(31) And David said to Joab, and to all the people that were with him, Rend your clothes, and gird you with sackcloth, and mourn before Abner. And king David himself followed the bier. (32) And they buried Abner in Hebron: and the king lifted up his voice, and wept at the grave of Abner; and all the people wept. (33) And the king lamented over Abner, and said, Died Abner as a fool dieth? (34) Thy hands were not bound, nor thy feet put into fetters: as a man falleth before wicked men, so fellest thou. And all the people wept again over him. (35) And when all the people came to cause David to eat meat while it was yet day, David sware, saying, So do God to me, and more also, if I taste bread, or ought else, till the sun be down. (36) And all the people took notice of it, and it pleased them: as whatsoever the king did pleased all the people. (37) For all the people and all Israel understood that day that it was not of the king to slay Abner the son of Ner.
Perhaps there was a great propriety in this attention of David, respecting the death of Abner. He did all he could to testify his total disapprobation of the deed of Joab, and at the same time to inculcate an humbling lesson of the frailty and uncertainty of life among his people. But if David lamented over the death of such a man as Abner, judge how suited the pious lamentations of the people are over the deaths of the Lord's faithful servants and ministers. Whenever a faithful servant of the Lord Jesus is called home, the Church below sustains a loss, because thereby so much grace is withdrawn from the public stock, as the Lord had blessed that servant with. It may be truly said, that in the funeral of such men we bury part of Christ's body. The Lord then takes back the boon he had lent. Oh! how ought we to improve, and mark down in our mind, the precious truths they teach, that when they themselves cease to be, their labours and gracious words may survive them, that so being dead, they may yet speak. Hebrews 11:4.