What role does obedience play in Abner's actions in 2 Samuel 2:8? Setting the scene • Israel has just lost King Saul (1 Samuel 31). • David, already anointed by Samuel, is crowned at Hebron over Judah (2 Samuel 2:4). • Abner, Saul’s military commander, responds by positioning Ish-bosheth, Saul’s surviving son, as rival king. What Abner does in 2 Samuel 2:8 “Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ish-bosheth son of Saul and brought him to Mahanaim.” • “Had taken” – an intentional, strategic move. • “Brought him” – relocating Ish-bosheth to a secure, trans-Jordanian base. • Purpose – to maintain Saul’s dynasty and resist David’s rise. Obedience to human authority • Abner’s military oath was to Saul and his house; that loyalty continues after Saul’s death. • Exodus 20:12 underscores honoring authority; Romans 13:1 affirms submission to earthly rulers—both principles Abner could claim. • His action reflects a soldier’s instinct: preserve the chain of command and protect the late king’s lineage. Obedience to God’s revealed will • God had already declared, “Rise and anoint him, for this is he” (1 Samuel 16:12-13) concerning David. • Saul himself admitted, “I know that you will surely be king” (1 Samuel 24:20). • Abner ignores that revelation, choosing loyalty to Saul’s house over the Lord’s explicit choice. Tensions exposed: when obedience misfires • Proverbs 14:12 – “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” • Acts 5:29 – “We must obey God rather than men.” • Abner’s initial obedience is horizontally correct (toward Saul’s line) but vertically misplaced (toward God). • His later about-face—“As the LORD has sworn to David, so I will do for him” (2 Samuel 3:9-10, 18)—shows recognition that true obedience requires aligning with divine, not merely human, authority. Lessons for today • Loyalty matters, yet it cannot override God’s clear word. • Evaluate every duty: Does it honor God’s revealed plan? • When human allegiance clashes with Scripture, choose the Lord’s side promptly—Abner’s delay plunged Israel into needless conflict. |
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