While there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner was making himself strong in the house of Saul. Now Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah; and Ishbosheth said to Abner, “Why have you gone into my father’s concubine?” Then Abner was very angry over the words of Ishbosheth, and said, “Am I a dog’s head of Judah? This day I keep showing loyalty to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers, and to his friends, and have not given you into the hand of David; and yet you charge me today with a fault concerning a woman. 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.” And Ishbosheth could not answer Abner another word, because he feared him. (2Samuel 3:6-11 RSV)
Today, I was invited by a certain NGO to speak to their workers in their morning meetings.
I shared with them from the above passage, and it appeared to me that all the 6 times I have read this Bible from Genesis to Revelation cannot be compared to this 7th time am reading it. The Bible is such an inexhaustible source of wisdom and every time I read a passage I have read before I see new light and fresh message relevant to me and my community.
The background of the above passage is that Saul was the first king of a United Israel (12 tribes), and after the Death of Saul, David took advantage and was crowned in Hebron as King of two tribes (Judah and Simeon = Judges 1:1-3, 2Samuel 2:4). While he reigned there 7yrs, Ishbosheth the son of Saul was King over the remaining 10 tribes (2Samuel 2:10).
The two Kings (David and Ishbosheth) had each a man who acted as the Army Commander and Chief of Stuff. Joab was to David while Abner was to Ishbosheth but unfortunately, in the continuous wars between the two (2Samuel 3:1), Abner had killed the brother to Joab (2Samuel 2:20-23; 3:27). While Joab fought for his Kingdom, he also anticipated revenging his brother by the blood of Abner.
As you can see these were two enemy states each trying to capture the other. We now turn to what is happening in the passage (2Samuel 3:6-11).
While the kingdom of Israel in the reign of Ishbosheth is under the pressure of King David who wants to overthrow it; King Ishbosheth had the audacity to focus on who sleeps with his late father’s concubine and who shouldn’t. Him and Abner started fighting for a concubine at the expense of a throne. Ishbosheth was ungrateful; Abner had fought in defence of this kingdom and kept Ishbosheth in power for seven solid years.
The king did not consider that worth his father’s Concubine. They started a fight, totally ignoring the fact that their enemy David was at the gates waiting for any opportunity. Eventually, Abner did a stupid thing also and de-campaigned his King in favour of their enemy David.
Abner incited the public against the king and civilians murdered their king and Abner handed over the ten-tribe kingdom of Israel to David and David was installed as the new king of the United Kingdom. Ishbosheth died and left the concubine he was fighting for and most of all he lost his throne (2Samuel 4:5-7).
Abner lost his office as the Army Commander and chief of Stuff, but most importantly he also lost his life (2Samuel 3:27). The two boys who fought for a concubine at the negligence of a throne, finally met in a grave (2Samuel 4:12).
My dear friends, this is not a lesson in values and just in what matters more but this is a matter of the wisdom to know the difference as Reinhold Niebuhr wrote in the Serenity Prayer. Abner and Ishbosheth did not understand the difference between a concubine and a kingdom. Many of us like these boys have fought FOR and WITH concubines and ended up losing thrones and Kingdoms. A marriage break over a text message.
A husband physically abuses his wife over a missing socking; young men fight and stab each other over 500Shs. Our world has witnessed bloody revolutions and wars sparked off by a mere word.
Two married men will fight and kill each other over a side-dish, and these two men will lose their marriages and families over this prostitute. Thieves will still a million dollars and be caught just because one took the other’s five thousand dollars.
In traffic you will find Kings (reputable people), fighting with concubine drives (Taxi drivers, Boda-Boda riders). I could go on and on, but my question to you is WHAT CONCUBINE ARE YOU FIGHTING FOR OR WITH? What are you risking in this fight? Abner and Ishbosheth risked a throne, both died, lost the Kingdom, and the concubine stayed a ‘concubine’.
From today onwards, stop fighting for concubines and with concubines. The only way you can do that is to seek the wisdom to know the DIFFERENCE between a THRONE and a CONCUBINE. Before you fight for or with, always count the cost, many misconceived pigs will drug you to their muddy ring and beat with experience.
God bless you and: THINK & UNDERSTAND (2Tim 2:7 NLT)
Pr WHITE
The Gospel Hawker
iTiS Well of Worship Fellowship (John 4:24)
iTiS Well of Worship Fellowship (John 4:24) 