“Avner the son of Ner, commander of Sha’ul’s army, had taken Ish-Boshet the son of Sha’ul, brought him over to Machanayim, and made him king over Gil‘ad, the Ashuri, Yizre‘el, Efrayim, Binyamin and all Israel.”-2 Samuel 2:8-9
So we’re told that Ishbosheth became king over Gilead, the Asherites, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and all of Israel.
Gilead was mainly where the tribes of Gad and Reuben lived, across the Jordan River.
Writing the “Asherites” here is probably a copyist error.
It should say “the Geshurites” instead.
This would make more sense because Geshur was beyond the northern part of Manasseh, on the east side of the Sea of Galilee.
We’ve heard about the Geshurites before, and later we’ll read that David married a Geshurite woman and had a son with her.
For reasons not specified, a political alliance with Geshur was deemed important.
Onward.
Jezreel refers to the western slope of the Gilboa Mountains, which is in the land of Yisakkhar.
Ephraim refers to the central part of Canaan and includes the area of Manasseh on the west side of the Jordan River.
Recall, that this area was given to Joseph’s family through his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.
Next, Benjamin was a small territory sandwiched between the northern and southern parts of Canaan.
Finally, “all Israel” refers to only the northern tribes, NOT the southern ones.
Now, why does the text one-by-one call out specific territories first and then say “all Israel” at the end?
Why not just say “all Israel” from the start?
This was because things happened in steps, homies.
Avner planned to move Ishbosheth to a place where he could lead without being affected by the Philistines or any land that Judah (and David) claimed.
He picked Mahanaim in Gilead for this.
Little by little, Avner wanted to rebuild the northern tribes that Saul had once united, but that broke apart after Saul died.
Ishbosheth would become king over these tribes step by step, starting with Gilead, and then aiming for Geshur, Jezreel, Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin.
Once he controlled these areas, the northern kingdom would be his.
Well, that was the plan anyway.
David, however, knew what Avner was up to.
So he allied with the leaders of Jabesh, a key city in Gilead, to halt Avner’s plans.
The takeaway for today can be expressed in the following famous proverb:
“If you wanna make God laugh, make plans.”
Avner schemed to outsmart God and undo His plans for David.
Little did he know he had another thing coming.
The same goes for all of Israel’s enemies today whether they be Hamas, Iran, or any other nation or group that seeks to harm God’s Chosen People.
And the same goes for YOUR enemies who may be scheming against you.
If God has your back, no weapon (or enemy) will prosper against you.
Ya feel me?
See ya all next time.
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