Scripture
"Abner shouted down to Joab, 'Must we always solve our differences with swords? Don't you realize the only thing we will gain is bitterness toward each other? When will you call off your men from chasing their Israelite brothers?'" (2 Samuel 2:26)
Observation
Joab solved his problems with knives. Cutting, slicing, and stabbing were a life long habit. Eventually Joab himself would die by the sword. Joab knew how to get things done. If a difficult person needed to be bumped then Joab was your hitman. Joab solved problems by getting people out of the way.
Abner was not only on the other side of the border, he was a world apart from Joab. He was a man of patience. He wasn't afraid of force but he did everything that he could to avoid it. Even though Abner was in the middle of the battle he didn't lose a clear head. He knew that even if he won that skirmish the fighting wouldn't stop. It would just find another battlefield and another resentment to rally around.
Abner saw that the only byproduct of civil war is bitterness. The same is true when people on the same side of anything in life fight each other. It happens in churches, in families, in marriages. When I sharpen my tongue and use it to slice others the only thing I will taste will be the acid reflux of my own ulcers. Bitterness is hard to swallow and keep down. It keeps coming back up.
Abner was not only on the other side of the border, he was a world apart from Joab. He was a man of patience. He wasn't afraid of force but he did everything that he could to avoid it. Even though Abner was in the middle of the battle he didn't lose a clear head. He knew that even if he won that skirmish the fighting wouldn't stop. It would just find another battlefield and another resentment to rally around.
Abner saw that the only byproduct of civil war is bitterness. The same is true when people on the same side of anything in life fight each other. It happens in churches, in families, in marriages. When I sharpen my tongue and use it to slice others the only thing I will taste will be the acid reflux of my own ulcers. Bitterness is hard to swallow and keep down. It keeps coming back up.
Application
It takes someone in the middle of the battle who has the courage to say in the strife, "Must we always solve our differences with swords?" Abner did and Joab dropped his dagger. Sometimes we too need to speak with a voice of reason in the middle of our differences. Someone needs to wake up the soldiers to realize that what they are fighting over just doesn't matter. It's time to drop weapons. Sometimes that someone is me.
Prayer
Father, help me to find softer ways of solving disagreements. When I need to be Abner give me courage to speak. And when I am like Joab give me enough humility to drop my weapon. Amen.
