“‘May God bring terrible curses on Avner and worse ones yet if I don’t accomplish what Adonai swore to David — to transfer the kingdom from the house of Sha’ul and set up the throne of David over Isra’el and Y’hudah, from Dan all the way to Be’er-Sheva!’ Ish-Boshet couldn’t answer Avner a word, because he was afraid of him.”-2 Samuel 3:9-11
When we last left off, Avner was going ballistic on Ishbosheth for being called out on sleeping with Saul’s concubine.
The logic behind Avner’s explosive retort was, hadn’t he been anything but kind and loyal to Saul’s family by allowing Ishbosheth to become king?
Wow!
What a huge insult to Ishbosheth!
But it didn’t end there.
Afterward, Avner goes on to make an even bolder pronouncement.
He states he’s well aware God has already chosen David to be King over all of Israel.
In verse 9, he says God has destined David to rule both Judah and Israel, from Dan in the north (near Mount Hermon) to Be’er Sheva in the south.
Ishboshesh was so frightened of Avner that he didn’t say a word.
He knew there was nothing he could do to stop this man whose strength was only matched by his cunning.
Now the question that arises is how was Avner aware that God had destined David to become king over all of Israel.
Well, here’s the thing.
In this and later chapters, we will see that many people knew about God’s plan for David to be king over all of Israel.
But we don’t find a public announcement of this in the Bible, or even one made directly to David.
This message most likely came through prophets like Gad or Samuel and was recorded in a document that was well-known back then but had been lost over time – like the Book of Jasher.
The bottom line is Avner knew about it, Ishbosheth knew about it, and it seems like the people, especially the elders, also knew.
If that’s the case, why wasn’t David made king right after Saul’s death?
The simple answer is that folks don’t always want what God wants.
We have our plans and ideas, and sometimes God’s timing doesn’t match up with what we want.
We might think we can delay what’s meant to happen, speed it up, or that maybe God will make an exception for us.
Turns out, no such thing.
God’s Will and Word will always prevail according to His perfect timing.
We’ll continue with the topic of David’s delayed kingship the next time we meet.
See ya all next time.
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