2 Samuel Chapter 2 Verses 1 – 3

 Back in 1 Samuel 13:14, Samuel said to Saul, “Your kingdom will not

continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart,

and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people,

because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

 David learned the heart of the Lord being in the fields of his father.

Fatherless, really…, having his own father and brothers think nothing

of him. Taking care of the sheep who relied on him and trusted him.

Instead of becoming someone who didn’t need anyone else, stands on

their own, bitter and hardened by the injustice of others, David’s heart

grew even more soft. Not hating them for what they did but even that

much more wanting to love them and to be loved by them…

 It’s a harder path for sure. A much easier path is to turn inward,

become totally self-reliant and categorize others as unnecessary or

even less than. But David, in taking care of the flock, and spending

time with the Lord, his heart became more like God’s. Who even

though He was terribly discarded and treated in the worst of ways,

loved them so much that He gave His own life in their place. In your

place and in mine…

 And this is singularly what has qualified him to be king. The simple

observable repeated fact of his life that in the midst of it all, David is

not the king in his own heart and mind, but God alone is king. God is

his king… And that qualifies him to be a great king, himself. That is

the long-form explanation of the title, “Man after God’s own heart.”

 And we see it here. Next move? Up to you, Lord. Shall I go up? And to

where… David wanted more than God’s blessings, God’s gifts, God’s

presence and benefit…, David wanted to be in a position that was true

to God’s will…

2 Samuel Chapter 2 Verse 4

 Almost twenty years… It was all the way back in 1 Samuel 16 that

David was anointed by Samuel as king over Israel. He could have

taken it. He could have gone against Saul, just as Saul had gone

against him…, but he chose a more eternally excellent way. To serve

Saul. To not let the love of his heart grow cold…

 Extremely difficult! Incredibly and arguably impossible! As Saul

took from him everything. His wife, his home, his life, his best friend,

his identity and dignity…, not one of us has had someone do us dirtier

than Saul did David, and yet David loved Saul… How?

 There is only one possible explanation. David had molded his own

heart after the heart of God. Again, this all speaks so clearly and

emphatically of the cross! It wasn’t his strength! It wasn’t David alone

that was able to stand this tall in history! David was anointed with the

Holy Spirit upon him! His job was to say yes to God. Willing and

wanting and setting out to do what was right. The able part was the

work of the Holy Spirit in the life of David…

 Notice, even in this action David doesn’t seize the power for himself.

It is the men of Judah that come to him and make him their king. He

doesn’t assume or consume, he serves. While I can go into a

voluminous section of teaching on this giving you Bible verse after

Bible verse on how this is the right thing to do in the eyes of God, let

me just say, this is the strategically smart thing to do in the

practicality of life!

 Jesus said in Luke 14:10, “When you are invited, go and sit in the

lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes, he may say to

you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence

of those who sit at the table with you!”

 Let me say it this way. Rather than think highly of yourself, let others

do it. They’ll do a better job of it and the outcome will be much better

for you! We think that if we take the lower seat that others will think

lowly of us, less of us… Perhaps. Maybe. Until they see that your

humility and desire to serve and to love them is genuine.

 How do they see that by the way…? Also, something we think is

backwards… When you are called up to the higher, you take it…

Seems backwards! “Oh, no, I’ll stay right here… I belong in the

lowest seat. I should be the last one to be served…” And everyone

within them groans a bit… Because that is false humility…

 But when you are called up to the higher, you receive it was

gratitude…, that is humility. You see the humble are always the

grateful. They go together. But those that refuse the service of others,

that’s pride. Learn this principle if you are able…

 The woman brought perfume to Jesus that was worth $20k-$30k in

today’s money and she poured it on His feet. He didn’t refuse her but

received it with love… It was Judas who refused it…

 I can go on and on about this because this is one of the hidden

principles of life and godliness that is only unlocked in understanding

by a heart submitted to God that wants to know His ways over your

own… So, I will leave the rest up to the Lord for the few that will find

this truth…

2 Samuel Chapter 2 Verses 5 – 7

 Notice the gratitude in David. He thanks the men of Jabesh Gilead for

the right they have done, even though it may come across as a wrong

towards him. Why? Because God is his king. Because he is a man

after God’s own heart. Because he is an ultra-wise person (these are

the mighty men of Saul). Because he is humble. When is the last time

you thanked someone not for what they did for you but for what they

did that you observed was the right thing to do…? Good indication of

your maturity in humility right there…

2 Samuel Chapter 2 Verses 8 – 11

 Abner seemingly harbors a grudge of sorts against David because as

you may recall, Abner was commander of Saul’s army and David

insulted him when he had the opportunity to kill Saul, saying that

Abner had failed to protect his king.

 So, he takes this previously unmentioned son of Saul and makes him

king over the tribes of Israel other than Judah (David’s tribe). Some

speculate that since Ishbosheth had not been mentioned before that he

was either very young or that he was an illegitimate son of Saul.

 And it says here that Ishbosheth reigned for two years, while David

was reigning. Notice David didn’t force his reign onto those that

followed Ishbosheth or on Ishbosheth himself.

2 Samuel Chapter 2 Verses 12 – 14

 So, the scene here is a struggle for power. For authority. On one side

of the pool, you have Abner who is not loyal to David, and on the

other side of the pool you have Joab who is. On both sides of the pool,

you have brothers…

2 Samuel Chapter 2 Verses 15 – 17

 This was a bench clearing! The twelve young men from each side

compete and by competition, it’s a fight with weapons. However, all

twenty-four die and they all die at the same time which prompts a

great battle between these two sides…. Between brothers.

 Mark 3:25 says, “If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot

stand.” When two from the same home battle, the home is no more, it

falls. We read that the men of David prevailed but certainly both sides

lost this day.

2 Samuel Chapter 2 Verses 18 – 26

 That’s an interesting statement, because seemingly, it is Joab that is

pursuing Abner. However, Abner may be running, fleeing, but indeed

he is the aggressor, he is the problem. David is the anointed king…,

yet Abner resists. He mounts this rebellion against the Word of God…

So, in this circumstance, Joab is pursuing what is right in the eyes of

God but in the eyes of man, this is what appears to be aggression… In

the flesh, in the worldly perspective, the warped and dark would say

that Joab is the problem…

 Joab calls out here and says, essentially, “When will you allow me to

stop pursuing you to kill you?” I wonder if you are picking up what

I’m putting down…? In the eyes of the world Joab is, could be, the

bad guy! And yet, he is on the right side! This is where Abner could

easily gaslight and politicize and manipulate and call Joab the

hater… And we see this constantly in our culture and even our own

relationships! BUT, if Abner had done what was right, just stopped

and taken accountability and committed to make a change, he

would have gotten an entirely different version of Joab! Maybe

even a partner since they were essentially the same type of man!

2 Samuel Chapter 2 Verse 27

 GAS LIT! Abner just then blamed the whole battle and pursuit on

Joab! Totally wrong…, but in practical non-God-fearing speak, totally

legit. The Gas has been lit!

2 Samuel Chapter 2 Verses 28 – 32

 Joab is stuck because of Abner’s worldly wise gas lighting and calls

an end to the pursuit of Abner. Let him go and continue to be the

enemy of God, as God had named David as the king… But in the end,

don’t miss this, Abner won the argument but his forces are

demolished! You can take the gaslighting way out, deny, deflect,

defend, justify, change the subject and turn the conversation around on

them, take no accountability and avoid any admission and

commitment to change, and in the moment you may get out of the

pursuit, but inwardly, you are allowing yourself to be demolished…

 Better to take accountability and face it and settle it… The next verse

of the next chapter is the outcome of stubbornness in

unrighteousness…, “There was a long war between the house of Saul

and the house of David.” Check this out, the house of the dead and the

house of the living. Which side will you be on?