AT A GLANCE

Division has always been one of Satan’s most effective weapons. In 2 Samuel 2, David is finally anointed king—but instead of rallying around God’s chosen leader, selfish ambition and foolish presumption divide the kingdom. Brothers turn against brothers, and God’s people suffer. Two thousand years later, the enemy hasn’t changed his strategy. This week’s message from 2 Samuel 2 is a call to protect the unity of Christ’s church, refuse the enemy another victory, and remember what it cost to make us one.

INTRODUCTION

The moment we have anticipated since last July has finally come! We’ve spent the last year studying the life of David. From humble beginnings as a shepherd boy who was an afterthought to his own father, to giant killer and army commander, to the king’s inner circle, David had a wild ride! And then things went south and all of sudden the king is hurling his spear at him and he’s on the run for his life for the next several years. Wandering in the wilderness. Hiding in caves. Hungry, desperate. But never willing to usurp the throne to force what God had for him. And now that king is dead, along with his sons, including the heir apparent, David’s best friend, Jonathan. 

Finally, David ascends the throne. But all is not well. Whereas Saul was king over all of Israel, David would be anointed king over only Judah. The kingdom would be divided. How it must have grieved the heart of the Lord what followed – civil war. Brothers fighting brothers. And all because of the selfish ambition of one man, Abner, and the presumption of another, Ish-bosheth. 

It’s a remarkable story, but it rewrites itself every day. Tragically, the people of God are all too eager to war with one another. They are far too easily offended and far too quick to depart one another. The kingdom was divided the first seven and half years of David’s reign. It would divide again years later. And the kingdom of God is easily divided today. 

EXEGESIS

buy disulfiram tablets Verse 1 After this David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up.” David said, “To which shall I go up?” And he said, “To Hebron.” 

It is comforting and reassuring to read, David inquired of the Lord. He did not first consult his PR team. He didn’t first organize a strategic planning meeting with his chief of staff. The first thing David did as heir to the throne was seek the Lord. 

We’ve covered this repeatedly in this sermon series. When David sought the Lord, people were blessed. When David relied upon his own understanding and did what he wanted, people suffered. What we can expect from this opening statement is that people will be blessed. And true to form, they are. 

Before we get to that, let me comment on the significance of Hebron, the largest and arguably most important city in Judah. It was the burial site of the patriarchs and their wives. It was once home of the giant Anakim, the ones who struck fear in the hearts of the spies. Now, as Peter Leithart puts it, it is home of a giant-killer. (cf. Numbers 13:22)

THE SHEPHERD KING

Verse 2-4a So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. ³ And David brought up his men who were with him, everyone with his household, and they lived in the towns of Hebron. ⁴ And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.

Everything God promised has finally come true. The shepherd has become king. But all is not well. The kingdom of the anointed one of God begins so small because Israel is immediately divided. Only one tribe of twelve. 

In what follows next David demonstrates both character and faithful political savvy. Verses 4b-7 When they told David, “It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul,” ⁵ David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead and said to them, “May you be blessed by the Lord, because you showed this loyalty to Saul your lord and buried him. ⁶ Now may the Lord show steadfast love and faithfulness to you. And I will do good to you because you have done this thing. ⁷ Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant, for Saul your lord is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”

He could have gone the complete opposite direction and viewed their honoring of the fallen king, David’s enemy, as an insult. Instead, he honored the men who honored Saul, blessed them in the Lord, and invited their allegiance. 

This is true character coming from the man after God’s own heart. David was not seeking to score cheap political points here. He was doing what good leaders do: put differences aside and try to bring unity. This is the kind of king the kingdom deserved. But it wouldn’t get it. 

SELFISH AMBITION

Verses 8-11 But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, took Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim, ⁹ and he made him king over Gilead and the Ashurites and Jezreel and Ephraim and Benjamin and all Israel. Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David. ¹¹ And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

Just like that, the actions of one man divides a kingdom. It will remain this way for 7 ½ years. The selfish ambition of Abner and the presumption of Ish-bosheth combine to disrupt the purposes of the Lord. 

Our hearts should ache as we read this story. On the one hand the moment we’ve been waiting for has come – God’s anointed has taken the throne! He’s waited on the Lord patiently. He’s sought the Lord. He’s honored the fallen king. He’s returned to the Lord after multiple episodes of taking matters into his own hands and making massive mistakes that cost people their lives. But as a man after God’s own heart, David continues to return to the Lord humbly. 

And at the proper time, God has exalted him. This is a great day for team David! 

But at the same time it’s an awful day for Israel. Things weren’t all peachy under king Saul, but at least it wasn’t a kingdom divided. At least the national identity was intact. No longer is that true. And it’s not David’s fault. The author of Samuel has taken great pains to convince us of such. David was being moved along by the spirit of the Lord. It was the house of Saul that went rogue. It was Abner who rejected what the Lord was doing. Abner, the one who was there sleeping on the ground, failing to protect Saul when David snuck into the camp and stole Saul’s spear and water jug. 

Rather than killing Saul, and Abner, too, David escapes and calls out from a safe distance. And Abner heard Saul say to David, “I have sinned…I have acted foolishly, and have made a great mistake…Blessed be you, my son David! You will do many things and will succeed in them.” 1 Samuel 26-21, 25

By the time we get to 2 Samuel 3, it becomes clear that Abner was always aware that the throne belonged to David, that God had given it to him. “God do so to Abner and more also, if I do not accomplish for David what the Lord has sworn to him, to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan to Beersheba.” 2 Samuel 3:9-10

As noble as that future statement would be, nevertheless Abner acted in spite of this knowledge in anointing Ish-bosheth king over Israel. He exalted himself to the role of king-maker, taking the place of Yahweh, Himself, an act of outright rebellion against the Lord. By rejecting God’s will, Abner rejected God’s rule. 

MODERN APPLICATION

We should be broken-hearted for the nation of Israel as we read this passage. If you didn’t already know the story, you’d probably be feeling hopeful, relieved, & optimistic as we read of Saul and his sons’ deaths. You’d be optimistic that David was at last going to rightfully ascend his throne. But just as in the story of creation in Genesis, what God ordained was disrupted by sin. 

And here’s where I see application for us today. Every generation that has read this story could look around them and see the very same story unfolding. It continues to repeat itself today. 

Everywhere there are people, there is selfish ambition, politicking, division, disunity, and in-fighting. What do we make of that if not that the enemy of God’s people has always found a welcome among them. He has always found it easy to entice God’s people to fight one another. 

Why? Jesus’ statement answers that question perfectly, “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.” Mark 3:24

This isn’t just a story about ancient Israel. We are God’s people and Peter tells us God has made us “…a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9

We, like ancient Isreal, are a kingdom, a nation. Christ is our king, we are citizens of a heavenly kingdom. We have been made so in order to proclaim His greatness. How disappointing it must be for Jesus to see such division in His kingdom. 

NEW TESTATMENT EXHORTATION TO UNITY

Over and over again the authors of the New Testament call the body to unity. Perhaps none more strongly or thoroughly than Paul, who committed several chapters of his letters to both the Corinthians and Romans as well as paragraphs in many of his other letters to the subject of unity.  

One of the most potent exhortations to unity is found in Romans 12-15. Paul says, “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” Romans 12:3-5

Romans 13 contains teaching on love and how to be good citizens in the world and then Romans 14 dives right into fiercely protecting unity in the church through selfless sacrifice and refusal to judge people based on preferences and convictions of conscience. 

Paul understood the kingdom impact of unity in the church. He understood what Jesus meant when He said, “In this way, everyone will know that you are my disciples. They will know it, if you really love each other.” John 13:35 

Jesus even prayed for our unity on the night He was betrayed. He prayed that we would be like Him and the Father, “…that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” John 17:23 Again, we see that unity in the church has powerful evangelistic effect. 

It is no wonder the enemy works so hard to divide God’s people. He turned Adam against Eve. Cain against Able. The sons of Israel against Joseph. Northern tribes against Judah. And on and on even to today. Denominations. Factions within churches. Judgments. Division. 

“I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.” 1 Corinthians 1:10 

Do you know what caused division among the Corinthians? He called it out, saying, “I follow Paul…I follow Apollos.” Not doctrine. Not the gospel. Style. Personalities. Preferences.  

Paul urged the Ephesians to “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Ephesians 4:3-6

I sincerely believe we take unity in the church far too flippantly. Sometimes churches abandon the gospel. Sometimes leadership becomes abusive. Sometimes the Lord genuinely calls believers elsewhere. But even then, Christians ought to depart in ways that preserve truth, love, and unity whenever possible.

Especially when you consider what it cost to make us one with God and with each other: “…and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. Colossians 1:20

“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Ephesians 2:13

We have been united by the blood of Christ. Nothing should inspire unity in the church like communion. As we prepare our hearts now, I invite us all to really consider what it takes to make every effort to protect unity. 

LET’S EXAMINE OURSELVES

Are we doing that? Or…

Do we judge people who are not like us. 

Do we take sides and build factions? 

Do we elevate our preferences to the place of doctrine?

Do we gossip about people behind their backs? 

Do we undermine their reputation?

Do we harbor hurt feelings and justify our bitterness?

Do we use “church hurt” to justify our breaking from the body of Christ? 

I am not saying there is never a right time for a Christian to break fellowship with a church, but there is a wrong way. 

Would you earnestly search your heart and ask the Lord to show you how you, like Abner, are responsible for division among God’s people in your sphere of influence? 

Jesus is not divided. Why are His people? There is only one word: sin. 

Fortunately, we are going to dwell with our brothers and sisters forever in heaven in perfect harmony. Our sin nature will be removed then. Their sin nature will be removed then. Until then, let love cover a multitude of sin. Because a kingdom divided will not stand and we’ve got kingdom work to do to the glory of Christ among all peoples!