2 Sa. 3: Lament for Abner

2 Samuel 3:34 "Your hands were not bound, your feet were not fettered. You fell as one falls before wicked men."

The chapter opens reporting David having six sons by six different women. He was the Shawn Kemp of Bible times. The one difference being these were his wives. But they weren't enough, as we'll come to find out.

Anyway, Ish-Bosheth (the king Abner himself installed) goes and accuses Abner of banging one of Saul's comcubines. This is a false accusation, and Abner is so deeply offended he joins David. He completely switches sides, and goes to meet David. David throws him a feast and sends him on his way to run a PR tour to get the Benjamites and others to hitch their loyalty wagon to David.

Also part of the deal, and somewhat unsettling is David's insistence on having Michal back. Michal being the wife who aided David's escape from Saul back in 1 Samuel 19. Michal had already been given again in marriage to a man named Paltiel, about whom I know absolutely nothing, other than that he must have loved Michal deeply, for he followed Michal and Abner as far as he could, weeping. His wife was being confiscated from him to become the wife of someone who already had six. I don't know what kind of guy this was, but clearly his attachment to Michal was greater than that of David's originally. And maybe he had a bunch of wives, who knows.

But Joab comes back from the raid and sees Abner leaving. He confronts David...saying that this is the person who killed his brother Asahel. The Bible omits David's response here, and I'm curious as to what it was. Because of David's actions later in the chapter, I am guessing it was something along the lines of "Leave him alone, he's one of us now." Joab kills Abner anyway, and David brings down a pretty horrific curse on his family.

David's lament on Abner is pretty interesting. Abner was struck down as though he were wicked. Implying that he is not. Or is no longer. He wasn't chained, he wasn't shackled. He wasn't a prisoner. He was murdered essentially for no greater reason than personal vengeance. David doesn't take this vengeance, he leaves it to the LORD, and even more interesting, he declares that Joab and Abishai are too strong for him. They would get the best of him. If David wanted, they could have been executed instantly. But he lets go. And lets God.