What a Mess...

What we have here is a horrible mess of a situation.

Way back, 15-some years ago, Samuel, the prophet of God, anointed David, the youngest son of Jesse, as king. God’s chosen man for the job. Saul was out; David was in.

But it took a while. David patiently waited. Saul, the momentary king, tried to kill David. Hunted David down, even.

And then, at the end of 1 Samuel, there’s a battle between Israel and the Philistines. The Philistines absolutely rout Israel. Saul is killed. So is his son Jonathan, as well as all of Saul’s sons but one.

It would seem now is the time for David to step up and be king. King Saul is dead. David has mourned the king, showing respect for God’s anointed.

In 2 Samuel 2, we read last week that David was anointed king over Judah. He’s king over just one tribe. It’s a start, small as it is.

The problem is, one of Saul’s men—a fellow named Abner—takes Saul’s one living son (Ish-Bosheth) and makes him king over Israel.

So we have, for a moment, two kings. David and Ish-Bosheth.

As I said, it’s a mess. Of course, that pretty well sums up the human condition, doesn’t it? What a mess…

>We’ve got a lot of ground to cover, a lot of text to get through this morning. So, if you have your Bible (and I hope you do), please turn with me to 2 Samuel 2. We’ll be picking up in 2 Samuel 2:12.

The text focuses mostly on Abner, the commander of Saul’s army, who set up Ish-Bosheth as king against the kingdom of God and God’s chosen king, David.

Abner’s ambition and desire to prop himself up is a telling sign that he’s more concerned with himself than he is God’s plan, God’s design, or God’s will.

Of course, from the little we saw of Abner last week, we already know he’s unconcerned about doing what God has willed. Abner is in it for himself.

But here, in our text for today, Abner fails. And fails again. And then, after that failure, fails one more time.

2 Samuel 2:12–32 NIV

12 Abner son of Ner, together with the men of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. 13 Joab son of Zeruiah and David’s men went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat down on one side of the pool and one group on the other side. 14 Then Abner said to Joab, “Let’s have some of the young men get up and fight hand to hand in front of us.” “All right, let them do it,” Joab said. 15 So they stood up and were counted off—twelve men for Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve for David. 16 Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his dagger into his opponent’s side, and they fell down together. So that place in Gibeon was called Helkath Hazzurim. 17 The battle that day was very fierce, and Abner and the Israelites were defeated by David’s men. 18 The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai and Asahel. Now Asahel was as fleet-footed as a wild gazelle. 19 He chased Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he pursued him. 20 Abner looked behind him and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?” “It is,” he answered. 21 Then Abner said to him, “Turn aside to the right or to the left; take on one of the young men and strip him of his weapons.” But Asahel would not stop chasing him. 22 Again Abner warned Asahel, “Stop chasing me! Why should I strike you down? How could I look your brother Joab in the face?” 23 But Asahel refused to give up the pursuit; so Abner thrust the butt of his spear into Asahel’s stomach, and the spear came out through his back. He fell there and died on the spot. And every man stopped when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died. 24 But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner, and as the sun was setting, they came to the hill of Ammah, near Giah on the way to the wasteland of Gibeon. 25 Then the men of Benjamin rallied behind Abner. They formed themselves into a group and took their stand on top of a hill. 26 Abner called out to Joab, “Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize that this will end in bitterness? How long before you order your men to stop pursuing their fellow Israelites?” 27 Joab answered, “As surely as God lives, if you had not spoken, the men would have continued pursuing them until morning.” 28 So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the troops came to a halt; they no longer pursued Israel, nor did they fight anymore. 29 All that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, continued through the morning hours and came to Mahanaim. 30 Then Joab stopped pursuing Abner and assembled the whole army. Besides Asahel, nineteen of David’s men were found missing. 31 But David’s men had killed three hundred and sixty Benjamites who were with Abner. 32 They took Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night and arrived at Hebron by daybreak.

Pointless Ambition (2:12-32)

Abner is on the attack. It’s his idea to travel to Gibeon from Mahanaim (to be within a few miles of Judah, David’s kingdom). This is the move of an aggressor.

Abner has the idea to have his men and David’s men fight in hand-to-hand combat, which ends in all 24 of them men dead.

Pointless, right?

We read a good summation of the events of the day in verse 17.

2 Samuel 2:17 “The battle that day was very fierce, and Abner and the Israelites were defeated by David’s men.”

Some of David’s men are related to David. Zeruiah was one of David’s sisters, so these three men who are named are David’s nephews: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel.

Asahel goes on the chase. We don’t know if Joab told Asahel to chase Abner down or if he just went, fleet-footed as he was.

Abner doesn’t want to harm him, that’s clear. But Asahel doesn’t let up, so Abner stops suddenly and Asahel runs into the butt-end of Abner’s spear.

So, Abner kills Asahel, Joab’s brother, in the midst of fierce battle, but it’s still notable.

And then, all Abner’s choice, he decides to call off the chase. Wants a truce. Why?

We’re not sure of his entire motivation, but I think it’s possibly because he had considered his losses (360 dead on his side, to only 20 dead on David’s side).

It was Abner who had initiated this battle, so he had only himself to blame.

It’s pointless, this ambition of Abner’s. It’s all for naught.

What has this accomplished for ol’ Abner? Nothing, really. Abner ended up back where he started, only with 360 less men than he came with.

See 2:12 and 2:29.

2 Samuel 2:12 “Abner son of Ner, together with the men of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon.”

2 Samuel 2:29 “All that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, continued through the morning hours and came to Mahanaim.”

Abner left Mahanaim and ended up back in Mahanaim the next day. What’s the point of any of it? Silly, pointless ambition.

Abner is all about Abner. He’s prideful and ambitious for his own sake. He’s working up wicked schemes against God’s anointed king, David. The LORD hates this, so says God’s Word:

Proverbs 6:16–19 “There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.”

Abner is a fool. A prideful fool.

Lesson: Only the fool fights against the LORD.

What’s there to gain from this? Is Abner going to prevail over the LORD’s will? Is this man going to thwart what the LORD Yahweh has ordained?

What’s there to gain from asserting ourselves over the LORD?

Psalm 2 “Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed… The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.”

R.D. Phillips writes this:

Psalm 2 reminds us that, as Abner’s experience shows, no one can succeed in opposition to God’s will, or in opposition to his anointed king.

Far better, as Psalm 2 concludes, to “serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling…Blessed are all who take refuge in him” (Ps. 2:11–12).

Abner knows that David is the LORD’s chosen king. He decides to follow his own selfish ambition and fight against the LORD, against the LORD’s king, against the LORD’s will.

It’s human nature to want things our way. To bristle when God’s Word confronts our sinful desires. We all want our little kingdoms, where our will is done (in heaven as it’s done on earth).

But the LORD God doesn’t answer to us—and this a good thing, even if it’s a painful thing.

For us, if we follow Christ, He’s meant to be our pattern, the One we want to emulate:

Philippians 2:3–5 NIV

3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Abner’s selfish ambition is as foolish as our selfish, self-centered, self-focused ambition. When our desires and will run counter to what God wants, we’re going to lose.

Only a fool fights against the LORD.

2 Samuel 3:1–21 NIV

1 The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time. David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker. 2 Sons were born to David in Hebron: His firstborn was Amnon the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel; 3 his second, Kileab the son of Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel; the third, Absalom the son of Maakah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; 4 the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; 5 and the sixth, Ithream the son of David’s wife Eglah. These were born to David in Hebron. 6 During the war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner had been strengthening his own position in the house of Saul. 7 Now Saul had had a concubine named Rizpah daughter of Aiah. And Ish-Bosheth said to Abner, “Why did you sleep with my father’s concubine?” 8 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! 9 May God deal with Abner, be it ever so severely, if I do not do for David what the Lord promised him on oath 10 and transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and establish David’s throne over Israel and Judah from Dan to Beersheba.” 11 Ish-Bosheth did not dare to say another word to Abner, because he was afraid of him. 12 Then Abner sent messengers on his behalf to say to David, “Whose land is it? Make an agreement with me, and I will help you bring all Israel over to you.” 13 “Good,” said David. “I will make an agreement with you. But I demand one thing of you: Do not come into my presence unless you bring Michal daughter of Saul when you come to see me.” 14 Then David sent messengers to Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, demanding, “Give me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to myself for the price of a hundred Philistine foreskins.” 15 So Ish-Bosheth gave orders and had her taken away from her husband Paltiel son of Laish. 16 Her husband, however, went with her, weeping behind her all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go back home!” So he went back. 17 Abner conferred with the elders of Israel and said, “For some time you have wanted to make David your king. 18 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.’ ” 19 Abner also spoke to the Benjamites in person. Then he went to Hebron to tell David everything that Israel and the whole tribe of Benjamin wanted to do. 20 When Abner, who had twenty men with him, came to David at Hebron, David prepared a feast for him and his men. 21 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.

Strength vs. Strength (3:1-21)

Verse 1 is a good summary of this section. David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.

Keep verse 1 in mind, and then look at verse 6. Abner has to strengthen himself/strengthen his own position.

2 Samuel 3:6 “During the war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner had been strengthening his own position in the house of Saul.”

Ish-Bosheth (we’ll call him “Ishy”) is catching on to what Abner’s up to.

I wrote a little poem about it. Wanna hear it?

Ishy says, “Something fishy is going on.”

Ishy knows Abner is up to something, and accuses Abner of treason (to take one of Saul’s women was an attempt to seize the kingdom). It’s typical Abner, trying to prop himself up however he can.

Get the picture: Abner is strengthening himself in this anti-God kingdom, strengthening himself against the LORD’s anointed.

My mom taught Special Ed for 32 years, dealing with a lot of behavioral issues. She encountered a lot of really strong, threatening students. But Mom was unfazed. She stood about 6 foot tall and had quite a bit of weight behind her. She would challenge any of her high school students to arm wrestle and never lost.

During the time she taught in Junior High, one of her students, thinking himself big and bad, threatened to beat her up.

Mom told us the story at dinner the night after the incident. She said, “I just smiled and stayed seated at my desk. I looked him up and and down and said, ‘You’re going to put your size and your weight up against my size and weight, against my strength and my experience. Hahahaha-okay…go ahead!’”

The big, bad junior high boy considered going ahead with his plan for about 2 seconds, and then sheepishly took his seat.

Mom, steadfast as always, giggled a bit more and went back to writing lesson plans and IEPs.

This section of 2 Samuel is all about Abner vs. the LORD, a way more lopsided matchup than Junior High boy vs. Jan Case.

It’s Abner’s strength vs. the LORD’s strength. Who is going to come out on top?

David doesn’t seek to strengthen himself or his position. There’s no improving on the LORD’s plan. The LORD is going to take care of David, see to David’s success, and protect David.

The LORD will put David on the throne. There’s no doubt about it.

In 2 Samuel 5, we read: 2 Samuel 5:10 “And [David] became more and more powerful, because the Lord God Almighty was with him.”

This is key. This is the whole enchilada. “Because the LORD God Almighty was with him.”

Our plans all crumble and fail if the LORD isn’t in them.

Abner plays Ish-Bosheth for as long as he can. But when “Ishy” stands up to him and confronts him, Abner does what most ambitious people do. He quickly threatens to take his “talents” elsewhere.

“Oh yeah? Well, watch this!” and on Abner moves onto David.

We shouldn’t see here anything good in Abner. It’s not as if Abner has finally seen the light. No, Abner is gonna try and play David, using David to his advantage if he can.

2 Samuel 3:12 “I will help you bring all Israel over to you.”

Abner’s attempts at strengthening his position in the house of Saul have backfired. Abner’s ambition has failed. And now his pride is hurt. In his attempts to strengthen himself, he turns to the other kingdom. Not to be submissive to King David, but to use David.

Abner’s strengthening of himself is failing. He sends messengers to David (v. 12) and offers help.

David goes over Abner’s head and deals directly with Ishy, in order to get his wife back.

Abner speaks with the elders of Israel (v. 17) and the Benjamites (v. 19), and then goes to David.

Who knows what’s going through Abner’s mind. But, from what we know about him, we can be fairly assured he’s up to no good. He’s in this for himself.

What we do know is that Abner’s own strength is no match for the LORD’s. Job 5:12–13 “[The LORD] thwarts the plans of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success. He catches the wise in their craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are swept away.”

>Let’s finish the chapter:

2 Samuel 3:22–39 NIV

22 Just then David’s men and Joab returned from a raid and brought with them a great deal of plunder. But Abner was no longer with David in Hebron, because David had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. 23 When Joab and all the soldiers with him arrived, he was told that Abner son of Ner had come to the king and that the king had sent him away and that he had gone in peace. 24 So Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Look, Abner came to you. Why did you let him go? Now he is gone! 25 You know Abner son of Ner; he came to deceive you and observe your movements and find out everything you are doing.” 26 Joab then left David and sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern at Sirah. But David did not know it. 27 Now when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into an inner chamber, as if to speak with him privately. And there, to avenge the blood of his brother Asahel, Joab stabbed him in the stomach, and he died. 28 Later, when David heard about this, he said, “I and my kingdom are forever innocent before the Lord concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner. 29 May his blood fall on the head of Joab and on his whole family! May Joab’s family never be without someone who has a running sore or leprosy or who leans on a crutch or who falls by the sword or who lacks food.” 30 (Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.) 31 Then David said to Joab and all the people with him, “Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth and walk in mourning in front of Abner.” King David himself walked behind the bier. 32 They buried Abner in Hebron, and the king wept aloud at Abner’s tomb. All the people wept also. 33 The king sang this lament for Abner: “Should Abner have died as the lawless die? 34 Your hands were not bound, your feet were not fettered. You fell as one falls before the wicked.” And all the people wept over him again. 35 Then they all came and urged David to eat something while it was still day; but David took an oath, saying, “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets!” 36 All the people took note and were pleased; indeed, everything the king did pleased them. 37 So on that day all the people there and all Israel knew that the king had no part in the murder of Abner son of Ner. 38 Then the king said to his men, “Do you not realize that a commander and a great man has fallen in Israel this day? 39 And today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak, and these sons of Zeruiah are too strong for me. May the Lord repay the evildoer according to his evil deeds!”

Unlike the Others (3:22-39)

Joab, it turns out, is possibly/likely just as bad as Abner. He’s just as ambitious, and that’s not a good thing. Upon hearing about Abner’s meeting with David, Joab is mad.

Maybe because he feared that Abner would take his place as commander of David’s army?

Maybe because he had a personal vendetta against Abner for what Abner did to his brother, Asahel?

Maybe both.

So, Joab kills Abner without justifiable cause. Yes, Abner killed his brother, Asahel, but that was in the heat of battle; Abner didn’t kill him in cold blood.

Joab, on the other hand, deceives Abner, takes him aside into a room, and stabs him in the stomach.

Who’s the better character? Joab or Abner?

It’s six of one, half-dozen of the other. It’s all the same, really.

But there’s one in the story who is unlike either of them.

David is innocent of Abner’s blood. He was unaware of what Joab was going to do. He would not have allowed Joab to do anything to Abner.

David justly calls down a curse on Joab and Joab’s family for what Joab had done.

David commands Joab and all of Joab’s men to grieve and mourn for Abner. David models mourning, and sings a lament over Abner.

What David does is pleasing in the sight of Joab’s men. David does what is right, proper, and good. David is unlike Abner or Joab. David is innocent here. He’s righteous in his conduct.

David, of course, isn’t the hero of this story. David is meant to point us to the Hero.

David points us to Jesus: the always good, only ever righteous King.

Now, David, in time, will fail. He’ll fall. He’ll sin, like every other earthly ruler. He’ll really screw up, in some horrible ways.

Again, David is not the hero of the story. The True and Better David is the Hero.

David is a shadow, a sign, a type that points us to Jesus.

In our text for today, David stands out. “One of these is not like the others,” we might say.

The whole situation is a mess. That’s the bottom line. That’s what sinful, ambitious posturing creates.

[SLIDE]

“Everyone in this book is a mess…except this one guy.”

Thankfully for us all, there is One who is not a mess; One, and only One, who came to clean up the mess we’ve made of our lives. There’s One, and only One, who can make us right with God.

There is One who is unlike all the rest. One Man named Jesus who lived a perfect, sinless life. One Man who set aside any self ambition to do His Father’s will.

There is One man who

7 …made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

We, friends, must give ourselves to the One, True and Only King. We must submit ourselves to Jesus’ rule and reign, and follow Him.

Let’s admit, right now, how messy, sinful, and broken our lives our. Let’s confess the many ways in which we foolishly believe we can somehow fix what we’ve broken.

Let’s set aside our selfish desires and sinful ambition and pride, and humbly follow Him.

Let’s stop trying to prop ourselves up, and be joyful followers of Christ Jesus.

Let’s turn from all the ways we seek our will, and give ourselves fully to Him—the Good, Gracious and Perfect King.

Isaiah 9:7

He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness…forever.