The Second Book Of Samuel. Day 8, Victory For David's Men

David is currently king only over the tribe of Judah. Ish-Bosheth, a son of the late King Saul, is king over the remainder of Israel. Earlier in Chapter 2 we found Ish-Bosheth's army general, Abner, calling a meeting with David's army general, Joab, by the pool of Gibeon. But fighting broke out and David's men defeated Ish-Bosheth's men, causing Abner and his surviving soldiers to begin fleeing back toward Ish-Bosheth's capital city of Mahanaim. David's nephew Asahel, who was an extraordinarily fast runner, set out in pursuit of Abner only to be slain by him when he thrust the butt of his sharpened spear backward into his belly.

Upon finding Asahel lying dead, all of David's soldiers stopped in shock, in grief, and in an attitude of respect. Asahel's brothers Joab and Abishai continue running after Abner after observing a moment of mournful silence. "But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner, and as the sun was setting, they came to the hill of Ammah, near Giah on the way to the wasteland of Gibeon. Then the men of Benjamin rallied behind Abner. They formed themselves into a group and took their stand on top of a hill." (2 Samuel 2:24-25) Abner, like his deceased first cousin King Saul, is of the tribe of Benjamin. Seeing Abner and his men running for their lives through the region of Ammah and Giah, the men of that area arm themselves and stand with Abner. 

Abner is not reassured by the presence of these fresh new troops. His words that we will study momentarily are spoken, in my opinion, because he believes he will be defeated if he has to engage the Judahites in battle again today. He and the men who fought with him today are exhausted from the fierce combat and from running a long distance. Besides that, the new troops are probably a hodgepodge of men of all different ages and occupations. They are not all career army men; a lot of them are probably more familiar with holding a shepherd's staff or plow handle than with wielding a sword. In an attempt to save his life and his men's lives, and in an effort to keep the tribe of Judah from winning the war and installing David as king over all Israel, Abner asks Joab to make a truce with him. Earlier in our chapter he wanted war but that was back when he felt confident of winning. Now that his army has suffered mass casualties and has fled the scene of the battle, he asks for a cease fire. "Abner called out to Joab, 'Must the sword devour forever? Don't you realize that this will end in bitterness? How long before you order your men to stop pursuing your fellow Israelites?'" (2 Samuel 2:26)

What a hypocrite! He puts on a virtuous act and scolds Joab for being willing to see the conflict all the way through to its bitter end. Abner is the one who set violence into motion when he installed Ish-Bosheth as king in disobedience to the word of the Lord. Abner is the one who called the meeting by the pool of Gibeon and caused the death of twenty-four men which led to full-scale battle. Now he has the nerve to say to Joab, "Think of your countrymen! We are all of the same nation, though we may be from different tribes. Why would you want to strike down your brothers? Can't we all just get along?"

Joab gives up the pursuit and his plans for revenge---for now. It is not clear why he calls a halt to any further fighting on this day. It could be that, even though Abner's words were not spoken in sincerity, Joab took them to heart anyway. He still wants to see Abner dead but that doesn't mean he wants any more Benjamites dead. He certainly doesn't want to lose any more of his men and they are exhausted right now. Joab and his Uncle David and the people of Judah didn't seek or instigate war with Israel but they are willing to defend what is right, and what is right is what the Lord wants: for David to be king over a united nation of Israel, not for David to be king only over Judah. 

Joab announces his intention to take his troops and return home. "Joab answered, 'As surely as God lives, if you had not spoken, the men would have continued pursuing them until morning.' So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the troops came to a halt; they no longer pursued Israel, nor did they fight anymore." (2 Samuel 2:27-28) They did not fight anymore on this day but the conflict is not over. It can never be over while the wrong man wears the crown. It can never be over until what the Lord promised David comes true. It can never be over until what the Lord promised Israel comes true---that He would place over the nation a man with a heart like His. (1 Samuel 13:14)

"All that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, continued through the morning hours and came to Mahanaim. Then Joab stopped pursuing Abner and assembled the whole army." (2 Samuel 2:29-30a) Now that there is some space between the two armies, Abner and Joab can take stock of the losses they've suffered. "Besides Asahel, nineteen of David's men were found missing. But David's men had killed three hundred and sixty Benjamites who were with Abner. " (2 Samuel 2:30b-31) Joab lost only twenty soldiers compared to Abner's three hundred and sixty.

The soldiers retrieve their fallen comrades to take them home for burial, including David's nephew Asahel. "They took Asahel and buried him in his father's tomb at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night and arrived in Hebron by daybreak." (2 Samuel 2:32) 

"The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time. David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker." (2 Samuel 3:1) The cease fire at the end of Chapter 2 is temporary. David is the rightful king, according to the will of God, and as long as he is being opposed by the house of Saul there cannot be peace.