Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize that this will end in bitterness?

2 Samuel 2:12-32

Abner son of Ner, together with the men of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. Joab son of Zeruiah and David’s men went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat down on one side of the pool and one group on the other side.

The battle that day was very fierce, and Abner and the Israelites were defeated by David’s men.

Again Abner warned Asahel, “Stop chasing me! Why should I strike you down? How could I look your brother Joab in the face?”

But Asahel refused to give up the pursuit; so Abner thrust the butt of his spear into Asahel’s stomach, and the spear came out through his back. He fell there and died on the spot. And every man stopped when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died.

Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize that this will end in bitterness? 

Then Joab stopped pursuing Abner and assembled the whole army. Besides Asahel, nineteen of David’s men were found missing. But David’s men had killed three hundred and sixty Benjamites who were with Abner. They took Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night and arrived at Hebron by daybreak.

Why?
Belong to the same country all are Israelites, but they belong to different kings, so they fought and Joab's men killed four times the people of Abner.

This is the war among the brothers of the Israelites.

Joab seems to have conquered Abner, but he lost his brother Ashel.

The sword must not devour forever! The war ends in bitterness.

How?

Peace is better than war, so love is better than envy.