Why is Abner so against David ascending to the throne? For one thing, Abner is Saul's first cousin according to 1 Samuel 14:50. Saul's father Kish and Abner's father Ner were brothers. The familial connection makes Abner reluctant to see the kingship passing to someone not of Saul's family line. He feels he must defend the kingship from usurpers, which is how he views David because that's how Saul viewed David. Saul's attitude heavily influenced Abner and prejudiced him against David.
Another reason Abner doesn't want to see David wearing the crown is probably because he is jealous and resentful of him. Before David ever came on the scene, Saul had made Abner the top commander over his entire army; the only person who had more authority over the army was Saul himself. But David showed up out of the blue and killed Goliath, something that neither Abner nor any of his soldiers dared to attempt. It must have been galling to Abner to have this unknown teenaged boy do something an experienced war veteran like himself was too afraid to do. David victoriously accomplished exploit after exploit after that, so much so that the women of Israel wrote songs about him killing "tens of thousands". The fame of David was spreading far and wide, eclipsing any fame Abner might have previously enjoyed. I think Abner felt threatened by David. The people likely thought that David would be a better army general than Abner, especially after David received the honor of becoming son-in-law to the king which gave him a closer relationship to the king than Abner. I speculated during our study of 1 Samuel that Abner was thrilled when Saul turned against David and caused him to have to go on the run and live in exile.
A third reason for Abner's desire to see only an heir of Saul seated on the throne is because it will secure his position as commander over the army. He could hardly expect David to allow him to remain in charge, not after Abner supported Saul when he declared David an enemy of the state and accused him of attempting to stage a coup. Abner knows that one of the first things David will do is replace him. But if a son of Saul is on the throne (especially one who is weak, and we'll discuss momentarily why there is reason to believe that's the case) he will not only keep Abner in charge of the army but may allow Abner to be the power behind the throne.
Taking all these things into account, we can see why the last thing Abner wants is to have David ruling over him, but that doesn't excuse Abner's rebellion toward God. David is God's choice for king.
While David is beginning to reign as king over Judah, Abner installs one of Saul's heirs as king over the remaining tribes of Israel. "Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul's army, had taken Ish-Bosheth son of Saul and brought him over to MaHanaim. He made him king over Gilead, Ashuri and Jezreel, and also over Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel." (2 Samuel 2:8-9) We've never heard of Ish-Bosheth before. We don't even know whether Ish-Bosheth had any interest in being king but he doesn't appear to have put himself forward for the position. He isn't visiting all the cities and towns of Israel electioneering for the job but is at home minding his own business when the Bible tells us Abner takes him and makes him king. This indicates that he never intended to put himself forward for the position and that he never expected to be considered for the kingship. It could be that he is someone easily influenced and easily led by a person with a much stronger personality, like Abner.
Whether or not Ish-Bosheth is weak in personality, he may have had some disabilities of body. We will learn that he is already forty years old and yet there has never been any mention of him serving in his father's army like his now-deceased brothers Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua. "Ish-Bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned two years." (2 Samuel 2:10a) In ancient times it was not typical to promote any heir of a king to the throne if he had physical disabilities or deformities. If Ish-Bosheth was not sound in body, he would not ordinarily have been considered as a contender for the kingship. But he is probably the next in line where birth order is concerned. He may also be the son of one of Saul's concubines and not the son of Saul's chief wife, which will make him grateful to Abner for installing him as king since the son of a concubine was rarely considered for such a role. Abner expects Ish-Bosheth to defer to him, allowing him to have the power and control he craves.
It doesn't matter what Abner or anyone else does. The Lord's word will come true. David will succeed Saul as the king over all Israel just as He promised. The author says he is "king over Israel" because at this time the nation is divided, with Judah viewing itself as a separate nation with a separate king. At no time is Ish-Bosheth king over all Israel and he only reigns two years over the regions that accept him as their king. If only the Lord's will had been accepted by Abner and those who were on his side, the upcoming war and its casualties would not have taken place. Nothing good is ever accomplished by living in disobedience. Some type of hardship or loss always ensues, as we'll see when we move deeper into Chapter 2 tomorrow.
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