09 Ishbosheth is Murdered

After David ensured that Abner would be accorded a public and respectful national funeral, the word finally reached Ishbosheth that his military had been murdered and buried in Hebron.

1 News of Abner’s Death

Since Abner had already advised Ishbosheth that he was now supporting David, Ishbosheth must have been both confused and greatly afraid when he received word that the general had been killed:

2 Samuel 4:1

Twice, the author referred to Ishbosheth, simply as Saul’s son, most likely to infer how undeserving he was of the position he held.

Nonetheless, he was extremely troubled to learn the fate of the man who had placed him in the position of king. But Ishbosheth wasn’t alone in being afraid, as all the people of Israel were as well.

The fear was that without any leadership (since Abner has been the true leader), they would be vulnerable from a possible attack from David and the men of Judah.

2 A Crumbling Kingdom

2 Samuel 4:2-4

Ishbosheth had two military captains who instead of being loyal to him, were determined to align themselves with David, who they considered to be more powerful, and therefore beneficial to them.

The author then introduced Saul’s grandson Mephibosheth, who was the son of Jonathan. He was a child, who had become lame from an accident which had occurred when he was approximately five years old. During the panic which ensued when Saul and Jonathan had died on the same day on Mount Gilboa, Mephibosheth’s nurse grabbed the young child and began to flee, hoping to keep him safe. However he fell, severely injuring both legs. While in hiding, and without proper medical attention, he was never able to walk again. Yet his condition would come into play later in the book, and would be quite representative of each of us.

3 Ishbosheth is Murdered

In the next section of the chapter, Ishbosheth’s two commanders showed their lack of commitment to him, as they assassinated him, and then attempted to align themselves with David:

2 Samuel 4:5-8

These two men were obviously trusted by the king and his court, since they had easy access to his home. But it also showed the laxity of Ishbosheth and those around him, especially with Abner’s absence.

Ishbosheth had been so dependent upon Abner, and now with Abner’s death, it appeared as though Ishbosheth had given up all hope and was simply awaiting the eventual loss of the kingdom.

Therefore, with unhindered access to the king, the two captains entered his bedroom while he was resting, and assassinated him. They also beheaded him, desiring to present the head to David as proof of their newfound “loyalty” to him.

The two men escaped as easily as they had entered Ishbosheth’s compound, and traveled from the territory of Benjamin to David’s Judean home in Hebron, by way of the plains, which means they would have taken infrequently traveled roads, to avoid detection.

The intended goal of the men was made clear when they came before David:

2 Samuel 4:8

They assumed that David would not only have been grateful that they had eliminated his perceived “enemy” but that he probably would have rewarded them (with high-profile positions) as well.

4 An Unexpected Response

These two men, were representative of how those of the world think and act. However, they were unprepared for the reaction and response from David, who was someone who was following the Lord:

2 Samuel 4:9-12

David stated that he had not approved of or rewarded the individual who claimed to have killed Saul, but rather had the man executed for touching God’s anointed king. He certainly wasn’t going to reward these men for killing a man who had been peacefully sleeping in his bed. David said that Ishbosheth’s blood would be required of them.

The two men were then hanged by the pool of Hebron, as a sign to everyone that David wouldn’t tolerate such behavior.