Podcasts about Joab

David's son Absalom is a handsome young man who has won the hearts of Israel by deception, telling them that King David had no time for them but he would grant justice if only he were in charge. Absalom devises a coup to overthrow David, but his father catches wind of his plot and flees before he arrives. Today, David's men prepare for battle and meet the forces of Absalom's Israelite troops. He “goes out on a limb” as it were and fights against his father but ends up “hanging out with the wrong crowd.” That's two dad jokes for the price of one; if you don't get it, you will soon. Anyways, the forest itself claims more lives than the sword, and Absalom meets his end at the hands of Joab. 2 Samuel 18 – 1:02 . 2 Samuel 19 – 9:36 . :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.facebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

After killing his brother at a family dinner, Absalom fled to another country, and was only brought back after Joab convinced David to do so by way of a theatric analogy. Today, Absalom begins a plan to win the hearts of the people and turn Israel against his father, the king. Learning of this impending insurrection, David flees Jerusalem with all of his people, save a handle of men who serve as spies. Nathan prophesied that the Lord would bring disaster on David from his own family, and that another man would sleep with his wives before Israel in broad daylight. David's own son, Absalom, is that man. 2 Samuel 15 - 1:02 .  2 Samuel 16 - 9:41 .  2 Samuel 17 - 14:47 .  :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.facebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

Now it came to pass, when the wall was built, and I had set up the doors, and the porters and the singers and the Levites were appointed,2 That I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the ruler of the palace, charge over Jerusalem: for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many.3 And I said unto them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot; and while they stand by, let them shut the doors, and bar them: and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one in his watch, and every one to be over against his house.4 Now the city was large and great: but the people were few therein, and the houses were not builded.5 And my God put into mine heart to gather together the nobles, and the rulers, and the people, that they might be reckoned by genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy of them which came up at the first, and found written therein,6 These are the children of the province, that went up out of the captivity, of those that had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and came again to Jerusalem and to Judah, every one unto his city;7 Who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah. The number, I say, of the men of the people of Israel was this;8 The children of Parosh, two thousand an hundred seventy and two.9 The children of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy and two.10 The children of Arah, six hundred fifty and two.11 The children of Pahathmoab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand and eight hundred and eighteen.12 The children of Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four.13 The children of Zattu, eight hundred forty and five.14 The children of Zaccai, seven hundred and threescore.15 The children of Binnui, six hundred forty and eight.16 The children of Bebai, six hundred twenty and eight.17 The children of Azgad, two thousand three hundred twenty and two.18 The children of Adonikam, six hundred threescore and seven.19 The children of Bigvai, two thousand threescore and seven.20 The children of Adin, six hundred fifty and five.21 The children of Ater of Hezekiah, ninety and eight.22 The children of Hashum, three hundred twenty and eight.23 The children of Bezai, three hundred twenty and four.24 The children of Hariph, an hundred and twelve.25 The children of Gibeon, ninety and five.26 The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, an hundred fourscore and eight.27 The men of Anathoth, an hundred twenty and eight.28 The men of Bethazmaveth, forty and two.29 The men of Kirjathjearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred forty and three.30 The men of Ramah and Gaba, six hundred twenty and one.31 The men of Michmas, an hundred and twenty and two.32 The men of Bethel and Ai, an hundred twenty and three.33 The men of the other Nebo, fifty and two.34 The children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four.35 The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty.36 The children of Jericho, three hundred forty and five.37 The children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred twenty and one.38 The children of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty.39 The priests: the children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred seventy and three.40 The children of Immer, a thousand fifty and two.41 The children of Pashur, a thousand two hundred forty and seven.42 The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen.43 The Levites: the children of Jeshua, of Kadmiel, and of the children of Hodevah, seventy and four.44 The singers: the children of Asaph, an hundred forty and eight.45 The porters: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, an hundred thirty and eight.46 The Nethinims: the children of Ziha, the children of Hashupha, the children of Tabbaoth,47 The children of Keros, the children of Sia, the children of Padon,48 The children of Lebana, the children of Hagaba, the children of Shalmai,49 The children of Hanan, the children of Giddel, the children of Gahar,50 The children of Reaiah, the children of Rezin, the children of Nekoda,51 The children of Gazzam, the children of Uzza, the children of Phaseah,52 The children of Besai, the children of Meunim, the children of Nephishesim,53 The children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur,54 The children of Bazlith, the children of Mehida, the children of Harsha,55 The children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the children of Tamah,56 The children of Neziah, the children of Hatipha.57 The children of Solomon's servants: the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Perida,58 The children of Jaala, the children of Darkon, the children of Giddel,59 The children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth of Zebaim, the children of Amon.60 All the Nethinims, and the children of Solomon's servants, were three hundred ninety and two.61 And these were they which went up also from Telmelah, Telharesha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer: but they could not shew their father's house, nor their seed, whether they were of Israel.62 The children of Delaiah, the children of Tobiah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred forty and two.63 And of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai, which took one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite to wife, and was called after their name.64 These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but it was not found: therefore were they, as polluted, put from the priesthood.65 And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and Thummim.66 The whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore,67 Beside their manservants and their maidservants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven: and they had two hundred forty and five singing men and singing women.68 Their horses, seven hundred thirty and six: their mules, two hundred forty and five:69 Their camels, four hundred thirty and five: six thousand seven hundred and twenty asses.70 And some of the chief of the fathers gave unto the work. The Tirshatha gave to the treasure a thousand drams of gold, fifty basons, five hundred and thirty priests' garments.71 And some of the chief of the fathers gave to the treasure of the work twenty thousand drams of gold, and two thousand and two hundred pound of silver.72 And that which the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand drams of gold, and two thousand pound of silver, and threescore and seven priests' garments.73 So the priests, and the Levites, and the porters, and the singers, and some of the people, and the Nethinims, and all Israel, dwelt in their cities; and when the seventh month came, the children of Israel were in their cities.

Israel's royal family is broken by unaddressed trauma. King David's oldest son, Amnon, assaulted his half sister, Tamar. When David found out, he was furious but chose passive silence over justice, issuing no consequences. After two years of watching his father do nothing, Tamar's brother Absalom took matters into his own hands. He orchestrated Amnon's assassination and fled into exile. While David grieved his estranged son, his general, Joab, realized the king was paralyzed between his duty as a judge and his heart as a father. To break this deadlock, Joab hired a woman from Tekoa to trick the king into making a decision. Let's see what happens as we dive into 2 Samuel 14.

In this Bible Story, the great reign of David came to a close. Now Solomon rules over Israel with wisdom, mercy, and justice. As his first act as king, Solomon takes care of those who were loyal to his father, and deals justly with those who betrayed him. This story is inspired by 1 Kings 2. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.Today's Bible verse is 1 Kings 2:45 from the King James Version.Episode 113: As David is dying, he calls in his son Solomon to bless him and speak God's promises over him. David instructs him on what he should do with Joab and Shimei and requests that he show kindness to Barzillai of Gilead. But Adonijah was not done trying for the throne. He made a request of Bathsheba that Solomon rightly discerned as a claim to the throne. And so as per their agreement, he was executed. Solomon sought to rule his kingdom in fairness and enacted punishments that showed mercy to those who deserved death.Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world's greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham.Also, you can download the Pray.com app for more Christian content, including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living.Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max BardProducer: Ben GammonHosted by: Pastor Jack GrahamMusic by: Andrew Morgan SmithBible Story narration by: Todd Haberkorn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Group Guide Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week. 2 Samuel 16:15-17:29 Spencer Cary Download TranscriptMy name is Spencer and I am one of the pastors here. We are going to be in 2 Samuel chapter 16. We're going to go all the way through chapter 17 today. So, if you have a Bible around you, those black Bibles, you can grab one of those. We're going on page 306. and most of the text or all of this text will be on in those Bibles. We'll have some text on the screen as well. I'll try to cue when that comes up, but you can go ahead and follow along there. I've been following Jesus for 20 years at this point.And there are times when you follow Jesus long enough that just feel really dark. whether that's for suffering, whether that's affliction, sadness, all types of things that come upon us. But there are times where it just feels very very dark. But like the words we just sang, when darkness seems to hide his face, as the original hymn said, when darkness veils his lovely face. It's just this idea that if you follow God long enough, you're going to have times where you just don't feel the presence of God. you don't feel his goodness. And then when that happens, there are questions that begin to linger.Does God love me? Is he for me? Does he care about me? And those questions can linger in a way and surface and sometimes resurface when we are going through times that are difficult, when we're traveling through times that are very dark. Man, if you follow Christ long enough, that's that's going to happen. the reality of following Jesus this side of the fall. But then there are moments there are moments where God in the middle of darkness and his kindness breaks through. And it doesn't always mean that your circumstances get better. But in the middle of suffering, in the middle of what feels like hopelessness, God meets us in some wonderful and powerful ways.And that is the experience that all of God's people feel in the lifetime, the marathon of following Jesus. And maybe that's you right now. Maybe that maybe that's where you're at. That you just feel darkness and all the things that come with that we just talked about. And if that is you, and certainly for all of us, it will be us at some point. If that is you, then this part of the story of David is actually going to be, I think, wildly encouraging because David's been in it. We have I mean it's like week after week as we're following his story right now. He's living in the aftermath of his sin against Bathsheba and Uriah and he's dealing with the discipline of the Lord and it just feels unrelenting.But today, we're going to see that in the middle of all of this darkness that he's walking through, we're going to see God shine through like like a like like in a really difficult storm, like a light that just pierces through. We're going to see some hope that's found in that. And then as we look at this as Christians, we'll be able to take a step back and see that this is the hope that he has for us as well. So, I'm going to pray for us and then we're going to work through the story together. Heavenly Father, I thank you for the good news of the gospel that we just got to read, sing, and pray.I pray that you would help us as we seek to understand who you are even as we encounter the sufferings of this present life. So may you give us ears to hear in Jesus' name. Amen. All right. All right. So, before we jump into verse 15, let's recap a little bit where Mike took us last week. Absalom, the son of David, has been leading to this point a very successful rebellion, a civil war against his father, King David. And David has fled Jerusalem. Absalom has entered Jerusalem, is set up on the throne. And now Absalom is seeking to establish his reign. Picking up in verse 15. Now Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel came to Jerusalem and Ahithophel with him. Okay? So Absalom has a party of men of followers of leaders and it's going to be referred to as the men of Israel. And the most prominentfigure in that party is a man named Ahithophel. Ahithophel is a counselor to the king. He was a counselor to David. He was someone that David brought in to give wise counsel and advice. But now he's betrayed David and he's joined his son in this rebellion. And we don't really know why. Some have theorized that Ahithophel that when you follow his line, he has a son named Iliam. And that that might be the same Iliam that is the father of Bathsheba. That this might be the grandfather of Bathsheba and that he's exacting some type of revenge against David here. We don't know that to be true, but he has betrayed David and now he's joined in with Absalom and he's giving counsel to him. But he's not the only one seeking to give counsel to this new king. Verse 16.And when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, "Long live the king." Long live the king. Okay, we'll pause there. There are a lot of names as we're going to see in the story today. There's a lot of names last week, so some of this stuff is hard to track. But if you remember back from last week, Hushai is a spy that David has sent to disrupt Ahithophel. So in 2 Samuel 15, what we read last week in verse 34, this will be on the screen. It says, "But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, I will be your servant, O king, as I've been your father's servant in time past, so now I will be your servant. Then you will defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel." This is David sending in Hushai to defeat the counsel of Ahithophel, which he knows is going to be veryhelpful to Absalom. And then in verse 37 it says, "So Hushai, David's friend, came into the city just as Absalom was entering Jerusalem." So that's what's happened here. He has sent he sent Hushai in to be rival counsel to Ahithophel to disrupt all of this. And Hushai, who's playing the part of double agent quite well, comes in immediately and says, "Long live the king."Now Absalom may be pretty but he's not that stupid because he knows that Hushai is a friend to David. So he responds verse 17. And Absalom said to Hushai, "Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?" And Hushai said to Absalom, "No, for whom the Lord and this people and all that the men of Israel have chosen, his I will be, and with him I will remain. And again, whom should I serve? Should it not be his son? As I have served your father, so I will serve you." So Absalom says, " don't you like play golf with my dad?Like, aren't y'all boys? What's happening here? Why are you where why are you here?" And he's like, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I play golf with whoever sits on the throne. I'm for the position, not the man. And the Lord is with you and the people are with you. So I am with you. So I'm here to help you. And it's great. You're David's son. You're the next. So he plays the part of double agent quite well. He doesn't get immediately thrown out. The question is, is he going to be able to keep his cover as he's trying to infiltrate his way into Absalom's influence? Verse 20, then Absalom said to Ahithophel, "Give your counsel. What shall we do?" So he's looking to what's my next move is now that I've established my place in Jerusalem. And Ahithophel in verse 21 said to Absalom, "Go into your father's concubines whom he has left to keep thehouse and all Israel will hear that you've made yourself a stench to your father and the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened." Okay, that is a diabolical plan. All right, for a variety of reasons. First, this is a egregious sin. This is an egregious violation of the law. Leviticus 20:11 prohibits this. It gives the death penalty for anyone who will lay with his father's wife. And though concubines were seen as lesser status wives in the reign of the kings, they still are wives of the king. So what Ahithophel has recommended is a wicked and gross violation of the law. But as far as evil plans go in and its most brilliant base form, it's smart. From a worldly perspective, from a godless perspective, this is a massive power play. This is his way to show all the rebels that are fighting for him that I mean business.So it's wicked and it's evil and it's vile and it's obscene, but also it's very cunning. So Ahithophel gives him this counsel and Absalom listens. Verse 22. So they pitch a tent for Absalom on the roof. And Absalom went into his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.Now in those days the counsel that Ahithophel gave was as if one consulted the word of God. So was all the counsel of Ahithophel esteemed both by David and by Absalom. And that's a way of saying that Ahithophel's counsel was so valued. It was like hearing the word of God. Meaning that the word of God says this, you do it. Ahithophel says this, you do it. And he recommends this rebellious, cunning, and wicked act. And Absalom does it. And they pitch a tent. And they work out this plan in front of all of Israel. But this is also fulfilling the prophecy of Nathan after David sinned with Bathsheba and murdering Uriah. For Nathan the prophet in 2 Samuel 12 will be on the screen. It says, "Thus says the Lord, behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house, and I will take your wives before your eyes and givethem to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of the sun. for you did it secretly, but I will do this before this thing before all Israel and before the sun. So God gives up Absalom to his own sinful desires. And this brings judgment upon David and his house. And Ahithophel's counsel is followed. And he makes himself a stench to David and his followers. Now he's got more counsel to give becausenow they've got to reckon with David himself. And this is where we're going to see rival counselors Ahithophel and then Hushai is going to come into the scene and both of them function like the cabinet of the king. Right? So if you follow US history every US president has a cabinet and if you follow some of the biggest battles that have happened between these cabinet members. These are counselors to the king. The biggest one is is the original cabinet. So in Washington's presidency, he had Jefferson and then he had Hamilton. And both of them represented two very different political philosophies. That's why he put them in the counsel in the first place in the cabinet because he wanted to see two rival philosophies go at it, which didn't work out very well. They actually ended up forming two different political parties that came out of that. But if you follow theythey've written all this down. If you follow some of the history of how they fought, there were times where Hamilton would go on these 45minute monologues. He just go on and on and on and on and on and on and on and it's and this recorded that Jefferson would just be like head back just like just so annoying. And then there are times where Jefferson would win the day and he would get the influence of Washington and it's recorded that he would like sneer and like make faces at Hamilton, which is just funny because these are our founding fathers. of the people that helped found this nation and we can all act like children in our own sinful state at times. But that's not abnormal.That's not just US history. That's ancient history. That's happened for thousands of years that kings and presidents and prime ministers and sovereign leaders, they have counsel that they bring in often to oppose one another to find what is the best way forward. So what we're going to see is that type of cabinet battle here starting in verse one of chapter 17. Moreover, Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Let me choose 12,000 men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight. I will come upon him while he is weary and discouraged and throw him into a panic, and all the people who are with him will flee. I will strike down only the king, and I will bring all the people back to you as a bride comes home to her husband. You seek the life of only one man and all the people will be at peace and the advice seemed right in the eyes ofAbsalom and all the elders of Israel. Okay. So Ahithophel's plan I'll be honest is very very good. This is a good plan. He says listen we have a standing army of 12,000 men tonight that we can ride out of here. In fact, I will lead this. I will lead. You can stay put. I'll lead these 12,000 men. And we're going to catch David because David's not just traveling with his warriors. He's also traveling with his wives and probably some of his children, but with some grandchildren. He's got and they're tired and they're discouraged and they're weary. And he says, "You know what's going to happen?We're going to come upon them. It's going to be like lightning warfare. Boom. We're going to come in quick. And then all we have to do is cut off the head of the snake. All we have to do is take out David. There won't be lots of bloodshed. Only one man has to die. And then guess what? You're good. There's no more threat. Everyone gets behind you and you're the king. Now, that's an objectively good plan. All the commentators, everyone's looked at this and said, "That's a smart way to do this." And they hear it and they say, "Absalom likes this. The elders who are sitting in counsel like this." Now seems to be happening here is you got Absalom with a counsel of elders. Ahithophel comes in he makes his pitch and they like it and then he exits. Then verse 5, then Absalom said call Hushai the Architealso and let us hear what he has to say. So Ahithophel leaves Hushai comes in and now Hushai has to follow up a very very good plan. And that's difficult because if you have to outdo a very very good plan, you it's hard. If someone said, you know what, you're going to have to out-pitch ice cream as the staple dessert. That's a hard thing to do. You know why? Because ice cream is amazing. The fact that you can take the best part of milk, which is cream, and slowly turn it to where it's not so hard where it's just like ice, and it's not too soft that it's just this perfectly formed. and you could throw chocolate in it and all types of things. The person who pitches that idea originally, that's a good pitch. It's for you to come in and try to pitch something else. Unless milkhates you, it's a pretty good dessert. So that's what's that's happening here. Hushai is has to come in. He's going to outdo a very very good plan. Verse six. When Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom said to him, "Thus has Ahithophel spoken. Shall we do what shall we do as he says? If not, you speak." So they tell him, "This is Ahithophel's plan. Should we do what he says?" Verse 7. Then Hushai said to Absalom, This time the counsel that Ahithophel has given is not good, which I so appreciate as the opener to what we're about to read as a monologue because it's like Ahithophel has chosen poorly. Like, this is just no. It's the equivalent of Trump just saying wrong when someone says something it's just no immediately we're diverging this is not a good plan so then he starts to pitch his plan first by poisoning thewell of Ahithophel's plan verse eight said you know that your father and his men are mighty men and that they are enraged like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. Besides, your father is an expert in war. He will not spend the night with the people. Behold, even now he has hidden himself in one of the pits or in some other place. And as soon as some of the people fall at the first attack, whoever hears this, hears it will say, "There has been a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom." Then even the valiant men whose heart is like the heart of a lion will utterly melt with fear. For all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man and those who are with him are valiant men. All right, pause.Hushai basically chooses fear. He chooses fear, which I don't know if you've been bombarded with the most obnoxious political ads that have been ra running right now, but all of them, 95% of them are fear-based because fear is effective. So, he chooses fear. He says, "You ever seen a bear robbed of her cubs? It's not good. You don't want to get in the middle of that." And he's enraged. They're furious. They're very upset with you, Absalom. So, I know you're thinking, "We've got the numbers. We've got 12,000 men. We can catch them off guard. First off, no you won't. You think David is stupid? He's hiding. He's off. You remember how you used to be hiding in the caves all the time? You think you're going to find him easily cut off the head of the snake? No. No.No. You He's not with his people. You're about to enter a hornets's nest. And let me tell you something. This is what he does. He says he says, "Your men, they've got strong hearts. Some of them courageous like lions. But the moment they start taking L's on the battlefield, the moment they start getting slaughtered, it's going to spread like wildfire. And everyone knows that David and his mighty men are bad. And that is 100% true. I mean, you look at some of their resumes, they are bad to the bone. And he says the moment that they start hearing that people are getting slaughtered, your men'll run.Seeing them not super courageous once they start getting defeated, that's a bad plan. So that's how Hushai begins. He poisons the well with fear. Okay. Now that he's poisoned it, he's going to shift to his plan. Verse 11. But my counsel is that all Israel be gathered to you from Dan to Beersheba as the sand by the sea for multitude, and that you go to battle in person. So we shall come upon him in some place where he is to be found and we shall light upon him as dew falls on the ground and of him and all the men who are with him not one will be left. If he withdraws into a city then all Israel will bring ropes to that city. We shall drag it into the valley until not even a pebble is to be found there.Okay. So what Hushai just did is he is wisely buying time. That's what he's doing. Ahithophel's plan is quick. That night he says, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no. You don't want that. Already talked about this. This is this this is going to go wrong for you. Also, Ahithophel's super old. You want him leading you to battle?" No. Here's what's going to happen. We're going to slow it down. We're going to go from Dan to Beersheba, which is basically from north to south. Think Maine to Florida. Okay? We're going to gather all the people of Israel, not 12,000 men, hundreds of thousands of men. We're going to get all of them in our side. that we're going to find David and we're going to surround him. He doesn't matter how mighty his men are, we will have numbers upon numbers upon numbers. And then once we surround him, we're going to win. And ifsomehow he escapes and he makes it to a city where there's where there's walls, guess what? We'll have so many people we'll take ropes, throw it over the wall, rip the walls down, bring all the pebbles into the valley, and guess what? We'll kill every single one of them. That's the option. That's the one you should choose. It's guaranteed. It's going to take some time. But let me tell you something. You don't want to go out without the numbers. That is Hushai's plan. And you've got these two different plans. One, which still, I'll be honest, is way better. Very quick. 12,000 men coming upon them as they've been running. They've got women and children with them. Boom. Kill David. Done. or Hushai's plan which is long drawn out buying time.What are you going to choose? Both are given. Verse 14. And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, "The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the Lord had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel so that the Lord might bring harm upon Absalom. So they choose Hushai's plan. And what we see in this is this is what David prayed for. If you remember back in 2 Samuel 15:31, it says, "And David said this on the screen." Oh Lord, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. He prays this and God answers this prayer. For it says, "The Lord had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel so the Lord might bring harm upon Absalom." David's prayer is answered because ultimately God is going to bring judgment upon Absalom for his wickedness and his rebellion against David, the Lord's anointed king.So while that's happening, Hushai seemingly he's out of the room. So he's left the room. They're in here discussing this and they are making the decision that Hushai's plan is very very good. Hushai outside the room is now not going to wait to see what happens next because he heard Ahithophel's plan and that's a good plan. So he has got to get a word to David because David is exactly where Ahithophel said he would be. He's out in the open. He's not hiding. So that was all smoke and mirrors and he's got to get word to David in case Ahithophel's plan is taken. And that's what we pick up in verse 15. Then Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar the priest. Okay, we got a lot of names here. Stay with me. Zadok and Abiathar are priests, Levitical priests that were loyal to David. So Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar, the priest,thus and so did Ahithophel's counsel, Ahithophel counsel, Absalom and the elders of Israel. And thus and so have I counseled. Now therefore send quickly and tell David do not stay tonight at the fords of the wilderness but by all means pass over lest the king and all the people who are with him be swallowed up. So he says you've got to leave now. If they follow Ahithophel's plan they're going to catch you. You've got to get out of town. You got to get out of the wilderness. You got to get away as far as you can. So that's the word they give to Zadok and Abiathar. Verse 17. Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were waiting at En-rogel. Okay. Jonathan and Ahimaaz are sons of Zadok and Abiathar. They are Levitical priests as well. And they're waiting at En-rogel which is just outside of Jerusalem. And it says a femaleservant was to go and tell them. And they were to go and tell King David for they were not to be seen entering the city. So what we have here is a chain of spies. One to the next to the next to the next to get to David. so that David and his crew can leave and flee danger. But verse 18, the young man saw them and told Absalom. So both of them went away quickly and came to the house at a man at Bahurim who had who had a well in his courtyard. And they went down into it. And the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth and scattered grain on it, and nothing was known of it. So while they're trying to get the message out, one of Absalom's men sees what happens. So they go, they hide in a well and then the woman very smartly spreadscovering over the well, puts grain on top of it, very much like Rahab and the spies in Jericho and hides them so that they can evade capture. Verse 20. When Absalom's servants came to the woman of the house, they said, "Where is Ahimaaz and Jonathan?" And the woman said to them, "They have gone over the brook of water." And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem. So they successfully evade capture. Verse 21. After they had gone, the men came up out of the well and went and told King David. They said to David, "Arise and go quickly over the water, for thus and so has Ahithophel counseled against you."Then David arose and all the people who were with them, and they crossed the Jordan. By daybreak, not one was left who had not crossed the Jordan. So chain of spies works. They cross and guess what? They didn't even need to because Hushai's plan won. And Ahithophel's plan was defeated because God has determined to bring his judgment upon Absalom. And that plan is now in full effect. And Ahithophel cannot handle the defeat of this rival counselor. Verse 23. When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey and went off home to his own city. He set his house in order and hanged himself and he died and was buried in the tomb of his father. Now, it's possible that Ahithophel was so poisoned by his own pride and self-worth and his own great advice, his own great counsel that the moment that he's defeated, he can't handle it and hecommits suicide. It is also possible that at this point he may see the writing on the wall and that David is actually going to win this war and he'd rather take care of it himself as opposed to falling to David's sword. We don't know for sure. I lean towards the former. I think the text more I think pushes in that direction that when he says his counsel was not followed I think what's bound up in here is pride which just for the moment is a very good case study and a warning sign to anyone who puts their worth and their value and their work and their abilities and their talents and what they do. Because if you put so much value into those things and those things are taken from you, what you've done is you've set up an idol to worship. And when that idol is taken, it can lead you to some very dark places.And what this serves as is a cautionary tale to be mindful of not putting so much of your value and your worship and the things that you do because that's what I think Ahithophel does. And when his counsel is not followed because of his shame, he goes and takes his life.So let's finish out the chapter verse 24. Then David came to Mahanaim and Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel. Now Absalom had set Amasa over the army instead of Joab. Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra the Ishmaelite who had married Abigail, the daughter of Nahash, the sister of Zeruiah, Joab's mother. and Israel and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead. Verse 27. When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites and Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim brought beds, basins and earthen vessels, wheat, barley, flour, parched, beans and lentils, honey and curds and sheep, and cheese from the herd. for David and the people with him to eat. For they said the people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.The chapter ends with even though they're in the wilderness and even though they're on the run for their lives and even though it seems like things are going against them, God still cares and raises a people to provide provisions for them in the wilderness. And that closes chapter 17 to set up next week which we will see is the great battle between Absalom's men and David's men.Okay. So, if you've been with us the last few weeks, if you study this just in its immediate context, it's very hard to see the light in all of this darkness because we've seen so much of it. At this point, David has suffered for years under the discipline of God. He's watched his family be torn apart. He's watched his nation be torn apart. He's had to deal with the emotional agony of his own son leading a rebellion against him to murder him. I mean, he it's all these chapters, it's dark. And in the middle of all this darkness, in the middle of all this brokenness, in the middle of all of this pain and suffering, is a reminder that God is still for David.Because what commentators will say is that in all these chapters of suffering, right in the middle in verse 14 of chapter 17 is this shining light that breaks through the storm. So it says, "For the Lord had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the Lord might bring harm upon Absalom." And that right there is the glimmer of hope that the wickedness and the evil, the dishonor of his father, the dishonor of his nation, the dishonor of his God, Absalom will be judged. and that the covenant that God made with David is remembered. Does David deserve to have favor? Absolutely not. Does God remember his covenant of favor towards David?Absolutely. That no matter how dark it has gotten, no matter how bad has gotten for David, God remembers his covenant to him. God remembers his covenant to his people. That is the glimpse of light that breaks through the storm of all of this darkness that we're reading. And as you take a step back as a Christian, it is a helpful reminder for us because we I think also we forget this because we will go through seasons of intense present darkness, of suffering, of affliction. And in the middle of all of the suffering, in the middle of the affliction, in the middle of all of it, those questions can linger. Is God for me?Does he care about me? Does he love me? Because it doesn't feel like it right now. If you follow Jesus long enough, you will have been there. And the good news is we don't just have the scriptures that testify to how God meets his people in the middle of darkness. We also have wonderful stories from church history. In the modern missions movement in the 19th century, there's a lot of missionaries that went out to parts of the world that were very difficult to reach and very difficult to reach with the gospel. One of them was named John Paton. John Paton was a missionary.Him and his wife, they went to the island of the New Hebrides Islands in the 19th century. It's an island that had zero Christians, had tribes that were cannibals. And he arrived on the island then not long after arriving there, his wife died. And then their infant son also died. And in his autobiography he says, "Then in a moment altogether unexpectedly, she died on March 3rd to crown my sorrows and complete my loneliness, the dear baby boy whom we had named after her father, Peter Robert Robson, was taken from me after one week's sickness on the 20th of March.Let those who have ever passed through any similar darkness as a midnight field for me, as for all others, it would be more than vain to try to paint my sorrows. And he just says that after losing his wife, after losing his son, after being obedient to the Great Commission to go and make disciples of nations that did not know him, that he felt such an intense loneliness it would be vain to try to paint and describe his sorrows. So he dug two graves with his hands and buried his wife and buried his son. and he's alone on an island with people who are trying to kill him.And this is what he writes. I'll put this on the screen. Stunned by that dreadful loss and entering upon this field of labor to which the Lord had himself so evidently led me, my reason seemed for a time almost to give way. The ever merciful Lord sustained me. But for Jesus and the fellowship he vouchsafed to me there, I must have gone mad and died beside that lonely grave. And it's such a wonderful reminder that even in the darkest of moments, even when all hope seems lost, even as he's buried his wife and his son and he's alone on an island under the threat of death, that in the intense darkness that he faced, Jesus Christ came. He says, "The ever merciful Lord sustained me. but for Jesus and the fellowship vouchsafed to me there, he says without it I would have gone mad beside that lonely grave and that story in some versions happenedover and over and over again and he continued and now that island for centuries at this point was converted to Jesus and has a legacy of Christ but God's people sometimes go through intense bouts of suffering I don't think any of us have ever faced anything like that. But in the middle of darkness, in the middle of complete what seems like hopelessness, God shines through to his people. And the reason he does this is because when he saves you and redeems you and seals you with the Holy Spirit, he never leaves or forsakes us. He is for us. And even though darkness may seem like it's prevailing, even though hope may seem like it is lost, even though it feels so sad and lonely, God is for you if you belong to him. He is for your good. It may not seem like it and he may not answer you with the circumstantialchange that you want, but God breaks through to his people. I don't know why some of you have suffered in the way that you have. I don't know why you feel the way that you do, but I do know that if you belong to Jesus Christ, he is with you. And my hope and my prayer is that you would sense it just like Paton did. That he would break through. That you would sense it just like David did and be reminded that just as David had a covenant that was made with him, we because we belong to Jesus Christ have a covenant that was made with us by his blood. that when Jesus Christ goes to the cross and sheds blood for our sin and then captures us and brings us into the family of God, that covenant is remembered and it is never forgotten that our God is for you. And wecelebrate that regularly and remember that as we come to the table. George is going to come up and we're going to prepare to take the Lord's Supper, which is a meal of remembrance that Jesus instituted and gave to the church. On the night that he was betrayed, he took bread and he broke it. He said, "This is my body that was broken for you." And then he took the cup of the new covenant. He said, "This is my blood that was shed for you that as often as you eat and drink this, you proclaim my death until I return." And Jesus gives us that meal to remember the covenant that was made with his blood.That God loves you so much that he gave up his one and only son. that you even in this life that is filled sometimes with suffering and darkness would persevere by faith trusting in the finished work of Christ and finding those moments where God encounters us with his presence and breaks through the dark questions that linger in our soul looking forward to a day when there will be no more questions like that because there will be no more suffering or sin or brokenness. There will only be him in eternity. So as a Christian you get to come to the table remembering the work of Jesus Christ as a reminder as a memorial as remembrance that he is for you. Even if it doesn't feel like it right now he is.So may you prepare your hearts and then in a moment you can come to the table. There's gluten-free at that table back there. If you do not belong to Jesus Christ, we don't want you to come to the table. We want you to come to Jesus. We want you to place your faith in him. We want you to see what it is like to walk with a God who loves you so deeply that he gave himself for you.And the invitation is for you to follow Christ. And if you want to know more about that, find me, find another pastor, find a Christian who brought you here today, and we can show you what it means to follow Jesus Christ. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I pray that you might prepare our hearts to receive this meal of remembrance. God, I pray that you might help us, especially those of us that belong to you that are right now feeling so hopeless, feeling such darkness as so many of your people have done and felt. God, I pray that you would as they take this meal, would you break through the darkness, would you help them see that you love them, that you're for them, that they belong to you, that they're treasured by you.May they remember who you are. And for those who do not belong to you, I pray, God that you would compel them to faith in you this morning. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Come when you are ready.

With King David on his death bed, the royal family knows that the time to transfer power is drawing near. David's oldest son, Adonijah, gains support for himself from well-known leaders like Joab and Abiathar, calling Judah together for a feast to celebrate his bid for kingship. Nathan the prophet catches word, and teams up with Bathsheba to alert the king. Later, the Lord appears to King Solomon in a dream, and instead of asking for wealth or long life, he asks the Lord for wisdom to lead God's people. This pleases the Lord, who promises blessing upon Solomon's reign. 1 Kings 1 - 1:15 .  1 Kings 2 - 12:49 .  1 Kings 3 - 23:28 .  Psalm 87 - 29:00 .  :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by Bobby Brown, Katelyn Pridgen, Eric Williamson & the Christian Standard Biblefacebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

On this episode of The GAP Joab Gilroy is joined by Stephen Farrelly from 3rd Phase Boss! And Stephen, who has been on podcasts before (including this one) decided to record his mic while having Joab transmit via SPEAKERS. IF YOU CAN BELIEVE SUCH A THING. So uh, there's a bit of an echo. Luke would have been able to fix such a thing, but Joab cannot. Come back Luke. Not just because of that, we miss you in general. The Games they've been playing this week are Lego Batman, Forza Horizon 6, Hell Let Loose Vietnam, Crimson Desert and Mina the Hollower! Over in the news Valve raised the price of the Steam Deck, turning Joab's incredible portfolio of consoles into the safest investment around! The PlayStation was actually pretty good, muchu to Joab's surprise. And Fable has been delayed to 2027 so it can dodge Grand Theft Auto 6. This episode goes for 1 hour and 57 minutes, it also contains coarse language. Timestamps – 00:00:00 – Start 00:08:46 – Lego Batman 00:22:09 – Forza Horizon 6 00:41:03 – Hell Let Loose Vietnam 00:59:08 – Crimson Desert 01:14:30 – Mina the Hollower 01:23:51 – News 01:50:15 – Weekly Plugs 01:57:53 – End of Show Subscribe in a reader iTunes / Spotify

In this Bible Story, we witness David's poor decisions in light of his pride. However David's heart is always quick to conviction, and he repents before God and the people. This story is inspired by 2 Samuel 24 & 1 Chronicles 21. Go to https://www.BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.Today's Bible verse is 2 Samuel 24:24 from the King James Version.Episode 111: In a moment of insecurity, David called in Joab, commander of his army, to go throughout the nation of Israel and take a census of the people. Joab saw the evil this would cause and protested, but the will of the king prevailed. It wasn't until after the census was complete that David realized his guilt. The Prophet Gad confronted him and while he chose his punishment, he also realized that he was to blame, not the people.Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world's greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham.Also, you can download the Pray.com app for more Christian content, including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living.This episode is sponsored by Medi-Share, an innovative health care solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality.Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max BardProducer: Ben GammonHosted by: Pastor Jack GrahamMusic by: Andrew Morgan SmithBible Story narration by: Todd Haberkorn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On our last episode we followed the trajectory of David's son Absalom, a handsome young man who had won the hearts of Israel by deception, telling those who came to King David that the king had no time for them. Absalom devises a coup to overthrow David, but his father catches wind of his plot and flees before he arrives. Today, David's men prepare for battle and meet the forces of Absalom's Israelite troops. The forest itself claims more lives than the sword, and Absalom meets his end at the hands of Joab. Later, David is restored as king, but not without personal turmoil. 2 Samuel 18 - 1:16 .  2 Samuel 19 - 9:41 .  2 Samuel 20 - 19:59 .  Psalm 83 - 25:38 .  :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by Bobby Brown, Katelyn Pridgen, Eric Williamson & the Christian Standard Biblefacebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

Daily Dose of Hope June 2, 2026   Scripture: 1 Kings 2   Prayer:  Holy God, Thank you for this day and thank you for the ways you provide and care for us.  We rejoice in your powerful and mighty name.  As we read through the Scripture today and reflect on what it means for us, help us hear a new word from you.  Help us set aside the distractions of the day and really listen for your voice.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Daily Bible reading plan.  For the summer, we are digging into 1 and 2 Kings.  These Old Testament texts offer us so much of God's truth and I look forward to what we will learn.  Today, we read 1 Kings 2.   This chapter begins with David about to die.  He wants to provide some advice to his son, Solomon, the new king of Israel. It's troubling advice, as he provides spiritual wisdom quickly followed by political strategizing that will lead to bloodshed. The first part of his advice is Godly and sounds like the wisdom of a man after God's own heart: Follow God's laws and walk in obedience to him and then you will prosper. But the second half of David's advice is about securing the kingdom. All sense of faithfulness is now gone out the window: Avenge your father, kill those people who have done us wrong, and ensure your place on the throne. Hmmm...On the one hand, David tells Solomon to follow God and keep Torah. On the other, he tells Solomon to avenge, kill, and break Torah.   I we were to read 1 & 2 Samuel, we could do a pretty good assessment of David's life. Overall, he was a faithful man who rarely wavered from following the Lord. He definitely had some rough patches though, in which he fell away and sinned horrifically against God and other people. And those times definitely mar how we view him.  At the same time, he was always repentant and turned back toward God. Over this last little portion of his life, however, it seems that David consulted God less and in many ways grew angry and bitter.  He had made a mess of his family life, allowed horrible things to happen in his household, and generally tried to dismiss it.  I'm wondering about his regrets.   What can we learn from King David's life? He is referred to as a man after God's own heart. He wrote many of the Psalms which we read over and over again and use in worship and song. He loved God and his allegiance was undeniable. On the other hand, he was a human king and there were many times in which lust, fear, and arrogance ruled the day.   After David dies, Samuel doesn't waste a lot of time.  He takes his father's advice and runs with it.  This means eliminating political rivals, including his half-brother Adonijah.  You might have noticed that Adonijah asked to marry his father's former attendant, the virgin Abishag.  Solomon sees this request as a covert political ploy to take the throne, as marrying a former king's attendant was seen as a claim to the royal lineage.  He also kills Joab (the general) and Shimei (who was a long-time problem for King David).  There is absolutely no grace.  I can't help but wonder what this means for Soloman's reign as king.  Is this a sign of what's to come?    Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

In this Bible Story, we see the end of Sheba's rebellion. Sheba spread lies all throughout Israel about David's character. Eventually, the people begin to see his evil for what it is. This story is inspired by 2 Samuel 19:13, 20 & 1 Chronicles 2:16-17. Go to https://www.BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.Today's Bible verse is 2 Samuel 20:21 from the King James Version.Episode 109: Sheba, causing chaos throughout the country, made his way to Abel and began to fortify the city. Joab and Abishai sat outside the city thinking of how they could take Sheba without harming any of the people of the city. While their army was bettering the gate of the city, a woman came out looking for Joab. The woman wanted peace for her city, and Joab, wanting the same said he would happily leave if they give him the rebel Sheba. So the woman returned to the city, threw the head of Sheba out of a window, and Joab, Abishai, and their men left.Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world's greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham.Also, you can download the Pray.com app for more Christian content, including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living.This episode is sponsored by Medi-Share, an innovative health care solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality.Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max BardProducer: Ben GammonHosted by: Pastor Jack GrahamMusic by: Andrew Morgan SmithBible Story narration by: Todd Haberkorn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After killing his brother at a family dinner, Absalom fled to another country, and was only brought back after Joab convinced David to do so by way of a theatric analogy. Today, Absalom begins a plan to win the hearts of the people and turn Israel against his father, the king. Learning of this impending insurrection, David flees Jerusalem with all of his people, save a handle of men who serve as spies. Nathan prophesied that the Lord would bring disaster on David from his own family, and that another man would sleep with his wives before Israel in broad daylight. David's own son, Absalom, is that man. 2 Samuel 15 - 1:12 .  2 Samuel 16 - 9:44 .  2 Samuel 17 - 15:01 .  Psalm 81 - 21:26 .  Psalm 82 - 23:30 . :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by Bobby Brown, Katelyn Pridgen, Eric Williamson & the Christian Standard Biblefacebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

In our last episode, we covered the aftermath of King Saul's death, including a scramble for power and position by Abner, the commander of Israel's army. After losing a battle against David's men, Abner fled on foot and was chased down by Asahel. Abner killed Asahel, but escaped to live another day. Today, Asahel's brother Joab seeks revenge against Abner, but he does so without David's approval. Later, two assassins cut off Ish-bosheth's head and bring it to David. David is grieved by both incidents and he makes his grief and mourning public. 2 Samuel 3 - 1:03 .  2 Samuel 4 - 10:34 .  Psalm 95 - 13:44 .  Psalm 96 - 15:11 .  :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.facebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

These are now the chief of their fathers, and this is the genealogy of them that went up with me from Babylon, in the reign of Artaxerxes the king.2 Of the sons of Phinehas; Gershom: of the sons of Ithamar; Daniel: of the sons of David; Hattush.3 Of the sons of Shechaniah, of the sons of Pharosh; Zechariah: and with him were reckoned by genealogy of the males an hundred and fifty.4 Of the sons of Pahathmoab; Elihoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males.5 Of the sons of Shechaniah; the son of Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males.6 Of the sons also of Adin; Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males.7 And of the sons of Elam; Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him seventy males.8 And of the sons of Shephatiah; Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him fourscore males.9 Of the sons of Joab; Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen males.10 And of the sons of Shelomith; the son of Josiphiah, and with him an hundred and threescore males.11 And of the sons of Bebai; Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him twenty and eight males.12 And of the sons of Azgad; Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him an hundred and ten males.13 And of the last sons of Adonikam, whose names are these, Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them threescore males.14 Of the sons also of Bigvai; Uthai, and Zabbud, and with them seventy males.15 And I gathered them together to the river that runneth to Ahava; and there abode we in tents three days: and I viewed the people, and the priests, and found there none of the sons of Levi.16 Then sent I for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah, and for Elnathan, and for Jarib, and for Elnathan, and for Nathan, and for Zechariah, and for Meshullam, chief men; also for Joiarib, and for Elnathan, men of understanding.17 And I sent them with commandment unto Iddo the chief at the place Casiphia, and I told them what they should say unto Iddo, and to his brethren the Nethinims, at the place Casiphia, that they should bring unto us ministers for the house of our God.18 And by the good hand of our God upon us they brought us a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel; and Sherebiah, with his sons and his brethren, eighteen;19 And Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his brethren and their sons, twenty;20 Also of the Nethinims, whom David and the princes had appointed for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinims: all of them were expressed by name.21 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.22 For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him.23 So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us.24 Then I separated twelve of the chief of the priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them,25 And weighed unto them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, even the offering of the house of our God, which the king, and his counsellors, and his lords, and all Israel there present, had offered:26 I even weighed unto their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver vessels an hundred talents, and of gold an hundred talents;27 Also twenty basons of gold, of a thousand drams; and two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold.28 And I said unto them, Ye are holy unto the Lord; the vessels are holy also; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering unto the Lord God of your fathers.29 Watch ye, and keep them, until ye weigh them before the chief of the priests and the Levites, and chief of the fathers of Israel, at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the Lord.30 So took the priests and the Levites the weight of the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem unto the house of our God.31 Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem: and the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way.32 And we came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days.33 Now on the fourth day was the silver and the gold and the vessels weighed in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest; and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them was Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, Levites;34 By number and by weight of every one: and all the weight was written at that time.35 Also the children of those that had been carried away, which were come out of the captivity, offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve he goats for a sin offering: all this was a burnt offering unto the Lord.36 And they delivered the king's commissions unto the king's lieutenants, and to the governors on this side the river: and they furthered the people, and the house of God.

The Battle of Gibeon 12Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.13And Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. And they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool. 14And Abner said to Joab, Let the young men arise and compete before us. And Joab said, Let them arise. 15Then they arose and passed over by number, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. 16And each caught his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent's side, so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath-hazzurim, which is at Gibeon. 17And the battle was very fierce that day. And Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David. 18And the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was as swift of foot as a wild gazelle. 19And Asahel pursued Abner, and as he went, he turned neither to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner. 20Then Abner looked behind him and said, Is it you, Asahel? And he answered, It is I.21Abner said to him, Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and seize one of the young men and take his spoil. But Asahel would not turn aside from following him. 22And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I lift up my face to your brother Joab?23But he refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner struck him in the stomach with the butt of his spear, so that the spear came out at his back. And he fell there and died where he was. And all who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, stood still. 24But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. And as the sun was going down they came to the hill of Ammah, which lies before Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.25And the people of Benjamin gathered themselves together behind Abner and became one group and took their stand on the top of a hill. 26Then Abner called to Joab, Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that the end will be bitter? How long will it be before you tell your people to turn from the pursuit of their brothers? 27And Joab said, As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely the men would not have given up the pursuit of their brothers until the morning. 28So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the men stopped and pursued Israel no more, nor did they fight anymore. 29And Abner and his men went all that night through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, and marching the whole morning, they came to Mahanaim. 30Joab returned from the pursuit of Abner. And when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing from David's servants nineteen men besides Asahel.31But the servants of David had struck down of Benjamin 360 of Abner's men. 32And they took up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was at Bethlehem. And Joab and his men marched all night, and the day broke upon them at Hebron. Abner Joins David 3There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. And David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker. 2And sons were born to David at Hebron: his firstborn was Amnon, of Ahinoam of Jezreel; 3and his second, Chileab, of Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; 4and the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;5and the sixth, Ithream, of Eglah, David's wife. These were born to David in Hebron. 6While there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner was making himself strong in the house of Saul. 7Now Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. And Ish-bosheth said to Abner, Why have you gone in to my father's concubine? 8Then Abner was very angry over the words of Ish-bosheth and said, Am I a dog's head of Judah? To this day I keep showing steadfast love to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers, and to his friends, and have not given you into the hand of David. And yet you charge me today with a fault concerning a woman. 9God do so to Abner and more also, if I do not accomplish for David what the Lord has sworn to him,10to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan to Beersheba. 11And Ish-bosheth could not answer Abner another word, because he feared him. 12And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf,saying, To whom does the land belong? Make your covenant with me, and behold, my hand shall be with you to bring over all Israel to you. 13And he said, Good; I will make a covenant with you. But one thing I require of you; that is, you shall not see my face unless you first bring Michal, Saul's daughter, when you come to see my face. 14Then David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, saying, Give me my wife Michal, for whom I paid the bridal price of a hundred foreskins of the Philistines. 15And Ish-bosheth sent and took her from her husband Paltiel the son of Laish. 16But her husband went with her, weeping after her all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, Go, return. And he returned. 17And Abner conferred with the elders of Israel, saying, For some time past you have been seeking David as king over you. 18Now then bring it about, for the Lordhas promised David, saying, By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines, and from the hand of all their enemies.19Abner also spoke to Benjamin. And then Abner went to tell David at Hebron all that Israel and the whole house of Benjamin thought good to do. 20When Abner came with twenty men to David at Hebron, David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him. 21And Abner said to David, I will arise and go and will gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may reign over all that your heart desires. So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace. 22Just then the servants of David arrived with Joab from a raid, bringing much spoil with them. But Abner was not with David at Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. 23When Joab and all the army that was with him came, it was told Joab, Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has let him go, and he has gone in peace. 24Then Joab went to the king and said, What have you done? Behold, Abner came to you. Why is it that you have sent him away, so that he is gone?25You know that Abner the son of Ner came to deceive you and to know your going out and your coming in, and to know all that you are doing. Joab Murders Abner 26When Joab came out from David's presence, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern of Sirah. But David did not know about it. 27And when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the midst of the gate to speak with him privately, and there he struck him in the stomach, so that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.28Afterward, when David heard of it, he said, I and my kingdom are forever guiltless before the Lord for the blood of Abner the son of Ner. 29May it fall upon the head of Joab and upon all his father's house, and may the house of Joab never be without one who has a discharge or who is leprous or who holds a spindle or who falls by the sword or who lacks bread! 30So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because he had put their brother Asahel to death in the battle at Gibeon. David Mourns Abner 31Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth and mourn before Abner. And King David followed the bier. 32They buried Abner at Hebron. And the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. 33And the king lamented for Abner, saying, Should Abner die as a fool dies?34Your hands were not bound;your feet were not fettered;as one falls before the wickedyou have fallen. And all the people wept again over him. 35Then all the people came to persuade David to eat bread while it was yet day. But David swore, saying, God do so to me and more also, if I taste bread or anything else till the sun goes down! 36And all the people took notice of it, and it pleased them, as everything that the king did pleased all the people. 37So all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been the king's will to put to death Abner the son of Ner. 38And the king said to his servants, Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel? 39And I was gentle today, though anointed king. These men, the sons of Zeruiah, are more severe than I. The Lord repay the evildoer according to his wickedness!

Group Guide Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.Additional context: Watch the theology teaching video, What is the Bible? 2 Samuel 15 Mike Goble Download TranscriptAll right, so Chet and Spencer are away. Let's get down to business. No, no, no, no, no. My name is Mike. I'm an elder in training here. Last week at the end of the sermon, I had three people come up to me and say that I reminded them of Absalom.I had one person come up and tell me I reminded them of Abimelech and I reminded them that that's not what the story was about and that was Raz. So when they told me that I reminded them of Absalom, I said, "Oh, of course, the striking good looks." And they all pretty intentionally clarified, "No, that is not why. it is because you have long hair and you are trying to convince people to leave this church and go out with you to plant another church. And so that brings me to my first point today. Oak Ridge Church in Lexington will be meeting sometime in January of 2027. Now this is not an infomercial for our church plant, even though we are very excited about that.We're going to be today in 2 Samuel. We're going to be in chapter 15. This is going to be on page 304 of the Bibles that are at your seats. We would ask if you'd consider not using an electronic Bible if you're willing and instead maybe pick one of those Bibles up and we're going to read the Bible together. And we think that's a helpful thing. Before we get started in our text, I'm going to pray for us. Father, we thank you for being our God, for being our salvation.We thank you for your good scripture that teaches us about you. Please Lord, may the Spirit work in our hearts through the foolishness of preaching that we would be changed to be more like your Son in Jesus' name. Amen. All right. Last week we saw that David permitted Absalom to return back to Jerusalem after he initially spent three years in exile after murdering his brother Amnon after Amnon's sin with Tamar. But even though Absalom was back in Jerusalem, he was not allowed to be in the king's presence.And after about two years, he kind of forces himself back into the king's presence by burning down Joab's field. Now, Joab is one of David's nephews. He is the son of David's sister. And he's one of the commanders of David's army. So, Absalom burns down the field, gets his attention, and Joab tells David, and David lets Absalom back into his presence. And then Absalom goes and spends the next four years positioning himself daily at the city gate, rendering judgments and manipulating the people, stealing their hearts is what it says. He is taking them away from their loyalty and their allegiance to King David.He then travels down to Hebron, which is about 18 miles or so south of Jerusalem. And he's got a large group of followers with him. And guys, remember Hebron is actually a pretty significant place. It's significant that he goes down there. So Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the patriarchs, the men from which all of Israel descended, are buried.They're all buried in Hebron. And David himself was was anointed king down in Hebron. So this is a pretty significant place. And now we see Absalom is down there and he's proclaimed as king, but he's not anointed. He's taking it by manipulation. And we're going to see taking it by force.This is the beginning of a full-scale rebellion. And today we're actually gonna look at how David responds and how the people around David respond to what's going on here in Israel. We pick up in verse 13 of chapter 15. And a messenger came to David saying, "The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom." Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, "Arise and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom," "Go quickly, lest he overtake us quickly and bring down ruin on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword."And the king's servant said to the king, "Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my Lord, the king, decides." So the king went out and all his household after him. And the king left 10 concubines to keep the house. And the king went out and all the people after him and they halted at the last house. All right.So a messenger comes in and tells David, hey, Israel is going to follow Absalom. So through his manipulation over the last four years, he has won over a significant portion of people that this messenger comes right in and says, "Hey, is the hearts of the men of Israel, they're gone. And they're not just gone from you. They've gone to your son Absalom." Meaning Absalom has the loyalty of these people. So David responds by saying to all his servants that are still in Jerusalem that they need to flee because if they stay, they will not escape from Absalom and he will come quickly and violently and he will ruin them.And so his servants get up with him and they get ready to flee and they leave behind the 10 concubines to maintain the house. And now they're going. And this is a pretty high pressure moment in this story. And we've we've kind of seen stuff like this play out in stories before, right? You know, you know the story the the tale of the prince who his uncle wanted to become king. And so he convinces the prince that the prince killed his dad.And the prince gets so overwhelmed and so scared that he flees. And he leaves Pride Rock. And Zazu and Rafiki have no idea what they're going to do. And we see stories like this in our entertainment. But guys, this happens a lot and it has happened a lot in history.There are so many coups in history from the murder of Julius Caesar to Napoleon taking over France to Castro and the Cuban Revolution. Did you know that in 2024 there was a coup in South Korea where the president of South Korea decided he was going to declare martial law so the legislature you know they couldn't meet or do anything and then well the legislature met anyway and 11 days later he was impeached and then put on trial. That was two years ago. This kind of stuff has been happening forever throughout history. And honestly, when I think about that, I can't help but think back to 1 Samuel chapter 8, where Israel is demanding that they have a king so they can be like all the other nations.And David, their king, is now here fleeing Jerusalem because his son is coming to overthrow him just like so many other nations before them and so many other nations that will come after them. What do you think was on David's mind? What do you think he was thinking about here? You know, the text doesn't directly say, but do you remember what the Lord said through the prophet Nathan in chapter 12? In chapter 12, when Nathan is pronouncing his judgment from God on David for his sin, the Lord says to David that the sword will not depart from your house. And then right after in chapter 13, we find out Absalom kills his brother Amnon.So, one of David's sons kills the other. And now David suspects Absalom is coming for him. So his plan is to flee. And it might be because he's afraid of Absalom. It might be because he wants to avoid conflict with his own son. It might also be acceptance of the judgment of God.And I actually think that the rest of what we're going to look at today supports that idea. Supports that David has accepted what God has planned for him no matter what. All right. So, David's servants are ready to go and they begin leaving Jerusalem together. And let's pick up verse 18. And all his servants pass by him.And all the Cherethites and all the Pelethites and all the 600 Gittites who had followed him from Gath passed on before the king. Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, "Why do you also go with us? Go back and stay with the king, for you are a foreigner, and also in exile from your home. You came only yesterday. And shall I today make you wander about with us, since I go, I know not where? Go back, take your brothers with you.And may the Lord show steadfast love and faithfulness to you." But Ittai answered the king, "As the Lord lives and as my Lord the king lives, wherever my Lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, there also will be your servant." And David said to Ittai, "Go then, pass on." So Ittai the Gittite passed on with all his men and all the little ones who were with him. And all the land wept aloud as all the people passed by and the king crossed the brook Kedron and all the people passed on toward the wilderness. Okay, so David's leaving and as he's leaving he passes by different people that are highlighted for us here in the text.First there's the Cherethites, the Pelethites and the Gittites. So the Cherethites and the Pelethites are part of the royal bodyguard. So these are warriors who protect David and they go with him. And the Gittites and their leader Ittai are originally from Gath, we're told. And that's a a Philistine city. And the reason that we're told that is because back in 1 Samuel, David when he was originally fleeing Israel, fleeing from Saul when Saul wanted him dead, lived in Gath.And these men followed him when he returned back to Israel. And so he gives Ittai the option. He says, "Go back. You can just go back and align yourself with Absalom. You do not have to come with me." He says, "There's not really a reason for you, Ittai, to go ahead and get caught up in this problem.I'm releasing you from that." And Ittai refuses and he says, "He's going to stay with David even to death." And that is pretty awesome. There's something in us that just kind of loves a display of loyalty and a display of friendship like that. If you remember the famous book series that was adapted into the blockbuster movies, The Lord of the Rings, the whole series, the whole journey, the main character is trying to destroy this ring that he has to carry. And right when he's at the end, right when he's just feet almost steps from being able to do so, he runs out of strength and and by his side with him the whole time is his friend, his best friend that he's known his whole life.And his friend looks at him and says, "I can't carry it for you." And that's the ring, "But I can carry you." And when you watch that in the theater or maybe at your house, you're like, "Yeah, and I can carry it for you, too." You just like get so swept up in it, it's really cool. And your wife says pipe down, but you're like, "No, this is this is awesome." And so we see that and that strikes a chord within our hearts because we love that display of loyalty and friendship.We want to be a part of that display of loyalty and friendship. And so I think that's a really noteworthy thing and I think it's included in that in who he passes by on his way out of town because we get to see that exceptional display of friendship and loyalty to David. So, he's got this large group of faithful friends who in his darkest hour are leaving Jerusalem with him and they're all together and it says that they're weeping and that they're headed into the wilderness. Verse 24, and Abiathar came up, and behold, Zadok came also with all the Levites bearing the ark of the covenant of God.And they set down the ark of God until the people had all passed out of the city. Then the king said to Zadok, "carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me back and let me see both it and his dwelling place. But if he says, I have no pleasure in you, behold, here I am, let him do to me what seems good to him." The king also said to Zadok the priest, "Are you not a seer? Go back to the city in peace with your two sons, Ahimeaz, your son, and Jonathan, the son of Abiathar.See, I will wait at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me." So Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem, and they remain there. But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, barefoot and with his head covered. And all the people who were with him covered their heads and they went up weeping as they went. And it was told David, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, "O Lord, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness."All right. Now we are going to get into David's response to the situation that he's in. So Abiathar and Zadok, who are they? They are the chief priests. They are part of the Levites and they carry the ark of the covenant. And the ark of the covenant represents God's presence with his people.What does David say? He tells them, "Take it back to Jerusalem." Why? Why would David say that? Part of the answer to that question is because he says, "Zadok, aren't you a Aren't you a seer? Aren't you a prophet?" maybe David thinks, well, if he's back there, he can he can get some information out to me while I'm out here in the wilderness.It might be good to have him back there. And that is part of it. However, I think the main answer, the main reason that David tells him to take the ark, tells them to take the ark of the covenant back, is because he is accepting of the sovereign will of God. And he's doing it with humility. David's response is to essentially resign himself to the will of God. And if he sees the ark again, he knows God has looked favorably on him.And if not, then may God do what seems good to him. In the 1600s, German theology professor Samuel Rodegast wrote a song for his friend who was dying. And the song is called Was Gott tut das ist wohlgetan. Do you got I'll translate that for you for those of you who don't speak German. Whatever my God ordains is right. And one of the verses in this song goes, "Whatever my God ordains is right, he never will deceive me.He leads me by the proper path, I know he will not leave me. I take content what he has sent. His hand can turn my griefs away, and patiently I wait his day." So David resolutely accepts the will of God and he ascends the Mount of Olives weeping and here we see the second aspect of his response. We first see the humble acceptance of the divine will and after that we see him pray. What does he pray?He asks God to make the counsel of Ahithophel foolish. Now, Ahithophel was once David's advisor, but he turned his allegiance toward Absalom. And David here, powerless from a position of humility, asks the Lord to make whatever Ahithophel advises Absalom to be foolish. And we're actually going to see later on that God is going to answer this prayer. But something I want to see is that the two aspects of the response are actually linked together, require each other.Because intrinsic to prayer is humility. It's recognizing that the greatest thing you can possibly do is acknowledge the will of God and the fact that he is ordaining all things. And when you do that, you are going to pray. No, you are. You pray. When you have a heart posture like that, what comes out of it from within you is prayer.Because you finally understand how insignificant you are in affecting outcomes on this earth and you realize that God is sovereign and that God is ordaining all things and you are not God. What happened in Israel when they decided to accomplish their own will? Sexual sin, murder, treachery, it doesn't really go well. And the world around us doesn't really understand this, right? Because what happens when we see tragedies and things like that and people say, "Well, you know, our thoughts and prayers are are with the victims and and the things that have happened, right?" And people just don't like that.They sort of respond back with, "Well, we don't want that. We would rather you do something. We would rather see action. But if you know God and you know your relationship to him and you understand in your heart that what he ordains is right, that what he is doing has a purpose, then you know that the greatest thing you possibly could do would be to pray and to ask him, hey, if it could work out this way, would you change the counsel of Ahithophel to be foolishness? Right? And to commune with God from a position of humility is a really powerful thing.Let's pick back up in verse 32. While David was coming to the summit where God was worshiped, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat torn and dirt on his head. David said to him, "If you go on with me, you will be a burden to me. But if you return to the city and say to Absalom,"I will be your servant, O king, as I have been your father's servant in time past, so now I will be your servant. Then you will defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel."Are not Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there? So whatever you hear from the king's house, tell it to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests. Behold, their two sons are with them. Ahimeaz Zadok's son and Jonathan Abiathar's son. And by them you shall send to me everything you hear. So Hushai, David's friend, came into the city just as Absalom was entering Jerusalem.Okay. Here, David tells Hushai, another one of his close friends and counselors, to go back to Jerusalem and act as a spy, essentially to feed information to Zadok and Abiathar, who will through their sons get that information out into the wilderness to David. And so now we finish chapter 15 with David on his way out of Jerusalem. And we begin chapter 16. And as David is out of Jerusalem, Absalom has now entered Jerusalem. Chapter 16 starts, "When David had passed a little beyond the summit, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him with a couple of donkeys saddled bearing 200 loaves of bread, a hundred bunches of raisins, a hundred of summer fruits, and a skin of wine."And the king said to Ziba, "Why have you brought these?" Ziba answered, "The donkeys are for the king's household to ride on, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for those who faint in the wilderness to drink." And the king said, "And where is your master's son?" That's Mephibosheth. "Where is your master's son?" Ziba said to the king, "Behold, he remains in Jerusalem, for he said, Today the house of Israel will give me back the kingdom of my father." Then the king said to Ziba, "Behold, all that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours."And Ziba said, "I pay homage. Let me ever find favor in your sight, my Lord the king." Okay, so back in 2 Samuel 9, we see the first interaction of David with Ziba. And what's happening there is remember David wanted to honor someone of the lineage of his friend Jonathan. And so he wants to find someone of the lineage of Saul. Jonathan was Saul's son.And he wants to honor him. And Ziba says, "Well, actually, Jonathan's son, Mephibosheth, is here." And David says, "Okay, bring him to me." And he brings him and he honors him. And he says, "You're going to always eat at the king's table." And Ziba then after that is made the servant of Mephibosheth.And now where we are, we've got Ziba coming to tell David, "Hey, just so you know, as you were leaving back in Jerusalem, Mephibosheth went ahead and said, "Awesome. Now I'm going to get the kingdom back because David's gone." Like as if the house of Saul is going to now take back the kingdom. And David kind of takes this just at face value. And I don't know if it's because maybe things have not been working out super well for David. So, you know, when you're not having the greatest of time and you hear a piece of information that's not that great, you're like, "Of course, yeah, that's going wrong, too.The car is broken as well." You know, it's that kind of thing where, yeah, Mephibosheth thinks he's going to be king. I guess that's what he wanted all along. I don't know if that's exactly what David's thinking, but he responds by giving what he had originally given to Mephibosheth over to Ziba. But later on, and we're not going to unpack this as much today, in chapter 19, Mephibosheth is going to dispute this.And we're not actually sure if this is what happened. But from David's perspective, he thinks Mephibosheth has also sort of abandoned him and is looking to gain his own kingdom. And he thinks that's another person who probably is not on his side anymore. Verse 5. When King David came to Bahurim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera. And as he came, he cursed continually. And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David.And all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. And Shimei said as he cursed, "Get out. Get out. You man of blood, you worthless man. The Lord has avenged on you all the blood of the house of Saul in whose place you have reigned. And the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom.See, your evil is on you, for you are a man of blood. So Shimei, who is one of Saul's relatives, sees things aren't going very well for David. And as David and his guard and all his people with him are are passing by, he starts flinging stones at him and saying a curse at him. And the text sort of reads this as one man just out there flinging rocks into a crowd of hundreds, thousands at David and cursing at him. And we're told he does this because he resents David for what happened to Saul. In verse 9, you see, then Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, said to the king, "Why should this dead dog curse my Lord the king?Let me go over and take off his head." But the king said, "What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord has said to him, "Curse David, who then shall say, why have you done so?" And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, "Behold, my own son seeks my life. How much more now may this Benjaminite? Leave him alone and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. It may be that the Lord will look on the wrong done to me, and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing today."So David and his men went on the road while Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went and threw stones at him and flung dust. And the king and all his people who were with him arrived weary at the Jordan and there he refreshed himself. Okay. So Abishai is Joab, the guy who we talked about from last time whose field was burned. He's his brother. So this is another one of David's nephews, one of the children of David's sister.And Abishai, he is not liking this. He does not like what he sees here. This is like, you know, if you're like in high school and maybe you're like having a feud with another person and so like all your friends, they're like shooting that other person dirty looks. Maybe that person's having a party and they're like, "Well, we're not going to go because, you know, our friends are feuding with each other. we're not going to go support that. And then your friend kind of comes up to you and he says, "Look over there at that dead dog. How about I just go bring his head to you?"And you're like, "Whoa." Love the zeal, but no. And so David here tells Abishai, "No." But this isn't the first time that's had to happen because actually back in 1 Samuel, Abishai is with David when David is in the camp of Saul when Saul wants to kill him and Saul is sleeping and David and Abishai are there and see him and Abishai goes let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear and David tells him no and he tells him here no again. So he's being cursed and mocked by Shimei and Abishai will not stand for that.And in his zeal he wants to go kill him. And you know David could have just been like yeah I am so tired of this. I am so sick of this. Go over there and bring me his head. But he does not.Instead, he says, "Let him curse because if God told him to curse, then who are we to question that? And perhaps one day God will look favorably upon it for me." This is David again accepting God's will humbly. He rejects the opportunity to control the outcome by manipulating the circumstances and instead he resigns himself to the will of God. I think that's really hard. And I know some of you feel like you're in the same boat, right?Maybe your mind is three steps ahead of everyone else and you're always trying to engineer the best outcome for yourself, especially if things haven't been going well lately. And so seeing David do this this act of humility is impressive and it's really challenging. We're going to bring our time together with this story to a close today. I want us to look back through some of those themes that we stopped to talk about. You know, we're not kings and queens. We probably will never flee our own homes on foot because of a coup.But a lot of these are reflections of what goes on in people's hearts. And I think some of these things go on in our hearts. First, I want us to reflect on Israel's desire for the king. Their desire to be just like everyone else around them. You know, this was a rejection of God as their king. And we talked about this in 1 Samuel, but now here they are just like everyone else.Because murder and sexual sin and treachery are all just glimpses of what life choosing your own sin and choosing your own will can lead to. And it doesn't ever seem like that. Nobody ever says we want a king and is thinking about a military coup. But yes, sin can take us to the place that we never think we'll go. So where are you tempted to believe these things?Where are you tempted to say that you know better that you desire a king even though that's not what God wants? I mean, I know I'm not supposed to sleep with my boyfriend or girlfriend before we're married, but what's the big deal? I mean, it's just so impractical in this economy anyway to not live together. I mean, I understand that God says I shouldn't lie, but really, honestly, taxes are crazy high, and I don't really believe in them anyway. So, what's a big deal if I count that as a deduction? Where do you think you know better than God?And where will it take you today? Reflect on that and turn from it. You can do it. You can turn from it. You can reject it and obey God, but not in your own willpower. But Romans tells us that we were once slaves to sin, but from a changed heart, we can now obey.You can obey if you have repented of sin and put faith in the gospel because your heart is changed. And only from a changed heart can we obey God. Second, I want us to see the beauty of friendship and the beauty of loyalty. David in one of his darkest hours is surrounded by men who refuse to leave him. So where do we need to be a friend like Ittai the Gittite?Where do we need to say that wherever you will be, I will be, good or bad? Are you sticking it out with your friends? Are you showing it up? Are you showing up when they need you or are you just busy? What do you need to remove from your life so that you can have the space to be there for other people? Some of you have been in rough situations in your life.Some of you are in rough situations and some of you can think of people who have showed up. Some of those people are sitting nearby you in this room. Rejoice in that because guys, you know that's a reflection of God. You know in the book of Hebrews it says that God will never leave us or forsake us. Why? Because he forsook Jesus.And so we are welcomed in a relationship with God that even death cannot sever. And we should reflect that to the friends around us that God has brought in our path. Thirdly, I want us to see David's humble contentment with God's will. We see it in his posture toward the ark of the covenant and in the cursing from Shimei. David accepts whatever God has ordained. And the temptation in times when you're walking a dark road can be to look up at God and say, "No, I am the master of my fate.I am the captain of my soul." And so I ask you today, where are you discontent with what God has sent? work, family, dating, children, health. Remind yourself of his goodness and entrust yourself to him. David ascends the Mount of Olives, weeping, resolved to God's will. And about a thousand years later, a descendant of David will sit at the base of the Mount of Olives in the Garden of Gethsemane. And in grief, he is going to call out to God and say, "Let this cup pass from me."Yet, not as I will, but as you will. And that's Jesus. And that's David's descendant who humbly accepts the will of God and goes to the cross and is punished for sin and he dies and he's buried and he rises again. And because of that, because Jesus has humbly accepted the will of the Father and was crushed, you can humbly accept the will of the Father and live. And the band is going to come back up and we are going to close this morning reflecting on Jesus, on the freedom he brings from our own sinful will and desire, on the relationships that he makes possible for us to have with God and on the example of humble acceptance of the will of God that he showed us on the cross that allows us to accept whatever comes our way.

Audio reading: Numbers 1:21-41, 2 Sam 18:1-19:10, John 20:1-31, Psalm 119:153-176, Prov 16:14-15Join us on an exciting adventure as we walk through the entire bible in one year! This one-year Audio Bible podcast invites you to listen to the Bible daily, spending just 20 minutes a day walking through the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation.  In this episode of our 1 Year Audio bible podcast, we do a deep dive on why it seems there are those who love those who hate them. Why is that? Joab asks this of David:Then Joab came into the house to the king, and said, “Today you have disgraced all your servants who today have saved your life, the lives of your sons and daughters, the lives of your wives and the lives of your concubines, “in that you love your enemies and hate your friends. For you have declared today that you regard neither princes nor servants; for today I perceive that if Absalom had lived and all of us had died today, then it would have pleased you well. 2 Samual 19:5-6Whether you're looking to deepen your relationship with Jesus or stay consistent in your daily listening to Bible devotions, this podcast offers insightful reflections and an engaging walk through the Bible.Connect With Us - Website: Https://Www.Dailyaudiotorah.Com/  Spotify: Https://Open.Spotify.Com/Show/7zuyulxhnkthbgmnxu6q5t Apple Podcasts: Https://Podcasts.Apple.Com/Us/Podcast/1-Year-Audio-Bible-Podcast/Id1562405086YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1YearAudioBiblePodcast  

On this episode of The GAP Joab Gilroy is the last man standing! Count this as yet another Battle Royale Joab has won! The podcast started with 5 members, and now it's just Joab. For those who like the sound of Joab's voice (Joab) this is a dream come true! For everyone else, a nightmare given form. The Games he's been playing this week includes Rocket League, Dota Underlords and Forza Horizon 6. Over in the news Destiny 2 announces its end of updates, Warhorse announces (and then I didn't write anything else fmd), and Rocket League is heading to Unreal Engine 6 because Joaby started playing the game again, and Microsoft pays $250 million to Acti Blizz shareholders. This episode goes for 1 hour and 31 minutes, it also contains coarse language. Timestamps – 00:00:00 – Start 00:09:16 – Rocket League 00:20:19 – Dota Underlords 00:33:03 – Forza Horizon 6 00:57:31 – News 01:08:15 – Weekly Plugs 01:10:59 – End of Show  

In this Bible Story, we witness the short-lived coupe of Absalom. Having just taken over the throne of David, Absalom's army is defeated in battle by David's mighty men and Absalom is killed. This story is inspired by 2 Samuel 17:24-19:8. Go to https://www.BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.Today's Bible verse is 2 Samuel 18:9 from the King James Version.Episode 107: David and his commanders went to gather the army, but Abishai told David that it would be better for the army if he stayed behind and recruited more soldiers. David sent the army off and asked them to deal gently with Absalom for His sake. But during the battle, Absalom got caught in some branches and was killed by David's men. When David heard about his death, he mourned for his son. But his mourning would lead to shame for the entire army and a confrontation from Joab.Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world's greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham.Also, you can download the Pray.com app for more Christian content, including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living.This episode is sponsored by Medi-Share, an innovative health care solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality.Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max BardProducer: Ben GammonHosted by: Pastor Jack GrahamMusic by: Andrew Morgan SmithBible Story narration by: Todd Haberkorn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this Bible Story, Joab convinces David to allow his son Absalom to return from exile. Absalom returns, not as a reformed or changed man, but more bitter than ever. This story is inspired by 2 Samuel 14. Go to https://www.BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.Today's Bible verse is 2 Samuel 14:24 from the King James Version.Episode 105: Joab, seeing David wishing for Absalom's return but unwilling to get him himself, devised a scheme with a woman from Tekoa. The woman came to David as her king and told a sad tale of her two sons. David, realizing Joab's hand in this, called him in and ordered him to bring back Absalom. But because of his ban from seeing his father David, he too began to nurse a hatred for him. Beginning to devising how he would take the throne from himself.Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world's greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham.Also, you can download the Pray.com app for more Christian content, including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living.This episode is sponsored by Medi-Share, an innovative health care solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality.Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max BardProducer: Ben GammonHosted by: Pastor Jack GrahamMusic by: Andrew Morgan SmithBible Story narration by: Todd Haberkorn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Now these are the children of the province that went up out of the captivity, of those which had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away unto Babylon, and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his city;2 Which came with Zerubbabel: Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mizpar, Bigvai, Rehum, Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel:3 The children of Parosh, two thousand an hundred seventy and two.4 The children of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy and two.5 The children of Arah, seven hundred seventy and five.6 The children of Pahathmoab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and twelve.7 The children of Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four.8 The children of Zattu, nine hundred forty and five.9 The children of Zaccai, seven hundred and threescore.10 The children of Bani, six hundred forty and two.11 The children of Bebai, six hundred twenty and three.12 The children of Azgad, a thousand two hundred twenty and two.13 The children of Adonikam, six hundred sixty and six.14 The children of Bigvai, two thousand fifty and six.15 The children of Adin, four hundred fifty and four.16 The children of Ater of Hezekiah, ninety and eight.17 The children of Bezai, three hundred twenty and three.18 The children of Jorah, an hundred and twelve.19 The children of Hashum, two hundred twenty and three.20 The children of Gibbar, ninety and five.21 The children of Bethlehem, an hundred twenty and three.22 The men of Netophah, fifty and six.23 The men of Anathoth, an hundred twenty and eight.24 The children of Azmaveth, forty and two.25 The children of Kirjatharim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty and three.26 The children of Ramah and Gaba, six hundred twenty and one.27 The men of Michmas, an hundred twenty and two.28 The men of Bethel and Ai, two hundred twenty and three.29 The children of Nebo, fifty and two.30 The children of Magbish, an hundred fifty and six.31 The children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four.32 The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty.33 The children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred twenty and five.34 The children of Jericho, three hundred forty and five.35 The children of Senaah, three thousand and six hundred and thirty.36 The priests: the children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred seventy and three.37 The children of Immer, a thousand fifty and two.38 The children of Pashur, a thousand two hundred forty and seven.39 The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen.40 The Levites: the children of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the children of Hodaviah, seventy and four.41 The singers: the children of Asaph, an hundred twenty and eight.42 The children of the porters: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, in all an hundred thirty and nine.43 The Nethinims: the children of Ziha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tabbaoth,44 The children of Keros, the children of Siaha, the children of Padon,45 The children of Lebanah, the children of Hagabah, the children of Akkub,46 The children of Hagab, the children of Shalmai, the children of Hanan,47 The children of Giddel, the children of Gahar, the children of Reaiah,48 The children of Rezin, the children of Nekoda, the children of Gazzam,49 The children of Uzza, the children of Paseah, the children of Besai,50 The children of Asnah, the children of Mehunim, the children of Nephusim,51 The children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur,52 The children of Bazluth, the children of Mehida, the children of Harsha,53 The children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the children of Thamah,54 The children of Neziah, the children of Hatipha.55 The children of Solomon's servants: the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Peruda,56 The children of Jaalah, the children of Darkon, the children of Giddel,57 The children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth of Zebaim, the children of Ami.58 All the Nethinims, and the children of Solomon's servants, were three hundred ninety and two.59 And these were they which went up from Telmelah, Telharsa, Cherub, Addan, and Immer: but they could not shew their father's house, and their seed, whether they were of Israel:60 The children of Delaiah, the children of Tobiah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred fifty and two.61 And of the children of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai; which took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called after their name:62 These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but they were not found: therefore were they, as polluted, put from the priesthood.63 And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and with Thummim.64 The whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore,65 Beside their servants and their maids, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven: and there were among them two hundred singing men and singing women.66 Their horses were seven hundred thirty and six; their mules, two hundred forty and five;67 Their camels, four hundred thirty and five; their asses, six thousand seven hundred and twenty.68 And some of the chief of the fathers, when they came to the house of the Lord which is at Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God to set it up in his place:69 They gave after their ability unto the treasure of the work threescore and one thousand drams of gold, and five thousand pound of silver, and one hundred priests' garments.70 So the priests, and the Levites, and some of the people, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, dwelt in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.

Group Guide Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week. 2 Samuel 14 Spencer Cary Download TranscriptGood morning. What a wonderful morning. Baptisms are a time to truly be thankful that God redeems any of us and that we get to enjoy the benefits of what it means to follow him, belong to him in the context of the church community. What a blessing. We're continuing to walk through 1 and 2 Samuel. We're in 2 Samuel chapter 14 today.We'll spill into chapter 15 as well. We've got quite a bit of story to get through. Let me give us a little bit of a recap from last week. It'll be on page 303 in the Black Bible. So if you're going to grab a Bible nearby, you can follow along with us.Last week, really last week in the next few chapters, we're kind of living in the aftermath of David's sin. What we saw last week is that his son Anon desired his half-sister Tamar, and then he assaulted her. And we saw the devastation of that spill into two years of Tamar's brother waiting for his opportunity to exact revenge, and then we saw Absalom kill Amnon. And we are in the aftermath of that tragic story, and we're going to see more of this continue into a story today that has also elements that are laden with sin. And my hope as we walk through this story today that in the darkness of this really section of 2 Samuel, we would actually discover some really wonderful hope.Some really, really wonderful hope. So let me pray for us, and then we're just going to jump straight into the story. Heavenly Father, we thank you that you, in the middle of sin and brokenness, in the middle of darkness, in the middle of all sorts of suffering, because of the effects of sin, you bring wonderful hope. God, I pray that we would be reminded of that today as we walk through a story that continues in this section that is difficult. And we ask that you would open our eyes to what is true, and that we might leave here as not just hearers of the word, but we would also be doers of the word.We ask this in faith, in Jesus' name. Amen. All right, so pick up in verse 1. Now Joab, the son of Zeruiah, knew that the king's heart went out to Absalom. And Joab sent to Tekoa, and brought from there a wise woman, and said to her, Pretend to be a mourner, and put on mourning garments. Do not anoint yourself with oil, but behave like a woman who has been mourning many days for the dead.Go to the king, and speak thus to him. So Joab put words in her mouth. So Joab sees how much this situation with Absalom has affected David, and he wants to do something about it. Joab is the commander of his army. It's David's nephew. He loves David.And he wants to ease his pain, and he figures out a way to do this, that he's going to do pretty much what Nathan the prophet did, which is to come and act out a story. I don't know why David keeps falling for these, but he does. Like he apparently appreciates theatrics, but he just... Joab sees what happened with Nathan the prophet, and says, I'm going to do the same thing. I'm going to find this wise woman. He goes and sends for a woman from Tekoa, which is not far away from Jerusalem.And then basically says, you're going to be someone who's mourning, who is sad. And then he gives her a script that she's going to go act out before the king to illustrate a point. So this is the script. Verse 4. When the woman of Tekoa came to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and paid homage and said, Save me, O king. Which is a dramatic entry into something that actually would have been very normal for their time.The Israelite kings were meant to be Judges for the people. That you could come and bring your dispute to the king, that he would hear it and give a ruling on it. This is a normal practice. And she says, Save me, O king. Verse 5. And the king said to her, What is your trouble?She answered, Alas, I'm a widow. My husband is dead. And your servant had two sons. And they quarreled with one another in the field. There was no one to separate them. And one struck the other and killed him.And now the whole clan has risen against your servant. And they say, Give up the man who struck his brother that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed. And so they would destroy the air also. Thus they would quench my coal that is left and leave my husband, neither name nor remnant, on the face of the earth. So, that's the script that Joab writes for her. And it is indeed sad.It is a woman who has been widowed. She has two sons. Her sons are in the field. They're fighting, and the other one, one of them kills the other. So it's devastating to lose a son.Now, the remaining son, her clan, is wanting capital punishment. They want him to be put to death. And she's hiding him. And they're demanding this. And she's coming to the king. So that she could be spared more of this grief so that her husband would have a name, have a remnant that's left behind.That's the situation. Then the king said to the woman, Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you. And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, On me be the guilt, my Lord the king, and on my father's house let the king and his throne be guiltless. The king said, If anyone says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall never touch you again. Then she said, Please let the king invoke the Lord your God, that the avenger of blood kill no more, and my son be not destroyed.He said, As the Lord lives, not one hair on your son shall fall to the ground. So she gets David. She reels him in. And she gets him to agree to, invoking the name of the Lord, a protection upon this fake son. So he's going to, no one's going to lay a hand on him.So this is David, y'all. David just so clearly can assess the situation that's outside of himself. He just so clearly sees it. He's like, I'm going to intervene. And she's got him. Verse 12.Then the woman said, Please let your servant speak a word to my Lord the king. He said, Speak. And the woman said, Why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God? For in giving this decision, the king convicts himself inasmuch as the king does not bring his banished one home again. And that's the point of Joab's script. To get David to reckon with the fact that Absalom cannot come back to Jerusalem.She got him. Joab wrote this well. She says, You've convicted yourself. It is you who have made sure that Absalom cannot come home. And then she continues. Verse 14.We must all die. We are like water spilled on the ground which cannot be gathered up again. But God will not take away life and he divides his means so that the banished one will not remain an outcast. Now I've come to say this to my Lord the king because the people have made me afraid and your servant thought, I will speak to the king. It may be that the king will perform this, the request of his servant. For the king will hear and deliver his servant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together from the heritage of God.And your servant thought, The word of my Lord the king will set me at rest for my Lord the king is like the angel of God to discern good and evil. The Lord your God be with you. So she basically says, Listen, we're all like water spilled to the ground. We're all going to die one day. And as for this banished one, Absalom, why punish him any longer? But she ties it back to her story, this script, and says, See, you should bring him home.You have the power, David. You can make this right. Bring him home. And after boldly correcting their king, she very wisely begins with some flattery. She says, The king is like the angel of God that has discerned good and evil, which is very wise at this point because you've just put the king on blast. Maybe you should say some kind words about who he is.Verse 18, And the king answered the woman, Do not hide from me anything I ask you. And the woman said, Let my Lord the king speak. The king said, Is the hand of Joab with you in all this? The woman answered and said, As surely as you live, my Lord the king, one cannot turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my Lord the king has said. It was your servant Joab commanded me. It was he who put all these words in the mouth of your servant.In order to change the course of things, your servant Joab did this. But my Lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God to know all things that are on the earth. Which is just really laying on thick at the end. Which, again, is very smart at this point. Her fate is in his hands. She says, Yes, you figured it out.Joab is the one who gave me this script. He's the one that put the words in my mouth. In order that you might reckon with the situation with Absalom. So at this point, I just, as I'm reading this, I feel like David going forward should probably ask a few more questions before he just jumps into giving judgments. This is the second time this happened. We don't know if this happens over and over again.But David keeps falling into this. And people keep using these type of situations to illustrate points so that David's eyes can be open to his situation. Now Joab seems to be here, present for all of this. And he turns to him in verse 21. Then the king said to Joab, Behold now I grant this.Go, bring back the young man Absalom. And Joab fell on his face to the ground and paid homage and blessed the king. And Joab said, Today your servant knows that I found favor in your sight, my Lord the king, and that the king has granted the request of his servant. So Joab arose and went to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. And the king said, Let him dwell apart in his own house. He is not to come into my presence.So Absalom lived apart in his own house and did not come into the king's presence. So this ruse, it works. Joab sees how much David has been in distress. He illustrates this whole living parable before him. It makes the point. And David says, Okay, bring him home.He can go back to Jerusalem. He can go back to his home. He's not going to come back to my presence. So he goes. He gets him. He brings him back.And what we're going to see is that bringing Absalom back is going to create some real problems for David in this kingdom. So verse 25. Now in all Israel, there was no one such to be praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head, there was no blemish in him. And when he cut the hair of his head, for at the end of every year, he used to cut it. When it was heavy on him, he cut it.He weighed the hair of his head 200 shekels by the king's weight. They were born to Absalom three sons and one daughter whose name was Tamar. She was a beautiful woman. Which that last part, it's just a beautiful nod to his sister, Tamar, who would not have children after everything that happened to her. And he named a daughter after him. But we get a description of Absalom.Absalom was praised by the nation for being a handsome man with beautiful hair. He is good looking. I mean, he is basically Fabio. Or if that reference is lost on you because it's too old, Gaston. Whatever, whatever you can try to picture, it says there's no, there's no blemish on him. He's beautiful.Beautiful. And his hair is beautiful. His hair is so thick, it's so luscious, that every year when he cuts it, he weighs it, which is weird, but he does. He weighs it and it's 200 shekels by the king's weight. Five pounds is about what that is. So he's a beautiful person, beautiful man.He's handsome. It's not just handsome, he's overwhelmingly handsome. He's the kind of handsome that when you show up in Hollywood with no discernible talent to act, they just hand you a role. And you know it when you see it. He's very handsome, which means, if you understand, take a step back and understand the context of Absalom. This man was born on third base, y'all.He's a prince, which means he has status and he has money and he's famously handsome. So, he's extremely blessed. And the question is, okay, with all of this blessing, what is he going to do with it? And what you see is he chooses evil. And that is where all this story is going. Verse 28.So Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem without coming into the king's presence. Then Absalom sent for Joab to send him to the king, but Joab would not come to him. And he sent a second time, but Joab would not come. Okay. So Joab, one would think, you know what?You got away with murder. Maybe just live in luxury in your home in Jerusalem. Is that enough? No. He goes to Joab, he sends for Joab and says, I want, I want a present, I want a moment with the king. And Joab ignores him.And then he sends a second time. And he says, I want to be in the king's presence. And Joab ignores all of this. Now, it does not appear from the context here that what Absalom wants is reconciliation with dear old dad. What we're going to see is that all of this is politically motivated. So he sends for Joab, he gets rejected, he gets ignored.And then we're going to see what kind of character is bound up in Absalom. Verse 30, then he said to his servants, see, Joab's field is next to mine and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire. So Absalom's servants set the field on fire. Have you ever been in a situation where like you've you've reached out to your boss and you've asked for a raise but they just put. The meeting off and then you reach out again to ask for a raise and then he just put the meeting off and then you set his desk on fire.That's Absalom. He's the crazy ex who keys the car. I'm going to I'm going to get your attention somehow. Burn his field down. So he does.He has a tantrum. He burns the field. And guess what? When you use emotional sabotage, it sometimes works. And he comes. Verse 31, then Joab arose and went to Absalom at his at his house and said to him, Why have your servants set my field on fire?Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent word to you. Come here that I may send you to the king to ask why have I come from Gesher. It would be better for me to still be for it would be better for me to still be to be there still. Now, therefore, let me go into the presence of the king and if there is guilt in me, let him put me to death. So it works.And Joab shows up and he's like, Crazy, what are you doing? What is the point of all of this? And he says, You didn't come. I have a message for the king. It would be better for me not to be in this house. I might as well be in exile in Gesher.But no, I want to be in his presence. And you know what? Send for him. Let me go. Because if he wants to kill me, he can kill me. But I'm getting my audience with the king.So his temper tantrum works. Absalom goes. Verse 33. And Joab went to the king and told him and he summoned Absalom. So he came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king and the king.Kissed Absalom. In the end of 14, before you get into 15, kind of feels like the eye of the hurricane. Because there's a moment where the sun is shining and things are, okay,. They've reconciled. He kisses them. He embraces them.That maybe this is the moment where things just get good again. That maybe, like, it's just, they're going to have, you know, moments together out in the field. Hunting and it's going to be wonderful. Maybe, just maybe, things are good but it's, it's the eye of the hurricane. And as the sun passes, the storm quickly approaches. And in verse 1 of chapter 15, we're going to see that what he is shooting for is a play for power.After this, Absalom got himself a chariot and horses and 50 men to run before him. So, pause there. The more you read the Old Testament, the more you'll pick up on some themes. One of those themes is that trusting in chariots and horses is bad. That using chariots and horses to flex your might, your power, and your greatness is a bad idea. This is what Egypt did.This is what the surrounding nations did. It doesn't mean they couldn't ever have chariots. It doesn't mean they couldn't ever have horses. It doesn't mean that those are in and of themselves bad but those are military weapons that the people of God are not meant to trust in because they are meant. To trust in the power of God but you positioning yourself on a chariot for all to see as we're going to see this is all a play. For power and majesty for himself.So, as soon as we read that there's some context there I think the eye has passed and there's trouble abroon. So, he basically outfits himself with a tank, a rocket launcher and a crew of 50 men and then we're going to see. How he positions himself amongst the people. Verse 2 Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way of the gate and when any man had a dispute to come before the king. For judgment Absalom would call to him and say from what city are you? And when he said your servant is of such and such tribe in Israel Absalom would say to him see.Your claims are good and right but there is no man designated by the king to hear you then Absalom. Would say oh that I were judge in the land that every man with a dispute or cause might come to me. And I would give him justice and whenever a man came near to pay homage to him he would put out. His hand and take hold of him and kiss him thus Absalom did to all Israel who came to the king. For judgment so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel and it's clear at this point that what Absalom. Is doing is he's positioning himself for a place on the throne because the king is the one who makes judgments.Like this this is the king's responsibility and Absalom seems to be getting in the middle of that and he seems to be. Taking what the king does and he says oh where are you from what's your problem oh oh no oh I'll give you justice. Oh I just wouldn't it be great if you had a king that listened to you wouldn't it be great if you had someone who could make. Good judgments for you and you could all receive judgments oh if there was just someone I guess I'll be the one. That does this and you can almost see him in his chariot in his stupid chariot with his wind blowing through his hair. Riding up to the gate posting up the people swarming him and he's just like oh I can help you and the people begin they.Listen this is what the people do they fall for cheap tricks every nation doesn't matter what nation what era what time. People fall for cheap tricks they just do and this is something that is working with every judgment with every hair toss. With every swooning kiss that he gives to the people he starts to capture their hearts and y'all he's lying. I mean you think about this he's lying this is we we just saw that David does give judgments. He met with a woman from Tekoa but Absalom's in the shadows he's he's politically maneuvering. He's out now in front of the people he's doing things that are shady they're falling for fool's gold they're falling.For a man who murdered his brother without one ounce of regret one ounce of repentance. One ounce of sorrow we see none of it they're falling for a man who burns down fields. To get people's attention they're falling for a guy who positions himself on chariots. To show his power they're falling for a guy who this is the really evil part of this. That's lost on us culturally he's dishonoring his father y'all which is a massive sin in the bible. He's dishonoring him not just his father but the anointed king of Israel and if you can remember how in first Samuel.How David the future king of Israel went about treating Saul the present anointed king. Of Israel and all the deference that he gave towards him you can see the difference. That approaches this is wickedness this is evil and he's positioning himself for a shot at the throne with every million. Dollar style with every wink with every nod with every judgment and now the storm is raging and a civil war. Is brewing verse 7 and at the end of four years Absalom said to the king please let me go. And pay my vow which I have vowed to the Lord in Hebron for your servant vowed a vow while I lived.At Geshur in Aram saying if the Lord will indeed bring me back to Jerusalem. Then I will offer worship to the Lord the king said to him go in peace so he arose and went to Hebron. So David led him out of his sight which is not really the main point of the story I get so annoyed. With David sometimes when I'm reading this because I'm just like what are you doing how are you not. Seeing what's happening here how are you not in attention to your kingdom and not seeing what he's doing. But he does that's him out of his sight verse 10 but Absalom sent secret messengers throughout all the tribes of Israel.Saying as soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet then say Absalom is king at Hebron with Absalom went 200 men. From Jerusalem who were invited guests and they went and their innocence and knew nothing and while Absalom was offering. The sacrifices he sent for Ahithophel the Gilanite David's counselor from his city Gilom. And the conspiracy grew strong and the people with Absalom kept increasing so that's where we pause today. Is that what he has done is he's taken he's enacted a plot to take the throne by force from his father and God's anointed king. And he's going to Hebron with some supporters with some bystanders who don't know what's going on and with a plan.And a conspiracy that we're going to see play out so to recap let's think about this story in context. Absalom is born with everything he's born on third base he has good looks he is a prince. He literally gets away with murder he gets away with it and then is restored he's allowed. To be back in Jerusalem where he gets to continue to live in royalty he should just. Be content he should just be satisfied and what does he do with all this blessing it's not enough it's not enough. For him he wants more he wants a throne that is not his to take he starts to dishonor.His father he lies he plots he schemes and he plans to take his throne which by the way. The only way you take the throne from a sitting king is by killing the king so this plan is moving towards. He wants to kill his father and that means what we're seeing is a story that plays out like a tragedy. And built into this tragic story is a self-centered prince who wants to be his own king and we're going to witness. Absalom do some truly evil stuff he has all the blessings and in the end he chooses himself. He chooses self-interest even if it tears the nation apart which it is.And the reality is if we can have enough foresight to take a step back from all of this we are just like Absalom. We are just like Absalom we in this room are born on third base just like Absalom. And you might say oh you don't know I'm ugly and it's like maybe that's subjective. It's not the point not the point of the comparison I'm trying to make we're just like Absalom. And that we have so many blessings that we've been given so many luxuries y'all. We live better than the kings of old the people of royalty from ages.Past we live better than them we have food that we can. Summon we have an abundance of food we have food that goes. Bad we don't know what a famine is like here in our. Nation that even if you're struggling there are places you can go. To get it we have food we have running water. That is clean we have our own chariots that never grow tired.You can get in a car and you can drive people used to have to. Walk for miles and miles and miles or ride a horse for miles. And miles and miles and it would take days and days and you. Could do it in a matter of hours if you go through the list of all the. Things that we have in fact that you have a machine in your. Pocket that is one of the most powerful machines that's ever been made.With that machine you can summon food to be delivered. Groceries to be delivered a car we have blessing upon blessing. Upon blessing the things that we think are just common needs. It's like no it's comparatively we are blessed. In more ways than we could possibly and on top of. The material blessings of this present world in this place.In this area the Columbia area we have access to spiritual. Blessings that are wonderful y'all I can take a rock. And throw it and get close I can throw it a couple. Times and get close to a church down the street where they're. Preaching the gospel right now where Chet Andrews at State Street is preaching. And that's keep driving and you're going to see on a hall.Avenue where Dow is preaching it's like. We have people that are preaching the gospel in this city you have. Access to Christian community in this city you have community. Groups and small groups and maybe we are blessed beyond. We have access to the word of God that you can read it in front. Of you right now you can pull it up on your phone you probably.Have maybe some of you have it in your car you have. It at your house we have every spiritual blessing some of. Us who belong to Jesus Christ who are Christians we have. Access to our creator y'all that he has we can. Pray to him and he listens that we have no middle. Man other than Jesus Christ it's wonderful access.To our triune God we're not born on third base. We're born rounding third base on our way. To home we are so wonderfully blessed and like Absalom. It's not enough we want more money we want more power we want. More success we want more praise we want more and better friends. We want better looks we want a better life it's never.Enough it's never enough we want more and then we'll do. Actions that are similar to Absalom many of us know how to politically. Maneuver you know how to at the workplace position yourself to compete for a job. Like it's a throne that you're fighting for your life for you know how. To position yourself ahead of another co-worker you know how to make. Business deals work the way that you come out on top we know how to.Play the game at the workplace we know how to play the. Game in our social spheres some of us know how to maneuver. And put ourselves and say I really want to be closer with this person. But I need to get in between this person and this person I need. To make this friendship work better and it's like all. That political maneuvering reveals the same heart it's not enough it's never.Enough and we'll do some of the same things behind the scenes. To get what we want for our own good we'll. Act just like Absalom we can be erratic we can throw temper. Tantrums we can act like petulant children we know how to. Yell in an argument to get what we want some of. Us know how to break things to get what we want.And you might say I would never I am cool calm. And collected I would never yell to get what I want. But you might know how to give a cold shoulder you might. Know how to be passive aggressive we know how to. Do this we know how to act in order to get what we. Want for our own interest we do things just like.Absalom we fortify our lives just like he did with he did. It with a horse and a chariot and a squad of 50 people because he. Wanted to trust in his own strength as opposed to in all. Of this trusting and the strength of God as opposed to trusting. That what God wants and what God desires for this kingdom is what. Is good he doesn't it's not enough but he trusts in his own self.And we do the same thing we'll find ways to trust in our own. Selves we'll do it through a savings account we'll do it through. Work ethic and working endless hours one of the ways that shows. Up in my life is just prayerlessness this idea that I can work. And work and strive and do and do and do and do and do. And not run to the Lord and I've just seen over and over again.That the prayerlessness in my own life is symptomatic of a greater problem. That I trust in my own strength and not the Lord but we. Have the same streak that runs through Absalom that's in us this self. Centeredness and wanting more and not being content content we're just. Like Absalom and yet in so many ways we're blind to it we can't. See it so if that is reality and I'd argue that for the majority of us if not all of us.In some form or fashion it is then where's the hope if that's the problem then what's the. Remedy like what what do we actually how do we not live. Like this Absalom type lives I want us to go to Philippians chapter. 2 It's on page 1135 1135 in the black bibles because. Bound up in this wicked story that we've read that we're going to. Continue to see play out and that's the backdrop of the darkness of our own lives.And the ways that it aligns with this story is some incredible hope. This is Paul writing to the church to Philippi addressing this directly. He says in verse 3 chapter 2 do nothing from selfish. Ambition or conceit but in humility count others more significant than. Yourselves which I read that and the times where I have the clarity. To see that Absalom prideful self-interested streak in me.I'm like okay I'm in you've got me do nothing. From selfish ambition or conceit but in humility count others more significant. Than yourselves I'm in how I want that then verse 4. Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also. To the interest of others that's like okay again you've. Got me I'm in I don't want to look to my own interest.Only I want to be a man that lives for the interest. Of others I'm in but how do I get there verse 5 have this. Mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus who though. He was in the form of God did not count equality. With God a thing to be grasped but emptied himself by taking. The form of a servant being born in the likeness of men and being found.In human form he humbled himself by being obedient to the. Point of death even death on a cross and the. Remedy for self centered souls and the way to fix. Our prideful beset sin in our lives is through. Jesus Christ it is by trusting and a God who left. The glory of heaven to take on human flesh and dwell among us.Who subjected himself to be murdered by his own creation for our own interest. That we might not be sprinting into an eternity of destruction. Under the wrath of God forever but he might bring us from. Darkness into a kingdom of light by choosing to surrender in the same. Way that Stephen declared in the baptism waters today. That the only hope we have for the self centered and self.Interested soul is through the work of Jesus Christ entrusting. In him and not ourselves and then every day in following Christ. Day by day we continue to come back to the hope of the. Gospel of a God who loved us so much that he. Gave himself for us that he might mold us. And conform us into his image into being people that are.Not so interested in our own lives but live for the. Sake of others hope is Jesus Christ that's the only. Means that we get there it is through faith and daily. Repentance of dying to our own selves and doing it every. Single day as we grow to be more like Christ. So when we read stories like this it's a warning and what.We're going to see is absolutely just absolutely wrecked his own. Life and so many people the pain and the. Fallout of his sin is massive and it's a warning. Of what it means when we trust in ourselves and we care about. Our own lives and thank you God that he's given us stories like. This to remind us not only the seriousness of sin but the wonderful.Gift of a savior and as we get ready to sing one final song in worship. My hope is that we would begin to reckon with our own sin and then. Run to Jesus Christ asking him to both reveal our self-interest to feel our. Pride reveal all the self-centeredness within us but also celebrate that he. Came and that he died and that he gave his life so that I. Wouldn't be a slave to myself and worshiping my own self but I might live.To worship in Christ and the fruit of that would show up in so many other. Ways so we'll get the opportunity to do that in worship here in a moment. We'll have the opportunity in groups to do that this week as we get to live. This out and this is a care week where we get to maybe confess. Our own sin and our own self-interest and we pray that. God would stir that work in us and then we'll worship and sing heavenly father I pray.That you might open our eyes to the reality of our own. Absalom like sin within God I just I so. Need you I so feel it myself this concern for self. This lack of contentment that it's never enough and I think there's others like. Me here that need you that desperately need you to go to. Work and may we trust in you and you alone and not.Ourselves and may you regularly graciously confront our sin and remind. Us beautifully of our savior you and may that change. The way we live our lives in Jesus name amen the band's. Going to come up we're going to sing this final song together and as we. Sing and celebrate and make much of Jesus Christ for what he has done for us. My hope is that this wouldn't just be things that we hear but we.Would actually begin to put into practice in our lives and as we leave here. Begin to take practical steps in running towards Jesus and watching him change. Us to be a people that live not to ourselves but for the sake of others.

In this Bible Story, David remains home from battle to rest. While his men fight on the front lines of the Ammonites, he eventually grows complacent, and sleeps with the wife of one of his mighty men, Uriah. She becomes pregnant, and David sends Uriah to the front lines to be killed to cover up his sins. This story is inspired by 2 Samuel 11. Go to https://www.BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.Today's Bible verse is 2 Samuel 11:2 from the King James Version.Episode 102: It was spring, the time when most kings go to war, but David feeling content and desiring some rest sent Joab in his stead. However, this choice would prove fatal. In his ease, David looked out and saw something he should not have, and gave into desire for another man's wife. This sin would not only taint his kingdom, it would also lead to the death of one of his closest friends as well as their child as a result.Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world's greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham.Also, you can download the Pray.com app for more Christian content, including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living.This episode is sponsored by Medi-Share, an innovative health care solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality.Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max BardProducer: Ben GammonHosted by: Pastor Jack GrahamMusic by: Andrew Morgan SmithBible Story narration by: Todd Haberkorn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this Bible Story, we learn about David's alliance with Abner that is quickly thwarted by his general Joab. Meanwhile, three men murder King Ish-bosheth in order to please David. David was not pleased, so he executed the men where they stand. This story is inspired by 2 Samuel 3-5:4 & 1 Chronicles 11:1-3. Go to https://www.BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.Today's Bible verse is 2 Samuel 3:22 from the King James Version.Episode 97: Ish-Bosheth remained in conflict over Judah for two years, and though David was patient and tactful, he was ruthless on the battlefield. Abner and Ish-Bosheth became friends, but so did he and Rizpah, one of Saul's concubines. When Ish-Bosheth heard of this he berated Abner and Abner in wrath swore that he would give the kingdom of Israel to David for this. However, as Abner was leaving, Joab whose brother he had killed, murdered him in secret. Thus setting up the chaotic opening of the united Israel.Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world's greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham.Also, you can download the Pray.com app for more Christian content, including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living.This episode is sponsored by Medi-Share, an innovative health care solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality.Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max BardProducer: Ben GammonHosted by: Pastor Jack GrahamMusic by: Andrew Morgan SmithBible Story narration by: Todd Haberkorn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this Bible Story, we witness the divided kingdom of Israel. Israel names Ish-bosheth king, while Judah crowns David. Abner, general of Israel's army, killed Joab's brother. Joab spares Israel's army, however it is not the end of the conflict. This story is inspired by 2 Samuel 2 & 1 Chronicles 2:16, 12:22. Go to https://www.BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.Today's Bible verse is 2 Samuel 2:17 from the King James Version.Episode 96: Israel, now in a state of chaos, needed a new king. But a civil split was between them and as Judah welcomed David's return and made him king in Hebron, Abner made Saul's son Ish-Bosheth king over the remaining tribes of Israel. In an attempt to take Judah, he also made war against Joab, the nephew of David and commander of his army. But he was outmatched. And though he killed one of Joab's brothers, Joab still gave his army mercy when he called off the battle.Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world's greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham.Also, you can download the Pray.com app for more Christian content, including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living.This episode is sponsored by Medi-Share, an innovative health care solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality.Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max BardProducer: Ben GammonHosted by: Pastor Jack GrahamMusic by: Andrew Morgan SmithBible Story narration by: Todd Haberkorn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

6:18 - Why did Joab kill Absalom? / 14:37 - Phillippians 4:13, what can we do with God? / 22:50 - Revelation 16:15, Is this passage taking place before the tribulation? / 33:41 - Is the rapture related to aliens? / 43:42 - I see things, how can I know if it's spiritual warfare? / 50:40 - How should Christians work through child custody matters?

Ezra 8:1-23 New International Version List of the Family Heads Returning With Ezra 8 These are the family heads and those registered with them who came up with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes: 2 of the descendants of Phinehas, Gershom; of the descendants of Ithamar, Daniel; of the descendants of David, Hattush 3 of the descendants of Shekaniah; of the descendants of Parosh, Zechariah, and with him were registered 150 men; 4 of the descendants of Pahath-Moab, Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah, and with him 200 men; 5 of the descendants of Zattu,[a] Shekaniah son of Jahaziel, and with him 300 men; 6 of the descendants of Adin, Ebed son of Jonathan, and with him 50 men; 7 of the descendants of Elam, Jeshaiah son of Athaliah, and with him 70 men; 8 of the descendants of Shephatiah, Zebadiah son of Michael, and with him 80 men; 9 of the descendants of Joab, Obadiah son of Jehiel, and with him 218 men; 10 of the descendants of Bani,[b] Shelomith son of Josiphiah, and with him 160 men; 11 of the descendants of Bebai, Zechariah son of Bebai, and with him 28 men; 12 of the descendants of Azgad, Johanan son of Hakkatan, and with him 110 men; 13 of the descendants of Adonikam, the last ones, whose names were Eliphelet, Jeuel and Shemaiah, and with them 60 men; 14 of the descendants of Bigvai, Uthai and Zakkur, and with them 70 men. The Return to Jerusalem 15 I assembled them at the canal that flows toward Ahava, and we camped there three days. When I checked among the people and the priests, I found no Levites there. 16 So I summoned Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah and Meshullam, who were leaders, and Joiarib and Elnathan, who were men of learning, 17 and I ordered them to go to Iddo, the leader in Kasiphia. I told them what to say to Iddo and his fellow Levites, the temple servants in Kasiphia, so that they might bring attendants to us for the house of our God. 18 Because the gracious hand of our God was on us, they brought us Sherebiah, a capable man, from the descendants of Mahli son of Levi, the son of Israel, and Sherebiah’s sons and brothers, 18 in all; 19 and Hashabiah, together with Jeshaiah from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and nephews, 20 in all. 20 They also brought 220 of the temple servants—a body that David and the officials had established to assist the Levites. All were registered by name. 21 There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. 22 I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him.” 23 So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of The GAP Luke Lawrie and Joab Gilroy talk about Joab's new collection of side mirrors. The Games they've been playing this week include Saros, Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred, Blindfire, Vampire Crawlers, TerraTech Legion, Shapez 2, and Slay the Spire 2. Over in the news the Steam Controller briefly returns before selling out immediately, GreedFall developer Spiders enters liquidation, and Star Fox 64 returns again for Switch 2. This episode goes for 1 hour and 30 minutes, it also contains coarse language. Timestamps – 00:00:00 – Start 00:13:56 – Slay the Spire 2 00:16:54 – Shapez 2 00:24:28 – TerraTech Legion 00:34:22 – Vampire Crawlers 00:40:40 – Blindfire 00:44:56 – Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred 00:53:54 – Saros 01:18:20 – News 01:25:02 – Weekly Plugs 01:26:34 – End of Show Subscribe in a reader iTunes / Spotify

David and Bathsheba 11 In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. 2 It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the […]

In today's readings, we hear about the death of Abner, and Fr. Mike points out how David publicly mourns Abner, and instructs his people to do the same. The readings are 2 Samuel 3, 1 Chronicles 3-4, and Psalm 25. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Fr. Mike talks about how revenge and violence can become a cycle that doesn't end until someone chooses to end it. He also points out how the genealogy in 1 Chronicles reflects the genealogy of Christ.The reading for today are 2 Samuel 2, 1 Chronicles 2, and Psalm 24. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

What do you do when you know the right leadership decision—but you have no idea how it will turn out? In Episode #687, When "Perhaps the Lord" Is Enough: Leading with Faith in Uncertain Outcomes, we explore one of the most defining tensions in Christian leadership: acting without certainty. This episode centers on a powerful moment from 1 Samuel 14, where Jonathan steps forward against overwhelming odds with a simple but profound statement: "Perhaps the Lord will act on our behalf." It wasn't a guarantee. It wasn't certainty. It was faith rooted in who God is. And that is often how God leads. As leaders, we naturally want clarity before action. We prefer assurance before risk. But Scripture consistently shows that faith operates differently—it calls us to move forward based on God's character, not predictable outcomes. Alongside Jonathan's example, we look at other biblical leaders who embraced this tension: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego trusted God—even without a promised rescue. Esther acted courageously, accepting the cost of obedience. Joab led with strength while surrendering the outcome to God. David stepped forward based on God's past faithfulness, not guaranteed results. Each of these leaders demonstrates a critical truth: faith is not about controlling outcomes—it is about trusting God enough to act. This episode also addresses a common leadership danger—waiting for certainty that never comes. Many leaders delay decisions, avoid difficult conversations, or hesitate at critical moments because they want clearer outcomes. But hesitation often costs more than risk. You'll gain practical guidance for navigating these moments, including how to anchor yourself in God's character, clarify the next right step, act even when the path is incomplete, and release the outcome to Him. If you're facing a decision that feels uncertain, costly, or risky, this episode will encourage you to move forward—not because you know what will happen, but because you trust the One who does. Because sometimes, "perhaps the Lord" is not a lack of faith—it's the clearest expression of it.

Now the children of Israel after their number, to wit, the chief fathers and captains of thousands and hundreds, and their officers that served the king in any matter of the courses, which came in and went out month by month throughout all the months of the year, of every course were twenty and four thousand.2 Over the first course for the first month was Jashobeam the son of Zabdiel: and in his course were twenty and four thousand.3 Of the children of Perez was the chief of all the captains of the host for the first month.4 And over the course of the second month was Dodai an Ahohite, and of his course was Mikloth also the ruler: in his course likewise were twenty and four thousand.5 The third captain of the host for the third month was Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, a chief priest: and in his course were twenty and four thousand.6 This is that Benaiah, who was mighty among the thirty, and above the thirty: and in his course was Ammizabad his son.7 The fourth captain for the fourth month was Asahel the brother of Joab, and Zebadiah his son after him: and in his course were twenty and four thousand.8 The fifth captain for the fifth month was Shamhuth the Izrahite: and in his course were twenty and four thousand.9 The sixth captain for the sixth month was Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite: and in his course were twenty and four thousand.10 The seventh captain for the seventh month was Helez the Pelonite, of the children of Ephraim: and in his course were twenty and four thousand.11 The eighth captain for the eighth month was Sibbecai the Hushathite, of the Zarhites: and in his course were twenty and four thousand.12 The ninth captain for the ninth month was Abiezer the Anetothite, of the Benjamites: and in his course were twenty and four thousand.13 The tenth captain for the tenth month was Maharai the Netophathite, of the Zarhites: and in his course were twenty and four thousand.14 The eleventh captain for the eleventh month was Benaiah the Pirathonite, of the children of Ephraim: and in his course were twenty and four thousand.15 The twelfth captain for the twelfth month was Heldai the Netophathite, of Othniel: and in his course were twenty and four thousand.16 Furthermore over the tribes of Israel: the ruler of the Reubenites was Eliezer the son of Zichri: of the Simeonites, Shephatiah the son of Maachah:17 Of the Levites, Hashabiah the son of Kemuel: of the Aaronites, Zadok:18 Of Judah, Elihu, one of the brethren of David: of Issachar, Omri the son of Michael:19 Of Zebulun, Ishmaiah the son of Obadiah: of Naphtali, Jerimoth the son of Azriel:20 Of the children of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Azaziah: of the half tribe of Manasseh, Joel the son of Pedaiah:21 Of the half tribe of Manasseh in Gilead, Iddo the son of Zechariah: of Benjamin, Jaasiel the son of Abner:22 Of Dan, Azareel the son of Jeroham. These were the princes of the tribes of Israel.23 But David took not the number of them from twenty years old and under: because the Lord had said he would increase Israel like to the stars of the heavens.24 Joab the son of Zeruiah began to number, but he finished not, because there fell wrath for it against Israel; neither was the number put in the account of the chronicles of king David.25 And over the king's treasures was Azmaveth the son of Adiel: and over the storehouses in the fields, in the cities, and in the villages, and in the castles, was Jehonathan the son of Uzziah:26 And over them that did the work of the field for tillage of the ground was Ezri the son of Chelub:27 And over the vineyards was Shimei the Ramathite: over the increase of the vineyards for the wine cellars was Zabdi the Shiphmite:28 And over the olive trees and the sycomore trees that were in the low plains was Baalhanan the Gederite: and over the cellars of oil was Joash:29 And over the herds that fed in Sharon was Shitrai the Sharonite: and over the herds that were in the valleys was Shaphat the son of Adlai:30 Over the camels also was Obil the Ishmaelite: and over the asses was Jehdeiah the Meronothite:31 And over the flocks was Jaziz the Hagerite. All these were the rulers of the substance which was king David's.32 Also Jonathan David's uncle was a counsellor, a wise man, and a scribe: and Jehiel the son of Hachmoni was with the king's sons:33 And Ahithophel was the king's counsellor: and Hushai the Archite was the king's companion:34 And after Ahithophel was Jehoiada the son of Benaiah, and Abiathar: and the general of the king's army was Joab.

Toward the end of his life David decided to number the men in his kingdom. Joab thought that was a bad idea but was overruled. God was displeased with David's hubris and sent a plague upon Israel. This incident lead to the purchase of a threshing floor that would become the site of the Temple.

Concerning the divisions of the porters: Of the Korhites was Meshelemiah the son of Kore, of the sons of Asaph.2 And the sons of Meshelemiah were, Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth,3 Elam the fifth, Jehohanan the sixth, Elioenai the seventh.4 Moreover the sons of Obededom were, Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, and Sacar the fourth, and Nethaneel the fifth.5 Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, Peulthai the eighth: for God blessed him.6 Also unto Shemaiah his son were sons born, that ruled throughout the house of their father: for they were mighty men of valour.7 The sons of Shemaiah; Othni, and Rephael, and Obed, Elzabad, whose brethren were strong men, Elihu, and Semachiah.8 All these of the sons of Obededom: they and their sons and their brethren, able men for strength for the service, were threescore and two of Obededom.9 And Meshelemiah had sons and brethren, strong men, eighteen.10 Also Hosah, of the children of Merari, had sons; Simri the chief, (for though he was not the firstborn, yet his father made him the chief;)11 Hilkiah the second, Tebaliah the third, Zechariah the fourth: all the sons and brethren of Hosah were thirteen.12 Among these were the divisions of the porters, even among the chief men, having wards one against another, to minister in the house of the Lord.13 And they cast lots, as well the small as the great, according to the house of their fathers, for every gate.14 And the lot eastward fell to Shelemiah. Then for Zechariah his son, a wise counsellor, they cast lots; and his lot came out northward.15 To Obededom southward; and to his sons the house of Asuppim.16 To Shuppim and Hosah the lot came forth westward, with the gate Shallecheth, by the causeway of the going up, ward against ward.17 Eastward were six Levites, northward four a day, southward four a day, and toward Asuppim two and two.18 At Parbar westward, four at the causeway, and two at Parbar.19 These are the divisions of the porters among the sons of Kore, and among the sons of Merari.20 And of the Levites, Ahijah was over the treasures of the house of God, and over the treasures of the dedicated things.21 As concerning the sons of Laadan; the sons of the Gershonite Laadan, chief fathers, even of Laadan the Gershonite, were Jehieli.22 The sons of Jehieli; Zetham, and Joel his brother, which were over the treasures of the house of the Lord.23 Of the Amramites, and the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites:24 And Shebuel the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, was ruler of the treasures.25 And his brethren by Eliezer; Rehabiah his son, and Jeshaiah his son, and Joram his son, and Zichri his son, and Shelomith his son.26 Which Shelomith and his brethren were over all the treasures of the dedicated things, which David the king, and the chief fathers, the captains over thousands and hundreds, and the captains of the host, had dedicated.27 Out of the spoils won in battles did they dedicate to maintain the house of the Lord.28 And all that Samuel the seer, and Saul the son of Kish, and Abner the son of Ner, and Joab the son of Zeruiah, had dedicated; and whosoever had dedicated any thing, it was under the hand of Shelomith, and of his brethren.29 Of the Izharites, Chenaniah and his sons were for the outward business over Israel, for officers and judges.30 And of the Hebronites, Hashabiah and his brethren, men of valour, a thousand and seven hundred, were officers among them of Israel on this side Jordan westward in all the business of the Lord, and in the service of the king.31 Among the Hebronites was Jerijah the chief, even among the Hebronites, according to the generations of his fathers. In the fortieth year of the reign of David they were sought for, and there were found among them mighty men of valour at Jazer of Gilead.32 And his brethren, men of valour, were two thousand and seven hundred chief fathers, whom king David made rulers over the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, for every matter pertaining to God, and affairs of the king.

Proverbs 4:20-23 – Keeping Your Heart Focus on Proverbs 4:20-23. Verse 20: “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.” Verse 23: “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” The Enemy’s Attack The enemy is after every heart, saved or lost. Yielding to the enemy leads to destruction of oneself and family. The enemy will tear down everything you love and leave you with nothing. Personal Responsibility There is a responsibility to keep our heart. Not keeping oneself, but guarding the heart from the enemy’s attacks. Need help from the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, and the church. This does not relieve the personal responsibility to pray and keep your heart according to the Word of God. Letting your guard down allows the enemy to ruin your testimony and steal your joy and peace. Importance of Heeding God’s Word Pay attention to God’s word to avoid a high price from the enemy. Focus on and remind yourself of the adversary. The adversary seeks to devour and can tear up your home, family, and work. This happens when we open our heart and don’t keep it with all diligence. Personal Responsibility and Holiness Importance of personal responsibility in serving God, walking right, and living right. God has called everyone to righteousness and holiness. The only way to please God is to do what He says. The Heart as the Source of Issues Every issue comes from the heart. Mark 7:21-23: Out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile the man. The heart is capable of both good and evil. Luke 6:45: A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil things. The heart needs attention and care. People are often more careful about their flesh and mind than their heart. When something not of God is in your heart, it will manifest one day. The Example of David David’s failure as an example of not guarding the heart. David saw Bathsheba and lusted after her because his heart had not been guarded. He should have been with his men in battle, but he was idle in the king’s castle. If you’re going to guard your heart, you better be where you’re supposed to be. If you’re in a place you ain’t supposed to be, you need to get out of there. David didn’t wake up wanting to commit adultery, but he didn’t keep his heart. If he had kept his heart, he would have been with his people and not in a position where the enemy could tilt his heart. The suffering David endured after his sin wasn’t worth it. If your heart is leaning toward something, make sure you’re keeping it with all diligence. Introspectively look and see where you’re at with God. Every evil thing starts in the heart. Giving attention to the flesh leads to being in a mess like David. It took a year for David’s heart to get right with God after Nathan’s message. David’s actions after getting Bathsheba pregnant. Calling on Joab to send Uriah home. Writing a letter for Uriah to carry, which was his death warrant. David thought he had fooled God, but Nathan revealed his sin. God spared David’s life but took the life of the child. The sword would never depart from David’s house. David recognized the problem started in his heart. Psalms 51:10: “Create within me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” He fell to the snare of the enemy because something was hidden and neglected in his heart. God restored David, but it cost him his son’s life and Uriah’s life. David showed up at the temple, but still fell. Diligence and Focus on the Heart Keep your heart with all diligence. Diligence means being focused and having all your attention pointing to it. Focusing on the flesh will lead to a road that will cost you dearly. Prayer is essential for keeping your heart. Commitment to prayer, getting serious with God, and opening yourself before Him. Let the Holy Spirit look in you. David asked God to search him and see if there was any wicked way in him. If you’re not praying, you’re leaving the door wide open for the devil. God helps every time you pray, either strengthening you, blessing you, or giving you what you need. Make time for prayer. You don’t have time not to pray. Our ancestors had a commitment to prayer. The Word of God is full of truth and stands against the lies of the world. Hide the Word in your heart that you might not sin against God. Give attention to the Word of God. The Word of God shines into our heart. Need to get focused on our heart and honest before God. Ask God to cleanse and purge your heart. The Word of God, prayer, and the Holy Spirit of God work together to fortify, restore, protect, and keep your heart. Three Key Actions for the Heart Love God with all your heart (Deuteronomy 6). Love Him more than the world, your husband, your wife, or your children. Seek God with all your heart (Psalm 119:2). Blessed is the man that keepeth his commandments, and seeketh the Lord with all of his heart. Trust in the Lord with all your heart (Proverbs 3). Loving, seeking, and trusting God with all your heart provides help. Consequences of Neglecting the Heart If they had kept their focus on their heart, they wouldn’t have failed. David would have gone back and done things differently if he could. He would have gotten out of the castle and back to where he was supposed to be. Need help to protect our heart from the world, its wickedness, deception, and lies. There is too much at stake to fall. Issues of life, good or bad, come from the heart. Romans 10:10: With the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. God saved the invisible part, the soul. We ought to do our part. Need the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, and prayer every day to build fortification around us. When the heart falls, the flesh quickly falls. God is a God of second chances. Confess your sin, and He is faithful and just to forgive you and cleanse you of all unrighteousness. Each person has a responsibility to keep their heart and an opportunity every day to love God, seek God, and trust God. If you don’t keep your heart with all diligence, the enemy will exploit that weakness. Take this message into your heart and remind yourself every day to ask for God’s help to focus on your heart. Final Encouragement Every person is important and precious in the eyes of God. God has given us prayer, His Word, and the Holy Spirit to help us. The Holy Spirit will help you when you look over the fence or off the terrace like David did. The enemy wants to destroy you, your family, and every opportunity of salvation they might get by making you fall. Do what David did: go back to God. David begged God for seven days to spare the child. David knew he had lost his heart and prayed for forgiveness. When the child died, David got up, cleaned up, ate, and went to the house of God and worshiped. David began to focus on his heart again that day. There are issues of the heart that will get you. Do everything you can to guard your heart. If you need to pray, come pray. If you haven’t prayed about your heart in a while, get started. Give up whatever you have to in your life to get back to focusing on your heart.

This was the first podcast I did on AI in 2024: https://drlaurendeville.com/podcasts/what-the-bible-says-about-artificial-intelligence And these are the rest of my notes, if you want to visit some of the verses I didn't read... שָׁמַע šāmaʿ: - to hear, listen to, obey, discern, perceive, understand- Listening to God specifically, and obeying: - Solomon's request (1 Kings 3:9): what he asks for is a heart that שָׁמַע šāmaʿ - to hear, listen to, obey, discern, perceive, that he might שָׁפַט šāp̄aṭ - judge, govern, vindicate, punish, and בִּין bîn - discern, understand, consider between good and evil. God gives him a heart that is חָכָם - ḥāḵām - wise, skilful, shrewd, learned, prudent, as well as בִּין bîn - discern, understand, consider between good and evil. - Gen 22:18: Abraham obeys God and was willing to offer Isaac (and now all the nations of the earth will be blessed), and then God reiterates this promise to Isaac (Gen 26:5) - Ex 15:26: If the people will listen and do God's commandments, they will be healed - Ex 23:22: if the people will listen, God will fight against their enemies - Ex 24:27: The people promise they will do what God said - (and many more examples of listening to God and obeying, esp in Psalms)- God's šāmaʿ to our prayers--if He hears, He responds (1 John 5:14-15) - Gen 16:11: He heard Hagar's distress and told her she'd have Ishmael - Gen 17:20: Abraham asks God to bless Ishmael and God agrees - Gen 29:33: Leah's prayers to God for children because she is hated - Ex 2:24: God heard the groanings of the Israelites - (and many, many more)- Listening and taking action (whether the action is good or bad, doing what the other person wanted or not--what is heard just prompts a response): - Gen 3:8: Adam and Eve šāmaʿ God after they ate the fruit, and hid themselves. - Gen 3:17 Adam šāmaʿ Eve (hearkened to): he ate the fruit when she asked him to. - Gen 11:7: God confused speech at the Tower of Babel so that they would not šāmaʿ each other - Gen 14:14: Abram heard (šāmaʿ) Lot was taken captive, and it caused him to gather an army - Gen 16:2: Sarai told Abram to sleep with Hagar, and he listened (šāmaʿ) to her - Gen 18:10: Sarai overhears (šāmaʿ) God's promise of a child... but her response is to laugh - Gen 27:5: Rebekah overhears (šāmaʿ) Isaac's word to Esau and takes matters into her own hands. - (and many, many more) שָׂכַל śāḵal: to be prudent, be circumspect, wisely understand, prosper, skill. Interesting that the same word means the knowledge of how to act, and also to prosper and gain favor - cause and effect are wrapped up in the same word. - Incidentally, the same word (sāḵāl), but spelled with a samekh (סָכָל) instead of a shin (שָׂכַל), means fool (Ecclesiastes 2:19, 7:17, 10:3, 10:14, Jeremiah 4:22, 5:21) - samekh סָ root meaning: a shield, leaning on, "supporting" or, in a negative sense, "blocking" (blocking one from God's wisdom) - vs shin שָׂ: A letter of fire, illumination, light - This is the word used in Gen 3:6, describing the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. It apparently thus also means the ability to choose your allegiance. It is spelled there with a shin... - To understand the bigger picture and act accordingly: - Deut 32:29: "O that they were wise, that they understood (śāḵal) this, that they would consider their latter end!" - 1 Sam 18:5: "And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely (śāḵal): and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul's servants." - Same word twice - for emphasis? 1 Sam 18:15: "Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself (śāḵal) very wisely (śāḵal), he was afraid of him." - Ps 32: 8: "I will instruct thee (śāḵal) and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye." - Prov 1:2-3: This is the purpose of Proverbs: - "To know wisdom (hok-maw) and instruction; to perceive (bîn) the words of understanding (bînâ), To receive the instruction of wisdom (śāḵal), justice, and judgment (mišpāṭ), and equity." - This is the action as well as the adjective in most Proverbs translated "wise": 10:5, 10:19, 14:35, 15:24, 16:20, 16:23 (here it was the verb, to teach), 17:2, 19:14 (translated prudent here), 21:11 (here it's the passive verb, is instructed), 21:2 (here it's to consider), 21:16 (understanding here), - Isa 44:18: Jesus quoted this about people not understanding his parables " They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand (śāḵal)" - To prosper or to have favor: - Deut 29:9: "Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper (śāḵal) in all that ye do." - Joshua 1:7-8: "Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper (śāḵal) whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success (śāḵal)." - Also used for this meaning in Proverbs: 17:8- To be skillful: Dan 1:4, 1:17 (describing the Hebrew children) - In Job 34:35, Elihu speaking: "Job hath spoken without knowledge, and his words were without wisdom (śāḵal)."- Prophecies of Jesus having śāḵal: Isaiah 52:13 Wisdom: חָכְמָה: (hok-maw):—skilful, wisdom, wisely, wit. - "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom," Ps 111:10, and "For the LORD giveth wisdom" (Prov 2:6). You can't have wisdom apart from His counsel (Prov 21:30).- God made the earth with wisdom (Jer 10:12, 51:15, Ps 104:24)- Humility precedes wisdom (Prov 11:2)--because fear of the Lord is a posture of humility (Prov 15:33, 1 Pet 5:6-7, Matt 5:3, 5). - If instead you trust in your own heart (reasoning), you are a fool - but wisdom will deliver you from trouble (Prov 28:26). - But too much wisdom can also somehow lead to pride, and pervert: Isaiah 47:10, Eze 48:4-17 (allegory of Satan) - and "knowledge puffs up" (1 Cor 8:1)- It's "the principal thing" (Prov 4:7), better than anything else we can desire (Prov 8:11, 16:16).- It described the Israelites if they followed God's laws (Deut 4:6), leaders anointed by God with the wisdom to lead (Deut 34:9) - For children, physical discipline eventually teaches wisdom (Prov 29:15).- An example: 2 Sam 20:22: the Israelite woman whose city is besieged because Sheba son of Bichri, a rebel against King David, was within. She speaks to Joab, finds out they want Sheba and if they give him up, Joab will spare the city. So "in her wisdom" (hok-maw) she promises they will throw his head to them over the wall. They do so, and Joab and his army departs. This is wisdom: not simply reacting with the typical emotions of anger, fear, etc from being besieged, but instead identifying and articulating both problem and solution. - Elihu says that he will teach Job and his three friends, who accuse God, wisdom (Job 33:33). - He later says that it is God who puts wisdom and understanding in our hearts (Job 38:36), and that he deprived animals of the same ability. A person who lacks understanding can only be controlled with physical consequences, by contrast (Prov 10:13) - and kids have to start out learning by physical discipline (Prov 29:15) as they are inherently foolish. - Numbering our days leads to wisdom (Ps 90:12) - bc we're "redeeming the time bc the days are evil?" (Eph 5:16) This sounds like wisdom is also discerning what truly matters vs what is passing away. - 2 Chron 1:10: in this version Solomon does ask for חָכְמָה: (khok-maw), and knowledge מַדָּע madāʿ- Then 1 Kings 3:28: after Solomon's judgment between the two would-be mothers (where he infers from the story that the real mother will love the child more than herself, and uses that to reveal hearts), the people conclude that he has חָכְמָה: (khok-maw). The Queen of Sheba came and asked him hard questions and there was nothing he couldn't answer (1 Kings 10:1-9).- Jesus displayed this kind of wisdom: - Prophesied: Isaiah 11:2 "And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD" In the NT: akouō (to hear, hearken, give audience): carries a similar "and to understand and obey/respond" implication as does šāmaʿ: Matt 15:10, 17:5, 18:15, Mark 7:14, Mark 12:29, Luke 8:21, 9:35, 10:16, 11:28, John 6:60, 8:23, 8:47, John 10:20, John 11:41-42- Matt 7:24, Luke 9:47-48: the man who hears and does what Jesus says is like the house built on the rock- John 5:25: those who hear Jesus (and respond) will have life--spiritually and literally (v 28)- If the people in the cities don't hear your words, shake the dust off your feet: Matt 10:14, Mark 6:11 - Matt 10:27: preach whatever you akouō from Me- Matt 12:42, Luke 11:31: The Queen of Sheba went to akouō Solomon's wisdom- Luke 10:39: Mary prioritized hearing Jesus- John 10:3, 16, 27: the sheep hear His voice- John 16:13 The Holy Spirit tells us what He hears from the Father- "He who has ears to hear, let him hear": Matt 11:15, 13:9, 13:43, Mark 4:9, 4:33, 7:16, 8:18, Luke 8:8, 14:35- Those who heard and understood were astonished: Mark 6:2- Luke 16:29-31: Those who hear Moses and the prophets and understand what they hear will also hear about Jesus (because they pointed to Him)- Matt 11:4-5, Luke 7:22: John's disciples were to go back and tell him what they had seen and heard- Luke 10:24: Wise men of old desired to hear what the disciples heard - He speaks in parables bc the people don't have ears to hear: Matt 13:13-18, Mark 4:12, 4:23, Luke 8:10 - The parable of the sower: those who hear but don't understand have nothing to take root. This is the precondition for wisdom. Matt 13:19, Mark 4:15, Luke 8:12 - But if you do understand, you still have to maintain single focus so it's not choked out: Matt 13:20-23, Mark 4:16-20, Luke 8:13-15- "Take heed what/how you hear" precedes "with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you" (Mark 4:24, Luke 8:18: what you listen to (and respond to) determines the direction of your life. - Also often used to just mean to hear with your ears (many places) phronimos (intelligent, wise, prudent, i.e. mindful of one's interests)- Matt 7:24: the man who builds his house upon a rock by doing what Jesus says rather than just hearing it is phronimos - Matt 24:45, Luke 12:42: the wise servant is the one whom the Master will find doing what he was told, when the Master returns. - Matt 25: the parable of the wise virgins (also prepared with oil); the parable of the talents right after this seems to imply the same (looking ahead and making the most of what we've been given) though the word 'wise' doesn't appear there. - Luke 12:42-48: describes the foolish servants who know the will of their master but when he returns, he finds them disobeying. - Matt 10:16: wise as serpents, harmless as doves: - AW: This means we aren’t totally defenseless. Wisdom is a powerful force that gives us an advantage. - Luke 16:8: the parable of the unjust steward - he's called wise (shrewd) for looking out for his own interests. (Still not sure what the point of this parable was) Sophia: wisdom, broad and full of intelligence; used of the knowledge of very diverse matters. The varied knowledge of things human and divine, acquired by acuteness and experience, and summed up in maxims and proverbs, the science and learning, the act of interpreting dreams and always giving the sagest advice, the intelligence evinced in discovering the meaning of some mysterious number or vision, devout and proper prudence in intercourse with men not disciples of Christ, skill and discretion in imparting Christian truth, the knowledge and practice of the requisites for godly and upright living; supreme intelligence, such as belongs to God.- Matt 12:42, Luke 11:31: Jesus used this word to describe Solomon's wisdom - Acts 7:10 same word describes Joseph, and 7:22: Moses - Matt 13:54, Mark 6:2: the people said Jesus had this after listening to his teachings and were astonished- Luke 12:11-12, 21:15: God promises to give His followers such godly wisdom that none of our adversaries would be able to resist it - Acts 6:10: example of this - 1 Cor 1:17, 2:5: and yet Paul says the wisdom of words is insufficient; the gospel needs power to back it. That's because (worldly) wisdom wouldn't receive it--the world considers godly wisdom foolishness (1 Cor 1:19). The wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God are diametrically opposed! (1 Cor 1:20-25) - 1 Cor 2:6-8: Paul again contrasts the wisdom "of this age" with the wisdom of God. (Makes me think of sāḵāl - same word, two spellings, one meaning foolish, depicting that the person is blocked off from God's wisdom, and one meaning wise, and the letter means that he is guided by the light of God's wisdom). Even so, the natural man considers the things of God foolish (1 Cor 2:14), and God likewise considers the wisdom of this world foolish (1 Cor 3:19-20). - Jesus also said God hid Him from the "wise and prudent" (of that age) and revealed them to babes (Matt 11:25).- James 1:5: we can ask God for sophia- Matt 5: The Beatitudes teach an inversion of the world's wisdom: how the world actually works. - It's summed up with Matt 6:33 (and Luke 12:22-34): "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." - Matt 10:27-31 says similar: don't fear men; fear God (trusting that He loves you). Live in single-minded allegiance to Him. And 11:39: "He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it." If you "find your life" apart from Him, you've lost everything: the ultimate foolishness. He repeats this: Matt 16:25-26 - and Deny yourself, take up your cross - if you desire to save your life you'll lose it, and if you lose your life for Him you'll find it (Luke 9:23-27, John 12:25). - As you do this, by abiding in Him, You get whatever you desire (John 15:7-8, 16) - Mary and Martha: another lesson about singleness of focus on Him being the most important thing (Luke 10:38-42). - Luke 11:33-36: it takes light and a receptive eye to see. Jesus is always shining - It’s our eyes that don’t see. Jesus was telling us how to get our eyes opened to His light: we have to be single in our focus on Him. The Greek word that was translated “eye” in this verse is “OPHTHALMOS.” Vine’s Expository Dictionary defines this Greek word as “singleness of motive.” If our attention is divided, however, we will have the darkness of this world in us instead of God’s light. - So it isn't that we have to have "VIEW" rather than a POINT of view in order to see the bigger picture. Rather, our point of view needs to be fixed on Him, and then everything else will find its proper alignment. - True leaders must serve all (Mark 9:35, 10:43-45, Luke 22:26). Last will be first, and first will be last (Mark 10:31, Luke 13:30). If you humble yourself you will be exalted, and if you exalt yourself you will be humbled (Luke 14:11, 18:14). - What you give, you get back and then some (Luke 6:38, 14:14, 18:29-30) - Luke 12:16-21: Conversely, a fool is one who lays up treasure for himself in this life. - Luke 19:12-27: the parable of the minas: The wicked servant was motivated by fear; he didn't trust the master's heart, and didn't use what he had. So he lost even that. - He draws a hard line: all in or all out (Luke 11:22)-- because this is a war (Luke 9:58-62). You must comparatively hate everyone, even your own life, in comparison to Him (Luke 14:26). No one is neutral. He describes opponents in adversarial language ("lambs among wolves", Luke 10:3), and everything hinges on what people do with the message of the Kingdom (10:11-16). You either love the light or love the darkness (John 3:19-21). - So many parables Matt 24:45, Matt 25, Luke 12:42-48, Luke 13:24-30) are about servants doing what their master wants while he is away so that he will find them so doing when he returns... probably bc the point is "redeem the time bc the days are evil" (Eph 5:16) and numbering our days gives wisdom (Ps 90). It seems the point is, time is short, and the stakes are very high, so be single-minded in your focus on Jesus and the Kingdom. - Luke 14:25-33: Just as a king wouldn’t engage in war without thoroughly considering all the possible outcomes, so no one should attempt to become a disciple of Jesus without counting the cost. It would be better never to start following Jesus than to start and then turn back (Luke 9:62 and 2 Peter 2:20-22). - The rest of the Sermon on the Mount: teaches that what matters isn't actions (as all their teachers had told them), but motive--and ultimately this goes back to allegiance. - Matt 11:28: "Come to Me, all you who are weary and heavy laden" - with trying to follow the law. So stop both trying to be good enough, and also trying to follow your own wisdom. - Spirit vs flesh: allegiance determines this too. We have to come to Him, and He will give us the Spirit, without which we cannot successfully worship Him (John 4:24). Outwardly keeping the OT was all in the flesh, and it would never work. It was never meant to. Only the Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing (John 6:63).- He repeatedly says, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" (Matt 11:15, 13:9), and explains that those who have [wisdom] will get more, and those who have chosen not to hear and see will lose even what they have (Matt 13:10-17) - The parable of the sower: God's word brings wisdom (Prov 21:30), but the people have to hear and understand (šāmaʿ). If they don't, the enemy will steal it right away (13:19). The one who hears, understands, and receives with joy, but has no root--he might šāmaʿ, but if he doesn't śāḵal (act accordingly), he won't bear fruit either. Same with the one who is choked with the cares of the world. But the one who both šāmaʿ (hears and understands) and śāḵal (acts accordingly, is a doer of the word) is the one who will bear a harvest--seeking the Kingdom and letting God bring the supply for their needs and increase. - The parable of the two sons: the one who says he won't do the will of the father but does has truly śāḵal, while the one who says ok and doesn't is just a hypocrite: Matt 21:28-32 - In dealing with the Pharisees: their "wisdom" said good was following the law, and anyone who didn't do so according to their own teachings must be evil. The people surely could have been confused by what is good and what is evil. So Jesus clarifies: - makes the distinction of the spirit vs the letter of the law (Matt 9:11-13, 12:3-8, 12:11-12, 15:17-20, John 7:22-24) -- and also illustrates how they've added their own "letters of the law" and elevated those above what God actually said (Matt 15:3-9) - Uses the logic of motive (a house divided cannot stand): Matt 12:24-30, Luke 11:16-22). - tells the people to judge good and evil by the fruit it produces: Matt 12:33-35 - When they're trying to trap them, He: - turns the tables and asks them a question He knows they won't answer for political reasons: Matt 21:23-27 (John's baptism: from heaven or men), Matt 22:41-45 (how David can call his son 'Lord' - bc He's also God, which they didn't want to admit) - gives them an accurate non-answer: Matt 22:15-22 (the image of Caesar on the denarius) - answers the real question, rather than the one they were asking: Matt 22:23-33 (is there a resurrection of the dead?)- Enigmatic, dark sayings: Matt 8:20-22, 9:16-17, 12:31-32, Matt 13:35 (prophesied that this would be the case, in Ps 78:2) - He seems to jump topics without bothering to explain the connection (Matt 12:38-42: the pharisees ask for a sign. He says they'll get the sign of the prophet Jonah - in retrospect we know this was his death and resurrection. Then because they still won't believe, they will be condemned... and says "this wicked generation" will be like a wicked spirit cast out that then returns and brings more evil spirits, 12:43-45) - He jumps from one metaphor to another without explaining the connection (from the parable of the sower - God's word - to a lamp - God's word too) and then just says "if anyone has ears to hear, let him hear" (Mark 4:21-22). Then "take heed what you hear" - if you steward and obey the word you have been given, you'll get more. But he never says that this refers to the word explicitly either (Mark 4:24-25) - Luke 12: all over the place: the "do not worry" passage, followed by servants being faithful while their master is away, followed by Christ bringing division on the earth within families, and then "discern the time," and then "make peace with your adversary" -- are these related? - He speaks to John's disciples in a riddle only John will likely understand (Matt 11:2-6) - In what way is the kingdom of God "tiny" only to later grow and become large? (Luke 13:18-21) and what is the point of saying so? - He just changes the subject to what He wants to talk about (Matt 12:48-50): "your mother and brothers are here," and he says, "those who are my mother and brothers are those who do the will of My Father." - Another example: Luke 12:14-15: someone comes to him and asks him to arbitrate inheritance between brothers. He says that's not his job, and then warns the crowd against covetousness. - He clearly understood the foundations of how the world worked--why things were the way they were. Everyone around him saw only the carnal, visible, literal reality, and lived and reacted on that level. He was frustrated by this, and tried to teach: - What matters is not external actions, but the motive of the heart, which eventually comes out in words (Matt 15:16-20) - Reality bows the knee to faith: Matt 16:8-11, 17:20-21, 18:18-20, 21:21-22, Mark 11:22-24 - This is why He was so impressed with the Centurion: he understood that Jesus' authority transcended the physical world (Luke 7:9). Everyone else was so focused on the practical reality that this never even occurred to them. - Jesus met people on this physical level and gave them evidence (Luke 24:38-43) but said that wasn't the highest form of faith (John 20:29) - He understood the big picture: not just what was, but why things were the way they were, God's original purpose, and how He fit in (Luke 4:18-21, 24:25-27) - Because He knew context, rather than just the words and commands of scripture, Satan couldn't twist it to trap Him either (Luke 4:2-12.) - All the prophets that the Pharisees spent their life studying pointed to Jesus, and they missed it (Matt 16:2-4, John 5:38-40, 46-47)... because they were focusing on keeping the literal letter of the law (to the point of physical phylacteries, from Deut 6:8). It seems to never have occurred to them why things were the way they were. - I suspect their focus on minutiae and not on the underlying realities was also what allowed them to stop looking at the Lord as their source, which led to misplaced priorities, and greed (John 2:16 - buying and selling at the temple). I can see how they might have justified this, that it didn't *preclude* prayer and sacrifice to have a little side business going there too. But it revealed the focus of their hearts, and where their trust was, and effectively made God's real purpose for the Temple into a footnote. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.2 And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it.3 And Joab answered, The Lord make his people an hundred times so many more as they be: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? why then doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel?4 Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab. Wherefore Joab departed, and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem.5 And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people unto David. And all they of Israel were a thousand thousand and an hundred thousand men that drew sword: and Judah was four hundred threescore and ten thousand men that drew sword.6 But Levi and Benjamin counted he not among them: for the king's word was abominable to Joab.7 And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel.8 And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing: but now, I beseech thee, do away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.9 And the Lord spake unto Gad, David's seer, saying,10 Go and tell David, saying, Thus saith the Lord, I offer thee three things: choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee.11 So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Choose thee12 Either three years' famine; or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of the Lord, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel. Now therefore advise thyself what word I shall bring again to him that sent me.13 And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall now into the hand of the Lord; for very great are his mercies: but let me not fall into the hand of man.14 So the Lord sent pestilence upon Israel: and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men.15 And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was destroying, the Lord beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough, stay now thine hand. And the angel of the Lord stood by the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.16 And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of the Lord stand between the earth and the heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders of Israel, who were clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.17 And David said unto God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed; but as for these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, O Lord my God, be on me, and on my father's house; but not on thy people, that they should be plagued.18 Then the angel of the Lord commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the Lord in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.19 And David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spake in the name of the Lord.20 And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.21 And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshingfloor, and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground.22 Then David said to Ornan, Grant me the place of this threshingfloor, that I may build an altar therein unto the Lord: thou shalt grant it me for the full price: that the plague may be stayed from the people.23 And Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes: lo, I give thee the oxen also for burnt offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meat offering; I give it all.24 And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for the Lord, nor offer burnt offerings without cost.25 So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight.26 And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called upon the Lord; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt offering.27 And the Lord commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof.28 At that time when David saw that the Lord had answered him in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there.29 For the tabernacle of the Lord, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of the burnt offering, were at that season in the high place at Gibeon.30 But David could not go before it to enquire of God: for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of the Lord.

And it came to pass, that after the year was expired, at the time that kings go out to battle, Joab led forth the power of the army, and wasted the country of the children of Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried at Jerusalem. And Joab smote Rabbah, and destroyed it.2 And David took the crown of their king from off his head, and found it to weigh a talent of gold, and there were precious stones in it; and it was set upon David's head: and he brought also exceeding much spoil out of the city.3 And he brought out the people that were in it, and cut them with saws, and with harrows of iron, and with axes. Even so dealt David with all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.4 And it came to pass after this, that there arose war at Gezer with the Philistines; at which time Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Sippai, that was of the children of the giant: and they were subdued.5 And there was war again with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff was like a weaver's beam.6 And yet again there was war at Gath, where was a man of great stature, whose fingers and toes were four and twenty, six on each hand, and six on each foot and he also was the son of the giant.7 But when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea David's brother slew him.8 These were born unto the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.

On this episode of The GAP Luke Lawrie and Joab Gilroy talk about Joab being mistaken for a six foot seven basketball player. The Games they've been playing this week include Aether & Iron, Raccoin, Peak, Omen, The Bazaar, Slay the Spire 2, and Castle Crashers. Over in the news Eidos-Montréal hit with layoffs, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 developer claims AI replacement, Rec Room shutting down, and Crimson Desert surpasses four million sales. This episode goes for 1 hour and 35 minutes, it also contains coarse language. Timestamps – 00:00:00 – Start 00:07:59 – Castle Crashers 00:13:34 – Slay the Spire 2 00:28:03 – The Bazaar 00:36:58 – Omen 00:41:31 – Peak 00:45:47 – Raccoin 00:57:54 – Aether & Iron 01:06:20 – News 01:19:57 – Questions 01:26:16 – Weekly Plugs 01:30:00 – End of Show Subscribe in a reader iTunes / Spotify

Join Rod, Janice, and Ryan as they delve into the complexities of 2 Samuel 14, analyzing the role of Joab and the wise woman of Tekoa in reconciling King David with Absalom. Explore the historical context and the genealogy of Jesus Christ, drawing lessons from David's challenges and God's grace. This episode offers a deep dive into biblical history, encouraging reflection on how to handle personal and familial conflicts through faith.

In this message, we take a look at Joab. Was he on the right side? Was he on it for the right reasons? What kind of man was Joab at heart?

We have no portion in DavidWith these words, Sheba initiates a rebellion against David and divides his kingdom. David's kingdom can only be fully re-established with the defeat and death of Sheba, signaled by the trumpet blast of Joab.This Sunday, we will see that in this moment, Israel's unity comes at the cost of one rebel's life. This points us to the greater reality of God's grace to us in Christ, who defeated his enemy by giving his one precious life for all rebels who come to him in faith.

On this episode of The GAP Luke Lawrie, Joab Gilroy and Jeremy 'Junglist' Ray talk about a lot of demos from Steam Next Fest. The Games they've been playing this week include Marathon, Resident Evil Requiem, Super Battle Golf, Wanderburg, Scritchy Scratchy, Ashes of the Singularity, Windrose, Wardrum, Arms of God, Lootbound, The Loopler, Fogpiercer, Vampire Crawlers, Gambonanza, Australia Did It, HAM, Here Comes the Swarm, Repterra, and Down With the Ship. This week there is no news because they talked way past Joab's bed time, but we promise to get to it in the next show. This episode goes for 3 hours and 5 minutes, it also contains coarse language. Timestamps – 00:00:00 – Start 00:04:23 – Down With the Ship 00:12:49 – Repterra 00:21:21 – Here Comes the Swarm 00:27:16 – HAM 00:35:32 – Australia Did It 00:42:27 – Gambonanza 00:50:54 – Vampire Crawlers 01:06:11 – Fogpiercer 01:10:50 – The Loopler 01:20:09 – Lootbound 01:23:20 – Arms of God 01:33:00 – Wardrum 01:40:38 – Windrose 01:45:54 – Ashes of the Singularity 01:47:12 – Scritchy Scratchy 01:53:33 – Wanderburg 02:00:50 – Super Battle Golf 02:09:49 – Resident Evil Requiem 02:32:30 – Marathon 02:56:19 – Questions 03:02:10 – Weekly Plugs 03:03:16 – End of Show Subscribe in a reader iTunes / Spotify

A weekly class at OAG taught by Chaplain Lou Parker.** Edited to remove personal information shared in the class and extended pauses **Title: Solomon: The Man of Peace Who Wasn'tSummary: A king whose very name means "peace" consolidates his throne through a series of calculated judgments against those who threatened his rule — revealing how names, political intrigue, and fulfilled prophecy all intersect in the early reign of Solomon.Approximate Lesson Outline:00:00 - Introduction & How to Read the Bible03:00 - David's Charge to Solomon05:00 - Solomon Rises Amid Conflict08:00 - Dealing with Adonijah13:00 - Abiathar the Priest Exiled17:00 - Joab's Fate at the Altar24:00 - Shimei's Broken Parole28:30 - The Kingdom Established30:20 - Next Week: Solomon's Wisdom

Friday Bible Study (2/20/26) // Ezra 8:1-20 (ESV) // *Genealogy of Those Who Returned with Ezra*// 8 These are the heads of their fathers' houses, and this is the genealogy of those who went up with me from Babylonia, in the reign of Artaxerxes the king: 2 Of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom. Of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel. Of the sons of David, Hattush. 3 Of the sons of Shecaniah, who was of the sons of Parosh, Zechariah, with whom were registered 150 men. 4 Of the sons of Pahath-moab, Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him 200 men. 5 Of the sons of Zattu,[a] Shecaniah the son of Jahaziel, and with him 300 men. 6 Of the sons of Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him 50 men. 7 Of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him 70 men. 8 Of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him 80 men. 9 Of the sons of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him 218 men. 10 Of the sons of Bani,[b] Shelomith the son of Josiphiah, and with him 160 men. 11 Of the sons of Bebai, Zechariah, the son of Bebai, and with him 28 men. 12 Of the sons of Azgad, Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him 110 men. 13 Of the sons of Adonikam, those who came later, their names being Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah, and with them 60 men. 14 Of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and Zaccur, and with them 70 men.Ezra Sends for Levites15 I gathered them to the river that runs to Ahava, and there we camped three days. As I reviewed the people and the priests, I found there none of the sons of Levi. 16 Then I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, leading men, and for Joiarib and Elnathan, who were men of insight, 17 and sent them to Iddo, the leading man at the place Casiphia, telling them what to say to Iddo and his brothers and[c] the temple servants at the place Casiphia, namely, to send us ministers for the house of our God. 18 And by the good hand of our God on us, they brought us a man of discretion, of the sons of Mahli the son of Levi, son of Israel, namely Sherebiah with his sons and kinsmen, 18; 19 also Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, with his kinsmen and their sons, 20; 20 besides 220 of the temple servants, whom David and his officials had set apart to attend the Levites. These were all mentioned by name.Footnotesa. Ezra 8:5 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks of Zattub. Ezra 8: 10 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks Banic. Ezra 8: 17 Hebrew lacks andWebsite: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mbchicago.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ FOLLOW USFacebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  / mbc.chicago  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  / mbc.chicago  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  / mbc.chicago  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TO SUPPORT US Zelle to: info@mbchicago.org Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mbchicago.org/give⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Venmo: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://venmo.com/mbchurch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ DAF Donations: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://every.org/mbc.chicago⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ PayPal: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://paypal.com/donate/?hosted_but...⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Pastor John Ryan Cantu brings this week's message, “Wrong Place.” 2 Samuel 11:1-5 ESV: “In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house. And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.”” If you enjoyed the podcast, please subscribe and share it with your friends on social media. For more information about PNEUMA Church, visit our website at mypneumachurch.org.Connect with Us: Instagram: https://instagram.com/mypneumachurch YouTube: https://youtube.com/mypneumachurch Facebook: https://facebook.com/mypneumachurch Time Stamps: 00:00 - Introduction 00:30 - Welcome 03:32 - 2 Samuel 11:1-5 ESV 04:55 - Wrong Place

15:13 And a messenger came to David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom.” 14 Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Go quickly, lest he overtake us quickly and bring down ruin on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”18:1 Then David mustered the men who were with him and set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 2 And David sent out the army, one third under the command of Joab, one third under the command of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and one third under the command of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the men, “I myself will also go out with you.” 3 But the men said, “You shall not go out. For if we flee, they will not care about us. If half of us die, they will not care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us. Therefore it is better that you send us help from the city.” 4 The king said to them, “Whatever seems best to you I will do.” So the king stood at the side of the gate, while all the army marched out by hundreds and by thousands. 5 And the king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” And all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders about Absalom.And behold, the Cushite came, and the Cushite said, “Good news for my lord the king! For the LORD has delivered you this day from the hand of all who rose up against you.” 32 The king said to the Cushite, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” And the Cushite answered, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up against you for evil be like that young man.” 33 And the king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”