Saul, the king of Israel was dead, as well as three of his four sons, killed in the attack by the Philistines. David was now free to become the reigning king of Israel. But David did not rush back to Israel immediately when he heard that Saul was dead. He waited on God’s timing.
In the course of time, David inquired of the Lord. “Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” he asked. The Lord said, “Go up. To Hebron.” When David and his people arrived in Hebron, he was anointed king over the tribe of Judah.
Meanwhile, Abner, the commander of Saul’s army, set up Saul’s 40-year-old son, Ish-bosheth, as king over the rest of the northern tribes of Israel. Surprisingly, Abner was not mentioned as being at the battle against the Philistines. It appears he planned to replace Saul with Ish-bosheth, since he expected Saul to be killed in the overwhelming battle.
According to 2 Samuel 3, Abner knew that David had been chosen by God to be the next king. Thus, Abner knew that opposing David and setting up Ish-bosheth as king was opposing God and acting very foolishly.
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