About
Abner was the leader of King Saul’s army and his cousin (1 Samuel 14:50-51). After the king’s death, he continued to serve his son, but later defected to serve King David.
Backstory
Abner was Saul’s first cousin and commander of his army. He was the one to introduced David to Saul after the victory over Goliath. (1 Samuel 17:57) Following one of the opportunities David had to kill Saul, he rebuked Abner for leaving him vulnerable to attack. (1 Samuel 26:5-16)
After Saul’s death, Abner made Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, king over Israel, which David became king over Judah. Even though the struggle between David and Saul was over, Abner and Joab, the commander of David’s army, continued to spar. In the absence of a larger conflict to prove their capabilities, the young men on each side fought each other. (2 Samuel 2:8-17)
Joab’s brother Asahel was so fired up that, even though he wasn’t wearing armor, that he chased Abner. Abner urged him to stop and protect himself so that he would not have to take him down in self defense. But Asahel was unrelenting so Abner killed him. This left Joab and Abner mortal enemies. (2 Samuel 2:18-28)
Over time, Abner’s relationship with Ishbosheth deteriorated. Saul’s would-be successor proved to be weak and paranoid. He accused Abner of sleeping with Saul’s concubine Rizpah, which was akin to accusing him of treason. With this, Abner’s disillusionment was complete. Abner had been the power behind the throne and was repaid with ingratitude and false accusation. He promptly offered his services to David. (2 Samuel 3:6-12)
Before accepting his offer, David gave him a test. He asked Abner to bring back David’s wife Mical, whom King Saul had given to Phaltiel when he and David had a falling out. Abner asked Ishbosheth for Mical directly and the man was so weak he conceded. (2 Samuel 3:13-16)
With Ishbosheth in ruins, Abner had the power to consolidate Israel and Judah under King David. Abner planned to talk with the tribal leaders and facilitate the transfer of allegiance, but he never had the opportunity. (2 Samuel 3:17-21)
Joab was enraged that David accepted Abner onto his teams. He openly challenged the king and questioned his judgment. At the first opportunity, Joab stabbed Abner under the fifth rib, the same place Abner’s sword entered Asahel. David’s plan to swiftly unite the kingdom was sabotaged by jealousy and resentment. (2 Samuel 3:22-27)
King David swiftly denounced Joab’s actions and made it clear the order to murder Abner did not come from him (2 Samuel 3:28-37).