So beginning in chapter 3 at verse 1, now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. But David grew stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker. Sons were born to David and Hebron. His firstborn was Amnon by Ahinoam, the Jezreelitess.
His second, Kiliab, by Abigail, the widow of Nabal, the Carmelite. The third, Absalom, the son of Meacah. the daughter of Telmai, king of Gesher. The fourth, Adonijah, the son of Hagith. The fifth, Shethetiah, the son of Abidal.
And the sixth, Ethreum, by David's wife, Agla. These were born to David and Hebron. Now it was so, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner was strengthening his hold on the house of Saul. And Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Ayah.
So Ish-bosheth said to Abner, why have you gone into my father's concubine? Then Abner became very angry at the words of Ish-bosheth and said, am I a dog's head that belongs to Judah? Today I show loyalty to the house of Saul, your father, to his brothers and to his friends and have not delivered you into the hand of David. And you charge me today with a fault concerning this woman?
May God do so to Abner and more also if I do not do for David as the Lord has sworn to him, to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah from Dan to Beersheba." And he could not answer Abner another word because he feared him. Then Abner sent messengers on his behalf to David, saying, Whose is the land? Saying also, Make your covenant with me, and indeed my hand shall be with you to bring all Israel to you. And David said, Good, I will make a covenant with you, but one thing I require of you.
You shall not see my face unless you first bring Michael, Saul's daughter, when you come to see my face. So David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, saying, Give me my wife, Michael, whom I betrothed to myself for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines. And Ish-bosheth sent and took her from her husband, from Paltiel, the son of Laish. Then her husband went along with her to Baharim, weeping behind her.
So Abner said to him, Go, return. And he returned. Now Abner had communicated with the elders of Israel saying, in time past you were seeking for David to be king over you. Now then do it.
For the Lord has spoken of David saying, by the hand of my servant David, I will save my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and the hand of all their enemies. And Abner also spoke in the hearing of Benjamin. Then Abner also went to speak in the hearing of David in Hebron, all that seemed good to Israel and the whole house of Benjamin. So Abner and 20 men with him came to David at Hebron, and David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him.
Then Abner said to David, I will arise and go and 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. At that moment, the servants of David and Joab came from a raid and brought much spoil with them. But Abner was not with David in Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace.
When Joab and all the troops that were with him had come, they told Joab, saying, Abner, the son of Ner, came to the king, and he sent him away, and he has gone in peace. Then Joab came to the king and said, What have you done? Look, Abner came to you. Why is it that you sent him away and he has already gone?
Surely you realize that Abner the son of Ner came to deceive you, to know you're going out and you're coming in, and to know all that you are doing. And when Joab had gone from David's presence, he sent messengers after Abner, who brought him back from the well of Sirah. But David did not know it. Now when Abner had returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him privately, and there stabbed him in the stomach so that he died for the blood of Asahel, his brother.
Afterward, when David heard it, he said, my kingdom and I are guiltless before the Lord forever of the blood of Abner, the son of Ner. Let it rest on the head of Joab and on all his father's house. And let there never fail to be in the house of Joab one who has a discharge or is a leper, who leans on a staff or falls by the sword or who lacks bread. So Joab and Abishai, his brother, killed Abner because he had killed their brother, Asahel, at Gibeon in the battle.
Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, tear your clothes, gird yourselves with sackcloth, and mourn for Abner. And King David followed the coffin. So they buried Abner in Hebron, and the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. And the king sang a lament over Abner and said, should Abner die as a fool dies, your hands were not bound nor your feet put into fetters.
As a man falls before wicked men, so you fell. Then all the people wept over him again. And when all the people came to persuade David to eat food while it was still day, David took an oath saying, God do so to me and more also. If I taste bread or anything else till the sun goes down.
Now all the people took note of it, and it pleased them, since whatever the king did pleased all the people. For all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been the king's intent to kill Abner the son of Ner. And the king said to his servants, do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel? And I am weak today, though anointed king.
And these men, the sons of Zariah, are too harsh for me. The Lord shall repay the evildoer according to his wickedness. Amen.
Introduction and Review
Well, last week we considered the reminder concerning the civil war in chapter 3 at verse 1. There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. Remember, this was initiated by Abner. Abner essentially was the power in the northern kingdom.
Ish-bosheth was basically a puppet king. Abner was his commander, but basically Abner called the shots, and Abner and 12 men went to the field of the sharp swords and there battled with 12 men of Judah. The men of Judah obviously were victorious, gave pursuit, and the men of Judah was victorious over many more than in the northern tribes. So it tells us in verse 1, this long war continues.
David grows stronger and stronger. The house of Saul grows weaker and weaker. So that's a continual theme that we see from 1 Samuel 16 on, the rise of David and the decline of Saul. And then in verses 2 to 5, we saw the increase in David's house.
It mentions the various sons born to him by various wives. This was a mark of significance among the kings in those days. The more wives, the more sons, the more blessings, or so it was believed. But of course, Deuteronomy 17 prohibits the king from multiplying wives. from multiplying wealth or multiplying weapons.
That doesn't mean he can't have a wife and have some degree of wealth and have some weaponry, but he's not to put his trust in those particulars. And if he does multiply wives, he runs the risk of having his heart led astray, as does happen in the case of David's son Solomon. As well, one of the reasons why these kings did such things were to increase political alliances. It wasn't primarily to gratify sexual loss, though that was probably in view, it was to maintain political alliances.
And then we saw the defection of Abner, the specific occasion Abner went into Saul's concubine and that upset Ish-bosheth. Now remember, when Abner does this, it's essentially saying that he has the rights and the entitlement to what was the king's. Later on, Absalom will lie with David's concubines, and it will sort of set forth the same sort of lesson. And so when Ish-bosheth challenges Abner, Abner gets angry at him, and then Abner essentially says, I'm going to take my marbles and go home.
I don't want to play with you anymore, Ish-bosheth. He says, I'm going to go and I'm going to meet with David and I'm going to take the northern tribes and power will be consolidated under David at this particular time. Of course, this was a good idea for David because David needed that support from the north. So David enters into this agreement.
I do believe it was indeed a covenant. I think the text indicates that clearly. So the end of verse 22 or end of verse 21, we have Abner. and David meeting together, ratifying this agreement, and then going their separate ways. As Robert Vanoy says, upon the successful conclusion of the negotiations between David and Abner, things appeared to be moving toward an outcome with significant benefits for both individuals.
David profits because of consolidation, the United Kingdom. Abner's going to profit because David certainly is going to exalt Abner in this new united monarchy and Abner is going to have a place of prestige. That's what Vannoy goes on to say. David would finally become king over all Israel and Abner would have positioned himself to play an important role in David's court.
He then says, but neither David nor Abner anticipates Joab's reaction to the agreement they had made. and that's what we find here in verses 22 to 39. It breaks down into two sections, the anger of Joab in verses 22 to 27, and then the response by David in verses 28 to 39. Now if we saw in Abner a degree of ambition and self-seeking, we certainly see that in Joab as well. Now the text indicates that he kills Abner because of what had happened to Asahel.
But when we look at the text a little bit more closely and then we look at some of the surrounding context, we see that there are other motives involved probably for Joab than just to avenge the death of his brother Asael.
The Anger of Joab
So let's look first at the anger of Joab. In verses 22 and 23, he returns. At that moment, the servants of David and Joab came from a raid and brought much spoil with them. Remember, when David and his men lived in Ziklag in Philistia, that is precisely what they would do.
They would go out on these raids and they would defeat the peoples and they bring back the spoils. Well, Joab is out doing such and such while Abner and David are having their historical meeting to transfer the power of the northern tribes into the hand of David. And so when Abner, or then it says that Abner was not with David in Hebron for he had sent him away and he had gone in peace. Don't miss this.
At the end of verse 21 we see that David sent Abner away and he went in peace. We see that in verse 22. He had gone in peace. And then this is what they instruct Joab concerning in verse 23.
He has gone in peace. The idea is also in security. Because this agreement was reached, David essentially sent him off in peace and in security. In other words, David sent him off with his blessing.
They had ratified this agreement. All things were in place. They were going to move forward on this particular plan. As far as Abner was concerned, everything was good.
As far as David was concerned, everything was good. But as Vannoy points out, neither of them had taken into consideration what Joab would think concerning this particular arrangement. So I said last week, there is the elements of the ratification of a covenant. They had a meal together.
This is something that comes up. in the midst of covenant making. There are meals that are had. As well, the threefold emphasis that Abner went in peace, the fivefold curse pronounced by David upon Joab in verse 29. We'll see that a little later as we move on.
But probably that was the curse that would have fallen upon David had David reneged on or broken the covenant with Abner. So it was Joab that broke the covenant with Abner by putting that knife into his belly. So David pronounces that five-fold curse upon Joab in Cain. As well, the extent to which David went in order to distance himself from Abner's assassination.
David wanted to make sure that all Israel knew that it was not he that was complicit in the death of Abner. So various elements suggest that there was a covenant in place between David and Abner. Joab then takes this particular action. So men tell Joab what had happened and now notice that Joab confronts David in verses 24 and 25. which Joab's a bit of a mixed, or a bit of a loose cannon.
There are times when he gives support to David, he's a good military commander, he's a battle proven man to be sure, but he's not always the most faithful, and this is certainly not something that a subordinate should do to the king. Verse 24, Joab came to the king and said, what have you done? What are you doing? I mean, could you imagine that?
Your subordinate comes to you, you make a decision at work, or you make a decision in your kingdom, or your child comes to you, you know, you've changed dinner time from 5 to 5.30, and your five-year-old comes and says, what have you done? Don't you know that you're not supposed to operate like this? This is sort of the posture that Joab presents here. And then he says, look, Abner came to you.
Why is it that you sent him away and he is already gone? The implication being in peace and in security. If Abner came to you, David, you should have slit his throat. Remember, it was Abner that propped up Ish-bosheth.
It was Abner that got the support of those northern tribes in the first place. It was Abner who went and confronted your men. there in chapter 2 of 2 Samuel. This is his attitude in this particular instance.
Joab's Suspicion and Slander
Now notice in verse 25, surely you realize that Abner the son of Ner came to deceive you to know you're going out and you're coming in and to know all that you are doing. So he introduces this suspicion or tries to introduce this suspicion into David's mind. David, don't you know Abner really doesn't want peace. Abner really doesn't want a covenant.
Abner only wants to know what it is that you're doing so that he can indeed be your demise. So Joab is certainly making his case before the king. Now what is the issue here? Again, notice in verse 27.
It says, so that he died for the blood of Asahel, his brother. Notice as well in verse 30, it's not just Joab that participates in this, but their other brother Abishai. So Joab and Abishai, his brother, killed Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle. So that is the specified reason in the text.
But as I said, when you look outside this particular context, you'll note that there is an ambition that drives Joab as well. There is a desire that Joab has to be the sort of head honcho or the big kahuna or the number one cheese. If Abner is successful in this covenant with David, then David is going to recognize Abner and Abner is going to rise. What does that mean for Joab?
If Abner rises, then Joab potentially decreases or declines. You see the rub. Joab doesn't want this to happen. Certainly he wants to avenge Asahel.
That is not in question. But could it be that there's something else driving him? Vengeance over Asahel, but as well, protection of his position as David's number one man. Calvin said that he, Joab, was led by envy in that he feared that Abner would reach a higher degree of honor and that he would no longer be David's enemy.
You see, he's threatened. He is jealous. He's like a child here, conniving and trying to set things in order so that his position is protected. John Gill says, this Joab said to David, to this, I'm sorry, this Joab said to set David against him, feeling if he should be received into favor, he would be a rival of his.
And besides, his breast was full of revenge against him for the death of his brother. So the acknowledgement of the vengeance element, but as well the acknowledgement of this reality that if Abner is promoted, then Joab is going to be shorted. Now, we might look at 2 Samuel 3, and we might see the obvious implications that Abner was a wretch and that Joab was a wretch, but I agree with Calvin. We may agree with this, and we may not, and we may approve that what we see is a violation of God's law, but we're not too far away from this.
Now, it may not be the case that we're jockeying for position in the northern tribes, or we're jockeying for position, you know, as the second in command under the king of Israel or Judah, but there is nevertheless this selfishness and ambition that does fill the hearts of God's people. In fact, in Galatians chapter 5, when the apostle deals with the fruit of the Spirit, he also deals with the works of the flesh. And in Galatians 5, 19 to 21, those works of the flesh include selfish ambition and envy. Now, you all know what envy is.
Envy is when we want something that someone else has, but even more importantly, we don't want them to have it. That's the difference between jealousy and envy. If I'm jealous of Isaac's car, I just want what he has. If I'm envious, I don't want him to have that car.
And that's probably what's going on in the heart of Joab. He doesn't want Abner to be in this position. He wants that position for himself, but he also really doesn't want Abner to have it. So again, I would just ask that as we survey this particular section, as we see the sins of an Abner and we see the sins of a Joab, we need to guard our hearts against the sins that we entertain in our own breasts when it comes to selfishness and an ungodly ambition.
There's nothing wrong with working hard or seeking to be the best at what you do for the glory of God, for the honor of God, but if it's simply so that you can look good to others or gratify this desire that you have for ambition or to indulge in the fact that everybody is applauding you and just heralding you as this wonderful specimen of a human being. If that's your motive, then you need to repent. That's godlessness, it's unrighteousness, and we are to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. We're not to make our prestige and our fame known.
Our desire and our intention is to bring glory and honor to God. Kyle and Dalich add that Joab hoped in this way to prejudice David against Abner, to make him suspected as a traitor that he might then be able to gratify his own private revenge with perfect impunity. And you know, not to get too super off the track here, but there is a sense where what Joab is doing is basically slandering Abner. Now, again, this is something that we run the risk of.
Maybe not, maybe you all are the exceptions to this particular rule, but for the most part, persons have a tendency to run down others while making themselves look good. Isn't this what Joab does? Surely you realize that Abner the son of Ner came to deceive you, to know you're going out and you're coming in and to know all that you're doing. Now that's wrong on a whole host of levels.
In the first place, it is to call into question David's savvy and David's ability to deal with men. I mean, does the king of Israel need Joab to set him straight on how he is to read men, on how he is to validate and confirm when it comes to covenant making? This is really high-handed in terms of Joab's treason against the throne because David is a bright fellow. David didn't lead all these men in battle.
David didn't get to this point by being a dummy. And so for Joab to suggest this calls into question David's intelligence, but it does in fact run down Abner's character. As far as we know, when David sent Abner away and he went in peace, Abner was legit. David thought he was legit.
David didn't suspect that Abner was just trying to assess David so that he can, you know, bring him to an end. So what Joab is doing is he's putting someone else down to put himself up. And we need to guard our tongues when it comes to this very thing. We could go to other passages in the New Testament where we are told to set a guard over our mouths.
You know, if anyone among you thinks he is religious but does not bridle his own tongue, This man's religion is useless. That's what James says. If anyone thinks he is religious, but he does not bridle, notice, his own tongue. You don't need to police everybody else's tongue.
You need to police your own. I love the individuality of certain scriptures that we oftentimes universalize and generalize. Proverbs 4, for instance, says, keep your heart with all diligence. Whose heart do we typically keep?
Everybody else's. Did you see what so-and-so did? Did you see where so-and-so went? Keep your heart.
That's a 24-7 job. Bridle your tongue. That's a 24-7 job. You don't do that very well.
You certainly can't look after the tongue and the heart of your neighbor. When you've mastered your own heart, you've mastered your own tongue, well then, maybe you can add some or lend some help to that poor slob next to you. But brethren, when we see a Joab running down an Abner, we ought to not just say, wow, what a terrible guy Joab is. We ought to be careful that we're not running down other people as well.
You know, there's an old adage, it's better to shut up and look smart than to open your mouth and confirm that you're a dummy. Actually, that's from the Proverbs, the Jim Butler translation. Do you see what Joab is doing here? Now,
The Assassination of Abner
notice the assassination of Abner in verses 26 to 27. When Joab had gone from David's presence, he sent messengers after Abner, who brought him back from the well of Sirah. But David did not know it. This is stressed over and over and over and over again.
David did not know it. David was not complicit. David did not participate in this. David is not a covenant breaker.
David's not a perfect man, as we have seen and as we will see. But when David shakes hands with Abner, David doesn't then plunge a knife into Abner's belly. So the text is conspicuous and the text does want us to see that David was not a part of this particular arrangement. Now in verse 27, Now when Abner had returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him privately, and there stabbed him in the stomach so that he died for the blood of Asahel his brother.
Why Joab's Act Was Unjust
Now we need to understand that this was wrong. This was not legit. Abner thought that everything was cool with Joab. Abner knew that he had killed Asahel, and Abner knew that Asahel was Joab's brother.
But after having dealings with David and realizing that Joab was David's second in command, Abner probably thought that everything was cool. Joab wants to have a private meeting. I'll go meet with Joab. Joab's idea was a bit different.
He plunges a knife into his belly. We need to appreciate that when Abner... Now, Abner's a wretch. Don't get me wrong.
You were here last week. You were here the few weeks before when we took the time off for the holidays. I pointed out that Abner's a wretch. But we ought not to add sin to a person that doesn't deserve it.
When Abner killed Asahel, it was a wartime situation, wasn't it? It was a wartime scenario. Asahel was pursuing Abner so that Asahel could kill Abner. In the second place, Abner tried to persuade Asahel not to follow him.
Remember that in chapter 2? Maybe give me a bit of a nod. Didn't Abner say, look, basically, don't mess with me. I'm a proven battle-tested warrior.
Asahel, you will lose this exchange. Again, I think that's the essence of what he's communicating there. But Asahel continues to give pursuit. So then Abner takes the butt end of his sword and he drives it into Asahel.
I don't think Abner wanted to do it. In fact, he feared this very thing because he was Joab's brother. And remember, probably back then, Abner's thinking, you know, if things don't work out with Ish-bosheth, I'm going to want to get in good with David. If I want to get in good with David, I'm going to have to be on good terms with Joab.
I think probably this is, you know, the way Abner thinks and the way Abner was engaged in all this. That's not what's going on here. This is not wartime. This was a private meeting where Joab wanted to speak to Abner confidentially. and there he stabbed him in the stomach.
John Gill says, because he had slain their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle, which was no just reason at all. Again, don't get me wrong, if somebody kills someone, they should die. I'm a firm believer in the death penalty, whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood will be shed, for in the image of God he made man. That's Genesis 9.6.
It's upheld through the entirety of the Bible. The New Testament, Romans 13 specifically, teaches the death penalty. The magistrate doesn't carry a sword just because it's shiny and it looks nice. He carries that sword so that, if necessary, he can wield deadly force against criminal offenders.
However, the death penalty is to be engaged in according to a legal process. Deuteronomy 17, Deuteronomy 19, you don't just willy-nilly execute people. Wow, he stole, well stealing's not a capital offense. He killed, therefore we just hack his head off.
No, there's due process. There's still an order that is to be followed. That's not what Joab is doing. Joab buries this knife in the belly of Abner.
The text specifically says, because of the blood of Asahel, but there does seem to be more in line of what's going on with Joab. So back to Gil. which was no just reason at all. His blood was shed in war, this in peace, in cold blood and under the guise of friendship." Probably so. I mean, Abner's been sent by David in peace, in security.
Certainly, Abner wouldn't be out of line to think Joab's on board. If King David is making these deals, hopefully he briefs his highest military commander, and when the military commander wants to see me, Abner doesn't have any reason not to go. Now, I wonder if he might have had some suspicion. I don't know if I'd be that willing to go meet in private with somebody whose brother I killed, but, you know, the text doesn't really get into that particular thing.
And then what Gil goes on to say, that was shed with reluctance talking about Abner and Asahel and after fair warning and in defense of himself. But this willfully in Joab, unawares to Abner and in great deceit and hypocrisy. Now it's interesting, when David comes to die, he gives Solomon instruction to kill Joab. And this is what David says in 1 Kings 2.5.
Moreover, you know also what Joab the son of Zariah did to me, and what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner and Amasot the son of Jether, whom he killed, and he shed the blood of war in peacetime. You see, we have David's commentary that what Joab does in this instance is wicked. It wasn't righteous, it wasn't legitimate vengeance, it was an act of wickedness. And he shed the blood of war in peacetime and put the blood of war on his belt that was around his waist and on his sandals that were on his feet.
Now that man Amasa in 2 Samuel 19, you can turn there just to get a flavor of what Joab's about. Notice in 2 Samuel 19 at verse 13, and say to Amasa, are you not my bone and my flesh? God do so to me and more also if you are not commander of the army before me continually in place of Joab. Now does Joab respond to that saying, well I guess I've been demoted, I ought to just thank You know, my lucky star is that I still have a job.
That's not what Joab does. Look at 2 Samuel 20, beginning in verse 4. And the king said to Amasa, assemble the men of Judah for me within three days and be present here yourself. So Amasa went to assemble the men of Judah.
But he delayed longer than the set time which David had appointed him. And David said to Abishai, now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom. Take your Lord's servants and pursue him, lest he find for himself fortified cities and escape us.' So Joab's men, with the Carathites, the Pelethites, and all the mighty men, went out after him, and they went out of Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri. When they were at the large stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa came before them.
Now Joab was dressed in battle armor. On it was a belt with a sword fastened in its sheath at his hips. And as he was going forward, it fell out. Then Joab said to Amasa, Are you in health, my brother?
And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. But Amasa did not notice the sword that was in Joab's hand, and he struck him with it in the stomach, and his entrails poured out on the ground. and he did not strike him again, thus he died." So imagine you work at Walmart and your boss says, you know, I'm really impressed with the service of your work associate there. I'm going to give him a raise and I'm going to give him your position. Then you meet him back in sporting goods and you stab him.
That is essentially what Joab is doing. He doesn't want any challenge to his authority when it comes to being David's right-hand man. That is precisely David's commentary in 1 Kings 2, verse 5. As I mentioned earlier, it's one thing for us to appreciate what Joab and Abner before him did in terms of these acts of wickedness.
Listen to what Calvin says. He says, it is certain that ambition is the most mortal evil that can possibly happen to the church of God. When everyone wants to advance himself, and wants to be seen by others. Man, that's gold.
You know, in a day and age where there's celebrity preachers and there's this sort of almost rock star status afforded to men of God, I think we need a good dose of this reality, that ambition. and a self-seekingness is really discouraged by God in the scriptures. We ought to take a cue from Abner and from Joab. We ought to be humble. We ought to be lowly.
We ought to thank the Lord God for what it is that we have. Again, that doesn't mean don't do good work, be a terrible employee, never get promoted. That's not what I'm saying. Be a hard worker, be a diligent person, but you're not doing it just so you can get the accolades of men, not so your ambition is gratified or satisfied, but rather that God would be glorified.
David's Response
Now notice the response by David in verses 28 to 39. He, first of all, declares his innocence.
David Declares His Innocence
Verse 28, afterward when David heard it, he said, my kingdom and I are guiltless before the Lord forever of the blood of Abner the son of Ner. Now, David is a diplomat. David is politically savvy. David is at a unique juncture in redemptive history.
He is the king over Judah. He is going to be the king over all Israel, from Dan to Beersheba. That means both kingdoms, the north and the south. And so David has been presented with this opportunity to oversee or to rule, rather, over the northern tribes.
He's got to tread delicately here. In some sense, you've got to jump into the passage and realize, why does David go to these lengths to make sure that no one knows that he is guilty of this crime? Because he's trying to bring together two kingdoms. He is trying to have a united monarchy under God Most High.
This was indeed the Lord's plan, that David would be the ruler over Israel. David has the southern tribes, but because of Abner and Ish-bosheth, he doesn't have the northern tribes. Now he has the opportunity to have the northern tribes, but what do you think the northern tribes are going to think about this unification if they hear that Abner's been stuck in the belly? If they think for a moment that David is complicit in this, they're not going to submit to David.
Does that make sense? The northern tribes aren't going to say, yes, we want David. David just brutalized Abner. Now, we know that Abner was a wretch of a human being. you know, probably his mother loved him, and the tribes of Israel loved him.
They thought he was a good leader. He had done some good things for Israel. So if the northern tribes hear that Abner was murdered, and they know that it was by Joab, they're going to suspect, well, Joab is David's second in charge, so David must have put him up to this. So that's why David declares his innocence.
That's why David calls for public mourning. That's why David engages in his own lament. That's why David addresses his own people. David takes great pains so that this whole plan to unify the kingdom doesn't crumble around him.
Now, I don't think David's doing this because he's driven by selfish ambition. David really is a man after God's own heart. David really is typological of his greater son. the greater son of David looked upon multitudes and he felt compassion for them because they were like sheep having no shepherd. I think this is ultimately what's driving David.
The consolidation of the kingdom isn't so that David will progress and be glorified in the land. It's so that God will be glorified and so that Israel will be protected. So I think David's motives are righteous and pure and so he has to go to these great lengths to distance himself from Joab's activity. Gil describes it this way in terms of the public declaration of his innocence in verse 28.
He says that he was the rather led to make this public declaration because he knew that the death of Abner in this way would be resented by the friends of Saul's family and be an obstruction to the union of the two kingdoms which it was known Abner was endeavoring to bring about. And imagine that. Here Abner is. The northern tribes at that point probably didn't know all the ins and outs, as we know them, because we've been given divine commentary on just what a wretch Abner was.
But the northern tribes see Abner as this champion of unification. I mean, imagine this today. He would be the hero of heroes. Abner, he's just trying to bring people together.
I mean, he got a meeting with King David, and David agreed with him and sent Abner away in peace and safety. And now Abner's got a knife in the belly? I mean, this would really upset the apple cart. That's why David does what David does.
David's Curse Upon Joab
Notice, he goes from this declaration of his innocence to pronounce this curse upon Joab in verses 29 to 30. Let it rest on the head of Joab and on all his father's house. And let there never fail to be in the house of Joab one who has a discharge. Now I'm going to just give you a little bit information here not so everybody that's gross but so we can understand that David means business here.
David takes this whole idea of covenant making with Abner very seriously. And if Joab is going to break that covenant via knife to the belly, then Joab is going to reap the curses associated with that covenant. This idea of discharge, probably relative to Leviticus 15. Robert Alter says, the single Hebrew word zav refers to a man suffering from a diseased discharge from the male organ.
That's what David says concerning Joab and his father's house. John Gill says, one that hath an issue, a gonorrhea, which was reckoned infamous and very impure according to the Jewish law and rendered persons unfit for society. Again, David's not playing games. And this would certainly underscore the reality that he was not involved.
I mean, if David's invoking this curse upon all those involved in this activity, certainly David would be foolish to say, you know, I want to have this discharge from areas that I'd rather not mention. That's just not the case. And then leprosy is what else he says, or is a leper. And then he says this idea of one who leans on a staff.
And I think I mentioned last week, the phrase can refer to a woman's spindle. It might refer to Joab and all those in his household do the work of women, which would be quite an insult. I mean, to go from a military commander to working with spindles as a woman, That would be quite a decline in one's stature, in one's rank. You see, David is basically saying, may bad things come upon Joab as a result of what had happened here.
Or he may fall by the sword. He isn't working with spindles. He's in battle. Hopefully, he invokes the curse that he'll fall by the sword.
Or who lacks bread. Let him be poor. You know, if you ever read Psalm 109, it's an imprecatory psalm of David, and he prays specifically that his enemies would be, you know, would be impoverished. They'd have to go from place to place begging for their bread.
The psalter that we have here, we've never sang Psalm 109, we should sing it, but it says, may strangers steal his hard-earned cash. When the boys were younger, we would sing that psalm and we'd dedicate it to abortionists, you know, that would be our imprecation. And I know that little clause particularly puzzled Josh. Strangers steal their hard-earned cash.
He said, that doesn't sound like the Bible. Well, it's a paraphrase of what the psalm says, but that's the essence of it. May strangers steal their hard-earned cash. May him be impoverished.
You see, David means business here. It was wrong for Joab to do what Joab had done.
Public Mourning and Lament
Verses 31 and 32, public mourning. David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, tear your clothes, gird yourselves with sackcloth, and mourn for Abner. And King David followed the coffin. So they buried Abner in Hebron.
The king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner. And all the people wept, and the king sang a lament over Abner and said, should Abner die as a fool, dies. Your hands were not bound, nor your feet put into fetters, as a man falls before wicked men, so you fell. The idea being, you didn't die in battle.
You didn't die in combat. You weren't taken as a prisoner of war and then ultimately slain. No, it wasn't that at all. You died as a fool died.
You died before a wicked man. You died before a man who basically deceived you and tricked you and put a knife into your belly. And then notice what we have in terms of this oath taken by David. And then it is seen by all the people, according to verse 37, all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been the king's intent to kill Abner, the son of Ner.
So David was successful, and I don't think he was doing it to be successful. He was doing it, yes, to be diplomatic. Yes, he was doing it as a politically savvy move, but he was doing it because it was true. He wasn't involved.
It was not his part in this particular situation. As the reigning king, he needs to make sure that his subjects see that he's not out putting knives into people's bellies in private sort of meetings here. So the people understand that.
David's Assessment of Abner
And then David says in verse 38, says to his servants, do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel? I think we can also conclude David's a very forgiving man, isn't he? I mean, Abner was against David, and then Abner changed, and David just sees him as a prince and a great man. David has some qualities I lack.
Verse 39, and I am weak today, though anointed king, and these men, the sons of Zariah, are too harsh for me. It's a difficult statement to sort of understand. I mean, when David says, and I am weak today, I don't think it means that, you know, he's afraid of Joab, but it's probably because he's pretty new at this. It's probably because it's still a fresh situation, the consolidation of the kingdom.
He doesn't quite have the power and the authority yet in the eyes of all people that he will have and that he will be able to exercise. But it is intriguing that he spares Joab here. That's a question I have when I leave this chapter. Why didn't he order the execution of Joab?
I mean, yes, he says, I am weak today. Though anointed king, these men, the sons of Zariah, are too harsh for me. I don't think David would be afraid of Joab. I mean, David walked out against Goliath and took his hat off.
David doesn't strike me as the kind of guy that would back down in fear over anybody that crossed him. It would be others that would back down from David. So that's at least a question I have. Why did he spare Joab?
I don't know. I can read what Gil has on this section. He does understand it, I think, in a good way. He says, and I am this day weak, though anointed king.
He says, which seems to be given as a reason or for an excuse why he did not inflict just punishment upon the murderer according to the law of God because he was weak, not in body or mind, but with respect to the kingdom. That was like a tender branch or in its infant state. and great care and caution were to be used that it was not overturned. He was a king by unction, not by birth. The son of the late king was yet up against him and was possessed of the far greater part of the kingdom.
He was indeed anointed by Samuel to be king over all Israel, but as yet he was not put into the possession of the kingdom he was anointed to. He was anointed and made king over Judah and invested with the office of king there and settled in it, and yet his power was not very great there." So he's working towards this. Ish-bosheth is going to die in chapter 4, and then David will assume officially the entirety of the kingdom, but he still doesn't execute Joab. So anybody's guess on that is as good as mine.
I mean, Joab did commit an act of cold-blooded murder. But David is content by saying at the end of verse 39, "...the Lord shall repay the evildoer according to his wickedness. And it's of course in First Kings 2, David gives the order to Solomon to destroy Joab which is carried out I think by Benaiah. I think it was Benaiah.
Benaiah was a swordsman that took care of business for Solomon. So in this passage, we certainly see the diplomacy of David, the covenant with Abner for the consolidation of power, the response to Joab's assassination of Abner. He did a very excellent thing. Because he was innocent of it, he declares that innocence.
He pronounces this curse upon Joab and his family. He engages in a public mourning. He laments over Abner. So we see that David handled all of this well.
And then also we see the envy and ambition of Joab. We saw it in Abner. We see it here in Joab. He feared he would be excluded by Abner's rise in power.
I really believe that's what's going on. Yes, he felt bad and wanted to bring vengeance upon Abner for the death of Asahel, but the way that he went about it was not righteous.
Sin Compounds Sin
And so we see this ambition and this envy and even assassination in order to protect his position. You see, that's the thing about sin. It's usually guarded or it's usually when we sin, we typically have to do other sins to protect that sin. And if we are engaged in ambition and selfishness, and if we only want what we want, and we're only interested in ourselves, then we're going to engage in a lot of sin in order to advance our cause, and in order to protect our particular kingdom, and in order to make sure no one ever brings us down.
And as I mentioned, we ought to learn from this the envy and the ambition that we face. the envy and ambition that we face.
Application: Guarding Against Ambition
Calvin says, there will not be anyone among us who does not detest Joab's action. It is a detestable act. Everyone will so judge it. But nevertheless, there will not be anyone who does not follow him unless God takes care of the matter and governs us by his Holy Spirit.
It's very important. We'll all say, oh, that's terrible. Joab, you terrible crumb of a man. But we got the same sort of ambition.
Again, I hope we're not plunging knives into people's bellies because they bake better cakes than we do, or they're better sellers at Walmart. But we have our ambition, and we have our selfishness, and we need to be careful. We need to understand there will not be anyone who does not follow him unless God takes care of the matter and governs us by His Holy Spirit.
Encouragement: Christ Builds His Church
And then finally, we ought to appreciate, as New Covenant believers, when the Lord Jesus Christ promises in Matthew 16, I will build my church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it, sometimes that's a difficult promise for us to believe, isn't it? I mean, when we see the sorts of things that constantly plague the church, we see the encroachments of a God-hating state. We see in many countries the absolute destruction of Christians and churches. We see Christians dispossessed from their homes, or businesses, or their churches destroyed, or their throats cut, or whatever it is, or they're in prison.
We see that, and it's very difficult for us to sort of conceptualize that, yeah, Jesus is building his church. Or then you come to the West, and you see, you know, what goes under the name of church, but it really, there's no gospel. It's moralism. It's therapy.
It's that sort of sappy thing that you could get on, you know, in chicken soup for the whatever soul. I mean, it's that kind of stuff that's being, you know, proclaimed in pulpits, and we wonder how in the world is Jesus building his church? Well, I think that's why it's good for us to read the Old Testament, because God is building his kingdom here, isn't he? I mean, through all of the mayhem, through all of the ambition, through all of the selfishness, through an assassination, what happens in 2 Samuel 5?
God builds his kingdom on earth. Now, I realize the kingdom of God is comprehensive, but it is visibly represented in the nation of Israel in the Old Testament. I mentioned this on Sunday at the end of, I think it's in First Chronicles or wherever in Chronicles when Solomon takes the throne, it says he sat on the throne of Yahweh. That's huge.
Solomon sat on the throne of Yahweh. What's that mean? The kingdom of God is localized, it is present on earth, visibly represented in the nation of Israel. So, not even in spite of all these things, but through all these means, God built his kingdom, and he'll do that today.
Now, that doesn't mean, okay, we can go out and murder, we can go out and assassinate, we can go out and sin, we can be full of ambition and selfishness and pride, and, you know, we can just trust that Jesus will build His church. No, I'm not saying that. But I'm saying be encouraged, because God, who is able to build His kingdom in Old Covenant Israel, is certainly able to build His kingdom in New Covenant Israel, which is the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, let us pray.
Closing Prayer
Our Father in heaven, we thank you for your word and we thank you for the encouragement that we receive and the admonition that we receive as well. And I pray that you'd help us to guard our hearts in this area of selfishness and ambition. Help us also, God, to have hope and to be filled with encouragement, to realize that Christ is building his church and that Christ is going to be victorious and he will have dominion from sea to sea. We thank you for these things, God.
We pray for the church at large. We pray for those who are suffering under godless regimes. We pray that you'd uphold your people in prison, uphold your people as they've been dispossessed from their houses, their businesses, even their countries. We just pray that you'd watch over your saints, cause them to persevere in the midst of these things, and may they contrary to hope, in hope, believe the promises of God.
And we ask these things through Christ our Lord. Amen.