Abner, a real life Sloan

Well, I love the tv show Alias (which is no longer showing). One of the characters is Sloan. He is a "bad" guy but at times you wonder if there has been a real change in his life where he becomes a "good" guy. But nope.

Abner gives me that same feeling. A selfish, in it for himself type of person. But in 2 Samuel 3 it seems like he is a completely different person. Is it real or is it just a scheme to promote himself somehow?

3:19-21 Abner travelled around to convince and persuade the people to make David King. Then comes back to David and says "Let me go at once and assembel all Israel for my lord the king, so that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may rule over all that your heart desires." This is crazy! This is Abner... the commander of SAUL's army... that lead people to fight David's army. the very person who made Ish-Bosheth (Sauls son) king instead of David and fought a civil war against David. The very person who was trying to make himself great in Sauls palace, strengthening his own position with Ish-Bosheth. The man that at one time David served under. The same man who spent a lot of his life directed by Saul to seek David out to kill him.

I love love love seeing God change lives... attitudes. But from what I read in commentaries, it is not the case here.  So sad. NASB notes on Abner say "To him (Abner), God was someone with whom he would cooperate if it suited his plans. Otherwise he did what seemed best for him at the time. We can identify with Abner's tendency to give God condition cooperation. Obedience is easy when the instructions in God's Word fit in with our plans. But our allegiance to God is tested when his plans are contrary to ours."

That's challenging. I want to be like David... having a extremely high view of God causing me to honor Him in everything he did. And I definately dont want the attitude of Abner. And the crazy thing is that aparrt from Christ we can do nothing, not even change our attitude.

Oh Lord, make me and those I serve people who see You as You truly are. People who have a high view of You. Oh God open our eyes to what You truly deserve and what we truly deserve. Make us humble and willing to lay our lives down as a living sacrifice that You may be honored and glorified however You please. Change us into people who cooperate with You, even when it seems Your plans are not what we want. Help us to surrender. To honor You and honor our leaders the way David did.