A Meditation on Motivation
One of the interesting things to look at and seek to understand is motivation. It is especially interesting seeing the motivations of people throughout the Bible. It is true that only God knows the heart, but motivations can be seen from actions and what we spend our time and money on. For instance, you can tell what someone really cares about by how much they spend their money on.
Looking throughout the Old Testament, there are some very interesting people with very interesting motivations.
For example, one can look at David at various points in his life and see different motivations for different actions. Looking specifically at the sin that he is most famous for, the murder of Uriah and impregnation of Bathsheba, one can see his lustful attitude when he sees her,
It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her.[i]
David only sought to sleep with Bathsheba and kill Uriah due to his own lust in seeing her as a beautiful woman bathing upon a roof. Of course, David is called a “man after God’s own heart,” so his motivations do change and improve through the grace of God. But in this instance, David’s motivation is sinful and corrupt.
Another interesting person to look at when exploring motivations is David’s son, Solomon, known for building the temple. Solomon also built his own palace. When looking at the story of Solomon constructing both the temple and his palace, it’s interesting.
At the end of chapter 6 in 1 Kings, it tells us that Solomon spent seven years in constructing the temple. But the beginning of chapter 7, it reads, “Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished his entire house.”[ii] Solomon spent twice as long building his own palace as he spent building the temple. It reveals the motivations behind both constructing the temple and his home, he sought greater glory and comfort in constructing his own home.
Out of all the people of the Old Testament in which we can explore the motivations of, one of the most interesting people in which we can look at is Joab. Joab is best known as serving as a military commander throughout his life, mostly for King David. But what drives Joab is not the good of the Kingdom of Israel, but the political power that lies in who he serves.
As King David rose to power as king of Israel, Joab served as his second in command. During David’s battle against King Saul, Joab served as David’s commander of the army. Joab is mentioned again when David is king and interested in Bathsheba, as he is sent a letter told to place Bathsheba’s husband on the front lines.
The next time we see Joab is when David ordered a census to be taken of his people, Joab warned him against doing so, but carried out the task in obedience to the king anyways. Joab continued to serve David when Prince Absalom rose and rebelled against David, other men refused to kill the son of David, but Joab took action,
Joab said, “I will not waste time like this with you.” And he took three javelins in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the oak. And ten young men, Joab’s armor-bearers, surrounded Absalom and struck him and killed him.[iii]
David, saddened by his son’s death, appointed a new general, Amasa. But Joab wanted his position back again, Joab murders Amasa and led Amasa’s men to complete the task that David had sent them to do.
Attempting to continue in a place of power, Joab remained close to the king even as he was dying. Joab made sure to support the line of David, discussing with David’s son, Adonijah, trying to secure his position as commander of his army. But David chose Solomon to be king following his death and instructed Solomon on how to deal with Joab as an evil man who sought only power and influence.
Adonijah, discredited and displaced, sought to marry the king’s handmaid. Solomon, in an attempt to secure power, killed Adonijah and also had Joab put to death as one of Adonijah’s supporters. It is seen throughout his whole story that his motivations lie in politics, he sought power and influence.
It is interesting to explore characters and people and their motivations. Joab’s actions and loyalty to those with power are evidence of his longing for power. It is one of the most interesting stories of a power hungry individual and we can watch and seek to know more stories and the motivations behind such stories in continued reading.
This story specifically reminds Christians of the motivations we ought to have in doing all things. The Bible actually tells us how to do things in a correct motivation, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”[iv] This story reminds us of the fact that when we do something, our motivation ought to be the glorification of God.
Endnotes:
[i] English Standard Version Bible, 2 Samuel 11:2–3.
[ii] English Standard Version Bible, 1 Kings 7:1.
[iii] English Standard Version Bible, 2 Samuel 18: 14–15.
[iv] English Standard Version Bible, 1 Corinthians 10:31.
