Considering the Bible

Joab Murders Abner

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 3:26-30
26 When Joab came out from David’s presence, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern of Sirah. But David did not know about it.
27 And when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the midst of the gate to speak with him privately, and there he struck him in the stomach, so that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.
28 Afterward, when David heard of it, he said, “I and my kingdom are forever guiltless before the LORD for the blood of Abner the son of Ner.
29 May it fall upon the head of Joab and upon all his father’s house, and may the house of Joab never be without one who has a discharge or who is leprous or who holds a spindle or who falls by the sword or who lacks bread!”
30 So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because he had put their brother Asahel to death in the battle at Gibeon.

Joab shows himself to be the treacherous man that we spoke on in our earlier post. The treachery is multifaceted and for a moment, I would like to consider Joab’s act in relation to his king.

First off, though the text does not reveal David’s acceptance of Joab’s claim that Abner was a spy, there was no order from Joab’s king to perform this act of murder. As a matter of fact, David decried this treachery and the passage describes David as not knowing of Joab’s plans to bring Abner back to Hebron.

Secondly, why bring Abner back to Hebron? Hebron was a city of refuge per Joshua 20:7, a city that protected those who accidentally killed a man from the “avenger of death”, any man who may seek to kill in revenge. It is not clear why Joab would request Abner’s return instead of simply pursuing him, other than deceiving Abner into thinking David called him back. Let’s remember the situation Abner was in. Abner had previously killed Joab’s brother, in a defensive battle, and it could be argued that Abner could flee to a city of refuge. Of course as a man of war, this was not strictly required or expected, but the tidbit about Joab taking Abner to the gate offers an interesting twist to the story.

Joab, in taking Abner to the gate, could claim his righteousness of killing Abner outside of the city of refuge. Never mind that he lured Abner back in deception, and with cunning forethought, planned the murder of Abner, executing the murder in similar manner as his brothers death.

2 Samuel 2:23 …. Abner struck him in the stomach with the butt of his spear, so that the spear came out at his back. …

Yes Joab was not guilty of executing Abner in the city of refuge, but that seems be of little consequence in David’s mind. This act of Joab brings to mind the condition Jesus found Himself in in relation to the Jewish leadership in His day.

In the midst of one of Jesus most scathing rebukes to the Jewish leadership of His day, He pronounced the famous “swallowing a camel” hyperbole, describing how the Jews worried about a specific minor command in the midst of forgetting the major emphasis of the Word.

Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.
Matthew 23:24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!

Is not Joab an early Pharisee in this manner!? Are we all not a little bit like Joab, that in the middle of sin, we find some act we can boast about that calms a raging conscience! How diabolical we can be!

Our passage continues with David’s response to such an act. Let’s remember that David is establishing his kingdom, seeking to bring in the tribes to the north, and for this murder to be seen as sanctioned, or at least approved by the king may provide a perception of his kingdom as being vengeful, even brutal.

So what should David do? Exodus gives some direction in relation to premeditated murder, a sin Abner was obviously guilty of.

Exodus 21:14 But if a man willfully attacks another to kill him by cunning, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die.

David declares a curse on Joab and all his father’s house. Where is the judgement? Why did not David simply put Joab to death? It was early in his kingdom, so in providing this expansive curse on Joab and his family may have been an act of mercy somewhat. It may also have been an admission of weakness on David’s part since condemning Joab at this point might have turned Joab’s entire army against the king. I will let my readers come to a conclusion on this matter!

The curse on Joab and his family falls into five categories

• One who has a discharge
  • David is laying a curse of uncleanness on Joab and his family, which would require the one with the discharge to be ostracized from the community of Israel. Many associate this discharge with the modern disease of gonorrhoea. See Leviticus 15:2 and 15:31
• One who is leprous
  • David repeats a judgement of uncleanness on Joab’s family, this time calling out leprosy as the judgement. This would also require removal from the community of Israel. See Leviticus 13:45
• One who holds a spindle
  • This particular curse may involve a disability requiring a crutch. One other possibility may be the one cursed would work a spindle, implying a man so poor he can only perform menial labor such as spinning on a spindle. Worse yet, one or more of Joab’s family may be inclined to be unwarriorlike, or so opposed to the military life, that they seek a “domestic” life instead. Consider Proverbs 31:19
• One who falls by the sword
  • A “deep cut” for a man of war is to have a family member killed in the line of action. Warriors mourn those who have fallen in war, yet there may also be other emotions associated the death of a family member in war
• One who lacks bread
  • Poverty. At this point in Joab’s life, he is riding the gravy train, with more and more potential wealth and influence on the way. To have a family member experience poverty implies much misfortune or poor decision making, or simply a non-disciplined life. All are painful conditions for Joab to associate with in his family.

David does in the future seek to have Joab pay accordingly for this treachery, but for now, David’s principle intent is to separate his kingdom from this act.

The curse is laid on Joab and David instead of killing Joab as per Exodus, allows Joab to continue through as lead general for over 3 decades under his reign.

But judgement would come upon Joab, even by the son of David. It may be deferred, but it wasn’t dismissed.

Likewise, we can all agree that judgement is deserved by all, but we often think that since judgement hasn’t fallen yet, we need not worry. King David had his son execute Joab, even as David lies on his death bed.

1 Kings 2:5 “Moreover, you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, Abner the son of Ner, and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, avenging in time of peace for blood that had been shed in war, and putting the blood of war on the belt around his waist and on the sandals on his feet.
1 Kings 2:6 ESV – Act therefore according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace.

David made sure the judgement required was the judgement exercised. Joab was to die!

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

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 3:20-25

20 When Abner came with twenty men to David at Hebron, David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him.
21 And Abner said to David, “I will arise and go and will gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may reign over all that your heart desires.” So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.
22 Just then the servants of David arrived with Joab from a raid, bringing much spoil with them. But Abner was not with David at Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace.
23 When Joab and all the army that was with him came, it was told Joab, “Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has let him go, and he has gone in peace.”
24 Then Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Behold, Abner came to you. Why is it that you have sent him away, so that he is gone?
25 You know that Abner the son of Ner came to deceive you and to know your going out and your coming in, and to know all that you are doing.”

Three powerful men converge on a day that ends with a reckoning for Abner.

But I am getting ahead of myself. Let’s consider these three men on that monumental day.

David

David received King Ish-Bosheth’s head general, General Abner in peace. He not only received him in peace, but he also made a feast for Abner and his men.

Now remember, this is the same general that hunted David while under King Saul’s leadership. He is the same general that set up Ish-Bosheth as a king over the northern tribes, in direct rebellion against the will of God for a united kingdom under God. Abner is the same general that led an army against Joab, David’s general only a short while back.

Would it not be best – humanly speaking – for David to take Abner, imprison him and make a showing of how David would rule so that al the nation might fear? It would be my first instinct, but let’s recall two points to consider.

First, in our previous study, remember that Abner has previously communicated with David in this effort of unifying the nation, that he was seeking to restore the kingdom under one king and that king was to be David! In our last study, Abner was working with the northern tribes elders to consolidate them under David, and as we may suspect, word of this activity may have gotten back to David.

Secondly, David was not the type of king I relate to commonly. He made decisions that seemed to be counterproductive. Such is the case here as he had the perfect opportunity to treat Abner according to his “sins”, to pass judgement upon him and to exact a vengeance on Abner for all the pain David may have experienced.

But David was not the kind of leader that I am accustomed to. Surely David had his spies in the nation and I assume David realized that it was to Abner’s advantage to allow him to lead a delegation for peace with the northern tribes. This effort on the part of his former enemy Abner, though selfish and somewhat exposing him as a trustless leader in relation to Ish-bosheths, would prove to be fruitful towards David total reign over Israel.

So David received Abner, made a feast for Abner, heard Abner’s plan of reconciling the nation to the true king, and then sent Abner away “in peace”

Abner

If you have been following this series, you know that I have a certain attitude with this fellow Abner. A man of convenience, one who looks for advantage over faithfulness, and soldier of fortune that will jump ship when necessary. I realize this may be harsh, but to understand that upon Saul’s death, Abner elevated Ish-bosheth onto the throne of Saul, attempting to thwart the known plan of God to unite Israel under David. I suppose that may have looked like allegiance to his former employer, and that may be true, but shortly after, he turned on his master, abandoning Ish-bosheth in favor of David. Fickle, advantageous and unlikable.

In this encounter with David, Abner spoke of his efforts to join all Israel under David. He was working his diplomatic skills, positioning himself as a king maker, a nation healer and potentially a leader within the new kingdom.

Joab

We haven’t spent as much time on Joab as Abner, but for a bit of history on David’s general, he was David’s nephew, and was David’s general throughout most of his reign. He won some amazing victories over the Philistines, Ammonites and Edomites. A skilled warrior and an asset to David’s war machine.

But with this skill set of military leadership came a treachery that seemed to define this man. Lets remember earlier on when Abner fled from the battlefield of Gibeah, and as he fled, he turned on Joab’s brother Asahel, killing him. Joab broke pursuit, but he didn’t forget the death of his brother.

We shall see in the next post that Joab took matters into his own hands in relation to executing justice upon Abner. For now, and relating to this text, let us consider Joab’s possible mindset.

He sees that Abner has been with David, that Abner is an accomplished warrior, and that David’s kingdom will suddenly expand greatly due to Abner’s influence. David must certainly be considering a place for Abner in his administration. A perfect place might be as general of the united armed forces of Israel.

On top of that concern of a possible demotion, or even job loss, Joab still has the matter of his brother’s death to contend with. This additional threat of Abner sliding into Joab’s position may have set in stone the decision to take care of the problem immediately.

Joab was certainly a man of action, a man of military might, but also, as with most men of power, self willed, even to the point of being treacherous. As we venture into David’s reign, we shall encounter Joab many times.

These three men played important parts in the life of the nation. Each had their weaknesses and strengths, and with some honest introspection, we may possess some of these very qualities within ourselves.

Thankfully, the Lord Jesus is the One who can save us from ourselves, transforming even the worst of men, (even I), into saints before the Lord, as we stare intently at His glory!

2 Corinthians 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

May we all look to Him, gaze upon Him and in the gazing become a bit like Him!

What a promise! What a Savior!

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

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 3:17-19

17 And Abner conferred with the elders of Israel, saying, “For some time past you have been seeking David as king over you.
18 Now then bring it about, for the LORD has promised David, saying, ‘By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines, and from the hand of all their enemies.’”
19 Abner also spoke to Benjamin. And then Abner went to tell David at Hebron all that Israel and the whole house of Benjamin thought good to do.

Abner is a busy bee in this little passage! Can you imagine the appointments, the scheduling, the conference calls and the backroom discussions?

Of course I am being a bit sarcastic, but it goes without saying that Abner, the chief of staff and lead general for Ish-bosheth, the king of the northern tribes, is focusing on the dissolution of his masters authority over the northern kingdom in this passage.

To think of Abner as a traitor, as a Benedict Arnold, seems fitting in my thinking. He was a man who sought his own desires first and foremost, and this activity only reinforces what we know of him.

He realizes he was on a loosing team, and now that his feelings have been hurt because Ish-bosheth tried to put his foot down in relation to Saul’s concubine Rizpah, he convinces himself he has a reason to turn on his master. To be honest about this whole scene, it appears he simply was using the interaction with Ish-bosheth concerning Rizpah as a smokescreen to betray his master.

He saw the writing on the wall, and was looking for a reason to figuratively stab ol Ish-bosheth in the back. And what is even worse, if this scenario can become worse, is that Abner set Ish-bosheth on the throne. Now he is going to abandon him.

Kind of a scummy guy if you ask me.

I have a disdain for this man, even though he was used by God to bring the nation together under the anointed king David.

In the end, Abner presented himself in front of David to provide the kingdom to him. Abner took it upon himself to be in charge of David’s team of negotiators, while he was taking a paycheck from Ish-bosheth.

It really astounds me that this man was trusted by anyone in the land.

Beyond the scummy aspect already described, one additional layer of despicableness that seems to top of this man’s character is in verse 18, where he seems to associate himself with the Lord’s plans for David and all of Israel.

Now then bring it about, for the LORD has promised David, saying, ‘By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines, and from the hand of all their enemies.’”

He refers to the promise of the LORD to David as a reason to bring about his own plans to present before David. It is one thing to waver from one position to another for convenience sake, or for self advantage, or even for his own survival. But now he is all righteous and holy, bringing about God’s plan for the nation.

I can just imagine that as he lays his head down at night, he has dreams of his victory parade, with him in the most prominent spot, all the people cheering him and thanking him for being so instrumental in delivering Israel from it’s enemies. By golly, he may even allow David in the parade, just to show how magnanimous of a fellow that he is.

As you can tell, I am struggling to find a positive thing to say about this man.

Nevertheless, in the end, David is one step closer to reigning over the nation, and the nation is on the brink of entering a golden age.

And Abner will be taken care of.

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

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?

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