2 Samuel 2:8-11 – The call to be actively engaged

Remember Abner? He was the son of Ner, the brother of Kish, Saul’s father. This would make him Saul’s first cousin. He was probably the unnamed young man in 1 Samuel 9:3, whom Saul took with him to look for his father’s lost donkeys. He was also the one whom Saul asked in 1 Samuel 17:55 concerning whose son David was after the latter had just killed Goliath, cut off his head, and brought it to him. Abner was the commander of Saul’s army and presumably, would have gone out with him in the battle with the Philistines. We can see that he had survived the battle. So here in 2 Samuel 2:8-9, he took Ise-bosheth, the only surviving son of Saul with him to Mahanaim. There he made him king over Gilead, the Ashurites, Jezreel, Ephraim and Benjamin, and even the king over Israel. His intention was not made known here but we would not be wrong to suspect that he had a design on the throne. While it was Ish-bosheth who was made king, Abner was virtually the power behind the throne. What he did was literally perpetuating the hostility of Saul’s fraction towards David and unwittingly was rebelling against the will of the LORD.

David meanwhile was made king over Hebron and was reigning over it peacefully. Here God’s plan for him was partially fulfilled and a greater part of it was still awaiting its accomplishment. Abner using Ish-bosheth was slowing the process for David to take over the complete rule of Israel. Here we must take some time to consider Ish-bosheth, this surviving son of Saul. His name itself, meaning a man of shame, suggests that he was probably a weak man. We can imagine him being a mere puppet in the hand of Abner. Without Abner, he would be nothing. We shall see that more clearly when Abner was killed. Verse 10 tells us that at this point he was 40 years old and that he reigned over Israel only for two years. In 2 Samuel 4:5-7, we are told that he was murdered by three of his own captains while he was resting at the couch at noon. They did not only kill him but also beheaded him.

As the commander of Saul’s army, we would have expected Abner to be more actively involved in the battle between Israel and the Philistines. But there was no mention of him in the ensuing battle between the two opposing forces. Where exactly was he when the battle was fiercest? Shouldn’t he be seen fighting alongside Saul? Where was he when Israel was massively defeated? Why did he only appear when the dust had settled? These and many questions befuddled us. When the battle was fiercest, every hand was needed on deck. This is where we draw our lesson. In the business of advancing God’s Kingdom, we need every man who has signed up to be actively engaged in the cause. We don’t need bystanders but people who are sold to the mission. We don’t need people who have signed up but are only waiting at the side-line to share the accolades but remain unengaged in the thick of the battle. The call of Christ is for us to be active disciples of His. We have already set our hand on the plow, let us not look back. Let us work actively with God with greater expectancy and not in dread of the challenges. This is God’s call for us to be actively engaged in Kingdom building. So arise and do it!