This war, which began in the pool of Gibeon, 2 Samuel 2:12-23, turned out to be a long war; the power struggle within the house of Israel had begun, 2 Samuel 3:1. This was the point where God was put on the back shelf as their King, and politics took over as each side placed allegiance to their kings.
Here, the allegiance was between Ish-Bosheth, 2 Samuel 2:10, and David. David would become stronger as a result of these conflicts, 2 Samuel 3:1, which would fulfil Samuel’s prophecy, 1 Samuel 15:28.
One of the main problems David had was having too many wives, 2 Samuel 3:2-5, although it was very common in those times. He had many children through them, 1 Chronicles 3:5-9, but as is always the case with having many wives and many children with different mothers, this brings many problems.
Concerning the sons of David, Amnon, 2 Samuel 3:3, raped his half-sister Tamar, the full sister of Absalom, 2 Samuel 3:4 / 2 Samuel 13:1, and was murdered by Absalom, who also rebelled against his father and wanted to remove him as king, 2 Samuel 13:23-38.
We know nothing about Kileab, 2 Samuel 3:3, who is called Daniel in 1 Chronicles 3:1. Adonijah had himself proclaimed king during the final illness of David, 1 Kings 1:1-27. Apart from what we have in these verses, we also know nothing about Shephatiah or Ithream, 2 Samuel 3:4-5.
As the war was going on between the two households, Abner appears to be getting stronger, 2 Samuel 3:6.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘This strengthening of himself, and going into the late king’s concubine, were most evident proofs that he wished to seize upon the government, 1 Kings 2:21-22 / 1 Kings 12:8 / 1 Kings 16:21.’
He was certainly looking out for himself because he went to those who were in allegiance with Saul, 2 Samuel 3:7. It appears that Abner’s reign was getting stronger as Ish-Bosheth’s reign was getting weaker.
Abner became very angry with Ish-Bosheth because he accused him of having sexual relations with Rizpah, 2 Samuel 3:7-8 / 2 Samuel 3:21, who was one of Saul’s concubines.
This was probably Abner’s intention from the very beginning, as he himself longed to be king even though he made Ish-Bosheth king, 2 Samuel 2:8-10. Notice Abner asks Ish-Bosheth, Am I a dog’s head, on Judah’s side? 2 Samuel 3:8.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Dost thou treat a man with indignity who has been the only prop of thy tottering kingdom, and the only person who could make head against the house of David?’
He goes on to explain that he has been loyal to the house of Saul and to his family and friends. He hasn’t handed him over to David, and yet Ish-Bosheth accuse him of an offence involving this woman, 2 Samuel 3:8.
This was the perfect excuse for Abner to take over as king; he thinks he is wise, and so, in his anger, he threatens to give the throne to David, which silenced Ish-Bosheth, 2 Samuel 3:9-11. This would mean that all of Israel would be under David’s reign.
Abner goes ahead and sends messengers to David, 2 Samuel 3:12, which tells us he wants the power to shift from Ish-Bosheth to David as soon as possible. Abner’s messengers ask David, Whose land is it? Make an agreement with Anber, and he will help you bring all Israel over to you.
However, David says he will make an agreement with him; however, David demands one thing: do not come into his presence unless Abner brings Michal, the daughter of Saul, when he comes to see him, 2 Samuel 3:13-14.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘David had already six wives at Hebron, and none of them could have such pretensions to legitimacy as Michal, who had been taken away from him and married to Paltiel. However distressing it was to take her from a husband who loved her most tenderly, 2 Samuel 3:16, yet prudence and policy required that he should strengthen his own interest in the kingdom as much as possible; and that he should not leave a princess in the possession of a man who might, in her right, have made pretensions to the throne. Besides, she was his own lawful wife, and he had a right to demand her when he pleased.’
David reminds them that he actually won Saul’s daughter in marriage in an agreement with Saul, and the proof was in the hundred Philistine foreskins, 2 Samuel 3:14.
Although here it states that David paid one hundred foreskins, 1 Samuel 18:24-25, and 1 Samuel 18:27, mentions that David paid two hundred foreskins. David had actually delivered to Saul two hundred, but only one hundred had been required, and therefore only that number is mentioned.
David, who was always thinking ahead, knows that if he has Saul’s daughter, Michal, as his wife, this would give him great political power within Israel, which would result in those who originally followed Saul. The problem here was that David had no right, according to God’s law, to take her back as his wife, Deuteronomy 24:1-4.
So Ish-Bosheth gave orders and had Michal taken away from her husband Paltiel, 2 Samuel 3:15. Notice that Michal’s husband, Paltiel is weeping behind her, 2 Samuel 3:16. It’s possible that Michal’s love for David wasn’t as strong as it once was, 1 Samuel 18:20.
David wasn’t really interested in having her back because he loved her but because of political reasons and we feel for Paltiel as he appears to have been an innocent victim of this political move.
At this point in time, it appears that Abner was acting honourably because he knew that the kingship of Ish-Bosheth was coming to an end, 2 Samuel 3:17.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘It was only by Abner’s great influence that the elders of Israel had been restrained hitherto from declaring for David, and this accounts for Ish-Bosheth’s helpless submission to his uncle’s dictation.’
Abner also realises that the only way the Philistines would ever be defeated is when David rules over Israel as a whole as God intended, 2 Samuel 3:18. Earlier Abner made Ish-Bosheth king, 2 Samuel 2:8-10, but he now realises that God had actually anointed David to be king, 1 Samuel 10:1 / 2 Samuel 2:4 / 1 Chronicles 14:8.
Abner even goes to the length of approaching the Benjamites to encourage them to allow David to rule over all of Israel, 2 Samuel 3:19. Abner had twenty men with him, and he comes to David at Hebron because David prepared a feast for him and his men, 2 Samuel 3:20.
Abner asks David to let him go and assemble all Israel for David, his lord and king, so that they may make a covenant with David, and that David may rule over all that his heart desires and David sends him away and notice he went in peace, 2 Samuel 3:21.
David’s men and Joab returned from a raid and brought with them a great deal of plunder, 2 Samuel 3:22. Abner was no longer with David in Hebron because David had sent Abner away in peace, 2 Samuel 3:23 / 2 Samuel 3:21. Joab tells David that Abner has come to deceive him, 2 Samuel 3:24-25.
Remember Abner was a man whose heart was filled with revenge, he wanted Abner dead because Abner killed his brother, Asahel, 2 Samuel 2:18-23 / 1 Kings 2:5.
After expressing his anger with David, Joab, along with Abishai start chasing after Abner and when they caught him they killed him because he killed their brother, 2 Samuel 3:26-27.
Keil, in his commentary, says the following concerning this incident.
‘This act of Joab, in which Abishai was also concerned, was a treacherous act of assassination, which could not even be defended as blood revenge, since Abner had slain Asahel in battle after repeated warnings, and only for the purpose of saving his own life. The principal motive for Joab’s action was his most contemptible jealousy or the fear lest Abner’s reconciliation with David should diminish his own influence with the king. The same was true later in his murder of Amasa, 2 Samuel 22:10.’
When news got back to David about Abner’s murder, he proclaimed he was innocent in all of this, 2 Samuel 3:28, but also declared a judgment against the household of Joab because he murdered an innocent man, 2 Samuel 3:29.
The judgment was that someone in Joab’s family would always have issues with one of the following, running sores, leprosy, leaning on crutches, falling on the sword, or lacking bread, 2 Samuel 3:29.
Willis, in his commentary, says the following.
‘These five curses were gonorrhoea, leprosy, effeminacy, untimely death and hunger.’
We are told that Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon, 2 Samuel 3:30. We do know that in later years, Joab was deprived of his office, which he regained only by an act of daring bravery, 1 Chronicles 11:6.
David here, is expressing God’s feelings because of what Joab did to Abner and it appears that Abner was truly sincere when he planned to help David become king over all of Israel.
Here again, we see David’s humility and respect for Saul. Abner had shown great loyalty to God’s anointed, Saul, 1 Samuel 3:1, and so, David pays his respects to Saul by mourning the loss of Abner who was one of Saul’s loyal servants, 2 Samuel 3:31 / 2 Samuel 1:17. They buried Abner in Hebron, and David wept aloud at Abner’s tomb as did everyone else, 2 Samuel 3:32.
David sang this lament for Abner, which says, Should Abner have died as the lawless die? Your hands were not bound, your feet were not fettered. You fell as one falls before the wicked, 2 Samuel 3:33-34.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The great and noble and valiant Abner had died as ignobly and as helplessly as the meanest churl!’
Once again everyone wept over the death of Abner, 2 Samuel 3:34 / 2 Samuel 3:32. It appears that David didn’t feel like eating and so, everyone comes to him to encourage him to eat but David takes an oath and says, may God deal with him, be it ever so severely, if he tastes bread or anything else before the sun sets, 2 Samuel 3:35.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Fasting was a sign of the deepest mourning, 2 Samuel 1:12. The fast lasted until the sun set.’
All the people took note and were pleased, in fact, they were pleased with everything David did, 2 Samuel 3:36. They also come to the conclusion that David had no part in the death of Abner, 2 Samuel 3:37. David here is sending a clear message to all of Israel that he had nothing to do with Abner’s death and that he wouldn’t act like this to anyone else in Israel.
David tells asks his men, if they realize that a commander and a great man has fallen in Israel this day? 2 Samuel 3:38. He says although he is the anointed king and very weak, these sons of Zeruiah are too strong for him, 2 Samuel 3:39. Zeruiah was David’s sister, 1 Chronicles 2:16. He says may the LORD repay the evildoer according to his evil deeds, 2 Samuel 3:39.
It’s clear that David was nothing like Zeruiah’s sons, Joab and Abishai, who were David’s nephews, because he never had a vengeful heart; his heart was full of mercy and forgiveness, and he was a man after God’s own heart, 1 Samuel 13:14 / Acts 13:22.