Lesson 33

Civil War

Main Idea: Though changes in leadership don’t excite you, creating division will only cause problems.

Text: 2 Samuel 2

Introduction:

Change can be very unsettling. For the most part, people do not like it. Nevertheless, change is a part of life. It is no different among God’s people. In the times of 2 Samuel, the nation of Israel is undergoing a major leadership change: from Saul to David. Now to us, knowing everything about the story and how crooked Saul was and how good David was, we look at the change as a good thing, and rightfully so for it was. However, to the nation of Israel, they may or may not have been satisfied with the job Saul was doing and may or may not have been excited about having David as their king. To think that everyone in the country hated Saul and loved David is not a realistic picture. It is more realistic to imagine that some were loyal to Saul, and some rejected David’s leadership. This is precisely what happened.

As churches, we are not exactly a nation like Israel was, but we are still the people of God and we still can experience changes that not everyone is happy about. Happy or not, changes will come. So how do we handle that? Today’s lesson shows us how important it is for the body of God’s people to stick together and get on board with God’s plan. Failing to do so will create division, which we will see only caused problems.

I.  Telling the Story of Transition

  1. After Saul’s death, David ASKS GOD if he should get out of Gath and into Judah. (Honestly, it was God’s will from the beginning that David remained in Judah. It is quite possible – though only speculation – that if David had remained in Judah, he would not have experienced the division that lay ahead.)
  2. God tells him to go to Judah into the city of Hebron.
  3. After he moves him and his family up there, the men of Judah crown him king.
  4. In an effort to show honor to those who had buried Saul, David also reveals that he has been crowned king in Judah.
  5. However, upon this news, those loyal to Saul rebel, namely Abner.
  6. Abner goes and crowns Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, the king of Israel.
  7. So now, you have got a country divided because Abner does not want to let go of Saul’s legacy. As we will see throughout this chapter, this division creates a civil war that produces NOTHING good.

Do not miss this: Abner’s loyalty to Saul superseded his loyalty to his country and to the cause of God. Though loyalty and love for your leader is a valiant and noble thing, it must not stand in the way of God’s plans, which is exactly what Abner’s love for Saul did.

II.  Creating division went against God’s will and plan.

  1. We already saw how God TOLD DAVID to go up to Judah and Hebron.
  2. We already know that GOD ANOINTED DAVID to be king back in 1 Samuel 16.
  3. We know also that it has been God’s plan all along to remove Saul from power and replace him with David.
  4. EVEN ABNER knows this is the will of God.
  5. See 2 Sam 3:8-10
  6. Abner knew that the throne was “sworn to David” by God.
  7. He did what he did to protect Saul’s family and legacy.

Though borne out of a desire to do something good, Abner was really going against the will of God. He obviously loved Saul and respected his leadership, for whatever reasons. But that did not make it okay for him to fight against God by insisting that nothing change.

III.  Creating division destroyed lives on BOTH sides.

  1. After these two “Kingdoms” are established, the leading generals of both plan to meet in Gibeon. Why? Not sure. Perhaps they met for peace agreements or something of that nature.
  2. In their meeting, Abner and Joab (David’s general) decide to have their men compete with one another. From what I can tell, this is to be like a wrestling match. (Can’t you feel the tension here? This is not going to be good.)
  3. Instead of wrestling, they end up stabbing each other with their swords.
  4. Then it is on. Civil War has officially begun.
  5. Joab and his two brothers chase after Abner and his men.
  6. In the chase, Asahel, one of Joab’s brothers is killed.
  7. Three hundred sixty of Israel’s men are killed.
  8. Nineteen of David’s men AND Asahel (showing Asahel’s importance) were killed.
  9. Causing this division has done nothing but hurt Abner and the nation of Israel, as well as their brothers from Judah. Lives are destroyed because of the split.

IV.  Creating division only produced results that were never intended.

  1. Abner did not want to kill Asahel. (vs. 21,22, 23)
  2. Abner did not want civil war. (Vs. 25-28)
  3. All he really wanted was to protect the family of Saul (which would have happened anyway) and maintain his legacy.
  4. Yet murder, death, and war are exactly what he caused.
  5. Ironically, Abner ends everything by turning it all over to David in the next chapter. (We will also see in the next chapter how this division ended up costing Abner his life.)

Conclusion:

Many times, division in a church is borne out of deep love and passion for something that neither party is willing to let go. Though this may be understandable, it is not excusable. Change is rarely fun, but we have to realize that division will only cause us problems. We have to stick together through times of transition. We need each other more than ever when things change. Love and unity is to be a defining factor for the church of God. Let us not sacrifice that for the fear of the unknown. Let us unite, take a deep breath, and press onward.