Reading chapter 3, I find myself rather perplexed in trying to figure out what to take from this portion of scripture. There is so much sin going on here I want to just gloss over this and get to the happy ending. But I won't take the easy road here.
I'll start by referencing James Bond. Really? Yep. The Bond character we all know and love has at his core a suave confidence and arrogance about him. It's what has the ladies flocking to him. He's a badass, a modern day cowboy. He needs no one and mostly works alone. But while arrogance may be attractive on the big screen, it's repugnant to God.
(BTW, Timothy Dalton was the worst Bond ever!)
In chapter 3, Israel is still divided between David's kingdom (Judah-Hebron) and Ish-bosheth's kingdom (Israel - all other tribes). Our main character is Abner. He's the general of Saul's army. (And for me, he's kinda like our James Bond of the bible.) Many commentators suggest that Ish-bosheth was a puppet king propped up by Abner, the true power in Israel. The chapter opens with Ish-bosheth accusing Abner of sleeping with Saul's concubine. I'm sure Abner 007 had his share of the women folk. Even after the king dies, apparently his wives and concubines were off limits. This may have been an attempt by Ish-bosheth to break free of Abner's influence and establish his own power as king. Abner is greatly offended by this accusation and decides to abandon Ish-bosheth and join forces with David.
Abner sends word to David that he will unify Israel under David's rule. By Abner's own words, he seems to recognize that David is the true anointed king. But what strikes me here is the apparent arrogance of Abner in thinking he will be the one to unify Israel. He gives no credit to God.
In the last few days, God has humbled me and showed me where arrogance has been festering in my heart. So maybe I'm a little over-sensitive to Abner's arrogance. But I do question Abner's real motives here since he seems to think quite highly of himself and his abilities. Had Abner told David, "I recognize you as king of all of Israel anointed by God. I know He will deliver Israel into your hands. If I may be of service to my Lord and my king, I submit to your rule," I would feel alot better about Abner. But I think God wanted to show David that He didn't need to use a prideful, arrogant man like Abner to restore David's kingdom. And granted, Abner certainly seemed to be the perfect man to help David accomplish unification. But Abner shows his heart is not right. Pride and arrogance plague him.
And what happens? Joab, David's current general, comes back from a battle and hears that Abner has just left Hebron after consulting with David. I'm sure Joab felt threatened by this. He probably feared that Abner was a double agent coming to deceive David. Or, if Abner was sincere, Abner would pose a threat to Joab's power in David's government. And for some icing on the cake, it was Abner who killed Joab's brother (Asahel) in the initial battle that started this civil war! (See chapter 2) One commentator pointed an interesting fact about Joab's plot to assasinate Abner. Joab lured Abner outside the gates of Hebron before killing him. Why? Probably because Hebron was a city of refuge where Abner had protection under the mosaic law for the killing of Joab's brother during battle. One could argue that Abner's previous act of killing Asahel was of self-defense since he was running from Asahel when he thrust the spear into him. So long as Abner remained within the walls of a city of refuge, the avenger could not touch him. But outside the walls, Abner was fair game. And so, Joab kills Abner. And unlike in the movies, the prideful, arrogant 007 meets his fate. As God would prove in due time that He does not need prideful, arrogant people to accomplish His purpose.
Through all of this, David is a passive observer. He laments the fact that Abner's blood was shed by his general. David is seen still patiently waiting for the Lord to put him in his proper place in the kingdom. In the meantime, what a mess is being made by sinful men.
The lesson I have learned is pride and arrogance have no place in God's kingdom. It is sin. And when I find such sin stirring up in my soul, may I repent and ask God to purge it.
Prayer: Forgive me Lord when pride and arrogance rear their ugly heads in my life. May I give no place in my heart for such attitudes. They are not from You. And they are sinful. Create in me a clean heart and renew a right Spirit within me.
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