In a moment of anger he confessed that he knew. He knew. He knew that the Lord swore to David that God Almighty would transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and establish the house of David over Israel (2 Sam 3:9-10). He knew!
Yet for whatever reason Abner, the general for Saul’s army and now for his son Ish-Bosheth, continued to place his loyalties with the house of Saul. But when you know what the Lord is doing and yet out of a sense of “loyalty” you serve another, danger lurks.
Ish-bosheth accused Abner of immorality with one of Saul’s concubines. Abner was furious. So he swore to Ish-Bosheth, Saul’s son, that he would leave the house of Saul and establish the house of David. So he went to David, made peace with him and heading back home.
The only thing is that Abner had previous killed the brother of Joab. Joab was David’s military general. Joab was furious that David had made peace with Abner, so her lured him back to Israel and then stabbed him to death. David made it clear that it was not his doing and that this was an evil act.
That’s the events that happened and while it is tragic that a man of Abner’s caliber died, he tried to play a deadly game. He felt obligated to serve and stay loyal to Saul’s house instead of following the Lord’s house. Granted, he served honorably. But he wasn’t following where the Lord was blessing and establishing, even though he knew God’s purpose.
You can’t know the ways of God and serve another. It happens all the time. It’s like living in knowing sin as a Christian and justifying it. Of course we sin all the time and no in is perfect. We are in process. But if we continue to sin even though we know the truth, we become like Abner, playing a deadly game. Justifying. Thinking somehow we are safe.
