II Samuel 1-8

"Must the sword devour forever? Do you not know that the end will be bitter?” (2:26). As the nation split into two camps (one ruled by Ish-bosheth and the other by David), the community’s best young men began killing each other. The famous warriors Abner and Joab were no longer on the same side, and a casual competition between them turned into a bloodbath; Abner reluctantly killed Joab’s “swift of foot” brother, Asahel. Grieving, Abner called a truce.

Anger and violence, justifiable or not, can become uncontrollable tragic forces. Abner saw that “the end will be bitter” and courageously made peace, reaping at least a brief “harvest of righteousness” (James 3:18).