2Sa 2:26 | KingComments | STEP | Joab and Abishai continued the pursuit. Then comes the sunset and the battle must be stopped. At that moment Abner makes a good proposal. He does not want this fight. At the same time, he himself is guilty of it. He took up the sword himself and caused the civil war. He perseveres in defending the wrong king. In , the poignant question from Abner to Joab sounds: “Shall the sword devour forever?” In other words: ‘Will there never be an end to the killing?’ The question is justified and exploratory. However, the following question also arises whether Abner is the right person to ask this question. If he had resigned himself to God’s choice of His king, this battle would not have taken place. This can also be applied to our time and situation. We may be saddened by a battle among brothers, but we must also ask ourselves to what extent we ourselves are to blame for it. How many people have already been lost to God’s testimony by a battle between brothers? When will we stop our self-willed actions? When will we focus all our attention again on the Lord and His Word, to learn from Him meekness and humility of heart and to walk in that mind in the truth?

‏ 2 Samuel 2:26

Joab and Abishai Pursued Abner

Joab and Abishai continued the pursuit. Then comes the sunset and the battle must be stopped. At that moment Abner makes a good proposal. He does not want this fight. At the same time, he himself is guilty of it. He took up the sword himself and caused the civil war. He perseveres in defending the wrong king.

In 2Sam 2:26, the poignant question from Abner to Joab sounds: “Shall the sword devour forever?” In other words: ‘Will there never be an end to the killing?’ The question is justified and exploratory. However, the following question also arises whether Abner is the right person to ask this question. If he had resigned himself to God’s choice of His king, this battle would not have taken place.

This can also be applied to our time and situation. We may be saddened by a battle among brothers, but we must also ask ourselves to what extent we ourselves are to blame for it. How many people have already been lost to God’s testimony by a battle between brothers? When will we stop our self-willed actions? When will we focus all our attention again on the Lord and His Word, to learn from Him meekness and humility of heart and to walk in that mind in the truth?