A House Divided Cannot Stand

By Alesandra Velsor

“The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time. David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker. Sons were born to David in Hebron: His firstborn was Amnon the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel; his second, Kileab the son of Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel; the third, Absalom the son of Maakah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; and the sixth, Ithream the son of David’s wife Eglah. These were born to David in Hebron. During the war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner had been strengthening his own position in the house of Saul. Now Saul had had a concubine named Rizpah daughter of Aiah. And Ish-Bosheth said to Abner, ‘Why did you sleep with my father’s concubine?’ Abner was very angry because of what Ish-Bosheth said. So he answered, ‘Am I a dog’s head—on Judah’s side? This very day, I am loyal to the house of your father Saul and to his family and friends. I haven’t handed you over to David. Yet now you accuse me of an offense involving this woman! May God deal with Abner, be it ever so severely, if I do not do for David what the Lord promised him on oath and transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and establish David’s throne over Israel and Judah from Dan to Beersheba.’ Ish-Bosheth did not dare to say another word to Abner, because he was afraid of him.”—2 Samuel 3:1–11 (NIV)

Note: This devotional and area of Scripture contains what we call descriptive, not prescriptive, moments. The events and actions that take place here aren’t something the Word is endorsing as right and permissible—there are actually other prescriptive areas of Scripture that specifically warn and instruct us to not engage in these practices. Instead, it shows us that God didn’t sanitize His Word and human history by removing the instances of sinful, imperfect, and unwise choices made by those He used to accomplish His purposes. Descriptive, not prescriptive.

This passage is one you won’t see displayed in a kid’s Bible storybook! It depicts the culture of the day when detailing how David had six sons, one with each of his six wives, and it shows how powerful royal figures and kings had concubines just to express their high status. Although God doesn’t bless polygamy (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4–6), and even commands kings not to have multiple wives (Deuteronomy 17:17), sadly, it was a common practice back then from the days of Genesis—and as you know, old habits die hard!

This chapter gives us a glimpse of the current state of Israel—a house divided between Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth and the rightful king, David. The only reason David gained strength is because God anointed him to be the next king (1 Samuel 16:13–14); it had nothing to do with Saul’s death because his reign was in decline since the Spirit of the Lord left him (1 Samuel 16:23). But the anointing also came with a long wait and violent battles between the two houses after Saul’s death. We could equate this war between the two houses as the internal war we’re familiar with when we find our spirit battling our flesh daily.

In this particular story, Abner has given himself fully to the flesh, and even when he makes the right choice, he does so with the wrong motive: self-preservation. After Ish-Bosheth accuses him of having a sexual relationship with his father’s concubine, Abner quickly switches his alliance from the house of Saul to the house of David without attempting to defend himself or submitting evidence to disprove it. Could it be that it was true, and he had no way to argue against it? It was considered a serious crime to take on a royal concubine, whether the king was dead or alive. Or was this Ish-Bosheth’s way of taking power away from Abner, who was climbing up the ladder and only cared about his status? The Bible doesn’t give us clarity on this, but we do know that Abner opposed David even though he knew God had chosen him to be the king. Abner’s lack of integrity and loyalty doesn’t speak much in his favor because his sudden decision isn’t made out of principle, but out of necessity.

What does this say about David? The young king knows God isn’t blessing his unions with his six wives and is living in disobedience, which doesn’t go without penalty. Later on, we learn that his firstborn is murdered by his half-brother after he rapes his half-sister, his second is believed to have died a young death, like the last two sons, Absalom murders his half-brother and attempts to murder David, and Adonijah was executed because of his arrogance and his attempt to take one of his father’s concubines.

The good news? Nothing in this life goes without accountability and consequence. But depending on where you currently stand with Jesus, this good news can also serve as bad news because even the anointed and humble king of Israel, the one after God’s heart, proves to us that no one is immune to sin and we’re all prone to lose the battle between flesh and spirit from time to time.

“Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.”—Matthew 12:25 (NKJV)

Pause: What’s the status of your civil war?

“In the lives of many Christian people today there is raging, literally, a civil war. The flesh—the kingdom of Saul, struggles with the spirit—the kingdom of David—and the conflict is bitter. We do everything we possibly can to hold up the tottering kingdom of self, so that it might exist just a bit longer. If only we could preserve some rights; if only we could have at least part of our own way; if only we could keep this or that at any cost! We feel we must bolster up this kingdom of self, that we cannot let ourselves be crucified with Christ.”—Alan Redpath

Practice: Reflect on Matthew 12:22–28. How does it apply to today’s passage?

Pray: Father, this is such a heavy story because it serves as a mirror that reflects my failures. I may not practice polygamy, but there’s still sin in my life that I need to confess to You. Lord, forgive me for my apathy and for not taking it as seriously as I should.Forgive me for delaying my confession. Free me from the guilt and shame that sin brings in my life. If there’s anything wrong in me, expose it and confront me with it so I can surrender it to You sooner. My heart wants to please You and desires to grow closer to You each day until we reunite face to face. Amen.