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Scripture for the day: 2 Samuel 3:26-27 Joab then left David and sent messengers to catch up with Abner. They found him at the pool of Sirah and brought him back with them. But David knew nothing about it. When Abner arrived at Hebron, Joab took him aside at the gateway as if to speak with him privately. But then he drew his dagger and killed Abner in revenge for killing his brother Asahel.
Thought for the day: Yesterday we looked at the fact that Abner died as a fool because he listened to the wrong messenger. Joab was his sworn enemy and wanted nothing more than to end his life, but the message sounded good to Abner, it made sense and so he accepted it. How tragic that so many, even in the church, are prone to listen to false messages brought by false messengers.
But Abner died the death of a fool for other reasons as well. He trusted the one person in the world who had vowed to kill him. How often people today put their trust in things that want nothing more than to destroy them. Frank Sinatra once said, “I’m for anything that will get you through the night, be it prayer, pills, or a bottle of Jack Daniels.” Allen Ginsberg, poet of the 50’s and 60’s, when he came to the end of his life, could only say, “Life is a long headache on a noisy street.” How sad when people put their trust in things that can only hurt them. We strive to achieve that which we know deep down will never make us happy and, when the reality of it all rises to confront us, we often come to the same sad conclusion as one Hollywood star: “I wanted caviar but all I could get was boiled cabbage.” But compare these sad reflections with the hope of one who puts his trust in the Lord of Heaven and earth. D. L. Moody said, “One day you will hear of my death. Don’t you believe a word of it for on that day I will be more alive than I am now.” As one unknown Christian put it: Often on the Rock I tremble, Faint of heart and weak of knee, But the steadfast Rock of Ages Never trembles under me.
Abner died as a fool because his hands were not bound (3:34). Abner could have fought or he could have run. He had 20 men with him and could have stayed with them but he chose to leave them and walk up to his sworn enemy as if he were a long-lost friend. In other words, Abner had choices and he made the wrong ones.
Unfortunately our society has bought into the ideas of people like B. F. Skinner who firmly believed that we are simply products of our environment, with no real free will of our own. Freedom is a myth and, therefore, so is responsibility. Listen to Oprah for five minutes (I wouldn’t recommend any longer for the danger of contracting some debilitating brain-draining disease is high) and you will discover that nothing is the fault of the individual, everyone is a product of his or her past and “has no choice.” Murders or missionaries, it makes no difference, all are a product of upbringing. Really? Then why do some from ghettos become successful, well-rounded adults while others with the same background, die violent deaths as street criminals? Why do some from fine Christian families turn their backs on their faith and squander their lives with drugs and alcohol? No, the truth is, if a person goes to hell, he or she will paddle their own canoe. God has provided grace and opportunity, the two necessary ingredients to be melded with a seed of faith, and has left the choice to each and every one of us, regardless of background.
Finally, Abner died as a fool because of where he died. He was in the city of Hebron, a city of refuge in Israel. He could have stayed within the gates and the law would have protected him from Joab’s fury. Six cities were established just for that purpose; while in them no one could take the life of one accused of murder. In those cities you were guaranteed a fair trial. But Abner stepped just outside the gate and yielded his life to his enemy. Every decision he made, every move he took, was wrong and ended up costing him everything.
I wonder how like Abner we tend to be. He listened to the wrong messenger, trusted sworn enemies, failed to take the action that would have preserved his life, and allowed himself to be lured outside the place of safety. But there is one positive thing we can learn from poor Abner. In spite of the fact that he’d made all those bad decisions, right up until the moment of his death, he had every opportunity to step back into the place of safety. Right up until the last moment grace was available. And what was true for Abner is true for you and for me. If you’re in Abner’s place, step back into God’s “city of refuge.”
Now go take on your world. - Bill