The Pragmatism of a Dog's Head: Text: 2 Samuel 3:6-21
Introduction: The Crooked Timber of Providence
The story of God's providence is rarely a straight line drawn by a ruler on a clean sheet of paper. More often, it is a masterpiece painted on a rough, knotted piece of wood, using the crooked instruments of sinful men. God is not the author of sin, but He is most certainly the author of the story in which that sin occurs. And He writes that story in such a way that the sin of men, in all its pride, folly, and selfish ambition, is made to serve His unassailable purpose. As the Westminster Confession states, God ordains whatsoever comes to pass, yet in such a way that the liberty of second causes is not taken away, but rather established. This is a high doctrine, but it is the only doctrine that can make sense of a passage like the one before us.
We are in the midst of a slow-motion civil war between the house of Saul and the house of David. A casual observer might see nothing more than the sordid business of politics, the kind of backroom dealing and strong-arming that has characterized the lust for power since the fall. We have a weak king, a powerful general, a sexual accusation, a fit of pique, and a series of pragmatic negotiations. It is all very messy. It is all very human. But if we look closer, we see the invisible hand of God, taking the tangled threads of human ambition and weaving them into the glorious tapestry of His promised kingdom. God has sworn to David that He will establish his throne. That is the fixed point. Everything else, including the treachery and self-interest of men like Abner, will be bent and shaped to serve that ultimate end.
This passage is a master class in how God governs the world. He does not need righteous men to accomplish His righteous will. He is perfectly capable of using a proud man's tantrum to transfer a kingdom. He can take a "dog's head," as Abner calls himself, and use it to place the crown on the head of His anointed. This should be a profound comfort to us. We live in a world full of proud, ambitious, and often wicked men who hold positions of power. But their machinations are never outside the scope of God's sovereign decree. He is always working, always steering, always ensuring that His Word, and not the word of man, will have the final say.
The Text
Now it happened, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David that Abner was making himself strong in the house of Saul. Now Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah; and Ish-bosheth said to Abner, “Why have you gone in to my father’s concubine?” Then Abner was very angry over the words of Ish-bosheth and said, “Am I a dog’s head that belongs to Judah? Today I show lovingkindness to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers and to his friends, and have not delivered you into the hands of David; and yet today you charge me with a guilt concerning the woman. May God do so to Abner, and more also, if as Yahweh has sworn to David, I do not do this for him, to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and to establish the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan even to Beersheba.” And he could no longer respond a word to Abner, because he was afraid of him.
Then Abner sent messengers to David in his place, saying, “Whose is the land? Cut your covenant with me, and behold, my hand shall be with you to turn all Israel over to you.” And he said, “Good! I will cut a covenant with you, but I ask one thing of you, namely, you shall not see my face unless you first bring Michal, Saul’s daughter, when you come to see my face.” So David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, saying, “Give me my wife Michal, to whom I was betrothed for one hundred foreskins of the Philistines.” And Ish-bosheth sent and took her from her husband, from Paltiel the son of Laish. But her husband went with her, weeping as he went, and followed her as far as Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go, return.” So he returned.
Now Abner had consultation with the elders of Israel, saying, “In times past you were seeking for David to be king over you. So now, do it! For Yahweh has spoken of David, saying, ‘By the hand of My servant David I will save My people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.’ ” Abner also spoke in the hearing of Benjamin; and in addition Abner went to speak in the hearing of David in Hebron all that was good in the sight of Israel and in the sight of the whole house of Benjamin.
Then Abner and twenty men with him came to David at Hebron. And David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him. And Abner said to David, “Let me arise and go and gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may cut a covenant with you, and that you may be king over all that your soul desires.” So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.
(2 Samuel 3:6-21 LSB)
A Proud Man's Pivot (vv. 6-11)
We begin with the catalyst for this great political shift, which is a private accusation and a public explosion of pride.
"Now it happened, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David that Abner was making himself strong in the house of Saul. Now Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah; and Ish-bosheth said to Abner, 'Why have you gone in to my father’s concubine?'" (2 Samuel 3:6-7)
The first thing to note is the political landscape. Abner is the real power behind the throne of Ish-bosheth. Ish-bosheth has the name, but Abner has the muscle. He is "making himself strong." This is the way of the world. Men consolidate power. But Ish-bosheth, whose name means "man of shame," finally decides to act like a king, and he confronts Abner. The accusation is potent. To take a king's concubine was tantamount to a claim on the throne itself. This is what Absalom would later do with David's concubines on the advice of Ahithophel. We are not told whether Abner was guilty of the charge. Given his subsequent reaction, it is certainly possible. But whether it was true or not, Ish-bosheth's accusation was a direct challenge to Abner's authority.
Abner's reaction is not that of an innocent man calmly refuting a false charge. It is the eruption of a proud man whose honor has been pricked.
"Then Abner was very angry over the words of Ish-bosheth and said, 'Am I a dog’s head that belongs to Judah? Today I show lovingkindness to the house of Saul your father... and yet today you charge me with a guilt concerning the woman.'" (2 Samuel 3:8)
Abner is incensed. "Am I a dog's head?" This is a term of utter contempt. He is saying, "After all I have done for you, propping up your pathetic little kingdom, you treat me like some worthless traitor from Judah?" He appeals to his record of loyalty, his "lovingkindness" or hesed to the house of Saul. This is a covenant word, a word of steadfast loyalty. But Abner's loyalty is clearly to himself first. His loyalty was contingent on his honor being respected. The moment he feels slighted, his much-vaunted hesed evaporates. This is the nature of all loyalty that is not grounded in the fear of God. It is ultimately self-serving.
And then comes the pivot. In his rage, Abner declares his new allegiance. And notice how he frames it. He frames it as an act of obedience to God.
"May God do so to Abner, and more also, if as Yahweh has sworn to David, I do not do this for him, to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and to establish the throne of David..." (2Samuel 3:9-10)
This is remarkable. Abner knew all along that God had sworn the kingdom to David. He admits it freely. This means that for years, he has been consciously and actively fighting against the revealed will of God. His support for the house of Saul was not born of ignorance, but of defiance. Now, in a fit of pique, he decides to get on the right side of history, not because he has had a sudden conversion, but because it serves his wounded pride. He wraps his treachery in the language of piety. "I'm only doing what God wanted all along!" This is a classic maneuver of the carnal man. He will use the will of God as a pretext for his own selfish desires. But God, in His infinite wisdom, is not fooled. He simply uses Abner's sinful motivation to accomplish His own righteous end. Ish-bosheth is left speechless and terrified. The puppet has discovered that the puppeteer is cutting the strings.
A Shrewd Negotiation (vv. 12-16)
Abner wastes no time. He immediately opens negotiations with David, and David, for his part, shows himself to be a shrewd and principled leader.
"Then Abner sent messengers to David... saying, 'Whose is the land? Cut your covenant with me, and behold, my hand shall be with you to turn all Israel over to you.' And he said, 'Good! I will cut a covenant with you, but I ask one thing of you... you shall not see my face unless you first bring Michal, Saul’s daughter...'" (2 Samuel 3:12-13)
Abner's message is blunt: "Whose is the land?" He is acknowledging David's right to rule and offering to be the broker who makes it happen. David agrees, but with a condition. He demands the return of his first wife, Michal. This is not primarily an act of romantic sentiment, though there may have been some of that. This is a brilliant political move. First, it tests Abner's power. If Abner can pull this off, it proves he can deliver the rest of the kingdom. Second, it publicly delegitimizes the house of Saul. By reclaiming Michal, David is reasserting his claim as Saul's rightful successor, a claim established long ago when he was betrothed to her. He is picking up the thread of the story right where Saul wrongfully cut it.
David does not negotiate with Abner directly on this point. He sends his request to the "king," Ish-bosheth, forcing him to be the one to formally undo his father's wrong. Ish-bosheth, weak and afraid, complies immediately. This brings us to one of the most pathetic and heart-rending scenes in all of Scripture.
"And Ish-bosheth sent and took her from her husband, from Paltiel the son of Laish. But her husband went with her, weeping as he went, and followed her as far as Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, 'Go, return.' So he returned." (2 Samuel 3:15-16)
Here we see the human cost of these high-level political games. Paltiel genuinely loves his wife. He follows her, weeping, a broken man. He is a casualty of the consolidation of power. The great affairs of state roll on, crushing the small joys and loves of ordinary men. Abner's dismissal is cold and final: "Go, return." And he does. There is nothing else for him to do. This is a stark reminder that sin, especially the sin of political ambition, always has victims. While we can applaud David's shrewdness and acknowledge God's hand in these events, we must not become so calloused that we cannot see the tears of Paltiel.
Securing the Covenant (vv. 17-21)
Having proven his ability to deliver, Abner now goes to work on the elders of Israel. He is a master politician.
"Now Abner had consultation with the elders of Israel, saying, 'In times past you were seeking for David to be king over you. So now, do it! For Yahweh has spoken of David...'" (2 Samuel 3:17-18)
Abner's appeal is twofold. First, he appeals to their own past desires. "You wanted this before." He reminds them that their support for the house of Saul was never wholehearted. Second, and more importantly, he appeals to the word of God. Just as he did with Ish-bosheth, he now uses the prophecy about David as his primary argument. It is the same word he had been fighting against, but now it is a convenient tool to achieve his new objective. He even goes to his own tribe, Benjamin, Saul's tribe, and persuades them. This is the height of pragmatic politics.
The scene culminates in a covenant meal at Hebron. This is a formal, public act.
"Then Abner and twenty men with him came to David at Hebron. And David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him... So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace." (2 Samuel 3:20-21)
The feast signifies peace and agreement. A covenant is cut. Abner promises to gather all of Israel to formally recognize David as king. David accepts his offer and sends him away in peace. From a purely political standpoint, this is a massive victory for David. The long war is about to end. The kingdom is about to be unified. And it has all come about through the angry, prideful, treacherous, yet effective, actions of Abner.
The Gospel of the Crooked Stick
So what are we to make of this sordid tale? We see proud men, weak men, and weeping men, all caught up in the gears of providence. The central lesson is this: God's promise to David is bigger than Abner's pride, bigger than Ish-bosheth's weakness, and bigger than David's political maneuvering. God has sworn an oath, and He will move heaven and earth, and even the sinful hearts of men, to bring it to pass.
This is a foreshadowing of a much greater story. God swore another oath, a covenant of grace, to bring another King to His throne. This King was the greater David, Jesus Christ. And the story of how He came to His throne is also filled with the crooked actions of sinful men. The religious leaders conspired out of envy. Judas betrayed Him for thirty pieces of silver. Pilate condemned Him out of political cowardice. The soldiers mocked Him out of sheer cruelty. All of them were acting according to their own wicked desires.
And yet, the apostle Peter can stand up on the day of Pentecost and say that Jesus was "delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God" (Acts 2:23). God used the treachery of Judas, the pragmatism of Caiaphas, and the cowardice of Pilate to accomplish the greatest good the world has ever known: the atoning death of His Son. Just as He used Abner's fit of pique to establish David's throne, He used the ultimate act of human wickedness to establish Christ's throne at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
This means that we can look at the political turmoil of our own day, the Abners and Ish-bosheths who strut and fret their hour upon the stage, and we need not fear. Their pride, their ambition, their foolishness, it is all just the crooked timber that our sovereign God is using to build the unshakable kingdom of His Son. He is still transferring kingdoms. He is still bringing all things under the feet of the greater David. And He is doing it, not because of the righteousness of the instruments He uses, but because of the unbreakable promise He has made.