The author devoted 4 chapters in the beginning of 2 Samuel to the 7½ years before David was made King over all Israel.
• And half of this portion has to do with this man Abner, the commander who once served under Saul.
• He was only mentioned briefly in 1 Samuel as the son of Ner, Saul’s uncle (1 Sam 14:50). Saul and Abner were cousins.
After Saul’s death, he made Saul’s youngest son Ish-Bosheth King of the Northern region.
• Clearly Abner has certain influence and power. He is capable and resourceful, but he is a man driven only by his own desires.
• He lives without God. We are going to look at his life today, and draw lessons from it.
We have Ish-Bosheth (the house of Saul) ruling the North ISRAEL, with Abner being his commander, and David the South JUDAH, with Joab being his commander.
• The author then tells us in chapter 2 that Abner came up with this suggestion (2 Sam 2:14) to have 12 of his men fights 12 of David’s men (under Joab’s leadership).
• Why would Abner even suggest this is anyone’s guess – to stoke his ego, to show off, to prove that he has the better fighting men? Any of these are possible.
Abner was DRIVEN BY HIS OWN WILL
• He did what he likes to do, most likely to gratify his own desires.
• Without God, this is what we will gravitates towards. Your will presides.
The author highlighted this CONTEST at length and with great details because this event eventually led to enmity between the two houses.
• It was a foolish thing they did. What resulted was a very angry Asahel (Joab’s brother, from David’s house) pursuing Abner relentlessly, with vengeance.
• Abner warned him to stop but he refused. Abner turned around and killed him.
Foolish deeds lead to serious consequences.
• Asahel’s siblings JOAB and ABISHAI pursued Abner, wanting to take revenge. Abner cried out, “Why pursue your brothers?” (cf. 2:26)
• And the fight stopped. THIS fight ended but 2 Sam 3:1 “The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time. David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.”
Read 2 Sam 3:6-11
Abner was DRIVEN BY HIS OWN GAINS
• Abner did whatever he can to strengthen his own position.
• Without God, you live only for yourself.
He has so much power, even the King was afraid of him. Ish-Bosheth was a puppet King.
• No one dared to tell him off. The King tried but was threatened.
• Abner says he could easily switch sides and make David King over all Israel.
Listen to how Abner puts it: I can “hand you over to David” (3:8) and “transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and establish David’s throne over Israel and Judah from Dan to Beersheba.” (3:10)
• We hear his arrogance. It’s all in his hands. It’s all about what HE CAN DO.
And he made good his threat – read 2 Sam 3:12-16.
• Hear again his arrogance (3:12) – his message to David: “Make an agreement with me, and I will help you bring all Israel over to you.”
• David asked for his ex-wife Michal back (cf. 1 Sam 18), Abner easily got the King to accede to his request.
The next few verses tell us Abner went meet up with the elders of the tribes of Israel and the Benjamites to convince them to come under David’s rule.
• Particularly the Benjamites because they are Saul’s relatives. Saul is a Benjamite.
• And Abner succeeded. The tribes agreed. This is quite telling. You can see how much influence he has already garnered by this time.
• He has gotten the power and authority, through his position, over the years. He is the real power behind the throne.
Abner was DRIVEN BY HIS OWN AMBITION
• This was his game plan. With his ‘defection’ to David’s house, Abner would eventually be the commander over a bigger territory.
• It will force Ish-Bosheth to come under David, with all the tribes switching sides. It is a plot to gain control. It’s a betrayal.
• He was so driven by this ambition that he has forgotten about the men working under David. He has forgotten of Joab. Can the two of them co-exists? How can there be two commanders?
Read 2 Sam 3:22-27.
To Joab, the only obstacle to David’s reign over the entire land is Abner.
• Take him down and you would have taken Saul’s house down.
• Joab believed that Abner did not come with good intentions. It was a ploy to spy on David and plot his attack.
• So Joab came up with a plan of his own. Pretending that he wants to discuss a private matter with Abner, he lured him into a quiet place and killed him.
Joab was too was driven, by TWO things – (1) vengeance, taking revenge for his brother’s death, and (2) which some historians believed, jealousy. There is no room for another commander in David’s house.
This is the tragic end of a man who lives only for himself. Everything ends in vain.
• He was driven by his own ego, his own gains and his own ambition. It’s all about himself – his prestige, his power, his position. But it’s a futile pursuit.
• He has no regard for God or the things of God.
Prov 14:12 (also 16:25) - There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
Prov 14:27 - The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.
Life cannot be COMPLETE without God. He is the reason for our BEING and LIVING.
• The fear of the Lord is the fountain of life. Without Him, our end will be a fruitless death, regardless of our prestige, our power, our position in life.
So what should really drive us is this DIVINE PURPOSE – of knowing God and doing His will, which is what David exemplifies.
• Regardless of the DETOURS or the DELAYS, this PURPOSE sustained him and kept him going. David lives FOR God and he lives to FULFIL God’s will.
We’ve been reading Ecclesiastes. King Solomon has everything – pleasure, possessions, projects… prestige, power, position, and he says everything is “meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” (Eccl 1:14)
• God is the reason for our BEING and LIVING.
• Something is amiss if you do not know Him, and the only way to know Him is through Jesus Christ.
• If you do not know Him, then you need to confess your sin, repent and acknowledge Jesus as your Saviour and Lord.
If you know Him, then stay connected. A branch can never bear fruit on its own, apart from the vine, Jesus says (John 15).
• The fear of the Lord is the fountain of life.
Everyone is driven by something. Watch what is driving you today.
I remember Dr James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family shared this:
When in college, his goal was to become the school tennis champion. He worked hard and succeed in being the champion. He felt proud when his trophy was prominently placed in the school’s trophy cabinet.
Years later, someone mailed him that trophy. They had found it in the rubbish bin. The school was under-going renovation works.
James says, “Given enough time, all your trophies will be trashed by someone else.”
The only thing that last is what we do for Him and because of Him.
• We are not put on earth to be remembered. We are put here to prepare for eternity. We are going to see Him one day and give an account of our lives.
• C.S. Lewis: “Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.” …and rejects Jesus
TAKE MY LIFE AND LET IT BE
Written by Frances Havergal in 1874.
She is the child of minister in England. She started reading and memorising the Bible at the age of 4 (eventually memorizing The Psalms, Isaiah and most of the NT). At 7 she wrote her first poems, many eventually became hymns - Take My Life, I Gave My Life for Thee, Like a River Glorious, and Who Is on the Lord's Side?
She is concert soloist; she has a great voice, a brilliant pianist and learned many languages, in addition to Greek and Hebrew. She dedicated her life serving God.
Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee
Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love
At the impulse of Thy love
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee
Take my voice and let me sing
Always, only for my King
Always, only for my King
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee
Take my silver and my gold
Not a mite would I withhold
Not a mite would I withhold
Take my will and make it Thine
It shall be no longer mine
Take my heart, it is Thine own
It shall be Thy royal throne
It shall be Thy royal throne
