2 Samuel Chapter 3 Verses 1 – 5

 Deuteronomy 17:17 says, “The king shall not multiply wives for

himself, lest his heart turn away…” There was one weakness in the

flesh that caused almost all of the problems in David’s life and his

legacy, and this was it. This was the one area of his life that he never

seemed to get right with the Lord…

 Having multiple wives was common in that culture, and even

expected. It meant having multiple sons. Your lineage was multiplied.

Your family, your power, your strength, your status… And what’s

interesting is that this resembles the sick honesty of the devil. Why?

 Satan told Eve that she would not surely die…, that in disregarding

what God had said, she would be more like God, knowing good and

evil… He was right on both accounts. When she ate, she didn’t die,

physically/immediately. He wasn’t wrong. Her eyes were opened, to

see that which God saw, he didn’t lie…, and it was horrible…

 David did increase in status, and in power, and in span of control and

in sons, AND his sons troubled him, as well as his wives. And they

troubled others. Amnon grows up to rape his half-sister and is

murdered by his half-brother. Chileab is mentioned as a worthless

man. Absalom murdered his half-brother and launched a civil war

against David. Adonijah tried to take one of David’s concubines and is

executed… The world/flesh delivered all that it promised and the

cost was far more than the payment. What’s that called in financial

terms? A loss…

2 Samuel Chapter 3 Verses 6 – 11

 We are seeing Abner’s true colors here (if you missed them before).

Abner made Ishbosheth king over Israel. It was his doing instead of

submitting to the king, who he knew was the rightful king under the

command of God. But here we see that his motivation was his own

pride and protection…

 So, when he is challenged, by the king, he gets angry and in the most

classic immature, selfish, self-consumed revealing way, turns it around

on Ishbosheth (who is in the right, by the way), threatens him and

punishes him for the correction! Abner is a classic low-character self-

serving false-friend! Exactly who he was under Saul and why he was

sleeping (uncaring, unobservant and unbothered) when Saul’s life was

in danger!

2 Samuel Chapter 3 Verses 12 – 16

 David may be a man after God’s own heart but he was also a man that

was extremely hurtful towards many in his life. Extreme hurt. And at

the top of that list is this man Paltiel and another man that comes later

names Uriah…

 I know that David has a very special place in heaven. And I know that

once we are all there, I won’t have any fleshly thoughts or emotions

towards anyone, but while I live, there will be a part of me that most

despises him for what he did to these two men. Who was more

righteous in the Bible? Uriah and Paltiel, or David? Certainly not

David…

 Granted, David did not know of Paltiel and this puts a principle in

play… That when you do what you ought not to do, folks that you

don’t even know are involved can get hurt. It’s the principle of

obligated destruction. Sin brings forth destruction and when

something is destroyed, many things are affected…

 In the coming case of Uriah, David knew… And yet this one thing that

he never surrendered to the Lord, his lust, is worthy to be condemned

by all men as it was the reason for unjust condemnation upon some.

Perhaps the one affirmable mention on this matter is that when David

was corrected, he humbled himself, took accountability and

repented…

 But it will never be lost, as the Word of God endures forever and is

settled in heaven, it will never be unknown that in life, while David

had his own and so much, he took all those two men had… He took

worse than their lives, he took their identities…, he took their homes.

And that won’t be lost even in the New Heaven and the New Earth…

2 Samuel Chapter 3 Verses 17 – 25

 David is quick to make peace with his enemy, which is something that

we can debate about in terms of temporal wisdom, but in terms of

eternity, certainly the right thing to do. Even still today, we are

commanded by God in Romans 12:18, “If it is possible, as much as

depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” Especially amongst the

brethren…

 Matthew 5:23-26 says, “If you bring your gift to the altar, and there

remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift

there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your

brother, and then come and offer your gift. Agree with your adversary

quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary

deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and

you be thrown into prison. Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no

means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.”

 There is the explicit command in these verses but also there is great

practical wisdom. How do you pay a debt of enmity in full with

someone? Make peace…

 So, David is quick to make peace with Abner but Joab is really upset

by this. Recall, Abner killed Joab’s brother…

2 Samuel Chapter 3 Verses 26 – 30

 This was a bad look for David, not only to the people but also for

himself. This obviously was not something he would have done… So,

he doesn’t do it to Joab… He knows that there will be consequence

and he proclaims that consequence but it will be the Lord to take this

up, not David… So, David does with Joab what he did with Abner, he

commits him to the Lord and he moves on…

 That is difficult to do…, but, if David had repaid evil for evil then the

cycle would just continue. Evil, then evil, then evil, then evil.

Someone has to repay evil with righteousness to break that cycle… It’s

ultra difficult but to do what is right in the eyes of God is to road

block the progression of the enemy.

2 Samuel Chapter 3 Verses 31 – 34

 No doubt David weeps here over Saul again. Abner being an echo of

the fallen king who David loved. He weeps over the fall of a man that

was seemingly turning his life around, finally finding out what a life

lived on the side of right might look like. He’s weeping over the lost

potential of additional strength in his nation, army and life… And no

doubt he’s just weeping over the death of a brother…

 And here we see the love the people have for David. They weep as he

weeps…

2 Samuel Chapter 3 Verses 35 – 36

 Why did everything David do please the people? Because David was

perfect. Not at all. Because they loved him…

2 Samuel Chapter 3 Verses 37 – 39

 David’s kingdom was not to be established on the premise of death.

He had escaped Saul’s relentless and unreasonable pursuit for 20 years

when he could have overtaken Saul at any time…, but he would

establish his reign upon the love of his enemy. Just as Jesus

established His reign upon my life…