JOAB: The King's Bloody Right Hand — A Father's Gift, A Name, and the Greater King
A BOOK ABOUT A NAME. A FATHER'S GIFT. THE GREATER KING.
A Father's Gift: Why My Name Is Joab
The name Joab is traditionally explained from the Hebrew Yoav as 'Yahweh is Father.' For author Joab Rico, the name is a deeply personal gift from his father, the Reverend Michael M. Rico, who taught him Scripture and pointed him toward Jesus Christ from childhood.
His father remembered hearing an observation about the biblical commander Joab during a University of Minnesota course on Israel's history. That remembered classroom remark is a family recollection, not an independently verified scholarly quotation. It inspired a lifelong interest in the bold and deeply complicated general who served David.
The biblical Joab helped defend David's kingdom, displayed courage, and urged his brother Abishai to do what was right for their people while entrusting the outcome to the Lord (2 Samuel 10:9–12). Yet the same biblical record reports betrayal and bloodshed. The book refuses to excuse the commander's crimes merely because his military ability was extraordinary.
The author's dedication to his father expresses the heart of the project: he received a warrior's name, but his father taught him to follow the Lamb. He calls readers beyond Joab's power to the Son of David whose own blood was given to save rather than to dominate.
JOAB: The King's Bloody Right Hand — The Life, Sins, and Sovereign Purposes of David's Fiercest Commander is a 217-page editorial reading proof containing eighteen chapters, a personal opening, biblical notes, and indexes. The manuscript is in development. It is not yet publicly available for purchase.
This work explores courage, power, family loyalty, grief, violence, accountability, and the sovereignty of God, while insisting that Jesus Christ is the greater King whose righteousness no human sword could secure.
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