Abner Joins David

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

2 Samuel 3:12-16

12 And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, “To whom does the land belong? Make your covenant with me, and behold, my hand shall be with you to bring over all Israel to you.”
13 And he said, “Good; I will make a covenant with you. But one thing I require of you; that is, you shall not see my face unless you first bring Michal, Saul’s daughter, when you come to see my face.”
14 Then David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, saying, “Give me my wife Michal, for whom I paid the bridal price of a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.”
15 And Ish-bosheth sent and took her from her husband Paltiel the son of Laish.
16 But her husband went with her, weeping after her all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go, return.” And he returned.

So the negotiations begin. Abner, the power broker has initiated his intent to the new king David, with an open question.

To whom does the land belong?

We must remember the promise of God for this nation was a land that the tribes of Israel could possess. Although it was never in the will of God to have a man rule over the people as a king, (although it seems it was in the permissive will), for Abner to speak of the land as belonging to someone implies it belongs to the king.

In this assumption, or this request as to who owned the land, I feel Abner may have been appealing to David’s desire to rule/own all of Israel. Some translations read the Hebrew to reflect this

Then Abner sent messengers to David, saying, “Doesn’t the entire land belong to you? Make a solemn pact with me, and I will help turn over all of Israel to you.”

When David receives this message, I imagine his thoughts go to the land being God’s, and that as the anointed ruler, he desires it to be unified. Abner appealed on the level of David’s thirst for power. David received the offer understanding the importance of a unified nation for the sake of the Lord.

Given my assumptions of altruism with David, we should also understand that David was a strategist, and sought to take advantage of the position of power he was in.

Having had his wife taken by Saul was an act of shame and a show of power by Saul. David wanted his wife back. Not only because of their relationship being torn apart by Saul, but also to strengthen his position as king. Remember he was ascending to Saul’s throne, and as Saul’s son-in-law, the reestablishment of his marriage to Saul’s daughter would strengthen his position before the nation.

I love the fact that David responded to Ish-bosheth, taking the message from Abner but responding to the king instead. Not only was this the proper channels to follow, it did not allow any claim of deception on the part of David. Abner was lurking behind the scenes under Ish-bosheth’s rule, but David was having no part of it!

David simply made a demand to Ish-bosheth. Give me my wife. I paid for her and she is mine.

By now, Ish-bosheth must be quaking in his boots. Abner, his general is a threatening force in his kingdom, and the opposing forces were making legitimate demands that would weaken his own position. And what was Ish-bosheth to do? He stood up to Abner and was put in his place. David was no less a man of war.

Ish-bosheth was done. He sent Michal, his sister back to David, reestablishing David as a rightful heir through Saul’s daughter.

The final portion of this passage continues to reveal the type of man Abner was. Seemingly at the drop of a hat, Paltiel, Michal’s second husband, has his wife is taken from him. His devotion to this woman is admirable, and yet in his weakness and loss, Abner observes the man’s devotion and simply tells him to “Go return”. Although there was no other option for this poor man, Abner’s command seems to sum up his general hardness!

In summary, three men are considered in this passage.

Abner, a man seeking advantage wherever he may find it. It doesn’t seem Abner considers fidelity an important aspect of life. He simply seeks advantage. How can he control a situation, and find dominance. He is always clawing to the top of the heap!

Ish-bosheth, a man who has no hope. It turns out that his greatest fear of Abner’s mutiny will be realized, and yet in the near future, he finds Abner’s death only to increase his fears. It is as if his only hope was Abner, and Abner was his greatest threat. What a terrible position to be in!

David is the man ascending to the throne. He is being given a path without bloodshed that will establish his kingdom and bring Israel to it’s greatest physical glory!

It is amazing that varied objectives from these three men all come together to bring about a purpose that will provide good to the nation, power to the king, and glory to the God of Israel.

God was on the march, taking a young man through suffering, and sitting him on throne of Israel.

Does this remind you of anyone?

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