2 Samuel 2:8 - Meaning and Application

Here we see a rivalry between two kings, David, whom God had chosen, and Ishbosheth, whom Abner made king. One might have expected that when Saul was killed, David would take the throne without opposition. All Israel knew his great victories, and God had clearly marked him out for it. Yet human plans often resist God’s purposes, and so a weak man like Ishbosheth, who had not even been thought fit to go into battle with his father, was still considered fit to rule, while David was kept from a peaceful entrance to the throne.

David’s kingdom pointed ahead to the Messiah’s kingdom, against which the nations rage and the rulers plot together (Psalm 2:1-2). Abner, Saul’s uncle and the commander of Saul’s army, was the man who put Ishbosheth forward against David. He may have done it from a zeal for family succession, since the crown was expected to pass from father to son among the nations. More likely, though, he did it because of his own pride and ambition, and because he wanted to protect his own position. Ishbosheth would never have raised himself up if Abner had not used him as a tool for his own ends.

Mahanaim, where Ishbosheth first made his claim, was on the far side of the Jordan River. It was a place where David had the least influence, and far enough away to give Abner time to gather support and strengthen his side. When he set up his rule there, the ordinary people of Israel accepted him, but Judah stood firmly with David (2 Samuel 2:9). This was another test of David’s faith in God’s promise, and of his patience as he waited for God’s time.

There is some uncertainty about how long this rivalry lasted. David ruled over Judah alone for about seven years (2 Samuel 2:11), but Ishbosheth ruled over Israel for only two years (2 Samuel 2:10). It may be that before those two years, or after them, the support was only for Saul’s family in general, not for any one man from that family. Or the two years may refer only to the time before the war began (2 Samuel 2:12), and the fighting then lasted through the remaining five years (2 Samuel 3:1).

Next comes an encounter between their two armies. It does not seem that either side brought out its full strength, because the number killed was small (2 Samuel 2:30-31). We may wonder that the men of Judah did not act more strongly for David and bring the whole nation under his rule. Yet it is likely that David himself would not let them attack first. He chose to wait until the matter settled itself, or until God settled it for him, without the shedding of Israelite blood. That blood was precious to him, as it is to Christ, David’s greater Son (Psalm 72:14). Even those who opposed him, he still regarded as his subjects.

It is also surprising that the men of Israel could remain so passive and submit to Ishbosheth for so long. This was especially strange when we remember the kinds of men shown among the tribes at this time, wise men, mighty men, men of courage, expert in war, and men who were not double-minded (1 Chronicles 12:23 and following). Yet for seven years many of them seem to have cared little whose hand held the government. God’s providence can use human dullness at one time and human energy at another. People are not always the same, but God’s rule is steady.

In this battle, Abner was the one who began it. David waited to see how things would go, but the house of Saul, with Abner at its head, issued the challenge, and they came off the worse. So do not rush into quarrels or be quick to start a fight, because you may not know how you will finish it (Proverbs 25:8). A fool’s words and hands often lead straight into trouble.

The fighting took place at Gibeon. Abner chose it because it was in Benjamin’s territory, where Saul had many friends. But since he offered battle, Joab, David’s commander, did not refuse. He met Abner by the pool of Gibeon (2 Samuel 2:13). David’s cause rested on God’s promise, so it did not fear an unfavorable place. The pool between them gave both sides time to think.

The first arrangement was for twelve men from each side to fight one another. At first, this seems to have been treated like a sport. Abner made the proposal, saying, “Let the young men arise and play before us” (2 Samuel 2:14). He may have learned such cruel games from Saul, who ruled like a tyrant, and he had learned to make light of wounds and death. By “play,” he meant fight. In that way fools mock sin. A man is unworthy of the name if he treats human blood so carelessly and can throw out death like a game (Proverbs 26:18-19).

Joab, who had been raised under David, had enough wisdom not to suggest such a cruel contest. Yet he did not have enough firmness to refuse it once Abner proposed it. He cared about honor and did not want to seem afraid of a challenge, so he said, “Let them arise.” He was not eager for the sport, and he did not expect the duels to settle the matter, but he would not let his opponent push him aside. Many precious lives have been lost because proud men wanted to satisfy their own feelings.

Twelve men from each side were then called out as champions, a kind of double jury of life and death, though they decided their own fate. The men on Abner’s side seem to have been the more eager, since they went out first (2 Samuel 2:15). Perhaps they had been trained from youth in the foolish pride that pleased their commander. However the contest began, it ended in blood. Each man thrust his sword into his fellow’s side, driven by the desire to win honor rather than by personal hatred. So they all fell together, meaning that all twenty-four were killed. They were so evenly matched, and so stubborn, that neither side asked for mercy or gave it. Josephus says they seemed to destroy one another by agreement through mutual wounds.

Those who strike at other people’s lives often lose their own. In the end, only death wins and rides away in triumph. The remarkable stubbornness of both sides was remembered in the name given to the place, Heldath-hazzurim, meaning the field of rocky men, men strong in body and firm in their resolve, unmoved even by the sight of death. Yet the proud were plundered, and they fell into death’s sleep (Psalm 76:5).

It was poor honor for men to gain at such a great cost. Those who lose their lives for Christ will find them again.

At last, the whole army was drawn into the fight, and Abner’s forces were routed (2 Samuel 2:17). The first clash ended in a draw, with men killed on both sides, so they tried again in a second contest. As often happens, the side that first issued the challenge went away defeated. David had God on his side, and so his side won.