Taking Sides

 DEVOTION

2^ND SAMUEL

TAKING SIDES

2 Sam 2:8-17

8 Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul's army, had taken Ish-Bosheth son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim. 9 He made him king over Gilead, Ashuri and Jezreel, and also over Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel. 10 Ish-Bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David. 11 The length of time David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months. 12 Abner son of Ner, together with the men of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. 13 Joab son of Zeruiah and David's men went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat down on one side of the pool and one group on the other side. 14 Then Abner said to Joab, "Let's have some of the young men get up and fight hand to hand in front of us." "All right, let them do it," Joab said. 15 So they stood up and were counted off — twelve men for Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve for David. 16 Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his dagger into his opponent's side, and they fell down together. So that place in Gibeon was called Helkath Hazzurim.   17 The battle that day was very fierce, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by David's men.

NIV

We have a divided house at this point, although we know eventually, David will unite all of Israel and make Jerusalem the capital city. However, in this narrative, there is still this hostility between those who follow David and those who follow Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth. Strangely, twelve men of each side did not fight, but simply grabbed each other’s heads and pierced each other with their spears, and died. What kind of battle is that? But our lesson is not about the battles of men, but about the battle of our hearts. It seems right to us that as long as we address our problems like men, there will be a division within our hearts. We know it is not right to live with a divided heart, to have this war that wages within us. Paul, inspired by the Spirit, addressed that war within and saw it from the human perspective. What we want to do, we do not, and what we do not want to do, we do. That is the conundrum of a divided heart, with one part yearning for what our humanity desires, while the other part yearns for what God desires. We know that Israel will be made whole under the reign of David and then his son Solomon, but that, too, will be disturbed. Why can’t we reign in our humanity and have this unity in our hearts that is completely submitted to the reign of Christ? Why must there always be this war, this battle? Certainly, we do not want to thrust our spear into each side of our heart, killing our human side and our spiritual side, as those twelve men did from each side of the two camps. How long must we endure this battle? Are we not supposed to be overcomers? Perhaps being the overcomer is indeed knowing the battle is not ours, but it is the Lord’s. As long as we pursue Him, chasing after the Lord, seeking Him and his righteousness, even with the war within, and endure to the end, we will be that overcomer, who does not give in to our humanity. If we did give in to our humanity, we would be rejecting the side that followed Jesus, which would mean rejecting Jesus to follow our human side, or our “self.” No, we will take our stand, standing our ground, till we breathe our last, even with the war that wages within, we will not give up fighting or give in to self, but we will give in to Jesus.