David was no weakling, but he confessed “the sons of Zeruiah are too harsh for me” (2 Sam 3:39).
Abner quickly moved to realign the northern tribes under David’s rule: “In time past you were seeking for David to be king over you. Now then, do it! For the Lord 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 the hand of all their enemies’” (2 Sam 3:17-18). He and twenty men then slipped into Hebron for a dinner meeting with David. Abner reported on the progress he had made and his intentions to follow through with the uniting of the country. Things seemed to be going very well, but there would be one thorn in Abner’s bouquet—Joab! David’s commander had three serious problems with Abner. 1. He was convinced Ishbosheth’s general was up to no good, and his recent trip to Hebron was a spying mission (v 25). 2. Abner was several years Joab’s senior. If he defected to David, and ingratiated himself to the king by bringing Israel under David’s reign, who’s to say he wouldn’t vie for Joab’s job? 3. Joab was convinced Abner had murdered his younger brother, Asahel (v 27). There was only one thing to do. Quickly, without David’s knowledge, “he sent messengers after Abner, who brought him back” to Hebron (v 26). Recall that Hebron was a city of refuge, designed for just such a situation. If he was safe inside, Abner’s case could have been heard and decided upon. It clearly had been a case of self-defense. But Abner died one step from safety. “Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him privately, and there stabbed him” (v 27) under the fifth rib, just as his brother had died. Are you not saved yet? Fanny J. Crosby wrote: “Only a step to Jesus! Believe, and you shall live; Lovingly now He’s waiting, And ready to forgive.”