2 Samuel 4:1-12: a reflection

1When Saul’s son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands became feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled. 2Saul’s son had two men who were captains of raiding bands. The name of one was Baanah and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin (for Beeroth also is considered a part of Benjamin; 3and the Beerothites fled to Gittaim, and have lived as foreigners there until today). 4Now Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the news came about Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel; and his nurse picked him up and fled. As she hurried to flee, he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth. 5The sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went out and came at about the heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth as he took his rest at noon. 6They came there into the middle of the house as though they would have fetched wheat, and they struck him in the body; and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped. 7Now when they came into the house as he lay on his bed in his bedroom, they struck him, killed him, beheaded him, and took his head, and went by the way of the Arabah all night. 8They brought the head of Ishbosheth to David to Hebron, and said to the king, “Behold, the head of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life! The LORD has avenged my lord the king today of Saul and of his offspring.” 9David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, “As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my soul out of all adversity, 10when someone told me, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ thinking that he brought good news, I seized him and killed him in Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news. 11How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house on his bed, should I not now require his blood from your hand, and rid the earth of you?” 12David commanded his young men, and they killed them, cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up beside the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth and buried it in Abner’s grave in Hebron.

Two men, Rechab and Baanah, murder Ishbosheth, Saul's son and David's rival, in his bed, and bring his head to David expecting a reward, imagining they have done David a service by removing his rival. But David is horrified. He refuses to profit from their treachery, and he holds them accountable: How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous man in his own house on his bed, should I not require his blood from your hand? Rather than rewarding the murder done supposedly on his behalf, David condemns it. He will not gain an advantage through others' evil.

Notice David's refusal. The murder had, in worldly terms, benefited him, removing a rival for the throne. He could have accepted the outcome and rewarded the men. Instead, he refused to profit from the evil deed, condemning the treachery even though it served his interests, unwilling to let advantage come to him through bloodshed. His integrity would not accept a benefit gained by wrong, even wrong done in his name.

That is a searching standard of integrity. It is one thing to refuse to do evil ourselves; it is another to refuse to benefit from evil done by others on our behalf or to our advantage. The temptation is to look the other way when wrongdoing serves our interests, to quietly accept an advantage gained by someone else's dishonesty or harm. David would not. When you are offered an advantage gained through wrongdoing, even wrong you did not commit, even wrong done in your name, do not accept it. Integrity refuses to profit from evil, however convenient the benefit. Be like David: reject the advantage that comes through another's wrong.

Lord, when men murdered his rival and brought the news expecting a reward, David refused to profit from their treachery, condemning the evil even though it served his interests. Give me that integrity. It is one thing to refuse to do evil myself; help me also to refuse to benefit from evil done by others on my behalf or to my advantage. Keep me from looking the other way when wrongdoing serves my interests, from quietly accepting an advantage gained by someone else's dishonesty or harm. When I am offered a benefit that comes through wrongdoing, even wrong I did not commit, help me reject it as David did. Let my integrity refuse to profit from evil, however convenient the gain.