Devotions

20240507

civil war

2 Samuel 2:8-3:5 (JDV)

2 Samuel 2:8 Abner son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, took Ish-bosheth Saul’s son and moved him to Mahanaim.
2 Samuel 2:9 He made him king over Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin– over all Israel.
2 Samuel 2:10 Saul’s son Ish-bosheth was forty years old when he became king over Israel; he reigned for two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David.
2 Samuel 2:11 The length of time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
2 Samuel 2:12 Abner son of Ner and soldiers of Ish-bosheth son of Saul marched out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
2 Samuel 2:13 So Joab son of Zeruiah and David’s soldiers marched out and met them by the pool of Gibeon. The two groups took up positions on opposing sides of the pool.
2 Samuel 2:14 Then Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men get up and compete in front of us.” “Let them get up,” Joab replied.
2 Samuel 2:15 So they got up and were counted off — twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth son of Saul, and twelve from David’s soldiers.
2 Samuel 2:16 Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his sword into his opponent’s side so that they all died together. That is why this place in Gibeon is named Field of Blades.
2 Samuel 2:17 The battle that day was extremely severe, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by David’s soldiers.
2 Samuel 2:18 The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was a fast runner, like one of the wild gazelles.
2 Samuel 2:19 He chased Abner and did not turn to the right or the left in his pursuit of him.
2 Samuel 2:20 Abner glanced back and said, “Is that you, Asahel?” “It is me,” Asahel said.
2 Samuel 2:21 Abner said to him, “Turn to your right or left, seize one of the young soldiers, and take whatever you can get from him.” But Asahel would not stop chasing him.
2 Samuel 2:22 Once again, Abner warned Asahel, “Stop chasing me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How could I ever look your brother Joab in the face?”
2 Samuel 2:23 But Asahel refused to turn away, so Abner hit him in the stomach with the butt of his spear. The spear went through his body, and he fell and died right there. As they all came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, they stopped,
2 Samuel 2:24 but Joab and Abishai chased Abner. By sunset, they had gone as far as the hill of Ammah, which is opposite Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.
2 Samuel 2:25 The Benjaminites gathered behind Abner; they formed a unit and took their stand on top of a hill.
2 Samuel 2:26 Then Abner called out to Joab: “Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize this will only end in bitterness? How long before you tell the troops to stop pursuing their brothers?”
2 Samuel 2:27 “As God lives,” Joab replied, “if you had not spoken up, the troops wouldn’t have stopped pursuing their brothers until morning.”
2 Samuel 2:28 Then Joab blew the ram’s horn, and all the troops stopped; they no longer pursued Israel or continued to fight.
2 Samuel 2:29 So Abner and his men marched through the Arabah all that night. They crossed the Jordan, marched all morning, and arrived at Mahanaim.
2 Samuel 2:30 When Joab had turned back from pursuing Abner, he gathered all the troops. In addition to Asahel, nineteen of David’s soldiers were missing,
2 Samuel 2:31 but they had killed 360 of the Benjaminites and Abner’s men.
2 Samuel 2:32 Afterward, they carried Asahel to his father’s tomb in Bethlehem and buried him. Then Joab and his men marched all night and reached Hebron at dawn.
2 Samuel 3:1 During the long war between the house of Saul and the house of David, David was growing stronger and the house of Saul was becoming weaker.
2 Samuel 3:2 Sons were born to David in Hebron: His firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelite;
2 Samuel 3:3 his second was Chileab, by Abigail, the widow of Nabal the Carmelite; the third was Absalom, son of Maacah the daughter of King Talmai of Geshur;
2 Samuel 3:4 the fourth was Adonijah, son of Haggith; the fifth was Shephatiah, son of Abital;
2 Samuel 3:5 the sixth was Ithream, by David’s wife Eglah. These were born to David in Hebron.

civil war

The fighting described between the Benjaminites and those following David shows the tragedy of civil war. These men knew each other. Many of them had probably fought alongside each other against Israel’s enemies. Now they were fighting each other, and slaughtering each other. At a time when the kingdom could have been growing under their new king, past allegiances had forced a showdown. When we fight each other, everyone loses.

LORD, give us hearts to please you by loving and serving one another, one planet under God.