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 3:1
1 There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. And David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker.

We discussed this civil war erupting in the previous post, with Abner and Joab butting heads, and blood flowing from both armies. Even in the battle that followed the mutual kilkings of ten soldiers from both armies, it became apparent for the casual observer that the seeds of weakness were fully displayed in the northern kingdom.

Scripture simply states the fact. The house of Saul would continue but grow weaker each day. Saul’s kingdom had reached it pinnacle and was now crumbling before it’s very leadership, due to the foolishness and sin of a madman posing as the king.

Yes, Saul’s kingdom, led by Ish-boseth (at least in name) was doomed to disappear. But it wasn’t immediate. The last battle indicated the trajectory of the kingdom, and for those with sense, it seemed obvious the kingdom would succumb to the forces of David, but as it is with many in power, they will allow for much pain and suffering in order to maintain power in the face of imminent failure.

Why is that? Why can we not see the facts of a matter, admit we have no promising future, that hanging on to current circumstances and conditions, though painful for some, will only drag out the inevitable outcome. For Ish-boseth, David was inevitable. David had the promise of God, he had the experience of a ruthless fighter, he had the love of the people and he had an experienced devoted army, filled with skilled fighters, willing to follow God’s leading. What did Ish-boseth have? He had a name, and was thrust into this position by Abner. He had no experience in leadership, was not expected to take the throne – everyone expected Jonathon to succeed Saul!

Ish-boseth had a name, and he had Abner.

As for his name, Ish-boseth actually translates to “man of shame”. What would possess Saul to call his son this? How could this be understood?

1 Chronicles 8:33 may give us a hint as to what is going on with his name.

1 Chronicles 8:33 Ner was the father of Kish, Kish of Saul, Saul of Jonathan, Malchi-shua, Abinadab and Eshbaal;

Ish-bosheth was also called Eshbaal according to the chronicler. This is somewhat enlightening, for as you can see, his name included the term Baal, a god of fertility, weather, rain, wind, lightning, seasons, war, sailors. He was a common god the Israelites fell prostrate to in their denial of the true God, and it seems that Saul was in full blown idol worship by the time Ish-bosheth came around. Eshbaal is understood to mean “man of baal, and it seems Saul had committed his son to idol worship even from the womb.

Now tell me – What chance does the “man of baal” have against King David, a man after God’s heart, a man tested and tried by the living God, approved for the throne and on course to take it.

Nevertheless, for the one with sense, it is obvious that Ish-bosheth should just abdicate. Is should be obvious there was no hope. But this is not the nature of one who is inexperienced, self seeking, power hungry and without the wisdom available from the God of heaven. He would hang on out of pride, letting others suffer, dragging out the inevitable. And then die

His life was a picture of inevitable failure and eventual death. The king was on the path, and Ish-bosheth was in the way.

A wise man might have at least gotten out of the way of the coming king. But he didn’t.

Let Ish-bosheth provide counsel to the one who may only see disappointments, grueling hopelessness and inevitable death in his future. Fighting against the King is a fools errand, and will impact those you love and care for.

A wise man today would certainly bow to the King, admit his weakness and confess his rebellion.

Psalm 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Surely the King is coming. Don’t let your pride sweep you away from the blessing of knowing the Risen Monarch – King Jesus.

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Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

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The Battle of Gibeon

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 2:29 – 32

29 And Abner and his men went all that night through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, and marching the whole morning, they came to Mahanaim.
30 Joab returned from the pursuit of Abner. And when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing from David’s servants nineteen men besides Asahel.
31 But the servants of David had struck down of Benjamin 360 of Abner’s men.
32 And they took up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was at Bethlehem. And Joab and his men marched all night, and the day broke upon them at Hebron.

Two generals having fought and come to a truce, trudge back to their respective bases. One of the generals, Abner, was “limping home” due to a massive relative loss of soldiers. Compared to Joab’s forces, the loss was an 18:1 casualty rate.

For every man Joab lost, Abner lost 18.

No wonder Abner took to flight. He couldn’t stay in the fight with this type of attrition, so off he retreats, only to be defeated by Joab’s brother Asahel. Yes I know, the defeat was not immediate, but the seeds had been sown for Abner’s death as he plunged the spear into Asahel. It was just a matter of time.

This battle spoke of the eventuality of the nation becoming the united kingdom under King David, of a time when all 12 tribes would experience a golden age of ascendency for this nation.

The unifying of the nation would take years, for Ish boseth (read Abner) would not give up without a fight. Eventually it came down to a power hungry general, wanting more than the king would allow before this conflict would be resolved.

But I am getting ahead of myself. Abner went back to Manahaim, with Joab returning to Hebron. Both kings would soon enough hear of the results of this battle!

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Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

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The Battle of Gibeon

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 2:24-32

24 But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. And as the sun was going down they came to the hill of Ammah, which lies before Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.
25 And the people of Benjamin gathered themselves together behind Abner and became one group and took their stand on the top of a hill.
26 Then Abner called to Joab, “Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that the end will be bitter? How long will it be before you tell your people to turn from the pursuit of their brothers?”
27 And Joab said, “As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely the men would not have given up the pursuit of their brothers until the morning.”
28 So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the men stopped and pursued Israel no more, nor did they fight anymore.

Three brothers became two brothers. Asahel was dead, and Abner was the man who killed him. Yes he sought to deter Asahel from the conflict. Yes he knew the outcome of any attack on Asahel. Abner was an experienced warrior, whereas Asahel’s “claim to fame” was that he was “swift of foot as a wild gazelle” He could run!

Experienced warrior against a sprinter, or even a long distance runner. Seemed like the result of any conflict would be obvious. And it was. Asahel lay on the ground, bloodied and defeated.

And two brothers found focus! Abner was the man to be dealt with, and Joab with his brother Abishai were in the chase. Vengeance became the motivating force in these two men’s lives, and this death of Asahel became a unifying event for the men of Benjamin following Joab. This had all the earmarks of getting very bloody, with much death and destruction on the battlefield.

There isn’t many motivators that are more powerful than vengeance. To get even, to take vengeance, especially in such an unjust and cruel act such as Abner’s killing of Asahel, blinds the most common man to any logic, and reason against completing this bloodthirst.

Joab and Abishai appear to be the exception, at least for the time being!

Abner was on the run, and as he had mentioned to Asahel, he knew the outcome of his killing Joab’s brother.

2 Samuel 2:22 …Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I lift up my face to your brother Joab?

To “lift up my face” is an interesting phrase, and worth considering for a moment. What was Abner trying to say to Asahel as he was being chased?

This phrase speaks of a confidence before another. This phrase speaks of the honor / shame culture these people were immersed in, and the importance of the clear conscience in relationships. Consider two verses in Job, as some of his counsellors try to help the suffering saint.

Job 11:15 Surely then you will lift up your face without blemish; you will be secure and will not fear.

Job 22:26 For then you will delight yourself in the Almighty and lift up your face to God.

Yes, Abner and Joab were competing generals, but prior to this killing, their seemed to be a mutual respect.

A confidence and assurance in relationships between two successful warriors. A clarity between men that resulted in a respect, and a showing of honor, even though of different opinions! (What are we missing out on in our current society as this mutual respect for others of a different opinion is sorely lacking!)

Abner knew this mutual respect would evaporate if the conflict with Asahel resulted in his death, and sure enough, it did.

What was Abner’s next ploy. Somewhat genius, for he played the nation card, speaking of senseless death of Israeli brothers. We must remember that Israel is in the midst of a civil war at this time, an internal fighting has the potential to consume the nation.

Abner, to rescue his own skin, showed concern for the nation. Convenient. Of a pure motive? You decide, but it certainly was a convenient argument to provide relief from the pursuit of the motivated men chasing him and his crew!

Why Joab gave up the chase, when he had a united army and motivated leadership to take Abner, and his men down? Let’s remember that Joab has been running his men hard during this battle, and he may admit to the truth of the nation consuming itself. What would be left for him to have power over if decimated?

No, Joab and Abishai, relented the chase, at least in appearance for the sake of the nation. Other opportunities may arise for Joab to take care of “concerns” his brother and he harbored. But for now, hostilities ceased.

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Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

The Battle of Gibeon

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 2:18-23

18 And the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was as swift of foot as a wild gazelle.
19 And Asahel pursued Abner, and as he went, he turned neither to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.
20 Then Abner looked behind him and said, “Is it you, Asahel?” And he answered, “It is I.”
21 Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and seize one of the young men and take his spoil.” But Asahel would not turn aside from following him.
22 And Abner said again to Asahel, “Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I lift up my face to your brother Joab?”
23 But he refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner struck him in the stomach with the butt of his spear, so that the spear came out at his back. And he fell there and died where he was. And all who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, stood still.

Do you see the Lord in Asahel. A man determined to face the leader of the enemy camp, a man seeking to honor his sovereign and in the pursuit, experiencing death!

But I get ahead of myself, for this passage also speaks of Abner and as such continues to describe the type of man we will bump into occasionally as we follow David’s life through these studies.

Let’s remember Abner in this story, a man who led Saul’s army against David and was essentially running the northern kingdom. He was Saul’s cousin, and had power for many years. He was not about to give that up.

At the pool of Gibeon, he sought to find victory over Joab and David’s forces, but death took all 24 soldiers. Now the full battle broke out, with the nation of Israel in full civil war. Joab’s forces were dominating and Abner was on the run. Although he was on the run, he was not an easy adversary, for Abner had been a warrior his entire life and had shed much blood. To kill a man meant nothing for Abner and yet in this altercation, he sought to pause, to distract Asahel from the chase. All with good intentions? You be the judge.

Nevertheless, he warned off Asahel, sought to redirect, all without success. Eventually, after expressing the fallout that would result in his killing Asahel, it became apparent the death was necessary in Abner’s mind. And Abner continued in his flight.

But let’s also return to Asahel. I realize I began this blog with a short bit on how Asahel may picture the Messiah in his actions, but let me reconsider.

At some convenient point, Asahel determined within himself that it was his calling to take on a challenge for David. The actual circumstances may have simply provided an opportunity for a young man who sought to prove himself. His brother Joab was the Kings general, and his other brother Abishai, had proved his muster back when David entered the camp of Saul and took his spear and water jug. For a quick review, my reader may want to check out the story of Abishai in Life of David – 20.02. To say the least Abishai was honored in his mighty acts for David.

And then there is Asahel. A man who sought to attain to the glories of his brothers, and by all accounts of Abner not worthy of any glory yet.

But Asahel was “I” centered, and I fear his ego delivered him to an early death.

I suppose I see a bit more of me in Asahel, for the only thing he says in this passage is “I”, and it seems that he may have been out of his depth in the confrontation. For though he died for a noble cause, for his king and country, it was a method that seemed destined to failure, and that seemed fueled by his own desire for glory.

Asahel was a brave, but rash young man, seeking his own glory. This is a severe parting of the ways in his representing a picture of the Christ as a willing servant and sacrifice, a Son who sought His Father’s will above his own life. Asahel’s impacted the lives of the army of David, and especially Joab, for we shall return to this killing in future posts, but for now, two lessons may be gleaned from this passage.

Rash decisions

Asahel made a rash decision to make a name for himself in the heat of battle. This most assuredly was not a planned effort with, making a decision based on possible outcomes, times of prayer and considered dangers. Of course it was in the heat of battle, but it was not a requirement for Asahel to chase Abner, an order Joab had directed to Asahel to be obeyed. No it seemed to be nothing but a decision Asahel made on the spot, and locked Asahel into the chase with no the freedom to pull away. And that brings us to the second lesson.

Self glory

In Asahel’s decision to follow after Abner, a greater adversary, Asahel locked himself into a inescapable condition of either killing Abner or dyeing, No other option was available for Asahel, for that would require a humility, a realization that he was out of his depth, and a certain self abnegation.

Self glory has often placed me in similar circumstances. Thankfully none that required my death, as I am obviously still punching keyboard keys! But the desire for self glory, and the forgetfulness of the glory of God in any circumstance often leads me in to a false dichotomy. Either one result or the other will be required as I seek my own glory.

It isn’t so if we allow God to be in the mix, for though I sometimes invite Him into my mess, He has remained faithful in working through my self glory mess for His eventual sake.

It is the “eventual” aspect that bothers me. I have wasted much time in my walk with Him.

As I close, consider decisions that are made in your life, and let’s seek to ask for God’s guidance in those decisions. Let us not be driven by self glory, but to raise up the glory of God in all our actions!

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Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

The Battle of Gibeon

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 2:12-17
12 Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
13 And Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. And they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool.
14 And Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men arise and compete before us.” And Joab said, “Let them arise.”
15 Then they arose and passed over by number, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
16 And each caught his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent’s side, so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath-hazzurim, which is at Gibeon.
17 And the battle was very fierce that day. And Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.

Abner is on the march. He made Ish-boseth the king of what remained of Saul’s kingdom and the first order of business was to confront David.

Now let’s remember that Abner and David had history, that Abner “discovered” David for Saul, he knew of David’s prowess on the battle field, he had been loyal to Saul during the hunting of David, and he had been publicly shamed by David, in front of all his troops. You remember when David crept into the camp and took Saul’s spear? Abner took a serious shaming then.

Abner may still be licking his wounds!

It seems that Abner and Joab had communicated and coordinated a place and time for confrontation. Initially it seemed the two men decided to be “civil” about the terms of battle. The setting appeared to be a polite meeting of national leaders, a diplomatic conference amongst warriors. But these men were warriors, battle hardened soldiers that knew the fate of the kingdom was to be decided on the battlefield.

Why then suggest the battle of the 24 soldiers?

Was it suggested in order to save the lives of fellow countrymen? The nation had just split with the anointing of David and the crowning of Ish-boseth. Up till then, the men were all united as the nation of Israel.

Or was it that both generals understood the weakness the nation would suffer if both armies fought to the death? After all, it may have been only a few weeks previously that the Philistines rampaged through the nation, showing their dominance and striking a serious blow on the nations army.

I want to think the generals were thinking of the nation as a whole at this time, but the end result was simply a bloodbath with no desired outcome. Even if some of one group of 12 survived this fight, would not the armies take up arms again, if not that day, soon enough.

No, twenty-four soldiers fell that day, with much blood spilling out. As an act of honor for these men, the field was named the Field of Sharp Swords. Instead of risking all the soldiers, 12 of each side would battle, and die. A futile act that accomplished nothing. 12 men sacrificed to no end. And a bloody civil war broke out. Israel was at war with itself, consuming itself and becoming weaker and weaker militarily with every man falling.

How foolish for a nation to war against itself. For the sake of the pride of two generals, a nation was on fire.

At this point, what could David do? He was being guided by God onto the throne of Israel, and because of loyalty to Saul and a desire to maintain position, Abner forced his hand. Did not Abner know of the promise of God, the anointing of David to rule over all Israel? I suggest he knew, but was not concerned about the peace of the people of Israel, just the power of his position.

My friends, may I remind you we have Abner’s in the church. We must recognize that strong, self willed men often fight to get into leadership positions within the church body, thinking they are great gifts to the kingdom of God. But as Abner was destroying the kingdom he publicly pledged allegiance to, so these men and women who seek power also, with a feigned humility, seek control over the flock, no matter the cost.

When I think of this condition within the church, I ponder on what it means to lead. How is it to best impact those we love without shoving our opinions sometimes violently down their throat.

May I suggest the written/spoken word, fitly spoken, with a quiet humble spirit is powerful for the one who has ears to hear.

Also, any attempt to force our will on another believer seems to be beyond the scope of our calling. Now of course if I see a brother walking into a busy street, I will not quietly mention John 3:16 and hope for the best. I will force my will on him, knocking him back to the sidewalk, away from the traffic.

That should be obvious, but in relation to counselling our brothers, I often think of Paul in his relationship with Apollos. Paul, the great apostle of the Gentiles, requested (strongly urged) Apollos to travel to Corinth. Apollos decided not to.

1 Corinthians 16:12 Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will to come now. He will come when he has opportunity.

Paul didn’t seem threatened by the decision Apollos made, though it was against his wishes! How could Apollos reject the counsel the great apostle provided?

For myself, I reconcile this conflict understanding that both men answered to Jesus. Apollos related to Paul as a man who was his brother, and not his Lord.

May we sit under leaders in the church who understand the importance of believers following Jesus directly as opposed to interjecting their opinion into the relationship between the believer and his Lord.

With that said, I would like to emphasize to all who read this that this is a call to obedience to Jesus, not a call to disobedience to a Christian leader. There is a difference! May we have the wisdom, grace and humility to understand the ways of God for our lives!

And watchout for those Abners! They seem to be multiplying, tearing the church apart and letting many die on the field of battle for the sake of their wants!

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Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible