Since the Fall, there has been a perpetual war between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15). At the very instant that Adam and Eve chose to eat from the forbidden tree and disobeyed God, their hearts were darkened, and they were no longer able to walk in righteousness, holiness, and truth (Romans 6:20). This brokenness infected not only their relationship with each other and with God, but their sin infiltrated the entire human race. Throughout the Bible, we witness sin permeating the lives of individuals, families, and nations, leading to conflict, war, and every kind of evil (Genesis 6:5). Yet amid this ongoing cosmic conflict, God raised up leaders like King David—men empowered by His Holy Spirit to love and serve Him, live in harmony with others, and glorify Him. But David, though a man after God’s own heart, was only a shadow of the greater Prince of Peace to come (Isaiah 9:6).
David was anointed by Samuel to serve as king. Led by the Spirit, he assumed leadership after almost 15 years of intense battle against Saul due to murderous envy. However, Abner, the commander of Saul’s army, rebelled against God’s instructions just as Saul had done and anointed Ish Bosheth, Saul’s last son, as king instead. As a result, a battle ensued between the men of Judah and the Israelites, with David and his troops killing 360 Benjamites, the smallest of the tribes allied by blood to Saul and his family. At this, Abner asked a profound question that is relevant for us today: “Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize that this will end in bitterness? How long before you order your men to stop pursuing their fellow Israelites?” (2 Samuel 2:26).
These armies were made up of men all from the same family—descendants of Jacob—who were now fighting and opposing one another. The promise in Scripture that “a house divided cannot stand” proved true, as their constant division kept them from taking the Promised Land and eventually resulted in their exile (Matthew 12:25). Jesus also said in Matthew 10:36 that often our enemies are in our own household. This scene from David’s life serves as a summarizing snapshot of the dire consequences of Adam’s refusal to trust and obey. It reveals the utter depravity of human sin, where God’s established family—the 12 tribes—were to represent the Kingdom of God and yet were “biting and devouring” one another (Galatians 5:15).
Jesus promises eternal hope and peace
And it did not end there. Throughout the Old Testament, God provided hundreds of prophecies about King Jesus, who would come as the Victor promised in the first proclamation of the Gospel to destroy the work of the devil and bring peace (1 John 3:8). He was foretold to reign in righteousness and establish an everlasting Kingdom of harmony and shalom. Isaiah saw this in a vision: “They will beat their swords into plowshares …” (Isaiah 2:4). He also prophesied that Jesus would be called the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6), and all who live with him in this eternal kingdom will be people of peace—free from sin, sorrow, and fighting (Revelation 21:4). Of course, this is a picture of the new heavens and the new earth, but it’s also a reminder of what Jesus has already accomplished for us at the cross and through his resurrection. The promises and prophecies are the indicative—what God has given to us in Christ—and we are now to take hold of them and live out the imperatives to be people of peace in action. Paul writes in Ephesians 4:3 that we are to be “with diligence to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
We now live in eschatological tension as we await the final consummation of the Kingdom of God, when opposition from the Kingdom of Darkness will end. Until that day, Jesus calls us to keep advancing Christ’s Kingdom in the strength of his might. He has not left us as orphans to figure this out on our own (John 14:18). Instead, he has given us “the Advocate, the Holy Spirit” whom he sent in Christ’s name (John 14:26). This is the same Spirit who empowered David and his kingdom to proclaim the Good News to the nations and to stand strong against their enemies (Psalm 96:1 3). In the meantime, He calls us to take up the whole armor of God … We boldly make known the Good News with the Gospel sword in our mouths (Ephesians 6:17). While many will oppose us, others will repent and believe and will join the ranks of the ever increasing, expanding Kingdom of God as he accomplishes his purposes. It is not a hopeless, uphill battle as it appeared to Abner, because we are now in the King of Kings’ army, and he has overcome Satan, his demons, and the world.
What seemed, according to Abner, to be a perpetual sword, devouring and ending in bitterness, has given way in King Jesus to a life-giving sword of the Gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:15, 17). He promises, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you…” (John 14:27). And the end of this process is even more glorious and hope filled: “After this I looked … a great multitude … standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9).
