2 Samuel 3:17-19 Now Then Do It!

 ”Now Abner had communicated with the elders of Israel, saying, “In time past you were seeking for David to be king over you. Now then, do it! For the Lord has spoken of David, saying, ‘By the hand of My servant David, I will save My people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and the hand of all their enemies.’ ” And Abner also spoke in the hearing of Benjamin. Then Abner also went to speak in the hearing of David in Hebron all that seemed good to Israel and the whole house of Benjamin.“ II Samuel‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬-‭19‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Abner had communicated with the elders of Israel: It is significant that this word came from Abner regarding David instead of coming from David himself. Though he was the rightful king, David would not reign over Israel until they submitted to him freely. He never moved an inch without an invitation.

i. This is an illustration of Jesus’ lordship in our lives. He is in fact King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But He chooses (for the most part) to exercise His sovereignty only at our invitation.

· Some do not invite Jesus to rule over anything.

· Some invite Jesus to reign over a small area – like “Hebron.”

· Some give Jesus reign over everything He has authority over – which is everything.

ii. Abner is a good example of someone who eventually surrendered to God’s king. Now he wanted to influence others to also surrender to God’s king.

b. Now then, do it: Because of the word the LORD spoke of David, and because it was so right to do, this was something that should be done now. In this sense, it is very much like our commitment to follow Jesus - we should be told, “Now then, do it!”

i. Charles Spurgeon has a wonderful sermon on this text titled, “Now Then, Do It.” In this sermon, he shows that the same principles of Israel’s embrace of David as king apply to our relationship with Jesus. “The Israelites might talk about making David king, but they would not crown him. They might meet together and say they wished it were so, but that would not do it. It might be generally admitted that he ought to be monarch, and it might even be earnestly hoped that one day he would be so, but that would not do it; something more decided must be done.” (Spurgeon)

c. For the LORD has spoken of David: The fact that Abner – who was a general, not a Bible scholar – knew these prophecies and the fact that he could ask the leaders of Israel to consider them means that these prophecies of David were widely known. Sadly, they were not widely respected – most of Israel was lukewarm and unenthusiastic in their embrace of David as king.

i. In this regard David prefigures His greater Son. Jesus fulfilled all manner of prophecy regarding the Messiah, yet He was rejected by all but a remnant of Israel.

ii. We don’t have a biblical record of this exact statement Abner said the LORD has spoken of David. “We read not that God had so said in express terms: but either Abner had heard of such a promise made at the anointing of David by Samuel, or else feigned it of his own head for his own ends.” (Trapp)

(Guzik)

“Now then, do it!”

“The sooner it is done the better. Until the deed is done, remember you are undone; till Christ is accepted by you as king, till sin is hated and Jesus is trusted, you are under another king. Whatever you may think of it, the devil is your master.” (Spurgeon)

Have you done it?

Blessings 

Now Then Do It!

2 Samuel 3:12-16 Harbored No Bitterness!

 ”Then Abner sent messengers on his behalf to David, saying, “Whose is the land?” saying also, “Make your covenant with me, and indeed my hand shall be with you to bring all Israel to you.” And David said, “Good, I will make a covenant with you. But one thing I require of you: you shall not see my face unless you first bring Michal, Saul’s daughter, when you come to see my face.” So David sent messengers to Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, saying, “Give me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to myself for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.” And Ishbosheth sent and took her from her husband, from Paltiel the son of Laish. Then her husband went along with her to Bahurim, weeping behind her. So Abner said to him, “Go, return!” And he returned.“ II Samuel‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬-‭16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. You shall not see my face unless you first bring Michal, Saul’s daughter: David received Michal in marriage (1 Samuel 18:26-28), but Saul took her away to spite David (1 Samuel 25:44).

b. Whom I betrothed to myself for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines: 1 Samuel 18:20-30 describes how David used this unusual payment instead of a dowry for the right to marry the daughter of King Saul.

i. “He might have said two hundred; but he thought better to speak with the least.” (Trapp)

c. Give me my wife Michal: Apparently, David was not done with adding to his collection of wives. He insisted on receiving Michal as his wife again for at least three reasons.

i. David remembered that Michal was his wife, by both love and right, and that King Saul took her away as part of a deliberate strategy to attack and destroy David.

ii. David wanted to show that he harbored no bitterness towards Saul’s house, and he would show this through his good treatment of Saul’s daughter.

iii. David wanted to give himself a greater claim to Saul’s throne as his son-in-law.

iv. “However distressing it was to take her from a husband who loved her most tenderly, yet prudence and policy required that he should strengthen his own interest in the kingdom as much as possible.” (Clarke)

d. Abner said to him, “Go, return!” And he returned: This fits with the personality of Abner as we know him throughout 1 and 2 Samuel. Abner was a very tough guy. (Guzik)

Harbored No Bitterness!

Bitterness is an easy trap to fall into due to our sinful nature! There are times it rears its ugly head and when I discover that the snare has been set by the devil I pray for the Lord to remove its ugly head from my heart.

I am reminded of several verses;

”looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;“

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭15‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

”Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.“ Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭31‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Have you fallen short of the grace of God by allowing the root of bitterness into your heart? ❤️ 

Blessings 

2 Samuel 3:8-11 Choice

 ”Then Abner became very angry at the words of Ishbosheth, and said, “Am I a dog’s head that belongs to Judah? Today I show loyalty to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers, and to his friends, and have not delivered you into the hand of David; and you charge me today with a fault concerning this woman? May God do so to Abner, and more also, if I do not do for David as the Lord has sworn to him— to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul, and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan to Beersheba.” And he could not answer Abner another word, because he feared him.“ II Samuel‬ ‭3‬:‭8‬-‭11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Then Abner became very angry: We aren’t specifically told, but Abner’s response leads us to believe that the accusation was false. It is possible that as he was strengthening his hold on the house of Saul he took the concubine as an expression of his power and dominance. It is more likely that because of Abner’s increasing power Ishbosheth felt it necessary to invent this accusation as a reason to get rid of Abner.

b. If I do not do for David as the LORD has sworn to him: Abner told Ishbosheth that he would now support David and help David fulfill what the LORD promised – to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul, and set up the throne of David.

i. If Abner knew that David was God’s choice for king, he had no good reason to fight against him before this. Abner is a good example of those of us who know things to be true, but we don’t live as if they are true.

ii. Abner did the right thing in joining David’s side, but he did it for the wrong reason. Instead of joining David because Ishbosheth offended him personally, he should have joined David because he knew that David was God’s choice to be king. (Guzik)

Choice

We all have a choice and I’m reminded of a verse!

”For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.“

‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Jesus isn’t going to force His will or mercy upon you but instead gives you a life changing choice to make.

Will you choose to believe?

Blessings 

2 Samuel 3:6-7 Bride of Christ

 ”Now it was so, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner was strengthening his hold on the house of Saul. And Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. So Ishbosheth said to Abner, “Why have you gone in to my father’s concubine?”“

‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭3‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Abner was strengthening his hold on the house of Saul: It seems that Abner supported a weak man like Ishbosheth in power, so he could be the power behind the throne. As time went on, he increased in strength and influence on the house of Saul.

b. Why have you gone in to my father’s concubine? Ishbosheth accused Abner of a serious crime. Taking a royal concubine was regarded as both sexual immorality and treason.

i. “To take the wife or concubine of the late monarch was to appropriate his property and to make a bid for the throne.” (Baldwin)

ii. It might seem strange that there was a controversy over the concubine of Saul, especially because Saul was dead. Yet, in their thinking, the king’s bride belonged to him and him alone, even if he was absent. This principle is even more true for Jesus and His bride – the church belongs to no one but Jesus, and it is treason to “take” the bride of Christ as if she were our own possession. (Guzik)

Bride of Christ 

What does it mean that the church is the bride of Christ?

Watch this short video here.

Bride-of-Christ

Blessings 

2 Samuel 3:2-5 One Wife

 ”Sons were born to David in Hebron: His firstborn was Amnon by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; his second, Chileab, by Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite; the third, Absalom the son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur; the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; and the sixth, Ithream, by David’s wife Eglah. These were born to David in Hebron.“

‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭3‬:‭2‬-‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Sons were born to David: During David’s seven-year reign in Hebron, his six different wives gave birth to six sons. This shows that David went against God’s commandment that Israel’s king should not multiply wives to himself.

i. David was wrong to have more than one wife. His many wives went against God’s command to kings (Deuteronomy 17:17) and against God’s heart for marriage (Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:4-6).

ii. David’s polygamy was common. Adding many wives was one way great men and especially kings expressed their power and status.

iii. David was troubled because of his many wives. Some wonder why the Bible doesn’t expressly condemn David’s polygamy here, but as is often the case, the Scripture simply states the fact and later records how David reaped the penalty for this sort of sin in regard to his family.

b. These were born to David in Hebron: We must say that God used and blessed David despite his many wives. Yet his family life and these sons were obviously not blessed. “By six wives he had but six sons. God was not pleased with his polygamy.” (Trapp)

i. Amnon raped his half-sister and was murdered by his half-brother.

ii. Chileab is also known as Daniel in 1 Chronicles 3:1. The few mentions of this son indicate that perhaps he died young or that he was an ungodly, unworthy man.

iii. Absalom murdered his half-brother and led a civil war against his father, David, attempting to murder David.

iv. Adonijah tried to seize the throne from David and David’s appointed successor – then he tried to take one of David’s concubines and was executed for his arrogance.

v. We can fairly assume that Shephatiah and Ithream either died young or were ungodly and unworthy men because they are mentioned only once again in the Scriptures – in a generic listing of David’s sons (1 Chronicles 3:1-4). (Guzik)

One Wife

”Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself.“ Deuteronomy‬ ‭17‬:‭17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ 

Speaking of kings.

”Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.“ ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2‬:‭24‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Jesus said:

”And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”“ ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭19‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

There’s an old saying, happy wife, happy life!

David’s multiple wives lead to disaster especially after he took another man’s wife!

How can multiple wives be happy with the same husband?

Blessings 

2 Samuel 2:29-30 & 2 Samuel 3:1 Civil War, the Flesh verses the Spirit

 ”Then Abner and his men went on all that night through the plain, crossed over the Jordan, and went through all Bithron; and they came to Mahanaim. So Joab returned from pursuing Abner. And when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing of David’s servants nineteen men and Asahel. But the servants of David had struck down, of Benjamin and Abner’s men, three hundred and sixty men who died. Then they took up Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb, which was in Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at daybreak.“ ‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭2‬:‭29‬-‭32‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

”Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. But David grew stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.“ ‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. There were missing of David’s servants nineteen men and Asahel: 2 Samuel 2:17 told us Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David, but this passage shows us just how badly they were beaten. Abner and the army of Ishbosheth lost 360 men to 20 in the army of David.

b. There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: This shows how wrong it was for Joab to accept Abner’s appeal for a cease-fire at the battle of The Field of Sharp Swords. The fact was that they couldn’t just get along, and that there could be no peace between the rightful king, David, and the pretender to the throne, Ishbosheth. The cease-fire seemed to make things better, but in reality, it only made things worse and it led to a long war.

i. When we try to make peace between King Jesus and king self within us, the result is a long, bitter war. It is so much better to simply surrender and submit to the reign of Jesus.

ii. “In the lives of many Christian people today there is raging, literally, a civil war. The flesh - the kingdom of Saul, struggles with the spirit - the kingdom of David, and the conflict is bitter. We do everything we possibly can to hold up the tottering kingdom of self, so that it might exist just a bit longer. If only we could preserve some rights; if only we could have at least part of our own way; if only we could keep this or that at any cost! We feel we must bolster up this kingdom of self, that we cannot let ourselves be crucified with Christ.” (Redpath)

c. David grew stronger and stronger: The increasing strength of David and increasing weakness of Saul’s house did not begin when Saul died. It began when God first chose David and withdrew His Spirit from Saul (1 Samuel 16:13-14). (Guzik)

Civil War, the Flesh verses the Spirit

Joab and Abner gave peace a chance but it didn’t work because Ishbosheth wanted to be king over God’s anointed king, David.

My wife and I lead a twelve step program at our church called the Life Recovery Bible Group and it’s for anyone with hurts, hang ups and habits.

Step 3 is “We made a decision to turn our wills and our lives over to the care of God.”

Our civil war is the flesh verses the Spirit which are constantly at war within us and Paul struggled with this too!

”For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.“ Romans‬ ‭7‬:‭19‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Surrendering our will to Jesus is a big step in healing and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us to remake us into the image of Jesus Christ.

It is said that Jesus is the potter and we are the clay.

Are you allowing the Potter to reshape you into His image?

Blessings