APRIL 2

        In today's reading we see David's struggle against Saul's 
family, and that his march to the throne was a bloody one. His first 
reign was over his own tribe of Judah and his headquarters were at 
Hebron. However, Abner, the commander of Saul's army, had made Ish-
bosheth, Saul's son, king over all the other tribes of Israel, and 
had relocated the capital over the Jordan River in Mahanaim. His 
purpose in this was to protect himself and the new king from David's 
men. This action was in direct violation to God's Word, for Abner 
knew that David alone was to rule over Israel. His rebellion caused 
him to murder Asahel, Joab's brother and a son of David's half 
sister, and thus a long war began between the two kings.

        In chapter 3 Joab kills Abner to avenge his brother's death. 
He also committed several other murders to protect David, and thus 
held unusual power over the king. This will be more emphatically 
pointed out in chapter 11 when he assists David in the murderous 
plot against innocent Uriah.

        Chapter 4 records the murder of Ish-bosheth. This opened 
wide the way for David's rule over the entire nation of Israel. 
David did not approve of the method the sons of Rimmon used to 
murder King Ish-bosheth, and David had the murderers slain because 
of their crime.

        From today's reading we again see the results of the 
planning of men, rather than man following God's plan. Too often in 
our lives we do not wait on the Lord, but move in our own wisdom. 
More often than not the end results of such moves are tragic. God's 
Word tells us, "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their 
strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, 
and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Our daily 
prayer should be, "Teach me, Lord, teach me, Lord, to wait." 
Mistakes of man can be prevented by following God's leadership.