“When Joab’s forces arrived, they attacked Abel-beth-maacah. They built a siege ramp against the town’s fortifications and began battering down the wall. But a wise woman in the town called out to Joab, “Listen to me, Joab. Come over here so I can talk to you.” As he approached, the woman asked, “Are you Joab?” “I am,” he replied. So she said, “Listen carefully to your servant.” “I’m listening,” he said. Then she continued, “There used to be a saying, ‘If you want to settle an argument, ask advice at the town of Abel.’ I am one who is peace loving and faithful in Israel. But you are destroying an important town in Israel. Why do you want to devour what belongs to the Lord?” And Joab replied, “Believe me, I don’t want to devour or destroy your town! That’s not my purpose. All I want is a man named Sheba son of Bicri from the hill country of Ephraim, who has revolted against King David. If you hand over this one man to me, I will leave the town in peace.” “All right,” the woman replied, “we will throw his head over the wall to you.” Then the woman went to all the people with her wise advice, and they cut off Sheba’s head and threw it out to Joab. So he blew the ram’s horn and called his troops back from the attack. They all returned to their homes, and Joab returned to the king at Jerusalem.”
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2 Samuel‬ ‭20‬:‭15‬-‭22‬ ‭NLT

The story of Sheba and the wise woman has similarities to the story of Phinehas and the Spear. On the surface, the idea of murdering someone with such force and prejudice seems barbaric, but nothing could be further from the truth. Just as with Phinehas before, the wise woman understood that drastic measures had to be taken to protect peace and order. David’s rebellion against God with Bathsheba had caused a chain reaction that allowed for rebellion to flourish. This rebellion was self-replicating and destructive. It caused a dissension that needed to be purged. Even with David rightly on the throne again, continued rebellion was going to destroy the kingdom. Beyond this, it was causing massive collateral damage amongst the common folk. The wise woman understood what was at stake. Here we must understand that Sheba was not a neutral party. He was a man in active sin against God’s anointed. He led others into that sin. The wise woman chose to persuade her community to purge him and his rebellion, for the sake of her people. It was not a malicious act, nor was it barbaric, nor amoral. It was an extreme choice brought on by extreme times. Sometimes, when the stakes are this high, this is the price for righting the ship. She accelerated the natural consequences of his actions, and brought an end to the sin that would’ve killed her people. As harsh as it was, it was the most loving thing to do when all things are considered.