CHAPTER 3

(1048 B.C.)

DAVIDS FAMILY IN HEBRON

¹Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker. (Williams says, The house of Saul was opposed to, and persecuted, the House of David. Fellowship was impossible. As then, he who was born after the flesh persecuted him who was born after the Spirit, so is it now [Gal. 4:29]. A carnal nature is the enemy of the spiritual; but victory is assured to the latter, that is, if the Believer follows Gods Prescribed Order.)

²And unto David were sons born in Hebron: and his firstborn was Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess;

³And his second, Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur;

⁴And the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;

⁵And the sixth, Ithream, by Eglah Davids wife. These were born to David in Hebron. (Without once inquiring of the Lord for direction in any of these matters, David follows a crooked, tortuous path, in effect, the dark ways of man. Neglecting the teaching of the Book of Genesis, he became a polygamist marriages which bore bitter fruit in Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah. Other mistakes, as we shall see, were made as well.

Had David fully consulted the Lord in all these matters, his house would have grown stronger much faster.)

ABNER DESERTS TO DAVID

⁶And it came to pass, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner made himself strong for the house of Saul.

⁷And Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah: and Ish-bosheth said to Abner, Wherefore have you gone in unto my fathers concubine? (The harem of a deceased king was looked upon as the special inheritance of his successor. So, in a sense, Abner had greatly overstepped his bounds.)

⁸Then was Abner very wroth for the words of Ish-bosheth (this extreme indignation on Abners part is not easy to understand; for he could scarcely have expected Ish-bosheth to endure quietly what at least was a great insult), and said, Am I a dogs head, which against Judah do show kindness this day unto the house of Saul your father, to his brethren, and to his friends, and have not delivered you into the hand of David, that you charge me today with a fault concerning this woman?

⁹So do God to Abner, and more also, except, as the LORD has sworn to David, even so I do to him;

¹⁰To translate the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan even to Beer-sheba.

¹¹And he (Ish-bosheth) could not answer Abner a word again, because he feared him.

¹²And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, Whose is the land? saying also, Make your league with me, and, behold, my hand shall be with you, to bring about all Israel unto you.

¹³And he said, Well; I will make a league with you: but one thing I require of you, that is, You shall not see my face, except you first bring Michal Sauls daughter, when you come to see my face. (There is no record that David sought the Lord about this matter. How long does it take us to learn that no league can ever be made between the flesh and the Spirit? One is carnal and of the world and, thereby, of Satan. The other is spiritual and of Heaven and, thereby, of God.)

¹⁴And David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth Sauls son, saying, Deliver me my wife Michal, which I espoused to me for an hundred foreskins of the Philistines (David did not pray about this matter either!).

¹⁵And Ish-bosheth sent, and took her from her husband even from Phaltiel the son of Laish. (Besides Davids affection for Michal, there were political reasons for demanding her restoration. Sauls despotic act in giving her in marriage to another man, when she had already been engaged to David [I Sam. 25:44], had been a public disavowal of David as the son-in-law of the royal house. In effect, Davids rights were all declared null by such an act. Now, Ish-bosheth must with equal publicity reverse his fathers deed, and restore to David his lost position. As well, for David to demand such, and Ish-bosheth not being able to do anything about the situation, portrayed his great weakness.)

¹⁶And her husband went with her along weeping behind her to Bahurim. Then said Abner unto him, Go, return. And he returned. (Phaltiel had been Michals husband for eight or nine years, and, as well, he had no part, as far as we know, as it regards the situation between David and Saul; thereby, his sorrow at losing her excites sympathy for them both.

Should David have done what he did? Inasmuch as his reasons were political, which we have already addressed, I think, had he spoken to the Lord about the matter, the Lord would not have allowed such to happen.)

¹⁷And Abner had communication with the Elders of Israel, saying, You sought for David in times past to be king over you:

¹⁸Now then do it: for the LORD has spoken of David, saying, By the hand of My servant David I will save My people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all their enemies. (If Abner knew all of this, and he definitely did, why did he wait this long? Regrettably, most Believers will not do right, until it is in their best interest to do so. In other words, if it costs them something, they will not step up to the plate, so to speak!)

¹⁹And Abner also spoke in the ears of Benjamin: and Abner went also to speak in the ears of David in Hebron all that seemed good to Israel, and that seemed good to the whole House of Benjamin.

²⁰So Abner came to David to Hebron, and twenty men with him. And David made Abner and the men who were with him a feast.

²¹And Abner said unto David, I will arise and go, and will gather all Israel unto my lord the king, that they may make a league with you, and that you may reign over all that your heart desires. And David sent Abner away; and he went in peace. (There is no record that David sought the Lord concerning this, as well! The Christian is in danger in the time of war and in the time of peace; however, he is probably in greater danger in the time of peace. During war, he has a greater tendency to seek the help of the Lord, because he knows that it is the Lord Alone Who can deliver. In peace, the temptation is to coast.)

JOAB KILLS ABNER

²²And, behold, the servants of David and Joab came from pursuing a troop, and brought in a great spoil with them: but Abner was not with David in Hebron; for he had sent him away, and he was gone in peace.

²³When Joab and all the host who were with him were come, they told Joab, saying, Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has sent him away, and he is gone in peace.

²⁴Then Joab came to the king, and said, What have you done? behold, Abner came unto you; why is it that you have sent him away, and he is quite gone?

²⁵You know Abner the son of Ner, that he came to deceive you, and to know your going out and your coming in, and to know all that you do.

²⁶And when Joab was come out from David, he sent messengers after Abner, which brought him again from the well of Sirah: but David knew it not.

²⁷And when Abner was returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him quietly, and smote him there under the fifth rib, that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.

²⁸And afterward when David heard it, he said, I and my kingdom are guiltless before the LORD for ever from the blood of Abner the son of Ner:

²⁹Let it rest on the head of Joab, and on all his fathers house; and let there not fail from the house of Joab one who has an issue, or who is a leper, or who leans on a staff, or who falls on the sword, or who lacks bread.

³⁰So Joab, and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because he had killed their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle (what Joab did was wrong and probably delayed the Plan of God in some way for several years).

DAVID MOURNS FOR ABNER

³¹And David said to Joab, and to all the people who were with him, Rend your clothes, and gird you with sackcloth, and mourn before Abner. And king David himself followed the bier.

³²And they buried Abner in Hebron: and the king lifted up his voice, and wept at the grave of Abner; and all the people wept.

³³And the king lamented over Abner, and said, Died Abner as a fool dies?

³⁴Your hands were not bound, nor your feet put into fetters: as a man falls before wicked men, so fell you. And all the people wept again over him.

³⁵And when all the people came to cause David to eat meat while it was yet day, David swore, saying, So do God to me, and more also, if I taste bread, or ought else, till the sun be down.

³⁶And all the people took notice of it, and it pleased them: as whatsoever the king did pleased all the people.

³⁷For all the people and all Israel understood that day that it was not of the king to kill Abner the son of Ner.

³⁸And the king said unto his servants, Know you not that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel?

³⁹And I am this day weak, though anointed king; and these men the sons of Zeruiah be too hard for me: the LORD shall reward the doer of evil according to his wickedness. (Abner was related to Ish-bosheth as Joab was to David. Joab was clever, ambitious, bloodthirsty, and heartless. He was an ungodly man who deemed it politically correct to effect a zeal for God [24:3]. In fact, Abner was morally superior to Joab; but yet Abner was a traitor to his master and a rebel to his God. He had no real heart for David as Gods king, but was moved to help him by wounded pride. He reaped as he sowed; however, and as stated, his reaping did not absolve Joab of blame.)