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Judah is the tribe that David is from. He grew up in Bethlehem, just over 16 miles north of Hebron. And now, probably somewhere around 15 years after David had been privately anointed king, he is now PUBLICLY anointed as king over his tribe.

Joab is David’s nephew (son of David’s sister 1 Chr 2:16). He is also the commander of David’s army, the southern version of Abner. These leaders and their men march to Gibeon, wasn’t a quick trip. 

• Joab & David’s men, coming from Hebron - would have been over 20 miles (1.4-2 days). 
• Abner & Ishbosheth’s men, coming from Mahanaim - would have been over 55 miles (3-5 days). Gibeon was NOT in the tribal land of Judah belonging to David, but it was in the tribal land of Benjamin (where Saul was from), and was on the boarder. Abner was either going to Gibeon to flex his military muscles OR was moving in to try to conquer David and his men in Judah.

2 SAMUEL 2:21-22

Abner said to him, “Turn to your right or left, seize one of the young soldiers, and take whatever you can get from him.” But Asahel would not stop chasing him. Once again, Abner warned Asahel, “Stop chasing me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How could I ever look your brother Joab in the face?”

These men still respected one another as they were still ALL Israelites and distant cousins. Further, Abner and other Israelites likely hoped that all of Israel would be reunited under THEIR king one day, and these 2 respected leaders would once again be on the same team, fighting side by side. Killing Joab’s brother would turn this into a blood feud that would never be repaired.

Abner was not intending to kill him, but to STOP him from chasing him. But the speed of young men with the strength of Abner meant the butt of the spear impaled his body, resulting in death. When Joab & Abishai see their dead brother, they don’t stop, but pursue Abner.

This was obviously NOT the last battle between David’s men and Ish-bosheth’s men over the course of the next 2 years. 

It’s here that 6 of David’s sons are named along with the 6 different mothers. 

• This is a DESCRIPTION of what David did do, not a PRESCRIPTION of what we should do.

During the time of Moses a command is given to future kings during the time of Moses that “he should not acquire many wives for himself so that his heart won’t go astray” (Deut 17:17). David’s marriages likely are NOT seen to break this command. These marriages often solidified political alliances between David and other leaders (like Maacah the daughter of King Talmai of Geshur - 2 Sam 3:3). These 6 sons would have stood in birth order to be the next in line for the throne of David.

A concubine was like a second-class wife, a woman committed to one man for life, and one whom he had emotional and sexual connection with. While she held a lower status than the man & his wife/wives, she was protected and provided for. The children birthed to her were considered legitimate children of the man. Powerful men like kings and tribal chiefs were usually the only men with concubines. 

• To bed a king’s concubine would be like doing the same with his wife, and was viewed beyond adultery, an attempt to take the king’s throne. 

As you can hear in Abner’s response, this kind of act is wrongdoing and a slanderous claim against Abner’s character and he will have none of it. He has been faithful to Saul his whole life, as well as faithful to Ish-bosheth, but this confrontation of Abner was the ultimate sign of distrust, so Abner makes sure that never happens again!

Ultimately, Jesus points people back to the standard that has been the plan of God from the beginning when he said,

God is serious business about marriage - it’s His invention and His intention is ONE MAN with ONE WOMAN for life. 

Abner was done with Ish-bosheth and he was about to change jerseys and join the other team - an Old Testament parallel to Saul/Paul - once at war with those who pledged allegiance to Jesus, but now and changing jerseys and pledging allegiance to Jesus as king.

Remember back when Saul gave Michal as David’s first wife - after he had killed Goliath (1 Sam 18:27-29)? David had to run from Saul and Michal, and she protected him. Afterwards, Saul gave her to another man to be his wife (1 Sam 25:44).

How could a king rip a wife from her husband and give him to another man? Of course, this is exactly what Saul had done to David. Since David never divorced her, and Saul gave her to another - that could certainly be considered as adultery.

This was no small thing that Abner had accomplished. He was telling others to do what he had done - to turn from the one they once followed and turn to the king whom Yahweh had anointed. Abner made an about face. Abner shallowed his pride and stop fighting against the one he once saw as a false king. Convinced that Yahweh had proclaimed David as king over all of Israel, Abner submitted.

• Abner took off his jersey of the rival, changed teams, AND…began to go tell others why they should change teams too.

Just over 1,000 years later, Jesus of Nazareth begins to demonstrate that He really is the King of Israel AND…the KING over all kings!

Not everyone accepted that. Saul of Tarsus (named after King Saul) certainly didn’t recognize Jesus as King of Israel. Paul thought that Jesus was a counterfeit king, a false messiah, and blasphemous man - even claiming to be God.

Saul was given permission to hunt down followers of Jesus and have them thrown in prison and even killed!

Jesus confronted Saul/Paul while on the way to hunt more followers of Jesus.

After being blinded for 3 days, and hearing the voice of Jesus…Saul (aka Paul) was baptized as a follower of Jesus - the Messiah and King of Israel - the one who died, was buried, and rose again! Paul CHANGED TEAMS! The one who once thought Jesus was a counterfeit king pledged his allegiance to Jesus as HIS king!

Paul recognized Jesus as not just the King of Israel, but the KING of all kings (1 Tim 6:15, Rev 19:16) - the Savior, not just of Israel, but of the whole world (John 3:17, 1 Tim 4:10). And he went to tell everybody!

Like Paul, we were once enemies of Jesus as well.

We might not have tried to hunt down followers of Jesus, but we HAVE committed treason against the King of creation through our evil actions - lust, lies, pride, theft, slander, drunkenness, living for material stuff, and refusing to submit to the will of the KING of the universe.

• Abner was confronted he had been serving the wrong king and that David was the rightful anointed king of Yahweh. 
• Paul was confronted that JESUS was the anointed King - God in skin! 
• AND..at some point, we are confronted with that same reality. And we must choose - will we CHANGE TEAMS, or continue to be enemies of the King of creation?

You don’t DRIFT into God’s kingdom — you DEFECT into it.

Have you trusted the good news and followed Jesus?

Will YOU take the GOOD NEWS to Others?