"Take the Warning"

There is a story in 2 Samuel 2 that I find very interesting. It is about two men…Abner and Asahel. Asahel was in David's army, and Abner was in Saul's army.

When you study Asahel’s lineage you'll find that David was Asahel's uncle, and he was one of David's greatest warriors. In the battle recorded in 2 Samuel, Abner and his men were beaten by Asahel and his men. However, for some reason, Asahel decided to pursue Abner as he retreated. The victory had already been won for Asahel, but he continued to pursue his defeated enemy. 

During the pursuit it is written that Abner warned Asahel to stop chasing him, and he even warned Asahel that he would kill him if he continued his chase. Asahel assumed he was a better “warrior” than Abner, and he did not heed his warning. By the end of the story, Abner did indeed kill Asahel. Asahel died an early death, which could have been prevented, if he had just listened to the warning.

How many times in our lives does God send someone our way to warn us of impending danger? If we are honest with ourselves, there are times we are upset and even angry at those who try to warn us. Satan is the author of our temptation to sin; however, God will warn us of what is wrong. The decision we must make is choosing who to follow. 

Many times we find ourselves choosing to pursue the temptation of Satan, but he is a defeated foe today. Jesus defeated Satan when He died on the cross. May we understand that through Christ, we can choose to heed the warnings He gives, or uses others to give, along the way. We can have the victory over temptation and sin. We can learn from Asahel’s mistake and stop pursuing after an enemy who has already been defeated for us.