Divided Kingdom

2 Samuel 2:4b-3:1

Welcome back to 2 Samuel and this second message in our second series on the life of David, the second king of Israel. Last time Carl reintroduced us to this amazing man and his heart to obey and honor God. When David was a youth, God had chosen him for his purposes and sent the prophet Samuel to anoint him king over the people of Israel. But, as we saw, his path to the throne was full of ups and downs and twists and turns, many of which were caused by Saul, who was jealously clinging to the remnants of his own regal authority after being rejected by God for going his own way. David had helped and served King Saul in several ways, but Saul perceived him as a rival and pursued him relentlessly to try to get rid of him. However, with God protecting and encouraging him, David had managed to stay one step ahead of Saul and had actually grown stronger, despite being on the run.

The end of the road for King Saul came on Mount Gilboa, where he and three of his sons died fighting the Philistines. David could have rejoiced that his enemy was finally dead, but he actually mourned for both Saul and Jonathan, as we read last time in chapter 1 of 2 Samuel. An Amalekite had eagerly brought David the news, claiming to be the one who had finished off Saul on the battlefield. Instead of rewarding him, David had had him executed for lifting his hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed. In the past, David had had the opportunity to kill Saul, too, but he had restrained himself because he recognized that it was not his place to remove someone whom God had set apart and placed in a position of authority.

We ended last time with the first few verses of chapter 2, where David inquires of God and then takes his family and his men and settles down in and around the town of Hebron, where David is recognized as king by the tribe of Judah. This was David’s own tribe. He was based, therefore, not far from Bethlehem, where he had grown up. However, we will see that he did not immediately replace Saul as the ruler of the entire nation. The twelve tribes of Israel were indeed tribal, and clan loyalties were at times stronger than their sense of nationhood. David would, in effect, have to win the allegiance of all the people. Once again he has to reconcile what God has stated about his position, with the apparent need for political and military maneuvering.

Can you relate to this type of dichotomy in our current global crisis? We have the spiritual assurance of God being in control, working out his sovereign will. But at the same time we are faced with a world being severely shaken: economically, socially, politically, educationally, medically – you name it. David was hanging onto a promise, and he knew that God would fulfill it. But he still needed to do his part to work toward being king. We, too, are holding onto the promises of God, despite the current uncertainty, committing ourselves to keep pressing on in what he has called us to do. Spiritual and practical realities keep colliding for us at this time, just as they did for David.

We start today in the middle of verse 4 of chapter 2 of 2 Samuel:

When David was told that it was the men from Jabesh Gilead who had buried Saul, he sent messengers to them to say to them, “The Lord bless you for showing this kindness to Saul your master by burying him. May the Lord now show you kindness and faithfulness, and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this. Now then, be strong and brave, for Saul your master is dead, and the people of Judah have anointed me king over them.” – 2 Samuel 2:4b-7

You may recall from the end of 1 Samuel that these men from Jabesh Gilead had done more than just bury Saul. They had risked another confrontation with the Philistines to retrieve his body and those of his sons from the wall surrounding the town of Beth Shan. They had burned the bodies but buried the bones under a tamarisk tree in Jabesh, observing a 7-day fast in honor of Saul. So David here is making a point of affirming them for all of this, indicating again that he never intended to be Saul’s enemy. At the same time, he makes it clear that he considers himself to be Saul’s replacement and gives them the opportunity to support him even as he promises to show them favor. David realizes that he will need to win the hearts and minds of all the people, so he starts by effectively proclaiming that he will not seek vengeance against those who supported and honored Saul. However, there are other political forces at work.

Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ish-Bosheth son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim. He made him king over Gilead, Ashuri and Jezreel, and also over Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel.

Ish-Bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned two years. The tribe of Judah, however, remained loyal to David. The length of time David was king in Hebron over Judah was seven years and six months. – 2 Samuel 2:8:11

Abner had somehow survived the battle that had ended Saul’s life. He is a cousin of Saul, so he has a family interest in preserving the succession through Ish-Bosheth, the youngest of Saul’s four sons. Ish-Bosheth is referred to elsewhere as Esh-Baal, his original name. However, it is thought that his name was changed because of the association of the name Baal with the main Canaanite deity. It originally meant simply “lord” and could have been used of Yahweh himself. So this son of Saul went from being known as “man of the Lord,” to “man of shame.” We’ll see that in fact he didn’t have much to be proud of. Abner was using him to pursue his own ambitions.

Mahanaim is a town east of the Jordan, a safe distance away from Philistine territory. This was the region of Gilead. Jezreel was on the western side of the river, with Ephraim and Benjamin to the south, bordering on Judah. Ish-Bosheth may not have been immediately accepted as king over this entire region, which came to be known as Israel (as opposed to Judah). This might explain the difference in the length of his reign given here versus David’s 7½-year rule in Hebron.

Abner son of Ner, together with the men of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. Joab son of Zeruiah and David’s men went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat down on one side of the pool and one group on the other side.

Then Abner said to Joab, “Let’s have some of the young men get up and fight hand to hand in front of us.”

“All right, let them do it,” Joab said.

So they stood up and were counted off—twelve men for Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve for David. Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his dagger into his opponent’s side, and they fell down together. So that place in Gibeon was called Helkath Hazzurim. – 2 Samuel 2:12-16

Abner realized that a confrontation with David would be inevitable, so he went out to meet Joab, the commander of David’s army. In much the same way that Abner was a relative of Saul’s, Joab was the son of David’s sister. This has the feel of clan warfare, therefore, facing off across this pool in Gibeon. This would have been near where Saul’s family was from, in the region of Benjamin. The contest between the twelve young men from each side may have been proposed as a type of champion warfare, similar to the way Goliath had challenged the army of Israel earlier in David’s career. The result this time was apparently inconclusive, as it seems that all the combatants succeeded in killing each other. This name Helkath Hazzurim can mean “field of daggers” or “field of hostilities.” And it’s clear that the hostilities did not end there.

The battle that day was very fierce, and Abner and the Israelites were defeated by David’s men.

The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai and Asahel. Now Asahel was as fleet-footed as a wild gazelle. He chased Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he pursued him. Abner looked behind him and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?”

“It is,” he answered.

Then Abner said to him, “Turn aside to the right or to the left; take on one of the young men and strip him of his weapons.” But Asahel would not stop chasing him. – 2 Samuel 2:17-21

It could be that Asahel was unarmed as he was chasing Abner. Did Abner think Asahel was after his weapons? In any case, it seems that Asahel was unwise in taking on this experienced warrior.

Again Abner warned Asahel, “Stop chasing me! Why should I strike you down? How could I look your brother Joab in the face?”

But Asahel refused to give up the pursuit; so Abner thrust the butt of his spear into Asahel’s stomach, and the spear came out through his back. He fell there and died on the spot. And every man stopped when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died. – 2 Samuel 2:22-23

Asahel may have been more of an annoyance than a real threat, but Abner strikes him down anyway. These men must have been well-known to each other, since Abner is concerned about his relationship with Joab. Why would Abner even care? It feels very much like brothers fighting, and the conflict getting out of hand.

But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner, and as the sun was setting, they came to the hill of Ammah, near Giah on the way to the wasteland of Gibeon. Then the men of Benjamin rallied behind Abner. They formed themselves into a group and took their stand on top of a hill.

Abner called out to Joab, “Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize that this will end in bitterness? How long before you order your men to stop pursuing their fellow Israelites?”

Joab answered, “As surely as God lives, if you had not spoken, the men would have continued pursuing them until morning.” – 2 Samuel 2:24-27

So here is another confrontation. Abner’s side regroups and tries to take the high ground, in more ways than one. Abner tries to point out the futility of what they are doing, essentially fighting among themselves. Ironically, the bitterness that he indicates that he wants to avoid was already inevitable. Joab acts like he is giving up, but he holds a grudge against Abner, and we will see in the next chapter how he eventually avenges his brother’s blood.

So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the troops came to a halt; they no longer pursued Israel, nor did they fight anymore.

All that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, continued through the morning hours and came to Mahanaim.

Then Joab stopped pursuing Abner and assembled the whole army. Besides Asahel, nineteen of David’s men were found missing. But David’s men had killed three hundred and sixty Benjamites who were with Abner. They took Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night and arrived at Hebron by daybreak.

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. – 2 Samuel 2:28-3:1

Joab and his men withdrew from this particular skirmish, but this was the first of many that they would have with Abner and his army. The war lasted a long time, it says. However, it was clear from the outset that David would eventually prevail over the house of Saul. The death toll in this particular battle was very lopsided: 360 to 19. Did the men with David know that the Lord was on their side? It doesn’t say in this passage, but David was often vocal about his dependence on God to guide him and give him victory.

So what can we take away from this story? We can’t really relate to the experience of civil war – though that was present earlier in the history of our nation, too. But we can relate to the sense of uncertainty that must have pervaded most of the land of Israel at that time. War often brings scarcity and hardship to ordinary people affected. Shifting loyalties make it difficult to know who to trust. It’s difficult to plan for the future as the situation ebbs and flows day by day. We need to look to leaders like David who steadfastly proclaim and demonstrate their faith in God and his promises.

This chapter represents the first time that David actively opposed Saul’s royal dynasty. Admittedly, Saul was already dead, and David was not himself directly involved in this confrontation with the remnants of Saul’s army. But we can assume that Joab ventured out with the knowledge and permission of David to meet Abner in Gibeon, with a high likelihood of bloodshed on both sides. David clearly did not concur with the right of Ish-Bosheth to rule the land. God’s anointing that was on Saul did not automatically pass down to his son. We will see that David still had respect for Ish-bosheth and punished the men who eventually killed him, but David did not refer to him as the Lord’s anointed as he had done with Saul.

Way back in 1 Samuel 9, God had explicitly told Samuel to anoint Saul as the leader of his people. Saul’s right to lead was taken away in chapter 15 after his disobedience in keeping the spoils of the Amalekites rather than destroying it all as the Lord had commanded. Saul even lied to Samuel to try to cover up his sin. When Samuel confronted him with the truth of his behavior he tried to repent, but it was too late:

Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors—to one better than you.  He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind.” – 1 Samuel 15:28-29

The Lord rejected Saul as king and had Samuel anoint David instead. However, David still referred to Saul as the Lord’s anointed and would not lift his hand against him. For example, in 1 Samuel 24, when Saul happened to enter a cave in which David and his men were hiding, David’s men urged him to attack Saul. They suggested that the Lord had given him into David’s hands. But instead, David crept up unnoticed and simply cut off the corner of Saul’s robe. When Saul left the cave, David called after him:

He said to Saul, “Why do you listen when men say, ‘David is bent on harming you’? This day you have seen with your own eyes how the Lord delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, ‘I will not lay my hand on my lord, because he is the Lord’s anointed.’ – 1 Samuel 24:9-10

Saul showed remorse for a moment but then continued his pursuit of David. His unjust persecution did not sway David’s commitment to continue to honor him. Even after he was dead, David did not renounce him, and as we saw last time he executed the Amalekite who would dare to lift his hand against the Lord’s anointed. This was not David respecting Saul for who he was. This was David honoring God by refusing to destroy something God had established.

We might struggle with a critical or rebellious attitude toward earthly authorities. Thus it is good for us to remember this passage from Romans 13:

Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you. The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong.  So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience. – Romans 13:1-5

Christians are to be good citizens, to the extent that we can. We know from what Jesus taught that the only exception to this submission to the authorities is when they are commanding us to disobey God. In all other cases we are to obey our “governing authorities” as a way to honor God. I’ll admit that I find this difficult when the rules seem to make no sense or the people making the rules seem incompetent or uncaring. Some of the restrictions that we are under right now might seem burdensome and unnecessary to you, but each of us will need to decide what is honoring to God in this situation. Love needs to be the overriding consideration, as we consider the needs of others above our own. We should wear masks, keep our hands clean, and maintain social distance to protect others, even if we don’t see any advantage for ourselves. The natural result of the current situation is to bring out our inherent selfishness, so we need to demonstrate the difference that knowing Jesus makes. Love can be a difficult choice to make. Christ setting us free from the burden of following the law does not give us license to do whatever comes naturally to us. We can be guided by this passage from 1 Peter 2:

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor. – 1 Peter 2:13-17

By doing good we will silence the criticism of others. Ideally they will recognize us as slaves to God’s will, using our freedom to do what is right and avoiding evil. Submitting to authority is important for our witness. If Peter could honor a corrupt, pagan Roman emperor, we can show respect to our leaders, too. This is a difficult calling. David may have struggled with it, too, but he remained resolute in his commitment to honor Saul to the end. Then he was finally free to take up the authority that God had promised him and extend his rule throughout the land. And the Lord blessed him for his patience and integrity in this matter. May God give us grace to honor him in this same way.