Shortly after David becomes king, while the other tribes still follow Saul’s line, Abner - who had been chief in command under Saul and constantly chased David along with him, called a meeting with David’s men. A bloody battle ensued and Joab, one of David’s men, loses a brother. He chases Abner for miles before finally calling off the attack to end the battle.
Not long after, Abner is snubbed by Saul’s son and he shifts allegiance. He knew that God had told David he was to be king - after all, they lived in the palace together and he had hunted David for years. He meets with David to begin the post shift. On his way back, Joab hears that Abner is near. Still full of wrath over his brother’s death, he believes this to be a trick and kills Abner.
When David hears this, he curses Joab, weeps bitterly, fasts, and leads the funeral. This was a show of pure character for David. How easy would it have been to dismiss Abner, a man who had hunted you for years beside the crazed King Saul? Cursing one of his own men for killing one who would be counted an enemy by many and then to weep for that enemy, that is true forgiveness. David never understood why he was hunted, and this shows exactly that. He has no qualms with Saul or Abner, he only wanted to get along yet they could not listen to God’s call on David’s life.
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