In 2 Samuel 18:19-32 The war was over, Absalom is dead, and now all that remains is to notify David. Joab knew that this was a tough message to deliver as the truth would bring no celebration as the enemy was from David’s own son. Apparently Joab wanted to spare Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok the priest, the burden of being the messenger of bad news, even though Ahimaaz was faster than the Cushite. Yet Ahimaaz was so eager he volunteered to run even though he didn’t have all the information as Joab questions him in verse 22: “Why will you run, my son, since you have no news ready?”
Ahimaaz reminds us of that verse in Rom. 10:2, having “zeal but not according to knowledge.” We can’t be sure, but it seems as though Ahimaaz wanted to seem important even though he hadn’t anything to say, so he ran anyway.
Hey, Christian there is a lesson in this for you and me as we handle the most important communication to share the the truth of the Word of God!
You see, far too many people are like Ahimaaz, who are so eager to go that not only do they outrun everyone else, they outran the message they are supposed to bring. Consider the paths the two took, as they were very different. The Cushite took the more difficult route while Ahimaaz took the plain.
When we consider teaching the Word of God we need to remind ourselves that there are some who teach and “run ahead” of the Lord, and though they arrive faster and with more style, they lack the content. The moral of the story? The job of a messenger of the Word is not to be found in the delivery but in what you are delivering!
That is why Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Tim 2:15, saying, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” The Lord told Habakkuk in 2:2 to “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.”