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. – 2 Samuel 3:6

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 27, 2019): 2 Samuel 3

Claudius reigned over the Roman Empire from January 24, 41 until his death, Claudius was murdered by poison, on October 13, 54 C.E. at the age of 63. That he reigned, we know; but who he was is a much bigger question. The image of Claudius has been played with by all of those who followed him. He was a scholar and the author of many books, although those books are now lost. He was a Statesman, a politician with all that that implies. According to the Flavians, he was a good king and is often contrasted with the evil that his step-son Nero would commit in the years after his death. The Flavian Emperor’s (Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian) all wanted to connect their reigns to the good that they saw in Claudius, even to the point of reissuing coins with his image on them. After the Flavian Emperor’s, the reputation of Claudius fell sharply. Suetonius seems to describe Claudius as being a ridiculous figure, attributing any good that came out of his reign to the entourage that he kept around him. Tacitus describes him as a puppet king who gave legitimacy to the desires of those who propped him up. In the end, we might decide that Claudius held his duty to scholarship above his political responsibilities. And for this reason, he was a weak king who allowed others to reign in his place.

We don’t know much about Ish-bosheth other than that he was the youngest of the four sons of Saul. As the youngest son, Ish-bosheth would have did not expect that one day he would be king. His three older brothers died with his father at the Battle of Gilboa. Why Ish-Bosheth was not with them is a bit of a mystery. At the time of the battle, Ish-bosheth was 40 years old.

But Ish-bosheth was not at the battle of Gilboa. Ish-bosheth was not prepared to be king. Abner, the commander of Saul’s army, grabbed hold of the youngest son of Saul and made him king. But the reality is that Ish-bosheth likely had other interests. So Ish-bosheth was not the power in Israel. Abner was the power.

As the war between David and the House of Saul continued, it allowed the commander of the army, Abner, to grow even more powerful. Ish-bosheth may have been King, but he was King in name only. Abner was the power behind the throne, and the title of Ish-bosheth gave legitimacy to the desires of the real King over Israel, Abner.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 4