David:The Shepherd King, #13
Moving Up - Finally!
2 Samuel 2
By Dave Redick
Hwy 20 Church of Christ, Sweet Home, OR

I believe it is important for us to notice as we pass this verse that David is not pushing this. There is no record that he went to Hebron and demanded to be made king. He's not politicking. And this in the face of the fact that he had been anointed to be king by God's prophet! One of the remarkable things about the character of David is that, through most of his life he was willing to wait on the Lord to fulfill His promises.

Introduction

There once was an oyster whose story I tell,
Who found that sand had got under his shell,
Just one little grain, but it gave him much pain,
For oysters have feelings although they're so plain.
Now, did he berate the working of Fate,
Which had led him to such a deplorable state?
Did he curse out the government, call for an election?
No; as he lay on the shelf he said to himself
"If I cannot remove it, I'll try to improve it."
So the years rolled by as the years always do,
And he came to his ultimate destiny--stew.
And this small grain of sand which had bothered him so,
Was a beautiful pearl, all richly aglow.
Now this tale has a moral--for isn't it grand
What an oyster can do with a morsel of sand;
What couldn't we do if we'd only begin
With all of the things that get under our skin.¹

God sometimes allows inconveniences and irritations in our lives that, though they are troublesome, are indeed beneficial. Some are necessary in bringing us to Him and some in keeping us faithful or preparing us for service. To despise God for such an irritation is a mistake.

David has had such an irritant for a long time. He was anointed to be king of Israel by Samuel, but didn't actually become king for nearly ten years. That ten years turned out to be some of the most difficult years of his life. He was persecuted relentlessly by Saul, Israel's incumbent king.

Now Saul is now dead. David is on the verge of a great change of circumstances. We'll consider that change in this message.

Turn with me please to 2 Samuel chapter 2.

The death of Saul and his three sons (that we talked about last time) marked the end of an era of tyranny and defeat for Israel. At that end, the nation lay shattered and broken under the iron heel of the Philistines. This ruthless enemy now occupied many of the most beautiful towns in Israel. They controlled the country by fear. The people were torn by war and beaten down by discouragement.

At this low point of despair, David, still resident at Ziklag, sensed that the hour had come when he should return home to his country from his exile among the Philistines. It is the events surrounding that return to Israel that we will consider in this message.

We'll divide this chapter into three parts: I. David Is Made King Over Judah; II. Ish-Bosheth Becomes King Over Israel; III. The First Shots Are Fired in a Long Civil War.

Verses 1-7 describe how

I. David is Made King Over Judah at Hebron (V. 1-7)

(Read v. 1)

This is the second recorded incident of David inquiring of the Lord as to direction since he came to his senses and realized that his jaunt in Philistia to get away from Saul was not a wise thing. When he went into the land of the Philistines he had gone by his own choice and direction, not God's. But now, it seems, he has learned his lesson. He isn't going anywhere without first inquiring of the Lord. "Shall I go up to one of the cities of Judah?" "Where shall I go up?"

It seems to be a difficult lesson for us to learn, too, that we should always seek the guidance of the Lord before charging out on our own. In that day, such inquiry was made through the ephod and the priest. In our day, such guidance comes primarily by seeking out God's will in His written word, tempered and strengthened by prayer and the wise counsel of other godly people.

I believe, too, that David realized the magnitude of the task ahead and saw that it was beyond his human strength. Not only would he have to deal with the rivalry and chicanery of other contenders for the throne, but he would also face the formidable challenge of uniting the people into a single unit. Deep divisions had arisen in the nation during Saul's reign. Many in Israel had been loyal to Saul, even during his persecution of David. Others, primarily the powerful tribe of Judah, had more and more come over to David's side. Perhaps at no other time in history has a man been confronted with a greater challenge to create a vast world power out of such unpromising material.

Question: How do you build a strong powerful nation out of the ruins of failure and defeat? Answer: You seek guidance from the God of heaven. Question: How do you build a strong, godly, loyal family in a world gone mad in rebellion against its Creator? Answer: You seek guidance from the God of heaven. Question: How do you build a stable, sane, productive life amid the craziness of a population bent on self destruction? Answer: You seek guidance from the God of heaven.

Solomon, David's son and successor, years later write, "Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors; for He gives to His beloved even in his sleep." (Psalm 127:1-2).

Who is building the "house" you are working on? You or the Lord? Are you seeking after the Lord's guidance for your life and your endeavors or are you the only one in the driver's seat?

(Read v. 2-3)

Hebron, by the way, had a rich history as a city. It was famous for the Anakim giants who once lived there in the time of Joshua. It had been an early camping site of Abram. Near it was the cave of Machpelah, where Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Leah were buried. It would be David's capitol until he ruled over all Israel and it would be where he fled during the rebellion of Absalom.

We learn from I Chronicles 12 that David was joined at Hebron by several hundred thousand defectors from the army of Saul over the course of the next 7 1/2 years. Hebron was somewhat of a staging area for David until he ultimately was crowned king of the entire nation. It wasn't long after he and his men settled in Hebron that the residents of Judah did what ultimately, the entire nation would do.

(Read v. 4a)

I believe it is important for us to notice as we pass this verse that David is not pushing this. There is no record that he went to Hebron and demanded to be made king. He's not politicking. And this in the face of the fact that he had been anointed to be king by God's prophet! One of the remarkable things about the character of David is that, through most of his life he was willing to wait on the Lord to fulfill His promises. Yes, he despaired when he went to live in Philistia, but he never lifted a finger to force his kingship while Saul was on the throne. Even now in Hebron he is refraining from pushing. He is letting the Lord move him up.

Jesus has taught us living in NT times an important lesson in the form of a parable recorded in Luke 14:7-11.

"When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him, and he who invited you both shall come and say to you, 'Give place to this man,' and then in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place. But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, 'Friend, move up higher'; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you. For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted."

David knew that if God wanted him to be king He was certainly strong enough to make it happen. He did not move until it was clear to him that God wanted him to move and once he did, he let the people seek him out.

Here is very good advice to those who would like to do greater things in the kingdom. Do the job well that you presently have and be patient and humble. If God wants you in a certain position, He will move you up.You should never be found demanding promotion in the kingdom. Peter said it this way: "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time." We've seen that lesson before in this series about David, but I didn't want you to miss this illustration of it.

For David, with his move to Hebron, the painful years of his exile came to an end. It was the ceasing of persecution and the beginning of a long ascent that would bring him and the nation of Israel to their greatest period of prosperity yet. To David it must have felt like a victory, and indeed, it was. In spite of weakness and some close calls, he was still faithful to God.

As a matter of fact, however, though he would now view the trial of persecution fading behind him in his rear view mirror, he would face a new trial in his windshield - one that has destroyed many who have come successfully through the trials of persecution. I refer to the trial of prosperity. Sometimes it is adversity that keeps us mindful of our dependence on God and when the trouble finally leaves, so, often does that sense of dependence.

If things suddenly start coming easy to you where they have come hard in the past, perhaps financially or physically, rejoice, but don't drop your guard. It can be a slippery time spiritually. David would succumb to the greatest sin of his life during his time of greatest prosperity. That is not an uncommon theme in the Bible.

Many of us long for relief from our troubles and perhaps even get a bit upset at God that we still have them after we've prayed that they be taken away. Like Paul, we've prayed, but the thorn is still there in our flesh. But have you ever stopped to think about what it might do to your faith if things were reversed and you were suddenly standing in prosperity? Would you remain faithful to God in the absence of adversity?

Agur, the son of Jakeh, put it this way in Proverbs 30:8-9 -

"Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is my portion, lest I be full and deny Thee and say, "Who is the Lord?" Or lest I be in want and steal, and profane the name of my God."

I look at it this way: If I am in a certain situation in my life even after having done all that I know to avoid it (including serious prayer), then it is the Lord's will that I be there and it is my job to make the most of it and learn whatever lessons are there for me. And, by the way, there are two things I know are not lessons God teaches me in those kinds of circumstances: I know He isn't trying to teach me to complain and I know He isn't trying to teach me how to distrust Him. Those are the two most common responses to pop up in adversity. What I need to realize is that if complaining and distrust are my response, I'm clearly not learning my lessons. I'm flunking out.

Now, whatever thoughts David might have entertained about being a "shoe-in" king over all Israel in a few months were soon altered. David's first act of State would make that clear to him.

(Read v. 4b-7)

Remember, these heroes at Jabesh-Gilead had risked their lives to retrieve Saul's body off the wall of Beth-shan. They had been loyal Saul supporters, but were also men of conviction. If they would now be willing to join David, perhaps he could ultimately ascend the throne of Israel without bloodshed. His words to the men at Jabesh were sort of a political "toe in the water." In essence they meant, "Now that Saul, your lord is dead, will you joint me in Judah?"

But David's political "toe in the water" found nothing but ice. The water was cold. Bone chilling cold. It soon became evident that a calculated resistance to David was developing. Abner, Saul's general, the man who had succeeded David as commander of Saul's troops many years before this, had some ambitious plans of his own for who would sit on the throne of Saul.

We see his plans unfold as

II. Ish-Bosheth Is Made King Over Israel (V. 8-11)

(Read v. 8-9)

Ish-Bosheth was a fourth and somewhat minor son of Saul. Apparently he was not much of a soldier as he had not fought beside his father on Gilboa. And if, as it often the case, his name was an indicator of his character, he wasn't much. His name meant "man of shame."Abner saw his chance to grab some power for himself by setting Ish-bosheth up as his puppet king. In the next chapter we read these words about Abner: "...and Abner was making himself strong in the house of Saul." (3:6)

(Read v. 10-11)

Now Abner was not a godly man. He had little respect for the God of heaven. I say that because he knew that God had chosen David to be the next king, a fact he later admitted as recorded in chapter 3, verse 9. Yet here we see him setting Ish-Bosheth on the throne in spite of that knowledge. His life typifies the person who knows the truth but stubbornly insists on living for himself in spite of it. (Later, when things didn't go his way, he just as quickly abandoned Ish-Bosheth and tried to defect to David.) He was a man who was in it for number one - himself. If he were alive today he would have plenty of company in our generation.

Abner was also a man of war - a killer who worked with efficiency and skill. And he reveled in the contest of the battle. He loved his job. As we shall see next, it was this love of the contest of battle that provided the spark that started a war.

In verses 12-32 we see how

III. The First Shots Are Fired in What Turned Out To Be A Long Civil War (V. 12-32)

(Read v. 12-13)

Two armies, each loyal to the other's opponent, meet by the placid pool of Gibeon. No swords have been brandished yet, but each side, feeling fully justified in its position, is itching for a fight. After all, What is the job of a soldier if not to fight? Abner was the one who suggested what happened next.

(Read v. 14)

Joab was the General of David's army - Abner's counterpart. What is suggested here is a little swordplay to kill the time since they aren't fighting - a little posturing and ego strutting to see who might win if they actually were to go to war. It proved to be a fatal mistake.

(Read v. 15-16)

The dubious contest turned out to be a game where everyone lost. None of the young men survived. The Hebrew word recorded there means "field of swords." But it wasn't just the swords of the participants of this little contest that flashed that day. Like what sometimes happens in a modern day baseball game where a clash between players turns into a brawl that empties the stands onto the field, hundreds of swords were soon doing their destructive work. Others began to fall along with those already slain. It was a stupid thing to have done!

(Read v. 17)

The battle was severe, alright. 379 men were dead once the fighting stopped. All over something stupid like a game. (I could pause here, ladies, and say something about masculine ego, but I won't). Now, as the battle was going on there in the field of swords, the lens of scripture pans over and picks up a couple of runners off to the side of the action. One was a young man named Asahel. He was the younger brother of David's general, Joab.

(Read v. 18)

This boy was quick! But he was also foolish.

(Read v. 19)

It appears that this young Asahel was out to make a name for himself. He was going to kill Abner himself. So, like a heat-seeking missile, he just locked himself in pursuit, and soon his powerful legs had brought him to within striking distance. Abner, hearing him coming up behind shouted to him.

(Read v. 20-21b)

Abner didn't want to fight this young upstart, mainly because he knew that if he engaged him and killed him he would have his brother, Joab to deal with. So he shouted for him to break off the pursuit and spend his youthful energy on someone else. But Asahel was not willing to stop. Perhaps he remembered the glory David received for killing the giant, Goliath, and he wanted such for himself.

(Read v. 21c-23)

Well, that kind of slowed the battle a bit as Joab and Abishai got news that Abner had killed their brother.

There is a lesson here for you and me to notice. Asahel's gift was running, not fighting. It was absolutely foolish for him to take on a seasoned fighter like Abner. Yes, years before this, David, an inexperienced shepherd, had taken on the seasoned soldier, Goliath, but David had used the weapon he was gifted and familiar with - his sling. Remember, he refused Saul's weapons. We need to develop the gifts we have and not insist on areas where, after careful consideration, we aren't gifted.

By the way, you can get a good evaluation of your gifts from three sources. 1) An honest, prayerful consideration of yourself; 2) A frank, open, evaluation by others; 3) A willingness to try in the areas where we think we're gifted. Then you need to have the courage to accept what we are and are not and serve God. Asahel was a great runner, but he was a lousy fighter.

Well, as we said before, Joab and Abishai got the news of Asahel's death and soon were after Abner for revenge.

(Read v. 24-25)

So the fleeing Abner musters some of his men and digs in a hilltop bunker to make his stand against Joab.

(Read v. 26)

Now, what I have said about Abner so far hasn't been too flattering. I said he wasn't a godly man. But here I think he has something. He is cautioning Joab that they are on the verge of something much greater at a much greater cost in lives if they go against one another. "Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the end?" He's warning Joab about the fact that once passion is unleashed in full scale war, reason goes out the window. One strikes at another to avenge a wrong. The other strikes back. And it just escalates from there.

Listen to Proverbs 17:14 and you will see what I mean:

"Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out." (NIV)

Abner is looking ahead and saying, "The outcome of this isn't going to be worth the satisfaction you receive from revenge."

Let me be very frank in the application of this. I have seen and lived through several church "wars." Somebody gets offended and is incensed about it. He or she wants to settle the score. They feel their "rights" have been violated. So they demand justice in kind. "You're not going to get away with that!" So they retaliate. Soon others are engaged, the dam is breached, and the church splits. Oh, usually it doesn't appear like that on the surface. We are all smart enough to manufacture our "Scriptural reasons" for the war. To us it is a "holy war." But often our flimsy reasons are only a subterfuge for the real fact that there really isn't much love wasted between us. Now don't get offended at that. Let me tell you why I said it. You see, real love is willing to "put up with" and "bear the weakness of" those it loves. It would "rather be wronged" at times than see others lose their soul in a full scale church war.

The potential for misunderstandings to arise among us nearly as great as it is with people in the world. When those misunderstandings and rifts arise, there needs to be somebody like Abner here, who will stand up and remind us, "Do you not know that it will be bitter in the end?"

Listen, I'll try to remember to remind you of that if things ever get tight. But just in case I forget, why don't you also determine to remind me if I need it. Perhaps together we can avoid the kinds of confrontations that sever church fellowships.

(Read v. 27-32)

Conflicts among brothers can be bloody, can't they?

Conclusion

Abner's forewarning back in verse 26 saved lives. His words were, "Do you not know that it will be bitter in the end?"

In that same spirit, I stand before you this morning with a warning. But it concerns even more "bitterness in the end" than carnal war.

Each one of us has an appointment to keep with God. One day we will stand before Him and be judged. If we are ready, it will be sweet. If we are not, it will be terribly bitter in the end. Which will it be for you?

1. James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 19. [Back]

Dave Redick is Minister of the Hwy 20 Church of Christ in Sweet Home, Oregon and Editor of The Preacher's Study. He may be reached at pstudysupport@comcast.net.

Copyright © 1996-2008 by The Preacher's Study. Permission is granted to subscribers to use this document in total or in sermon preparation in the context of the local congregation only. Publishing it in a book, on the Internet, or anyplace beyond the local congregation is prohibited.

All Scripture quotations and references are from the New American Standard Version unless otherwise stated.

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