2 Samuel
II Samuel 3
The Sad Outcome of Infighting
Background
 Being Faithful in the Little (v 1)
o Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: but David waxed stronger and stronger,
and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker. (2 Sam 3:1)
o Parable of the talents
 Five talents
 His lord said unto him, Well done, [thou] good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a
few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. (Matt 25:21)
 Two talents
 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few
things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. (Matt25:23)
 Polygamy ( v 2-5)
o 14 ¶ When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell
therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that [are] about me; 15 Thou shalt in any wise
set [him] king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: [one] from among thy brethren shalt thou set king
over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which [is] not thy brother. 16 But he shall not multiply horses to
himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD
hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way. 17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that
his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold. (Deut 17:14-17)
o Absalom – son of a foreign alliance. Later rebelled against King David.
o David was so obsessed and impacted by his wives, his only request to Abner was that Michal be returned to him!
 13 And he said, Well; I will make a league with thee: but one thing I require of thee, that is, Thou shalt not
see my face, except thou first bring Michal Saul’s daughter, when thou comest to see my face. 14 And
David sent messengers to Ishbosheth Saul’s son, saying, Deliver [me] my wife Michal, which I espoused to
me for an hundred foreskins of the Philistines. 15 And Ishbosheth sent, and took her from [her] husband,
[even] from Phaltiel the son of Laish. 16 And her husband went with her along weeping behind her to
Bahurim. Then said Abner unto him, Go, return. And he returned. (2 Sam 3:13-16)
Abner
 Made himself strong for the house of Saul
o And it came to pass, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner made
himself strong for the house of Saul. (2 Sam 3:6)
o Focused on himself
o Relations with the king’s concubine
 Consider act of treason, but could strengthen your hand if you get away with it!
 20 Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give counsel among you what we shall do. 21 And Ahithophel said
unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father’s concubines, which he hath left to keep the house; and all Israel shall
hear that thou art abhorred of thy father: then shall the hands of all that [are] with thee be strong. 22 So they
spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father’s concubines in the
sight of all Israel. 23 And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days, [was] as if a man
had enquired at the oracle of God: so [was] all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with
Absalom. (2 Sam 16:20-23)
 Interesting Approach to David
o No sign of contrition
 No repentance
 No admission of wrong doing
 Abner knew David was the rightful King
 To translate the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to set up the throne of David over Israel and
over Judah, from Dan even to Beersheba. (2 Sam 3:10)
 “Make thy league with me…” v 12
 Blatant demand and expectation of David
 Focused on himself – make thy league with ME!
o Wanted to avoid punishment, but wanted blessings
 It had been nearly 7 ½ years that he had war against David
 Only turned to David after the end of Ishbosheth’s reign was clear
 Amazingly similar to false conversions today
o
o
Joab
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Obedience and loyalty appear to follow (v 17-21)
 Spoke with all of Israel and then spoke specifically to Benjamin
 Likely spoke specifically to Benjamin as they were the tribe to which Saul belonged
Praised of David
 And the king said unto his servants, Know ye not that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in
Israel? (2 Samuel 3:38)
 Was it politically motivated? This statement came after 2 Sam 36-37
o 36 And all the people took notice [of it], and it pleased them: as whatsoever the king did
pleased all the people. 37 For all the people and all Israel understood that day that it was
not of the king to slay Abner the son of Ner. (2 Sam 3:36-37)
 David did seem confused what Abner’s death signified
 33 And the king lamented over Abner, and said, Died Abner as a fool dieth? 34 Thy hands [were]
not bound, nor thy feet put into fetters: as a man falleth before wicked men, [so] fellest thou. And all
the people wept again over him. (2 Sam 3:33-34)
Focused on Personal Revenge, Not the Kingdom
o Does not Inquire of God
o Does not Seek Godly Counsel
Actions cloaked in Spiritual Disguise
o Thou knowest Abner the son of Ner, that he came to deceive thee, and to know thy going out and thy coming in, and
to know all that thou doest. (2 Sam 3:25)
Cursed of David
o Let it rest on the head of Joab, and on all his father’s house; and let there not fail from the house of Joab one that
hath an issue, or that is a leper, or that leaneth on a staff, or that falleth on the sword, or that lacketh bread. (2
Samuel 3:29)
 Disease – hath and issue (
 Physically and Socially Ostracized - Leprosy
 Weak – Leaneth on a staff. Ryrie – One fit for women’s work; effeminate
 Defeated and Killed in Battle – falleth on the sword
 Poverty – lacketh bread
Lifelong Thorn to David
o And I [am] this day weak, though anointed king; and these men the sons of Zeruiah [be] too hard for me: the LORD
shall reward the doer of evil according to his wickedness. (2 Sam 3:39)
o 1 ¶ Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying, 2 I go the way of
all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man; 3 And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to
walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written
in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself: 4 That
the LORD may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to
walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the
throne of Israel. 5 Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, [and] what he did to the two
captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed
the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that [was] about his loins, and in his shoes that
[were] on his feet. 6 Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace.
(1 Kings 2:1-6)
 Why didn’t David have Joab and Abishai killed (capital punishment) for the murder of Abner?