Revenge or Fear?

2 Samuel 3:22-39

²² Just then the servants of David arrived with Joab from a raid, bringing much spoil with them. But Abner was not with David at Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace.

²³ When Joab and all the army that was with him came, it was told Joab, “Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has let him go, and he has gone in peace.”

²⁴ Then Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Behold, Abner came to you. Why is it that you have sent him away, so that he is gone?

²⁵ You know that Abner the son of Ner came to deceive you and to know your going out and your coming in, and to know all that you are doing.”

²⁶ When Joab came out from David’s presence, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern of Sirah. But David did not know about it.

²⁷ And when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the midst of the gate to speak with him privately, and there he struck him in the stomach, so that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.

²⁸ Afterward, when David heard of it, he said, “I and my kingdom are forever guiltless before the Lord for the blood of Abner the son of Ner.

²⁹ May it fall upon the head of Joab and upon all his father’s house, and may the house of Joab never be without one who has a discharge or who is leprous or who holds a spindle [crutch] or who falls by the sword or who lacks bread!”

³⁰ So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because he had put their brother Asahel to death in the battle at Gibeon.

³¹ Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth and mourn before Abner.” And King David followed the bier.

³² They buried Abner at Hebron. And the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept.

³³ And the king lamented for Abner, saying, “Should Abner die as a fool dies?

³⁴ Your hands were not bound; your feet were not fettered; as one falls before the wicked you have fallen.” And all the people wept again over him.

³⁵ Then all the people came to persuade David to eat bread while it was yet day. But David swore, saying, “God do so to me and more also, if I taste bread or anything else till the sun goes down!”

³⁶ And all the people took notice of it, and it pleased them, as everything that the king did pleased all the people.

³⁷ So all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been the king’s will to put to death Abner the son of Ner.

³⁸ And the king said to his servants, “Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel?

³⁹ And I was gentle today, though anointed king. These men, the sons of Zeruiah, are more severe than I. The Lord repay the evildoer according to his wickedness!”

Do you every watch the news and sit in wonder at some of the events that take place in cultures that are far different than ours? In this day of instant information, where the brutal situations that take place around the world are played out in our living rooms live on TV, we are often aghast at the actions that are so very different from how we would react; although, I’m fairly certain they look our way and are just as mystified. The recent assassinations that have taken place in the Middle East stand as prime examples of how people and cultures handle their struggles. I don’t think we would ever parade a dead body around the town square. But that is not unusual in other countries. For some, the concept of brutal revenge is the norm and the right thing to do. It is tolerated and sometimes even applauded. While we are certainly capable of violence and brutality, those actions are still met with outrage and punishment by the authorities. Our cultures are different. Clearly I would not favor a situation where revenge is expected and condoned. But neither am I in a place where I can sit in judgment upon another culture. But I will confess my eyes widen as I look upon some of the choices that are made around the world.

As I read through 2 Samuel 3, those differences in response were most dramatic for me. While David tries to display an attitude of reconciliation and peace, Joab takes matters into his own hands and executes his enemy. While that is shocking, even more shocking is the fact that Joab is not taken into custody himself and dealt with as a matter of law. While David does indeed pronounce curses (and they are harsh) upon him and his family, he is not charged with the crime of murder. In that culture, it was his right to avenge the death of his brother. He in fact kills Abner the same way that Abner killed his brother – a knife through the gut. Often times we allow those cultural difference to stand in our way regarding the reading of the Bible. We immediately stand in judgment upon the Word and decide that it must be filled with error if something like this is tolerated. (You might note that God really isn’t mentioned here at all and He certainly is consulted as to the proper actions that should take place.) Oddly, David actually gains footing with the people as they watch him deal with this whole situation. He is seen as compassionate and fair. His role as King gains ground and is even more solidly in place. God can use even the tough situations to further His will.

Did David do the right thing? He offered reconciliation to Abner. He respected the norms of the society in which he lived, and he showed compassion and respect for the loss of a human. Joab made some decisions that fell in line with his belief system and were within the accepted practices of the time. I’m still not sure that made it alright to kill Abner. And I think that there may have been some fear on the part of Joab that Abner might usurp his position as commanding officer for David’s army. That seems to sully his motives a little as I think they went beyond revenge for his slain brother into something that was more self-serving. Of course, we can never truly know the motivations of another person’s heart, and must allow that to remain hidden.

Here we have yet another story from inside of David rise to power in Israel. It is filled with details and intrigue. The stories of God’s people are human, gritty, and relatable. Have you ever wished for revenge? I’m going to assume that you haven’t killed anyone lately, but the desires of our hearts are also judged by God. There are more ways to slay an enemy than just with a knife or spear. Words can and will damage a person just as quickly and they may never make a recovery from something like that. God declares that vengeance belongs to Him alone, so perhaps we will leave that in His hands and trust Him to take care of us in that way.