2 Samuel 2:20-26: a reflection

20Then Abner looked behind him and said, “Is that you, Asahel?” He answered, “It is.” 21Abner said to him, “Turn away to your right hand or to your left, and grab one of the young men, and take his armor.” But Asahel would not turn away from following him. 22Abner said again to Asahel, “Turn away from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I look Joab your brother in the face?” 23However, he refused to turn away. Therefore Abner with the back end of the spear struck him in the body, so that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there and died in the same place. As many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still. 24But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. The sun went down when they had come to the hill of Ammah, that lies before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon. 25The children of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner and became one band, and stood on the top of a hill. 26Then Abner called to Joab, and said, “Shall the sword devour forever? Don’t you know that it will be bitterness in the latter end? How long will it be then, before you ask the people to return from following their brothers?”

As Abner flees from the battle, the swift young Asahel pursues him relentlessly; and Abner, not wishing to kill him, warns him again and again to turn aside. Turn away to your right hand or to your left, Abner says; turn away from following me; why should I strike you to the ground? But Asahel refuses to turn away, pressing on in his pursuit despite the warnings, until at last Abner is forced to strike him, and Asahel dies. He was warned, clearly and repeatedly, of the danger, and given every chance to turn aside; but he stubbornly refused, and it cost him his life. The refusal to heed a clear warning proved fatal.

Notice Asahel's fatal refusal to heed the warning. Abner did not want to harm him; he warned him repeatedly, gave him every chance to turn aside from a pursuit that would end in his death. The warnings were clear and sincere. But Asahel would not heed them; he stubbornly pressed on, refusing to turn away, and his refusal cost him his life. The danger was real, the warning clear, the way of escape open; but he would not take it. To stubbornly refuse a clear and repeated warning, pressing on toward danger when a way of escape is offered, is a grave folly; and it proved fatal for Asahel. The warning was there to save him, but he would not heed it.

That is worth taking to heart, for stubbornly refusing a clear warning can bring us to grave harm. We are given warnings, clear and sometimes repeated, of dangers ahead, of courses that will end badly; and we can stubbornly refuse to heed them, pressing on despite the warning, as Asahel refused to turn aside. But warnings are given for our good, to save us from harm; to refuse them stubbornly is a grave folly. Do not stubbornly refuse a clear warning of danger, pressing on when a way of escape is offered; heed the warning, as Asahel would not, to his cost. Heed the clear warnings you are given rather than stubbornly refusing them, as Asahel would not turn aside despite Abner's repeated warnings and it cost him his life; for warnings are given for our good, to save us from harm, and stubbornly refusing a clear warning, pressing on toward danger when escape is offered, is a grave folly that can cost us dearly.

Lord, as Abner flees from the battle, the swift young Asahel pursues him relentlessly; and Abner, not wishing to kill him, warns him again and again to turn aside. Turn away to your right hand or to your left, Abner says; turn away from following me; why should I strike you to the ground? But Asahel refuses to turn away, pressing on despite the warnings, until at last Abner is forced to strike him, and Asahel dies. He was warned, clearly and repeatedly, and given every chance to turn aside; but he stubbornly refused, and it cost him his life. Show me Asahel's fatal refusal to heed the warning. Abner did not want to harm him; he warned him repeatedly, gave him every chance to turn aside. The warnings were clear and sincere. But Asahel would not heed them; he stubbornly pressed on, and his refusal cost him his life. The danger was real, the warning clear, the way of escape open; but he would not take it. To stubbornly refuse a clear and repeated warning is a grave folly. Take that to my heart, for stubbornly refusing a clear warning can bring me to grave harm. I am given warnings, clear and sometimes repeated, of dangers ahead, of courses that will end badly; and I can stubbornly refuse to heed them, pressing on despite the warning, as Asahel refused to turn aside. But warnings are given for my good. Keep me from stubbornly refusing a clear warning of danger, pressing on when a way of escape is offered; help me heed the warning, Lord, as Asahel would not, to his cost, for warnings are given for my good, to save me from harm.