Today we read a great example of what happens when you fight against members of your own family.

2 Samuel 2:15, 16, “So they lined up for the fight…each side grabbed their opponents’ head and stabbed them with their dagger. They all fell dead…” The Message

Everyone loses.

2 Samuel 2:17, “The fighting went from bad to worse…the men of Israel were beaten to a pulp.” The Message

It resolves nothing. The weaker party gets crushed.

2 Samuel 2:23, “When he refused to quit, Abner struck him in the belly with the blunt end of his spear so hard that it came out his back. Asahel fell to the ground and died at once….” The Message

We never mean to kill, only to wound.

2 Samuel 2:25, “The Benjamites had taken their stand with Abner there, deployed strategically on a hill.” The Message

Sooner or later, the weaker one will get the upper hand.

2 Samuel 2:26, “Abner called out to Joab, ‘Are we going to keep killing each other till doomsday? Don’t you know that nothing but bitterness will come from this? How long before you call off your men from chasing their brothers?’ ” The Message

If we don’t call a truce, everyone will die.

2 Samuel 2:28, “Then he [Joab] blew the ram’s horn trumpet and the whole army of Judah stopped in its tracks. They quit chasing Israel and called off the fighting.” The Message

We can choose not to fight.

2 Samuel 2:29, “Abner and his soldiers marched all that night up the Arabah Valley. They crossed the Jordan and, after a long morning’s march, arrived at Mahanaim.” The Message

What were you doing before the fight, (2 Samuel 2: 12)? Get back to it.

2 Samuel 2:32, “They brought Asahel and buried him in the family tomb in Bethlehem. Joab and his men then marched all night, arriving in Hebron as the dawn broke.” The Message

The fight was between Abner and Joab, (2 Samuel 2:14), but Asahel paid the price.

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Matthew 9:23, “Jesus spoke not a word.”

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“Are you…a child of God who is experiencing…a heart-breaking blow from a totally unexpected place? Are you longing to hear our Master’s voice calling?…the silences of Jesus are as eloquent as His words and may be a sign not of His disapproval but of His approval and His way of providing a deeper blessing for you.”

Streams in the Desert, February 9

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