Next to the kings, Israel’s top generals were the most powerful men in the nation. From the time Joshua led Israel across the Jordan River to conquer Jericho, the Israelites relied on skilled warriors to help them get established in the Promised Land.

King Saul’s general Abner took upon himself the authority to crown Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth King of Israel after Saul died. Following Abner’s lead most of the northern tribes accepted Ish-Bosheth. They trusted  Abner.

Ish-Bosheth Accuses Abner

Abner was more than just King Saul’s general. He was a first cousin and was at Saul’s side throughout his reign. He was literally the king maker who put the crown on Ish-Bosheth’s head after Saul Died. His loyalty to the crown was impeccable.

So when King Ish-Bosheth brought unfounded charges of immorality against Abner, he was deeply offended.

“Abner was very angry because of what Ish-Bosheth said. So he answered, ‘Am I a dog’s head – on Judah’s side? This very day I am loyal to the house of your father Saul and to his family and friends. I haven’t handed you over to David. Yet now you accuse me of an offense involving this woman!’” 2 Samuel 3:8

Abner had been loyal to the house of Saul all of his life, but Ish-Bosheth’s insulting accusation put him in the category of a dog from Judah. Abner had the power to hand Ish-Bosheth’s kingdom over to David and now he decided to do it.

“’May God deal with Abner, be it ever so severely, if I do not do for David what the Lord promised him on oath and transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and establish David’s throne over Israel and Judah from Dan to Beersheba.’” 2 Samuel 3:9-10

King Ish-Bosheth didn’t dare say another word against Abner. Meanwhile, Abner wasted no time in going to visit King David and propose  a bloodless coup d’état against Ish-Bosheth.

“’Whose land is it? Make an agreement with me, and I will help you bring all Israel over to you.’” 2 Samuel 3:12

Michal Returns to David

David had only one demand when he agreed to a meeting with Abner. He wanted his wife Michal returned to him. They were separated when she helped him flee from Saul many years earlier, and then Saul annulled their marriage by giving her to another man.

Ish-Bosheth gave orders for his sister to be sent to David and Abner escorted her. Her second husband Paltiel followed her weeping until Abner ordered him to go back home.

Michal resumed her place as David’s first wife, but now she was one of many other wives who had shared his many adventures and brought children into his household.

Abner Consolidates the Kingdom for David

Abner suddenly became King David’s biggest supporter.

“Abner conferred with the elders of Israel and said, ‘For some time you have wanted to make David your king. Now do it! For the Lord promised David, ‘By my servant David I will rescue my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.’” 2 Samuel 3:17-18

David was very pleased with Abner’s efforts and gave him a feast when he came to Hebron with twenty men. A general who showed up with just twenty men beside him was obviously on a peace mission.

“Then Abner said to David, ‘Let me go at once and assemble all Israel for my lord the king, so that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may rule over all that your heart desires.’ So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.” 2 Samuel 6:21

Abner Meets Joab

The last time Joab had seen Abner, he was chasing Abner following Judah’s defeat of Israel at the pool of Gibeon. Abner had brutally killed Joab’s brother Asahel during the chase. Joab saw Abner as the enemy and when he learned that David had made a treaty with him Joab confronted him.

“What have you done? Look, Abner came to you. Why did you let him go? Now he is gone! . . . he came to deceive you and observe your movements and find out everything you are doing.” 2 Samuel 3:24

Joab didn’t wait for an answer from David. He sent messengers to find Abner and they brought him back to Hebron without telling David. Then Joab took Abner to an inner chamber and murdered him out of revenge for Asahel’s death.

David cursed Joab and his family when he heard what Joab had done. He had to separate himself from this treachery as quickly as possible.

David Mourns for Abner

David didn’t prosecute Joab for killing Abner as he might have. Instead he humbled him. David gave Abner a huge state funeral and made Joab walk in front of Abner’s funeral bier, as first mourner. He had to tear his clothes and put on sackcloth and head the procession so everyone would see that Joab was sorry Abner died.

David made a big show of weeping for Abner and the people followed his lead. He sang a lament that reminded everyone that Abner didn’t deserve to die. He had fallen at the hands of a wicked murderer.

“Should Abner have died as the lawless die?

Your hands were not bound,

Your feet were not fettered.

You fell as one falls before the wicked.” 2 Samuel 3:33-34

Then David refused to eat any food until sunset. By the end of the day all of Judah and Israel knew that King David had not consented to the slaying of Abner. He played on their sympathy when he told them that Joab and his brothers were too treacherous for even a king like him. Yet he left retribution up to the Lord.

“May the Lord repay the evildoer according to his evil deeds!” 2 Samuel 3:39

David handled the death of Abner masterfully.

• He distanced himself from Joab’s wicked betrayal, letting people know he didn’t know it was going to happen
• He prevented anyone from taking revenge upon Joab when he called upon God to deal with him, thus preserving the life of his top general
• He showed the northern tribes that he prized Abner as much as they did by giving him a funeral fit for a king
• He buried Abner in his own capitol city of Hebron, demonstrating that Abner was part of David’s kingdom when he died

“All the people took note and were pleased; indeed, everything the King did pleased them.” 2 Samuel 3:36

The Death of Ish-Bosheth

All that stood between King David and consolidating his kingdom was King Ish-Bosheth in Gilead. Before David could do anything to reach out to Ish-Bosheth, two men from Benjamin went to Ish-Bosheth’s home and murdered him. After they killed him they cut off his head and took it to David.

“They brought the head of Ish-Bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, ‘Here is the head of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, your enemy, who tried to kill you. This day the Lord has avenged my lord the king against Saul and his offspring.’” 2 Samuel 4:8

But David never agreed with treachery against the house of Saul.

“As surely as the Lord lives who has delivered me out of every trouble, when someone told me, ‘Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing me good news, I seized him and put him to death in Ziklag. That was the reward I gave him for his news! How much more – when wicked men have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed – should I not now demand his blood from your hand and rid the earth of you!” 2 Samuel 4:9-11

David ordered the death of the assassins, mutilated their bodies and hung them up as an example. Then he took the head of Ish-Bosheth and laid it in Abner’s tomb.

Did God Always Agree with David?

The Bible reports what happened during David’s time without editorializing. Did God agree with everything David did? Taking the rest of the Bible into consideration, especially the example of Jesus in the New Testament, we would have to say that God didn’t agree with everything David did.

God didn’t endorse David’s polygamy, for instance. He gave laws that allowed for the revenge killing of Ish-Bosheth’s murderers, but he didn’t tell David to mutilate their bodies. These are just two examples of questionable things David did. In the days to come we will read about more of them.

The shocking things we read in the Bible are always the result of people’s sin. God only has sinners to work through as he carries out his plans. Their failings are bound to show up, but God is not responsible for people’s sins. Nothing evil comes from him.

When you read something that seems out of sync with God’s holiness, look at the actions of people in the story and you will see the problem originates in sin. The only way that God can eliminate all sinful behavior on earth is by eliminating all sinners. So far, he has not been willing to do that. By God’s grace sinners like you and I are alive today and still learning.