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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadGreater Men and Women of the Bible by James Hastings: 289. Ishbosheth
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Ishbosheth
2. The general feeling of Israel had no doubt singled out David as the future king. But there was little national feeling as yet; tribal interests predominated. At first only David's own tribe of Judah recognized him as king, and in obedience to the Divine oracle he established his little kingdom at Hebron, a city marked out by antiquity and sacred associations with the patriarchs, and, moreover, a naturally strong position. Here he reigned seven and a half years, steadily consolidating his power in the south. It is to be regretted that so little is known of this period of his life. Never could his peculiar abilities have had greater scope for display than in these seven years, during which he rose from being a vassal of Achish to the position of king of Israel and master of Palestine. That the Philistines did not interfere with David's advancement seems to indicate that he had come to some agreement with them, especially as Ziklag remained in his hands. Their consent to his plans naturally presupposed David's assurance that he would be willing to remain their vassal as before. In view of this, two kings in Israel instead of one would be quite welcome to the Philistines. They could hope that each in turn would be held in check by the other. If they overlooked the extraordinary personality of David, they could in fact count on being able to make use of the one to hold within bounds any possible encroachments on the part of the other. But David had ere this defeated many shrewd calculations.
The people to whom Gordon went always discovered what he was. He invariably entered with deepest sympathy into their lives. “I feel strongly,” he wrote from Jaffa in 1883, “that the grace God gave me to pray for my enemies in the Soudan led to my success.” He made men love him with a great love. During the Taiping Rebellion he drew about him captured Taipings, so that at the last his personal bodyguard was made up of his former enemies. He had a simply magic gift of inspiring confidence, even in the hearts of savages. Mr. Power, the London Times correspondent at Khartoum, wrote: “I like Gordon more and more every day; he has a most lovable manner and disposition, and is so kind to me. He is glad if you would show the smallest desire to help him in his great trouble. How one man could have dared to attempt his task I wonder.” He handled men with the most daring freedom. He would trust when others would imprison. He would march among hosts of armed foes and manage them as he would. He did not do it by duplicity or diplomacy but by straightforwardness and truth. To dwell further on Gordon's energy, vigour, love of hard tasks, ceaseless activity, patience in duty and restless impatience until duty was done, his thought of detail and his wrath at mere routine and its petty mechanicalism, the thoroughgoing honesty of his work, would be but to draw out the great warm living qualities which we have already felt in the Man_1:1 [Note: R. E. Speer, Some Great Leaders in The World Movement, 288.]
3. Meanwhile Abner, the commander of the Israelitish forces which survived the disaster at Mount Gilboa, had retired to Mahanaim east of the Jordan, and there made Ishbosheth, the surviving son of Saul, king over Gilead, Geshur, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and all Israel (2Sa_2:9). For some time the two rival kingdoms were engaged in desultory warfare. A single incident, fraught with momentous consequences, is all that is recorded of the contest. Abner and the men of Ishbosheth went from Mahanaim to the pool of Gibeon, where they met David's men under Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. The two parties remembered that they were both Israelites, and at first shrank from an engagement. By and by, however, Abner proposed that twelve men from each side should engage in a sham fight, for “amusement,” and to show their skill in arms. Joab assented, but, owing to the passionate feeling on both sides, the play soon became earnest. The champions fought so desperately that all were slain, and the place was henceforward known as Helkath-hazzurim.
This was the signal for a general engagement in which Abner and his men were put to flight. Asahel pursued Abner, but, though able to overtake the veteran warrior, he was no match for him in battle. In vain did Abner beg Asahel to be content with slaying and spoiling a less formidable champion. Asahel persisted in following him and was slain by a thrust of the hinder end of Abner's spear. This, as Abner had foreseen, involved him in a blood-feud with Joab. The pursuit was stayed at last by Abner's appeal to Joab to cease the unnatural strife-not, however, till hundreds of men had been slain.
Asahel was a man of consequence, being brother of the commander of the army and nephew of the king. The death of such a man counted for much, and went far to restore the balance of loss between the two contending armies. It seems to have struck a horror into the hearts of his fellow-soldiers; it was an awful incident of the war. It was strange enough to see one who an hour ago was so young, so fresh and full of life, stretched on the ground a helpless lump of clay; but it was more appalling to remember his relation to the two greatest men of the nation-David and Joab. Certainly war is most indiscriminate in the selection of its victims; commanders and their brothers, kings and their nephews, being as open to its catastrophes as any one else. Surely it must have sent a thrill through Abner to see among the first victims of the strife which he had kindled one whose family stood so high, and whose death would exasperate against him so important a person as his brother Joab.1 [Note: W. G. Blaikie, The Second Book of Samuel, 30.]