2 Samuel 1-4

I have a tendency to forget this portion of Israel's history. I always remember picking up with chapter 5 and David become the king after Saul. This is a great example of why we never stop reading! It also helps us understand how the kingdom united under David so easily fractured with Rehoboam and Jeroboam, so few generations after David. Solomon inherited the throne from his father David and Rehoboam from his father Solomon.

I want to focus in on three deaths that seem to be unfair, unjust. The Amalekite who brought Saul's crown to David, Abner who was killed by Joab, and Rechab & Baanah who found a similar fate in the hand of David as did the Amalekite.

First, it would seem that the Amalekite would have been rewarded by David for recovering the crown and the arm band of Saul which should have been handed to his successor, who we know to be David. In addition, the Amalekite appeared to do Saul a great service so as to keep him from being tortured by the Philistines. But I believe that the Amalekite was an opportunist. He was not not noble. He was not compassionate. This is an important lesson to us that even if we do what is right, we are only credited based on the motivation of our heart. And that the seed of our motivation is what produces a harvest through reciprocity. The Amalekite's death was because he took pleasure in killing the anointed of God to find favor with man and advance his own station in life.

Now Abner. Here he comes in good faith, on a promise from David that no harm would come to him. He had every reason to believe that all of David's agents would be subject to this pledge. Joab knew this would be Abner's assessment and used it to betray him and take revenge for his brother's death, Asahel whom Abner had killed justly on the field of battle. But after Saul's death, Abner took Saul's son, Ish-bosheth, and made him king. But did he do this to honor Saul? No. He did this to set up a kingdom where he could be enriched. In chapter 3, verse 6 we find Abner's true motivation, "...Abner kept acquiring more and more power in the house of Saul." In addition, once Abner and Ish-bosheth were at odds with each other, Abner was readily willing to give his allegiance to David and confessed he knew that David was the rightful king chosen by God. Verse 18 of chapter 3, Abner confesses that the Lord had spoken that David was to be king. Yet, even still, Abner gave his support to Saul's son. He disobeyed the expressed will of God for his own material and influential gain. As Joab's knife sank in, Abner was no innocent.

Finally we have the Beerothite brothers. Note to self, learn from the mis-steps of others...namely an Amalekite, the account of which they would have surely known.

What are your motivations? Even in the good that we do, may our motivations be pure.

Pastor Fred