Then her husband went along with her to Bahurim, weeping behind her. So Abner said to him, “Go, return!” And he returned.

Can you fight for your wife? 

Some background to this verse is that Michal Saul’s daughter, used to be married to David, when David broke away from Saul, she was taken from David and given to Paltiel, David now see’s his opportunity to get her back!

This is because Abner who was once close to Saul left and switched to David. For David to make a covenant with Abner, David’s price was Abner steeling Michal away with him and returning her to be David’s wife.

Even though David already had too many wives and in the verses before it is told that each one of them had a son from him. This was part of David’s downfall in the end – a lack of unity within his disjointed family. Having 6 sons from 6 different women is asking for trouble and later it was for David, all his children fought against one another.

Yet David still wanted Michal his first wife back, this shows a love for her and a desire to be restored to her which is commendable. A passion we do and don’t see in her husband, the man of this verse.

We see a passion from him for his wife, in the fact that he followed her crying, but is this enough? He ultimately let another man take her from him, what kind of man does this? Would you not be willing to risk your life to stop another man taking your wife from you? We don’t know Abner may have come with a troop of armed men and there may have been no way he could stop it?

It is possible, but the impression given is quite a cowardly one, at the end of this verse Abner said ‘Go return home’ – and he did just that. There was no more of a fight put up. What does this show his wife Michal, that all he will do is cry for me, he wont fight for me?

I read an article recently that stirred me to lift weights, the crux of the argument that twisted my arm was ‘if another man attacked or threatened your wife and children, would you have the strength or at least the belief you could to put up a fight against him? At that point I had to say no, and it moved me to action.

Lifting weights makes a physical difference and it makes a mental adjustment too, you naturally feel stronger and so you start to believe differently about yourself. Your answer to that question becomes Yes.

I would go as far as saying the man in this verse was a physically weak man, who should have prepared himself for the eventual day when he needed to fight for his wife.

We may never have to, and I hope and pray you and I do not have to, but if you did, you better be prepared! right?

Physical strength is a part of manhood, it is not so much needed for the providing for our family as in years gone by, but to a degree the protection of our family is still something we need to keep ourselves strong for.

Maybe you are making plans for 2015 now?

Maybe it has always been an ambition to get stronger/fitter?

I hope this gives you fresh inspiration to take the journey with me to make 2015 our strongest year ever!