SERIES J --- THE WARRIOR KING --- LESSON 14

ABNER JOINS DAVID

THE MURDER OF ABNER

From 2 Samuel 3:2-39

While David ruled as king at Hebron, he had several sons. They were born in this order: Amnon, whose mother was Ahinoam of Jezreel; Chileab, whose mother was Abigail of Carmel; Absalom, whose mother was Maacah, daughter of King Talmai of Geshur; Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith; Shephatiah, whose mother was Abital; and Ithream, whose mother was Eglah. The war continued between the followers of Saul and the followers of David. Although Saul’s son Ish-bosheth was king, his commander Abner became stronger as time passed, making himself a powerful force among the people. The situation between Abner and Ish-bosheth came to a head one day when Abner made love to Saul’s concubine Rizpah and Ish-bosheth scolded him for it. Abner became furious with Ish-bosheth. ‘What do you think I am a dog?’ he shouted. ‘I have worked hard for you and your father and all your household, keeping you from David’s power. Now you want to pick on me because of that woman. May YHVH punish me if I don’t work just as hard now to see that David becomes king instead of you, so that he can rule the entire kingdom from Dan to Beersheba.’ Ish-bosheth was so afraid of Abner that he didn’t dare to answer him. Abner immediately sent messengers to David to bargain with him. ‘If you will make an agreement with me, I will help you become king over all Israel,’ said Abner. ‘That sounds good to me,’ David replied. ‘But first you must bring me my wife Michal, Saul’s daughter.’ David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, demanding that Michal be sent to him. ‘I earned my wife Michal by killing a hundred Philistines for King Saul,’ he said. ‘Send her back to me.’ While David was in hiding, Michal’s father, King Saul, had given her in marriage to another man, named Palti. When Ish-bosheth received the message from David, he took Michal away from Palti to give her back to David. Palti followed behind her until they reached Bahurim, weeping as he went. Then Abner ordered him to go back home, so he did. Since Abner had decided to change his loyalty to David, he had been talking with the leaders of Israel about changing their loyalty from Ish-bosheth to David also. ‘You have often talked of making David king of all Israel,’ he reminded them. ‘Let’s do it now! Adonai has said that He will save His people from the Philistines and our other enemies through David.’ Abner had also talked with the leaders of the tribe of Benjamin before he went to see David at Hebron. Twenty men went with Abner and David made a big feast for them. ‘I will go back home and lead the people in a great assembly to make you king of all Israel,’ said Abner. ‘You will become king of all the nation, as you have desired so much.’ David was pleased and sent Abner home in peace. But shortly after Abner and his men left, Joab and his troops returned from a raid, with a large amount of plunder they had captured. When Joab heard that Abner had come to see the king and that the king had sent him away peaceably, he was furious. Rushing in to see David, he demanded, ‘what have you done? Don’t you realize that Abner came here to spy on you and find out all he could so he could attack you?’ Joab left David and sent messengers after Abner, they caught up to him at the well at Sirah and asked him to return. David knew nothing about this. Abner returned and Joab took him aside at the gate of Hebron, as though he had a secret to tell him. Suddenly Joab drew a dagger and stabbed Abner under the fifth rib and killed him. Joab and his brother Abishai avenged the death of their brother Asahel. David was angry when he heard what had happened. ‘Joab and his family are guilty of Abner’s death,’ he proclaimed. ‘I and my kingdom are innocent. Let this deed be punished on Joab’s descendants. May not one of them fail to suffer from open sores, leprosy, a crippling disease, injury by sword or hunger.’ Then David ordered Joab and his people to mourn for Abner. ‘Tear your clothes, put on sackcloth and show that you are mourning for him,’ said David. King David followed Abner’s bier when they buried him at Hebron. At the grave, David and his people wept aloud for Abner. Then David made this lament:

‘Should Abner die as a fool?
Your hands were not bound,
Your feet were not shackled,
And you have fallen before the wicked.’

The people wept again for Abner. When David’s friends urged him to eat, he would not, for he had taken an oath. ‘I will not eat all day long until sunset,’ he said. The people were pleased to see how David mourned for Abner. They realized that he had had no part in his death. ‘Don’t you realize that a great man has fallen today?’ David said to his people. ‘But even though I am YHVH’s chosen king, I cannot punish Joab and his brother, the sons of Zeruiah, for they are too powerful for me. May Adonai Himself punish them for their wickedness.

COMMENTARY

DAVID’S FAMILY

No royal blood flowed in David’s veins. He was the youngest of eight sons born to Jesse, a shepherd from Bethlehem. While his older brothers earned glory as warriors in Saul’s army, David inherited the menial tasks of caring for the family sheep. Yet it was this young shepherd boy whom YHVH chose to succeed Saul on the throne of Israel. The prophet Samuel called him out of the fields in order to anoint him for his royal office. Though David’s origins were humble, he was descended from an old and respected Israelite family. His ancestry could be traced back to the patriarch Jacob. He was a member of the tribe of Judah, descended from Jacob by Leah. To him belonged the promise made by Jacob on his deathbed that the sceptre and ruler’s staff would always remain with Judah. David’s family line came through Pharez, the firstborn of Tamar’s and Judah’s twin sons. He was the father of Hezron and the grandfather of Ram. Ram’s son, Amminadab, fathered Nahshon, a man renowned as a leader among the men of Judah. Nahshon, in turn, was the father of Salmon. Salmon’s son Boaz, was a wealthy farmer from Bethlehem. Through his marriage to the widow Ruth, David inherited Moabite blood. After Boaz’s death, the family estate passed to Obed, who in turn bequeathed it to his son, Jesse. Jesse married and fathered eight sons and two daughters. Although he was proud of his older sons, none was to bring him more honour than his youngest. David reigned as king of Israel for forty years and through his son Solomon, became the ancestor of Yeshua Moshiach.