(2 Samuel 4) After Abner’s death, Saul’s kingdom continued to disintegrate. Ish-bosheth was assassinated by his own captains, Rechab and Baanah, and a profound sense of fear and uncertainty overshadowed all of Israel. Yet wickedness and dismay are not unique to the Old Testament, teaches Alistair Begg. Sin defiles the human heart, and merely cleaning ourselves up or “getting a little religion” can’t fix it. We need heart transplants. Even in the chaos, though, God remains sovereign. By receiving His mercy, we discover salvation.