, he simply refused to bring food to Joab, and it was enough to starve him to death in the dungeon.

But that's pointless. Solomon killed Joab and all he got was "mission accomplished".

In Solomon's view, the task of the system should not be its own purpose, but the direction of guidance.

If you don't have enough ability, long-term goals, and orderly planning, even if you have the plug-in of the system, you still won't be able to accomplish anything.

Except for the first days, Solomon was really excited for a while, and then he began to consciously train himself not to be bound by system tasks.

Whether it is too much dependence on the system, or ignorance and aversion to the system, it is not a mature enough point of view. It's all too extreme.

In Solomon's view, to be practical is to use, and to be useful is to hang yourself—but you can't spoil yourself.

Since Joab is determined to be killed, Joab cannot be killed only. Take one step at a time and look at it step by step, even for ordinary people's life planning, it is too stupid and passive.

During the seven days after David's death, Solomon did nothing else. Instead, together with the prophet Nathan, he sorted out the interpersonal relationship between Joab and Adonijah, and singled out all those who were worthy of vigilance.

In addition, he and the priest Zadok also singled out some of the more stubborn and inflexible priests.

Among the people Solomon brought out this time, except for the extras he arranged, most of the rest were these restless people.

In a sense, this can also be regarded as a kind of killing chickens and monkeys

"Marshal Joab, the king has ordered that you must die today!"

After Benaiah nodded to Solomon, he shouted loudly and stepped forward.

He shouted at Joab through the curtain, "The king ordered you to come out, Commander Joab!"

"...No, I'm going to die here!"

After being silent for a long time, Joab shouted in a trembling but still firm voice: "Come in, Benaiah! Kill me!"

"I don't want to kill you inside, Marshal Joab."

Benaya bit her lip and said from the bottom of her heart, "I don't want your blood to blaspheme the Lord."

"Of course you don't want to...and you don't dare, Benaya."

Joab turned his back to Benaiah, grabbed the horns of the altar with both hands and said calmly: "You are a devout believer and a brave warrior. You love the army. Look, you still call me Marshal."

Although his tone was calm, there was sweat dripping from his forehead, dripping on the altar. His calf was also a little weak, showing signs of cramping.

Benaya was silent for a breath, and then pulled out the sword from his waist.

Hearing the familiar sound of the sword unsheathing, Joab immediately said, "Stop, Benaiah. Listen to me... You and I both know that no one in Israel can replace King David. Because David Kings are special—anyone other than him would divide the kingdoms of Israel and Judah."

After that, Joab turned his head and looked at Benaiah earnestly: "Binaiah, my brother...do you think I will think that Adonijah can become a good king? I am not stupid and ignorant commoner, Benaiah."

Joab didn't wait for Benaiah to speak, and continued to speak quickly: "Yes, the people need a king, and as long as there is a king, the people can feel at ease... But Benaiah, the king is not necessarily the ruler."

"He could just be a symbol—"

"Presumptuous, Joab!"

Facing Joab's ambitious words, Benaiah was sweating profusely, and sternly reprimanded: "You want to take power for yourself!"

"It's not me, Benaya! It's the army!"

Joab said loudly: "Can the land be harvested with priests? Can the border be peaceful with the king? Don't make trouble, Benaiah, you and I both know that only the army is the power of the country! Therefore, only the army can You have the right to speak!"

He stepped forward, grabbed Benaiah's shoulders, and looked earnestly into Benaiah's eyes: "Israel needs an army, Benaiah! Warrior Benaiah! And the army needs me—the army cannot do without me! The army needs I need you too."

Joab's face was covered with sweat, but he showed a confident smile, nodded to Benaiah, and said in a low voice: "Kill Solomon, Benaiah. You and I will be in power... I know the priests Some of them. I mean, real priests, not liars like Zadok."

He stepped forward suddenly, startling the overwhelmed Binaya. But he just hugged Benayah and kissed him.

Then, he turned around, supported the altar again, and whispered: "As long as you listen to me, Israel will surely regain its glory under the hands of you and me."

"But the king has orders..."

"That's just the king's order! Benaya!"

With his back to Benaiah, Joab roared in a low voice: "This is the tent! God's tent—are you listening to the king or to God?!"

Hearing this, Benaya was silent.

Holding the sword in his hand, he slowly inserted it back into the sheath. Turn around and walk out of the tent.

Hearing the voice gradually fade away, Joab breathed a sigh of relief, relaxed his tense nerves, and took out the sharp iron piece hidden in his sleeve and placed it on the altar.

"Although I don't beg you, but you really saved..."

Joab lowered his head and whispered to the altar.

But before he finished speaking, Benaiah, who had his back turned to him, suddenly drew out his sword, turned around and took a step forward, and stabbed the sharp blade in Joab's back!

Joab's eyes bulged, and bloodstains burst out from his pupils. His upper body trembled, his throat made a gurgling sound, and he coughed up blood: "You...Binaia...this..."

"Sorry, Joab."

Benaya calmly turned the sword in his hand. The sword blade pierced from the front of Joab's chest, gushing out streams of blood, staining the altar.

Joab wanted to reach out to grab the blade he took out, but Benaiah nailed his hand to the altar with the knife in his bosom.

Benayah let go of the hand that was holding the long sword and pushed forward vigorously, reached out and took out the blade that Joab had kept privately, and lightly pressed it on the neck of Joab who was still breathing.

Benaiah said in a low voice, "I listen to the king."

After saying that, he pushed hard and plunged the blade into Joab's throat.