A Commander with Shifting Allegiances
Abner is the commander of King Saul’s army. He’s also Saul’s first cousin. Abner serves Saul well.
After the king’s death, Abner transfers his alliance to Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth, making him king over all Israel in his father’s place, with David ruling over Judah.
A battle rages between Israel (led by Abner) and Judah (led by Joab). During the confrontation, Joab’s brother Asahel pursues Abner with determination.
Abner calls back to Asahel and tells him to chase someone else instead. Asahel refuses and continues to hound Abner. Frustrated, Abner stops fleeing and thrusts the butt of his spear into Asahel’s stomach, impaling him. He dies instantly.
With Joab’s army pursuing Abner’s, Abner calls for an end to the fighting to avoid further bloodshed. Joab agrees and commands his army to withdraw.
Later, King Ish-Bosheth accuses Abner of sleeping with his father’s concubine. The text doesn’t say if the charge is true or not, so we don’t know if Abner is innocent or guilty.
Regardless, the allegation incenses Abner. Knowing that David is the rightful king, Abner defects to David’s camp, promising to help David secure his rule over all of Israel instead of just Judah.
They have a feast, and David sends Abner away in peace to accomplish his plan.
But when Joab hears what David did, he’s furious. He secretly sends for Abner.
When Abner returns, Joab approaches him as if to give him a special message. Instead, Joab stabs Abner in the stomach and he dies. In doing so, Joab murders Abner to avenge Asahel’s death.
How do we respond when we’re accused of something?
What do we think about taking revenge?
[Read about Abner in 2 Samuel 2:8–31 and 2 Samuel 3:6–37. Discover more in 2 Samuel 4:1.]
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Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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