1 Kings 2:32, we see the Solomon calls Abner a righteous man, but his actions in 2 Samuel 2-3 don't really seem all that righteous...They seem rebellious against the Kingdom. So how could David or Solomon call him righteous?

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Rev. Andrew J. Barnes
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Doesn't Abner finally decide to join David, though?

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Jonathan
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Reformed Anabaptist
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Moroni's magical glasses of proper interpretation:

At the time Abner was fighting for the house of Saul, David wasn't established as king. So I don't think you can say he was rebelling against the Kingdom. His actions in 2 Sam. 2 are the actions of a faithful warrior carrying out his duties.

And, as Jonathan pointed out, he switched sides to ally with David, after being accused by Ishbosheth regarding Rizpah (the text allows for understanding it to be a false accusation, I think).

So, when Solomon says he was righteous, I take it to mean that he was a faithful servant who did what he should have done, all things considered--something that Joab could not claim because Joab shed innocent blood.

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Raymond Victor Bottomly
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I think his loyalty and integrity were being praised.

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Rich
PCA, Northern VA
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If one looks at the details of 2 Samuel 2-3, you'll see that after Saul dies, David is made king of Judah, that Abner knows the Lord has promised David to be king over Israel and that he has been anointed for that office. And yet he sets up Ish-bosheth as king over Israel. Abner is the one who led all of it. And so he and Ish-bosheth in essence are rebelling against the Kingdom, even of David's. They go to destroy the kingdom of Judah and David at the end of chapter 2, when they go down to Gibeon. So? That's why I have a question concerning this.

Reading Calvin on this, so far he has seen Abner as a hypocrite and one rebelling against Ish-bosheth, but also that when he switched sides to David, he was doing it for his own gain, and not for the good of God's visible Kingdom on earth. Calvin addresses the heart issue there with Abner. That's why I am questioning if Abner was righteous, as Solomon stated or what the deal is with the big picture of here.

1 Kings 2:32 (King James Version)

32And the LORD shall return his blood upon his own head, who fell upon two men more righteous and better than he, and slew them with the sword, my father David not knowing thereof, to wit, Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah.

Note that Salomon does not here say that Abner was righteous, but was comparing him here to Joab....

Abner was more righteous that Joab, the murderer. As to the instigation to the murder, Abner killed Asahel in battle, after due warning by Abner. Abner warned him, foreseeing what Joab (or Abishai) would do. But Abner was left without choice in the matter, since Asahel would not back off, thus making it a case of self defense.

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Bert Mulder
Elder of the First Protestant Reformed Church of Edmonton
Edmonton Alberta Canada

I think the key, as others have observed, is to take righteous as a relative term - in contrast to Joab, Abner doesn't look that bad. He meant to keep his protestations of friendship to David - but Joab approached Abner smiling, but with a knife in his hand and murder in his heart. And as Bert pointed out, there is quite a contrast in how Abner killed Asahel and how Joab killed Abner, as well.

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