Guest Post by Mrs.Oz

Today's reading is from One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan and is 2 Samuel 3:6-4:3; 2 Samuel 4:5-12

I had a hard time really getting the jist of what was going on in these passages and the previous one. I've had to read over a few times and seek out my John MacArthur study bible notes to help me get it all. There is a lot of activity going on here and the nation of Israel is in quite a state of drama. I agree with Miriam, it would make a great movie.
Abner is the military leader for Saul's army. He was a mighty man and helped put Saul's remaining son, Ish-bosheth on the throne. Quite honestly (and you who have been through the bible chronologically this way before have a benefit on me) I did not really get before that there was a king between Saul and David. So part of this reading was my trying to understand that. David is over Judah and the rest of Israel is under Ish-bosheth and it's caused division and war. Abner is, according to John MacArthur's notes, trying to make his own move for the throne of Saul. I however was confused as to whether he actually DID take the concubine of Saul, or if he was just accused of that by Ish-bosheth but did not do it. My study notes from JM seem to say that he did. "By taking Rizpah, the concubine of Saul, Abner made a clear statement to the people that he would take the place of Saul as king over Israel. Going into the king's concubine was a statement of power and rightful claim to the throne." Does anyone have any further clarity from their study as to whether this actually took place?
We have here such hidden selfish motives, such power plays, such....as I said...DRAMA! It seems like some historical drama movie where there is a king and everyone dancing around him in court has a hidden agenda and a double sided mask to wear. Abner presents the convicition to Ish-bosheth that he should have been supporting David since he knew that God wanted David to be king of all of Israel. He's wearing the sheep's clothing but JM comments: "He selfishly wanted to be on the winning side and to be honored as the one who brought all the people under David's rule." These guys are all just desperate to be teacher's pet to the winning ruler who happens to be around.
Ah.....a break from the drama for a sweet moment when Michal is requested back to David. Bummer for her husband though. I did feel bad for that guy. In these biblical scenes where men seem so unsentimental toward women, it's a little touching that the guy followed her crying. I hope the Lord blessed that pour guy in some great way. (Unless he DOES fit in the drama and had hidden motives for wanting the king's daughter to remain his.....hmm).
It's interesting to note as Joab enters the seen that he is in fact David's nephew. Zeruiah, his mother, was one of David's sisters (1 Chron 2:16). This is important because David proves himself a leader once again to put doing right over favoring family. Joab was angry with Abner for killing his brother Asahel in 2 Sam 2. When Asahel was killed, this was David's nephew, he could very well have been driven by personal vengeance himself. Joab is not happy that Abner has come and met with David, was treated well, and left in peace. In Joab's mind, Abner is not to be trusted and he tells David this. After all, David, we are your family!
Now, I wanted to stop here to observe something, for me and who ever reads. Note the argument for this man Joab. We are given the impression from the scripture that Abner is indeed a man with selfish motives. He may very well HAVE been doing some scoping out. Joab is passionate, his brother who Abner killed in self defence was passionate. They were all men thinking they were doing good things. They had been in battle against Abner and considered him their enemy. Why would it not make sense to kill him? How can David turn from fighting this man to not wanting him taken out? Why would he not want Ish-bosheth taken out as well? Were they not at war with him as well? I thought about that and tried to figure it.
What was different about David? I think the difference was that he did not seek his own, he sought God. When God said to go to battle, he went. However, if God did not say to take out a certain enemy, David waited on the Lord and trusted in Him. All these other men are acting out of fear and selfish passion or motive. This is important because it illustrates to us something of David's clarity. He knew when to be the passionate warrior but when he was it was for God, and on God's terms. He had incredible discernment from the Lord to know when something was of man's heart, and when it was of God's. He had incredible respect for God's timing and did not try to MAKE things happen, even when they would have made sense from a human stand point. A leader cannot make decisions on the whims of man. If he is easily swayed, he is not good leadership material. He has to know from which foundation he sees all things, and from which foundation he makes his decisive moves. He cannot act out of fear or desperation, panic or passion. That was the character of Saul. As the previous post so well stated, it was what made him weak. It was what made men shy from him, he was unsteady, insecure and quite frankly, not to be trusted. He was an emotional time bomb waiting to go off! Irrational and lacking judgement. David is the exact opposite and he holds his men to a high standard. Don't step your toe over the line of what God says to do and assume he also meant to do this or that. David walked a straight line of total dependence on God. His confidence was so sure in Him that he was not deceived by fear and human emotion (well, at least not in this phase of his life, but we all fall down on our journey).
So this story ends with David taking out severe judgement on Rechab and Baanah for the murder of Ish-bosheth. He considered their crime worse than the proclaimed one against Saul. David proved to his people that day that He was a servant of the will of the Lord, not of his own power lusts. His confidence as king was from his confidence in God putting him there, in His way and for His time. He proved his purity and he proved he could not be manipulated.
There are amazing lessons in these passages about the human condition and the importance of obeying God rather than what looks right to men at the time. I think that can give us some of this clarity of thought that David had from the Lord. It removes a great deal of smokey, deceptive mess and clears the air for us to see truth.

Well, it was nice to be in just a few chapters of 2 Samuel for a day! Time to take off on some page flippin' again:)
Tomorrow's readings are: 2 Samuel 5:1-3; 1 Chronicles 11:1-3; 1 Chronicles 12:23-40; 2 Samuel 5:17-25; 1 Chronicles 14:8-17; 2 Samuel 5:6-10; 1 Chronicles 11:4-9; 1 Chronicles 3:4; 2 Samuel 5:13; 2 Samuel 5:4-5; 2 Samuel 5:11-12; 1 Chronicles 14:1-2; 1 Chronicles 13:1-5; 2 Samuel 6:1-11; 1 Chronicles 13:6-14