Now they’ve had this conversation about it and Abner’s response has been to threaten King Ishbosheth, saying that he would take all of Israel and give it into the hands of King David. So here’s what Abner does. II Samuel 3:12 “And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, Whose is the land? saying also, Make thy league with me, and, behold, my hand shall be with thee, to bring about all Israel unto thee.”
This is the deceiver at work. Abner sends a few of his soldiers with a note suggesting that he make a “league” with him. “A league” is the Old English for “a covenant, an agreement.” He wants to join forces with David. Do you see what Abner has done to his king, King Ishbosheth? He’s undermined his authority. He’s being completely disloyal to him. He’s practicing what we’d call today “duplicity.” He’s a double-dealer.
The first thing the Bible is showing us here about the deceiver is that he undermines those who trust him. And it’s obvious what is going on in Abner’s mind here. He wants to weaken King Ishbosheth while he gets into the good graces of King David.
Now, you’re probably saying. “Well, isn’t this a time of war? Shouldn’t we expect this sort of thing?”
Folks, soldiers and leaders do a lot of things in a time of war that they might not otherwise do. But, a true man is a loyal man. Had Abner had any scruples and truly wanted to do what was right, he would have had an entirely different conversation with Ishbosheth. He would have told him up front what his plans were and why he was about to do this. But deceivers have very little loyalty. Some people say they aren’t even loyal to themselves.
So, what is the LORD teaching us here? Pay attention to the loyal ones. Why? Because they’ll be loyal both in the good times as well as the hard times. They’ll be loyal even when the outcome may have a negative affect on them personally. Loyalty, as you will see when we study the life of King David, is a quality of a true man.
1. A deceiver undermines those who trust him.
2. Those who are taken in by deceivers are often the good people.
David believes Abner. He proceeds to make this “league” with Abner. Now, my question, of course is this. “Why?” Why would you trust a man who has already shown his colors? Abner, remember, was the one who had placed the crown on the head of Ishbosheth. And here’s David’s likely answer. “You don’t always have to treat your enemies as enemies.” Haven’t you dealt with people in your life who quote “did you wrong”? Yet, because you are a man or a woman of character, you did not choose their methods?
There will often be those in your experience who will mistreat you in a variety of ways; deception being one of them. Yet, you always have the obligation before God to do the right thing even in the face of those who are attempting to use or abuse you.
Let’s be very practical here? Was Abner a deceiver? Was he being two-faced? Was David being duped and didn’t know it? Those who read your Bible and think carefully about the lives and characters of those you read about know that we can’t ever fully understand why people respond and act the way they do. But please remember this. There’s only one Person Who knows the whole story. There’s only one Person Who can see the large picture. And that is the LORD.
So, what is David doing here by making a league with Abner? I believe he’s trusting in the LORD. From all I’ve read in I Samuel, I’m quite sure that David knew that it was God’s will that he be king over all Israel, including Judah. And, putting myself in David’s shoes for a moment, I’d ask “Should I go to war with the very ones that God has planned for me to reign over?” And the answer, then, to Abner, is clear. “I’ll make the league.”
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This is the deceiver at work. Abner sends a few of his soldiers with a note suggesting that he make a “league” with him. “A league” is the Old English for “a covenant, an agreement.” He wants to join forces with David. Do you see what Abner has done to his king, King Ishbosheth? He’s undermined his authority. He’s being completely disloyal to him. He’s practicing what we’d call today “duplicity.” He’s a double-dealer.
The first thing the Bible is showing us here about the deceiver is that he undermines those who trust him. And it’s obvious what is going on in Abner’s mind here. He wants to weaken King Ishbosheth while he gets into the good graces of King David.
Now, you’re probably saying. “Well, isn’t this a time of war? Shouldn’t we expect this sort of thing?”
Folks, soldiers and leaders do a lot of things in a time of war that they might not otherwise do. But, a true man is a loyal man. Had Abner had any scruples and truly wanted to do what was right, he would have had an entirely different conversation with Ishbosheth. He would have told him up front what his plans were and why he was about to do this. But deceivers have very little loyalty. Some people say they aren’t even loyal to themselves.
So, what is the LORD teaching us here? Pay attention to the loyal ones. Why? Because they’ll be loyal both in the good times as well as the hard times. They’ll be loyal even when the outcome may have a negative affect on them personally. Loyalty, as you will see when we study the life of King David, is a quality of a true man.
1. A deceiver undermines those who trust him.
2. Those who are taken in by deceivers are often the good people.
David believes Abner. He proceeds to make this “league” with Abner. Now, my question, of course is this. “Why?” Why would you trust a man who has already shown his colors? Abner, remember, was the one who had placed the crown on the head of Ishbosheth. And here’s David’s likely answer. “You don’t always have to treat your enemies as enemies.” Haven’t you dealt with people in your life who quote “did you wrong”? Yet, because you are a man or a woman of character, you did not choose their methods?
There will often be those in your experience who will mistreat you in a variety of ways; deception being one of them. Yet, you always have the obligation before God to do the right thing even in the face of those who are attempting to use or abuse you.
Let’s be very practical here? Was Abner a deceiver? Was he being two-faced? Was David being duped and didn’t know it? Those who read your Bible and think carefully about the lives and characters of those you read about know that we can’t ever fully understand why people respond and act the way they do. But please remember this. There’s only one Person Who knows the whole story. There’s only one Person Who can see the large picture. And that is the LORD.
So, what is David doing here by making a league with Abner? I believe he’s trusting in the LORD. From all I’ve read in I Samuel, I’m quite sure that David knew that it was God’s will that he be king over all Israel, including Judah. And, putting myself in David’s shoes for a moment, I’d ask “Should I go to war with the very ones that God has planned for me to reign over?” And the answer, then, to Abner, is clear. “I’ll make the league.”
Go on to page three