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The Book of 2 Samuel Like You_ve Never Seen Before · truthunedited

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  Speaker 1: You think you know David's story, think again. Second Samuel
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  is where heroes become villains, where God's chosen king becomes
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  an adulterer and murderer, and where a kingdom built on
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  divine promise crumbles through human failure. This isn't Sunday School, David.
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  This is the uncut, uncensored reality of power, passion, and prophecy.
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  Watch a king's spiral from dancing before God to hiding
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  behind pallace walls. See a family destroyed by lust, revenge,
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  and civil war. Witness the moment God makes a promise
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  that will echo for three thousand years and change human
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  history forever. Zecond Samuel contains the most brutal family drama,
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  the most shocking political scandals, and the most crucial prophetic
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  moment in the Old Testament. This book doesn't just tell
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  David's story, It reveals why the Bible needed Jesus Christ.
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  Every crown must fall, every kingdom must crumble until the
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  truth King comes. Buckle up, You're about to discover why
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  Second Samuel is the Bible's most essential and explosive book.
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  David was in Zeeklag when a man came running to
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  him with terrible news. The stranger fell to the ground
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  and bowed, his clothes torn and dirt on his head.
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  This Amalekite told David that he had escaped from the
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  battlefield where Israel had suffered a crushing defeat. The news
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  got worse. Both Saul and Jonathan were dead. But then
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  the messenger made a fatal mistake. He claimed that he
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  had found Saul wounded and dying, and that Saul had
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  begged him to finish him off. The man even brought
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  Saul's crown and bracelet as proof. What he thought would
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  earn him a reward became his death sentence. David's reactions
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  shocked every one present. Instead of celebrating his enemy's death,
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  he tore his clothes and wept. His men did the same,
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  mourning and fasting until evening. Then David turned to the
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  messenger and asked a simple question that sealed the man's fate.
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  In chapter one, verse fourteen, David said, how is it
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  you were not afraid to lift your hand to destroy
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  the lords Anointed? Without hesitation, David ordered one of his
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  men to strike down the Amalekite, saying, in verse sixteen,
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  your blood be on your own head, your own mouth,
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  testified against you when you said I killed the lords anointed.
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  In Chapter one, verse fourteen, David said, how is it
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  you were not afraid to lift your hand to destroy
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  the lords Anointed? Without hesitation, David ordered one of his
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  men to strike down the Amalekite, saying, in verse sixteen,
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  your blood be on your own head. Your own mouth
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  testified against you when you said I killed the lords anointed.
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  In verse nineteen, David sang, a gazelle lies slain on
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  your heights, Israel. How the mighty have fallen? He continued
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  in verse twenty three. Saul and Jonathan in life they
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  were loved and admired, and in death they were not parted.
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  They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
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  After morning was complete, David faced a critical decision. Where
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  should he go next. He didn't act on his own wisdom,
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  but sought God's guidance. In Chapter two, verse one, we
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  read that David inquired of the Lord, shall I go
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  up to one of the towns of Judah. The Lord said,
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  go up. David asked, where shall I go to Hebron?
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  The Lord answered. David obeyed, immediately, taking his two wives
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  and all his men with their families to Hebron. The
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  move proved wise, the men of Judah came to him
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  and anointed him king over the tribe of Judah. This
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  was David's first official coronation, though he had been secretly
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  anointed by Samuel years earlier. David's first act as king
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  showed his character. He learned that the men of Abesh
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  Gilead had buried Saul's body, so he sent messengers to
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  thank them. In verse five, David told them, may you
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  be blessed by the Lord for showing this kindness to Saul,
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  your master by burying him. He even invited them to
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  join his kingdom, saying in verse seven, now then be
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  strong and brave, for Saul your master is dead, and
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  the people of Judah have anointed me king over them.
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  But while David was building loyalty in the south, trouble
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  was brewing in the north. Abner, who had been Saul's
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  army commander, wasn't ready to accept David as king. He
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  took Saul's surviving son, Ishbasheth, across the Jordan River to Mahanaim. There,
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  in verse nine, Abner made him king over Gilead, Ashuri
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  and Jezreel and also over Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel.
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  The kingdom was now split in two. David ruled in
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  Hebron over Judah seven and a half years, while Ishbosheth
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  ruled from Mahanaim over the other tribes for two years.
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  The stage was set for civil war. The cold war
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  between the two kingdoms turned hot at a place called Gibeon.
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  Abner led Ishbosheth's men to the pool there, while Joab
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  brought David's forces to the same location. The two armies
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  sat on opposite sides of the pool, staring at each
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  other like wild animals ready to pounce. Abner called across
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  the water with what seemed like a reasonable suggestion. In
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  verse fourteen, he said to Joab, let's have some of
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  the young men get up and fight hand to hand
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  in front of us. Joab agreed, saying simply, all right,
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  let them do it. What followed was both spectacular and horrifying.
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  Twelve young men from each side stood up for single combat,
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  but instead of a fair fight, Verse sixteen tells us
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  something strange happened. Then each man grabbed his opponent by
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  the head and thrust his sword into his opponent's side,
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  and they fell down together. All twenty four warriors died
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  in the same moment. This bizarre scene triggered a larger battle.
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  The fighting spread beyond the champions to both armies, and
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  David's men proved stronger. They chased Abner's forces across the countryside,
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  but one young man made a decision that would haunt
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  everyone for years to come. Assa Hel, Joab's younger brother,
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  was known for being incredibly fast. Verse eighteen says he
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  was as fleet footed as a wild gazelle. When he
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  saw Abner retreating, he decided to chase the veteran commander personally.
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  Abner tried to warn him off, calling back in verse
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  twenty two, turn aside from pursuing me, why should I
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  strike you down? Then? How could I face your brother Joab?
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  But Assahl wouldn't listen. He kept chasing Abner, determined to
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  bring down the famous warrior. Finally, Abner had no choice.
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  He spun around and drove the butt of his spear
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  through Assahel's stomach. The young man died instantly. When the
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  other soldiers reached the spot where Assahel had fallen, they
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  all stopped in shock. The sight of the dead hero
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  lying in his own blood ended the chase. By evening,
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  Abner had escaped to safety, but the damage was done.
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  A blood debt now existed between the families that would
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  demand payment in the future. The civil war dragged on
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  for years, but the tide was clearly turning. Chapter three,
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  verse one summarizes the situation perfectly. The war between the
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  House of Saul and the House of David lasted a
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  long time. David grew stronger and stronger, while the House
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  of Saul grew weaker and weaker. David's strength showed in
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  his growing family. During his time in Hebron, six sons
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  were born to him by different wives. His first born
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  was Amnon, whose mother was Ahinoam then came Killead by Abbas, Abigail,
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  Absalom by Maka, Adonija by Hageth, Schapeta by Abbatal, and
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  Ishriim by Egler. Each new son represented David's increasing power
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  and political connections. Meanwhile, Saul's kingdom was falling apart from within.
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  The breaking point came when Ishbashev made a serious accusation
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  against Abner. In verse seven, Ishbosheth asked Abner, why did
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  you sleep with my father's concubine. This wasn't just a
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  personal question. Claiming a dead king's concubine was like claiming
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  his throne. Abner exploded with rage. He couldn't believe that,
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  after all his loyal service Ishbosheth would accuse him of treason.
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  In Verse eight, Abner shouted back, am I a dog's
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  head on Judah's side this very day. I am loyal
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  to the house of Saul, your father, to his family
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  and friends. I haven't handed you over to David yet.
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  Now you accuse me of an offence involving this woman.
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  The angry general then made a promise that would change everything.
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  In verse nine, Abner swore, may God deal with Abner,
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  be it ever so severely if I do not do
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  for David what the Lord promised him on oath. He
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  was switching sides, and he meant business. Abner immediately sent
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  messengers to David with a simple question, whose land is it?
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  The meaning was clear. He was ready to hand over
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  all of Israel to David, but David had one condition
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  before he would negotiate. In Verse thirteen, David said, I
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  will not see your face unless you bring Michhal daughter
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  of Saul when you come to see me. Mihal had
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  been David's first wife, but Saul had given her to
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  another man. During their conflict, Abner forced Ishbosheth to take
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  Mikhal away from her current husband, Paltiel. The scene was heartbreaking.
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  Verse sixteen describes how Paltiel went with her weeping behind
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  her all the way to Bahurim, but politics required this sacrifice.
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  With Mihaial delivered, Abner began working to unite the kingdom
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  under David. He met with the elders of Israel and
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  reminded them in verse seventeen, for some time, you have
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  wanted to make David your king. He also spoke privately
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  with Benjamin's leaders, since they were Saul's own tribe. Everyone
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  agreed to support David. When Abner arrived in Hebron to
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  finalize the peace deal, David treated him with royal honor.
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  They shared a feast, and Abner promised to rally all
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  Israel behind David's throne. In verse twenty one, Abner told David,
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  let me go at once and assemble all Israel for
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  my lord, the King, so that they may make a
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  covenant with you, and that you may rule over all
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  that your heart desires. David sent him away in peace,
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  believing the civil war was finally over. But Joab was
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  returning from a successful raid and his men brought news
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  that made his blood boil. They told him that Abner
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  had been in the city, had eaten at the king's table,
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  and had left in peace. Joab couldn't believe what he
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  was hearing. He stormed into David's presence and in verse
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  twenty four, demanded, what have you done? Look, Abner came
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  to you. Why did you let him go? Now he
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  is gone? Joab was convinced that Abner was still their enemy.
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  In verse twenty five, he insisted, you know Abner, son
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  of Ner. He came to deceive you and observe your
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  movements and find out everything you are doing. Without telling David,
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  Joab sent messengers to bring Abner back to Hebron. They
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  caught up with the general at the Well of Syrah
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  and told him David needed to see him urgently. Abner,
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  trusting in the peace treaty, returned immediately. When Abner reached
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  Hebron's gate, Joab met him with a friendly greeting and
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  asked to speak privately. They stepped aside into the gateway
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  away from watching eyes. Then in verse twenty seven, Joab
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  stabbed him in the stomach and he died. The murder
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  was swift and brutal, revenge for Assahel's death and fear
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  that Abner would replace Joab as David's military commander. David's
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  reaction to the news was swift and decisive. He publicly
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  declared his innocence, saying in verse twenty eight, I and
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  my kingdom are forever innocent before the Lord. Concerning the
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  blood of Abner, son of Nell, he put a curse
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  on Joab's family, praying that they would always suffer disease, disability,
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  and violent death. David commanded everyone in the city to
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  mourn for Abner. He tore his own clothes, put on sackcloth,
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  and walked in the funeral procession. At the burial, David
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  sang another lament, asking in verse thirty three, should Abner
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  have died as the lawless die? The King's genuine grief
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  convinced every one that he had nothing to do with
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  the murder. The murder of Abner destroyed what little strength
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  remained in Saul's kingdom. Chapter four, verse one tells us
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  that when Ishbosheth's son of Saul, heard that Abner had
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  died in Hebron, he lost courage and all Israel became alarmed.
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  Without his strong general, the weak king was helpless. Two
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  men saw an opportunity in this chaos. Rekhab and Banna
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  were brothers who commanded raiding parties for Ishbosheth. They were
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  from Beiroth, a town that belonged to Benjamin, which made
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  them technically loyal to Saul's family, but loyalty meant nothing
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  when they saw a chance for personal gain. The brothers
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  made their move during the heat of the day, when
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  every one was resting. In verse five, they went to
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  the house of Ishbosheth while he was taking his afternoon rest.
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  They pretended they had come to get wheat from the house,
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  which gave them an excuse to go inside. Once they
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  found Ishbosheth sleeping in his bedroom, they struck quickly. Verse
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  six simply states they went into the inner part of
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  the house as if to get some wheat, and they
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  stabbed him in the stomach. After killing the sleeping king,
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  they cut off his head and carried it with them
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  as they escaped. During the night, the brothers traveled all
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  night to reach Hebron, convinced they were bringing David exactly
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  what he wanted. In verse eight, they presented the head
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  to David and announced, here is the head of Ishbosheth's,
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  son of Saul, your enemy, who tried to kill you.
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  This day, the Lord has avenged my lord the King
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  against Saul and his offspring. But David's response shocked them completely,
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  just as he had executed the Amalekite who claimed to
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  kill Saul. David was furious with these murderers. Inse nine.
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  He told them, as surely as the Lord lives, who
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  has delivered me out of every trouble, when someone told
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  me Saul is dead and thought he was bringing good news,
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  I seized him and put him to death in Ziklag.
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  David continued his condemnation in verse eleven. How much more,
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  when wicked men have killed an innocent man in his
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  own house and on his own bed, should I not
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  now demand his blood from your hand and rid the
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  earth of you without delay? David ordered his men to
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  execute both brothers. They cut off their hands and feet
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  and hung their bodies by the pool in Hebron as
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  a warning to anyone who thought murder would earn David's favor,
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  but David treated Ishbosheth's head with honor. Verse twelve tells
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  us that they took the head of Ishbosheth and buried
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  it in Abner's tomb at Hebron. Even in death, David
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  showed respect for Saul's family. With both Abner and Ishbosheth dead,
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  the northern tribes had no choice but to accept reality.
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  All the leaders of Israel came to David in Hebron
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  to make him their king. Their reasons were practical and personal,
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  as they explained in chapter five, verse one, we are
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  your own flesh and blood. They reminded David of his
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  history with them, saying in verse two, in the past,
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  while Saul was king over us, you were the one
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  who led Israel on their military campaigns, and the Lord
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  said to you, you will shepherd my people Israel, and
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  you will become their ruler. They knew David had been
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  their real leader even when Saul wore the crown. The
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  ceremony was formal and binding. Verse three records that all
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  the elders of Israel came to King David at Hebron,
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  and the king made a covenant with them At Hebron
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  before the Lord, and they anointed David King over Israel.
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  This was David's second anointing, first by his own tribe,
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  now by the entire nation. David was thirty years old
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  when he became king over all Israel, and he would
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  rule for forty years total, seven and a half in
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  Hebron and thirty three in Jerusalem. But first he needed
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  a capital city that belonged to neither north nor south.
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  Jerusalem was perfect for David's needs. The Jebusites had held
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  this mountain fortress for centuries, and it sat right on
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  the border between Judah and Benjamin. If David could take it,
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  he would have a neutral capital that wouldn't favor any tribe.
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  The Jebusites were confident in their defenses. When David's army approached,
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  they mocked him from the walls. In verse six, they
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  called out, you will not get in here. Even the
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  blind and the lame can ward you off. They were
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  so sure of their strength that they claimed disabled people
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  could defend the city against David's mighty warriors. But David
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  was deterred to take Jerusalem. He offered a special reward,
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  saying in verse eight, anyone who conquers, the Jebusites will
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  have to use the water shaft to reach those lame
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  and blind who are David's enemies. The exact details of
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  the attack aren't clear, but somehow David's men found a
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  way into the supposedly impregnable city. Once Jerusalem fell, David
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  made it his home. Verse nine tells us that David
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  then took up residence in the fortress and called it
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  the City of David. He immediately began building projects to
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  strengthen and beautify his new capital. King Hiram of Tire
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  sent cedar logs, carpenters, and stonemasons to build David a palace.
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  Recognizing David's new power, David's success was obvious to everyone.
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  Verse twelve explains the reason David knew that the Lord
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  had established him as king over Israel and had exalted
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  his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel. Now
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  that David had a proper capital, he wanted to bring
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  the most sacred object in Israel to Jerusalem, the Ark
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  of the Covenant. This wooden box contained the stone tablets
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  of the Ten Commandments and represented God's presence among his people.
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  For years, it had been stored in a private home
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  in Kirriath Jiarim, almost forgotten during the chaos of Saul's reign.
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  David gathered thirty thousand chosen men of Israel for this
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  special mission. This wasn't just moving furniture, this was bringing
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  God himself to live in the capital city. The celebration
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  began immediately as they loaded the ark onto a new
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  cart pulled by oxen. But David made a crucial mistake.
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  He followed the Philistines example from years earlier, instead of
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  God's specific instructions. The law required that only Levites carried
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  the ye using special poles, never touching it directly. Instead,
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  David put it on a cart driven by Uza and Ahio,
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  the sons of Abinadab. The procession was magnificent. Verse five
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  describes how David and all Israel were celebrating with all
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  their might before the Lord, with castanets, harps, liars, timbrels,
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  sistrums and symbols. The music and dancing showed everyone's joy
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  at bringing God's presence home. But when they reached the
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  threshing floor of Nakon, disaster struck. The oxen stumbled and
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  the arks started to fall off the cart. Uza instinctively
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  reached out to steady it, and the moment his hand
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  touched the sacred box, he dropped dead. Verse seven explains
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  that the Lord's anger burned against Uza because of his
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  irreverent act. Therefore, God struck him down, and he died
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  there beside the Ark of God. David's celebration and turned
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  to shock and fear. He became angry at what had
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  happened and afraid to continue. In verse nine, David asked,
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  how can the Ark of the Lord ever come to me?
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  Instead of taking it to Jerusalem, he left the Ark
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  at the nearby home of obed Edom, the Gittite. For
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  three months, the ark remained in obed Edom's house, and
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  God blessed everything the man owned. When David heard about
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  these blessings, he realized it was safe to bring the
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  Ark to Jerusalem if he did it correctly. This time,
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  David organized a second procession, but now he followed God's
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  rules exactly. Every six steps they stopped to offer sacrifices.
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  David wore a linen ephod like a priest and danced
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  with all his strength before the Ark. The celebration was
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  even greater than before, with shouting and trumpet blasts echoing
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  through the hills. But when David returned home, he faced
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  from an unexpected source. Michal, his wife and Saul's daughter,
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  watched from her window as the procession entered Jerusalem. She
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  was disgusted by what she saw. In verse sixteen, we
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  read that she despised him in her heart for dancing
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  so wildly. When David came home, Michal confronted him sarcastically.
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  In verse twenty, she said, how the King of Israel
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  has distinguished himself to day, going around half naked in
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  full view of the slave girls of his servants, as
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  any vulgar fellow would. She thought David had acted beneath
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  his royal dignity. David's response showed his heart for God.
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  In verse twenty one, he told her it was before
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  the Lord who chose me, rather than your father or
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  anyone from his house, when he appointed me ruler over
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  the Lord's people Israel. I will celebrate before the Lord.
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  He didn't care what anyone thought about his worship. The
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  chapter ends with a sad note about Michal. Verse twenty
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  three simply states that Michal, daughter of Saul, had no children.
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  To the day of her death. The Ark was finally
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  home in Jerusalem, placed inside a tent David had prepared.
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  The kingdom was united, the capital established, and God's presence
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  dwelling among his people. David had risen from fugitive to
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  king of all Israel. After David settled into his beautiful
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  Cedar palace, something began to bother him. Every day he
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  lived in luxury while the Ark of God remained in
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  a simple tent. It didn't seem right that the king
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  should have a better house than the Lord himself. David
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  shared his concern with Nathan the Prophet, saying in chapter seven,
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  verse two, here I am living in a house of cedar,
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  while the Ark of God remains in a tent. Nathan's
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  first response seemed encouraging. In verse three, the prophet told David,
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  whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it,
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  for the Lord is with you. But that same night
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  God gave Nathan a very different message. The Lord had
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  something surprising to say about David's plan to build a temple.
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  God began by reminding David of his history. In verse eight,
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  I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock,
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  and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. God had
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  been with David through every battle and had cut off
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  all his enemies. Then came the shocking reversal. Instead of
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  David building a house for God, God was going to
• 24:37
  build a house for David. But this wouldn't be a
• 24:40
  house made of wood and stone. In verse eleven, God promised,
• 24:44
  the Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will
• 24:48
  establish a house for you. This house would be a
• 24:50
  dynasty that would last forever. God explained the plan further
• 24:55
  in verse twelve. When your days are over and you
• 24:58
  rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring
• 25:02
  to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I
• 25:05
  will establish his kingdom. This son would be the one
• 25:09
  to build the temple, not David. In verse thirteen, God said,
• 25:13
  he is the one who will build a house for
• 25:15
  my name, and I will establish the throne of his
• 25:17
  kingdom forever. The promise went beyond just one son. God
• 25:22
  was making a covenant with David's entire family line. In
• 25:27
  verse sixteen, the Lord declared, your house and your kingdom
• 25:30
  will endure forever before me. Your throne will be established forever.
• 25:35
  This wasn't just about Solomon, or even about Israel's earthly kings.
• 25:40
  God was promising something that would reach far into the future.
• 25:44
  David's response to God's incredible promise showed his true character.
• 25:49
  He didn't celebrate or boast about his family becoming an
• 25:52
  eternal dynasty. Instead, he went and sat before the ark
• 25:57
  of the Lord. Overwhelmed by God's grace, his prayer began
• 26:01
  with wonder and humility. In verse eighteen, David asked, who
• 26:05
  am i, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family that
• 26:09
  you have brought me this far. He couldn't understand why
• 26:12
  God had chosen him from all the people in Israel.
• 26:15
  David remembered his humble beginnings as a shepherd boy and
• 26:19
  marveled at how far God had brought him. But David
• 26:22
  realized that God's promise went far beyond his own lifetime.
• 26:26
  In verse nineteen, he said, and as if this were
• 26:29
  not enough in your sight, Sovereign Lord, you have also
• 26:33
  spoken about the future of the house of your servant,
• 26:36
  and this is a charter for all mankind. Sovereign Lord,
• 26:41
  David understood that this promise would affect not just Israel,
• 26:45
  but all nations. David accepted that he wouldn't be the
• 26:49
  one to build the temple. He focused instead on praising
• 26:53
  God for his faithfulness. In verse twenty David said, what
• 26:58
  more can David say to you? You, for you know your servant,
• 27:03
  Sovereign Lord. He didn't need to explain his heart to
• 27:07
  God because God already knew everything about him. The king
• 27:11
  praised God's uniqueness among all the gods of the nations.
• 27:17
  In verse twenty two, David declared, how great you are,
• 27:20
  Sovereign Lord. There is no one like you, and there
• 27:25
  is no God but you, as we have heard with
• 27:28
  our own ears. He remembered how God had rescued Israel
• 27:32
  from Egypt and made them his chosen people. David's prayer
• 27:36
  ended with confidence in God's promises. In verse twenty five,
• 27:40
  he said, and now, Lord, God, keep forever the promise
• 27:44
  you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do
• 27:47
  as you promised. David believed completely that God would keep
• 27:52
  his word. He finished by asking for God's blessing in
• 27:56
  verse twenty nine, Now be pleased to bless the house
• 27:59
  of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight.
• 28:03
  For you, Sovereign Lord, have spoken, and with your blessing
• 28:07
  the house of your servant will be blessed forever. With
• 28:11
  God's promise of an eternal kingdom fresh in his mind,
• 28:15
  David began a series of military campaigns that would establish
• 28:19
  Israel as the dominant power in the region. His first
• 28:23
  target was Israel's oldest enemy, the Philistines. Chapter eight, verse
• 28:31
  and records that David defeated the Philistines and subdued them,
• 28:36
  and he took Methegamah from the control of the Philistines.
• 28:39
  This victory was especially significant because the Philistines had terrorized
• 28:44
  Israel for generations. Now they were paying tribute to David
• 28:49
  instead of threatening his people. Next, David turned his attention
• 28:54
  to Moab, the nation descended from Lot that lived east
• 28:58
  of the Dead Sea. The campaign was brutal and decisive.
• 29:02
  Verse two tells us that David also defeated the Moabites.
• 29:06
  He made them lie down on the ground and measured
• 29:09
  them off with a length of cord. Every two lengths
• 29:12
  of them were put to death, and the third length
• 29:15
  was allowed to live. The surviving Moabites became David's subjects
• 29:20
  and brought him tribute. David's biggest victory came against Hadadeza,
• 29:25
  king of Zoba, who controlled territory in modern day Syria.
• 29:29
  When Hadadiza tried to restore his control along the Euphrates River,
• 29:33
  David struck him down. Verse four records the massive scale
• 29:37
  of David's victory. David captured a thousand of his chariots,
• 29:43
  seven thousand charioteers, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He hamstrung
• 29:48
  all but a hundred of the chariot horses. When the
• 29:51
  Aramians of Damascus came to help Hadadeza, David defeated them too.
• 29:57
  Verse six says that David put gas garrisons in the
• 30:00
  Aramian kingdom of Damascus, and the Aramians became subject to
• 30:06
  him and brought tribute. David was building an empire that
• 30:10
  stretched from Egypt to the Euphrates River. The wealth from
• 30:14
  these conquests was enormous. David took gold shields from Hadadisa's
• 30:20
  offices and large amounts of bronze from his cities. King
• 30:23
  Too of Hamath, hearing of David's victory, sent his son
• 30:27
  with gifts of gold, silver, and bronze articles to congratulate
• 30:31
  the conqueror and make peace. David dedicated all this wealth
• 30:36
  to the Lord. Verse eleven explains that King David dedicated
• 30:41
  these articles to the Lord, as he had done with
• 30:44
  the silver and gold from all the nations he had subdued.
• 30:48
  The temple that Solomon would build would be funded by
• 30:51
  David's military victories. The empire now included defeated Edomites in
• 30:56
  the south. Verse fourteen records that David put garrisons throughout
• 31:02
  edom and all the Edomites became subject to David. Everywhere
• 31:06
  David went, the Lord gave him victory. To govern this
• 31:10
  vast empire. David organized an efficient administration. Joab remained commander
• 31:16
  of the army, while Jehoshafat's son of Ahilud became recorder.
• 31:21
  Zadok and Ahimelech served as priests. Sarayah was secretary, and
• 31:26
  Benaiah commanded David's personal guard. Verse eighteen adds that David's
• 31:31
  sons were priests, showing how the king kept important positions
• 31:35
  within his family. In the midst of his military triumphs
• 31:39
  David remembered a promise he had made years earlier. He
• 31:43
  had sworn an oath of friendship to Jonathan, Saul's son,
• 31:47
  and now he wondered if any of Jonathan's family had
• 31:49
  survived the wars and purges, David asked his servants in
• 31:54
  verse one, is there any one still left of the
• 31:57
  house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for
• 32:00
  Jonathan's sake. His officials found a former servant of Saul's
• 32:04
  household named Zeba, who had valuable information about surviving family members.
• 32:11
  When Zebra came before the King, David asked him the
• 32:14
  same question. Zebra revealed that Jonathan had a son who
• 32:18
  was still alive. In verse three, Zebra explained, there is
• 32:23
  still a son of Jonathan. He is lame in both feet.
• 32:27
  This was Mephibusheth, who had been crippled in a childhood
• 32:30
  accident when his nurse dropped him while fleeing from the
• 32:33
  news of Saul and Jonathan's deaths. David immediately ordered Mephibusheth
• 32:39
  to be brought from Low de Bar, where he had
• 32:41
  been living in hiding. When the young man arrived, he
• 32:44
  fell face down before David in terror. He expected to
• 32:48
  be executed as a potential threat to David's throne, which
• 32:52
  was the normal practice when dynasties changed, but David's words
• 32:56
  shocked him completely. In verse seven, David said, don't be afraid,
• 33:02
  for I will surely show you kindness for the sake
• 33:04
  of your father, Jonathan. I will restore to you all
• 33:08
  the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you
• 33:11
  will always eat at my table. This wasn't just mercy,
• 33:15
  it was honor and wealth beyond Mefhibashef's wildest dreams. Mephibashef
• 33:21
  couldn't believe what he was hearing. In verse eight, he responded,
• 33:27
  what is your servant that you should notice? A dead
• 33:30
  dog like me? He saw himself as worthless and powerless,
• 33:36
  completely at David's mercy. But David was serious about his promise.
• 33:41
  He called Zebra back and gave him detailed instructions. In
• 33:45
  verse nine, David told him, I have given your master's
• 33:49
  grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. Zeba
• 33:54
  and his fifteen sons and twenty servants would work the land,
• 33:58
  but all the produce would belong to Mephibusheth. The chapter
• 34:03
  ends with a beautiful picture of covenant loyalty. Verse eleven
• 34:08
  tells us that Mephibusheth ate at David's table like one
• 34:12
  of the king's sons, despite being lame in both feet
• 34:16
  Mephibushev was treated as family. David kept his promise to
• 34:21
  his dead friend Jonathan by caring for Jonathan's son as
• 34:24
  if he were his own child. David's desire to show
• 34:28
  kindness extended beyond Israel to neighboring nations. When Nahash, king
• 34:34
  of the Ammonites, died, David decided to send a delegation
• 34:38
  to express sympathy to the new king, Hanoun. Chapter ten,
• 34:43
  verse two explains David's reasoning, I will show kindness to
• 34:49
  Hanun's son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness
• 34:54
  to me. David chose several of his officials to serve
• 34:57
  as ambassadors and sent them to the Ammonite capital with
• 35:01
  a message of condolence. This was standard diplomatic practice. Kings
• 35:06
  often sent representatives to funeral ceremonies of neighboring rulers to
• 35:11
  maintain peaceful relationships. But Hanoon's advisers were suspicious of David's motives.
• 35:18
  They convinced the young king that this wasn't a genuine
• 35:22
  gesture of sympathy, but a clever spy mission. In verse three,
• 35:27
  Harnuon's officials warned him, do you think David is honoring
• 35:31
  your father by sending envoys to you to express sympathy.
• 35:35
  Hasn't David sent them to you only to explore the city,
• 35:38
  inspired out and overthrow it. Hanun listened to his advisers.
• 35:42
  Instead of accepting David's gesture at face value. What he
• 35:46
  did next was an act of extreme insult that guaranteed war.
• 35:52
  Verse four records the humiliation. So Hanoon seized David's envoys,
• 35:58
  shaved off half of each man and a beard, cut
• 36:01
  off their garments at the buttocks, and sent them away.
• 36:05
  This wasn't just rude behavior, it was a calculated insult
• 36:10
  designed to shame David and his representatives. In that culture,
• 36:15
  a man's beard was a symbol of his dignity and maturity.
• 36:19
  Cutting someone's beard was like saying he was worth nothing.
• 36:22
  Exposing their buttocks added sexual humiliation to the insult. When
• 36:27
  David heard what had happened to his ambassadors, he was
• 36:31
  furious at the insult, but compassionate toward his men. He
• 36:34
  knew they would be too ashamed to return to Jerusalem
• 36:37
  in their condition. In Verse five, David sent word to them,
• 36:42
  stay at Jericho till your beards have grown, and then
• 36:45
  come back. He wanted to spare them further embarrassment. The
• 36:49
  Ammonites realized they had made David their enemy and began
• 36:53
  preparing for war. They hired Syrian mercenaries to strengthen their army.
• 36:59
  A thousand talents of silver bought them thirty two thousand
• 37:04
  chariots and charioteers from various Syrian kingdoms. They also allied
• 37:08
  with the king of Marka and twelve thousand men from tubb.
• 37:12
  When David learned about these military preparations, he knew the
• 37:16
  situation was serious. The Ammonites had turned a simple diplomatic
• 37:20
  gesture into a major international in conflict, and now they
• 37:25
  were gathering the largest army Israel had ever faced. Joab
• 37:29
  arrived with Israel's army to find himself facing a military nightmare.
• 37:34
  The Ammonites had positioned themselves in front of their city gate,
• 37:38
  while their Syrian allies spread out in the open field.
• 37:42
  This meant Israel would have to fight on two fronts simultaneously,
• 37:47
  exactly what the enemy wanted. But Joab was an experienced
• 37:51
  general who didn't panic under pressure. He made a brilliant
• 37:55
  tactical decision by dividing his forces in verse eleven, Joab
• 38:00
  told his brother Abeshi, if the Aramians are too strong
• 38:03
  for me, then you are to come to my rescue.
• 38:06
  But if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then
• 38:09
  I will come to rescue you. This plan allowed each
• 38:14
  brother to focus on one enemy while knowing help was
• 38:18
  available if needed. Before the battle began, Joab gave his
• 38:22
  men a speech that revealed his heart for God and country.
• 38:26
  In verse twelve, he declared, be strong and let us
• 38:29
  fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God.
• 38:33
  The Lord will do what is good. In his sight,
• 38:37
  Joab understood that they were fighting not just for military victory,
• 38:41
  but for God's people and God's honor. The battle strategy
• 38:46
  worked perfectly. When Joab attacked the Syrians, they broke and ran.
• 38:51
  Seeing their allies fleeing, the Amonites also retreated before Abieshi
• 38:56
  and shut themselves inside their city. Verse fourteen simply states
• 39:01
  when the Ammonites realized that the Aramians were fleeing, they
• 39:04
  fled before Abeshi and went inside the city. But the
• 39:08
  war wasn't over. Hadadezir, the Syrian king David, had defeated before,
• 39:13
  decided to gather all his forces for one final attempt
• 39:17
  to defeat Israel, he brought Syrian troops from beyond the
• 39:20
  Euphrates River under the command of Shobach, his army commander.
• 39:26
  This time, David didn't send Joab to fight the battle.
• 39:29
  He took personal command of Israel's forces and marched out
• 39:33
  to meet the Syrians at Hilam. The battle was decisive
• 39:37
  and devastating for Israel's enemies. Verse eighteen records the massive
• 39:41
  scale of David's victory, but they fled before Israel, and
• 39:46
  David killed seven hundred of their charioteers and forty thousand
• 39:50
  of their foot soldiers. He also struck down Shobach, the
• 39:54
  commander of their army, and he died there. The Syrian
• 39:59
  coalition was completely destroyed. The defeat was so complete that
• 40:04
  it ended Syrian resistance to Israel permanently. Verse nineteen explains
• 40:08
  the result. When all the kings who were vassals of
• 40:11
  Hadadezer saw that they had been routed by Israel, they
• 40:15
  made peace with the Israelites and became subject to them.
• 40:19
  David's empire now reached all the way to the Euphrates River,
• 40:24
  just as God had promised Abraham centuries earlier. In the spring,
• 40:28
  when kings normally led their armies to war, David made
• 40:32
  a decision that would change his life forever. Instead of
• 40:35
  going with his troops to finish the siege of Rabbah,
• 40:38
  the Ammonite capital, he stayed in Jerusalem. Chapter eleven, verse
• 40:43
  one sets the scene. David sent Joab out with the
• 40:48
  king's men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the
• 40:52
  Ammonites and besieged Rabbah, but David remained in Jerusalem. One evening,
• 41:00
  David was walking on the roof of his palace when
• 41:03
  he saw something that captured his attention. A woman was bathing,
• 41:08
  and she was very beautiful. Instead of looking away, David
• 41:13
  stared and then sent someone to find out who she was.
• 41:16
  His servant brought back troubling information. In verse three. The
• 41:20
  messenger reported she is Bathsheba, the daughter of Iliam and
• 41:25
  the wife of Uriah, the Hittite. David now knew three
• 41:29
  important facts her name, her father's identity, and most importantly,
• 41:35
  that she was married. Her husband, Uriah was one of
• 41:39
  David's own soldiers currently fighting in the siege. David should
• 41:44
  have been leading. Despite knowing she was married, David sent
• 41:48
  messengers to bring Bathsheba to the palace. Verse four records
• 41:52
  what happened next. Then David sent messengers to get her.
• 41:55
  She came to him and he slept with her. The
• 41:59
  text notes that but she had purified herself from her
• 42:02
  monthly uncleanness, which would soon become significant. After their encounter,
• 42:08
  Bathsheba returned home, but a few weeks later she sent
• 42:12
  David a message that filled him with dread. In verse five,
• 42:15
  she told him simply, I am pregnant. With just three words,
• 42:21
  David's secret sin became a crisis that could destroy his reputation,
• 42:26
  his family, and his kingdom. David's first instinct was to
• 42:29
  cover up what had happened. He sent word to Joab
• 42:32
  at the battle front, send me Euryyah, the Hittite. David's
• 42:36
  plan was simple. If he could get Uryah to sleep
• 42:39
  with his wife, everyone would assume the baby was Uriah's.
• 42:43
  When Uriah arrived in Jerusalem, David pretended to want a
• 42:47
  military briefing. He asked about Joab, the soldiers, and how
• 42:51
  the war was going. Then he dismissed Uriah with instructions
• 42:55
  to go home to his wife. David even sent a
• 42:58
  gift to Uriah's house, hoping to create a romantic mood,
• 43:02
  but David's plan failed because of Uriah's integrity. Instead of
• 43:07
  going home to Bathsheba, Euriah slept at the entrance to
• 43:11
  the palace with David's servants. When David learned about this,
• 43:16
  he called Uriah back and asked in verse ten, haven't
• 43:20
  you just come from a military campaign? Why didn't you
• 43:23
  go home? Uriah's answer revealed his noble character. In verse eleven,
• 43:29
  he explained, the ark and Israel and Judah are staying intense,
• 43:33
  and my commander Joab and my lord's men are camped
• 43:36
  in the open country. How could I go to my
• 43:39
  house to eat and drink and make love to my wife?
• 43:42
  As surely as you live, I will not do such
• 43:45
  a thing. While his king was enjoying pallace luxury, Uriah
• 43:50
  refused to indulge in pleasures his fellow soldiers couldn't share.
• 43:54
  Desperate to make his plan work, David kept Uriah in
• 43:58
  Jerusalem another day and got him drunk, thinking alcohol might
• 44:02
  weaken his resolve, But even drunk, Uriah maintained his principles.
• 44:07
  Verse thirteen says that he went out to sleep on
• 44:10
  his mat among his master's servants. He did not go
• 44:14
  home with his cover up attempt failing, David chose a
• 44:17
  path that would haunt him forever. He wrote a letter
• 44:21
  to Joab and gave it to Euriah to carry back
• 44:24
  to the battlefield. The bitter irony was that Uriah was
• 44:28
  carrying his own death sentence. The letter contained David's coldest command.
• 44:34
  In verse fifteen, David ordered Joab put Uriah out in
• 44:39
  front where the fighting is fiercest, then withdraw from him
• 44:43
  so he will be struck down and die. David was
• 44:46
  using his position as king to commit murder, and he
• 44:50
  was making his loyal general and accomplice. Joab obeyed his
• 44:55
  king's order. He positioned Uriah at the most dangerous spot
• 45:00
  an attack on Rabba's walls. When the enemy fought back fiercely,
• 45:04
  Joab pulled his men back and left Uriah exposed. Uriah
• 45:08
  died in battle along with several other soldiers, just as
• 45:12
  David had planned. When the battle report reached David, Joab
• 45:17
  included a message designed to prevent the king from getting
• 45:20
  angry about the military losses, but David's response showed his
• 45:24
  true priorities. After hearing that Uriah was dead, verse twenty
• 45:29
  five records David's callous reply, don't let this upset you.
• 45:34
  The sword devours one as well as another. When Bathsheba
• 45:38
  heard about her husband's death, she mourned for him according
• 45:41
  to custom, but as soon as her mourning period ended,
• 45:45
  David sent for her. Verse twenty seven concludes the chapter
• 45:48
  with David's apparent success. After the time of mourning was over,
• 45:53
  David had her brought to his house, and she became
• 45:56
  his wife and bore him a son. But the chap
• 46:00
  ends with an ominous warning that David's sin hadn't gone unnoticed.
• 46:05
  The final sentence declares, but the thing David had done
• 46:08
  displeased the Lord. David thought his secret was safe, but
• 46:13
  God sees everything. The Lord sent Nathan the Prophet to
• 46:17
  confront the king, but Nathan was wise enough to approach
• 46:20
  the subject carefully. Instead of directly accusing David, he told
• 46:25
  a story that would make the king condemn himself. In
• 46:30
  chapter twelve, Verse one, Nathan began his parable. There were
• 46:35
  two men in a certain town, one rich and the
• 46:37
  other poor. The rich man had large flocks of sheep
• 46:41
  and cattle, while the poor man had only one little
• 46:44
  lamb that was like a daughter to him. The lamb
• 46:48
  ate from the poor man's table, drank from his cup,
• 46:51
  and slept in his arms. Nathan continued his story in
• 46:56
  verse four. Now a traveler came to the rich man,
• 47:00
  but the rich man refrained from taking one of his
• 47:03
  own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the
• 47:06
  traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the
• 47:10
  you lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared
• 47:13
  it for the one who had come to him. David's
• 47:17
  reaction was immediate and furious. He exploded with righteous anger
• 47:22
  at the injustice described in Nathan's story. In verse five,
• 47:26
  David declared, as surely as the Lord lives, the man
• 47:30
  who did this must die. He continued his condemnation in
• 47:34
  verse six, he must pay for that lamb four times
• 47:38
  over because he did such a thing and had no pity.
• 47:42
  Nathan had set the perfect trap with David's own words
• 47:47
  condemning the rich man's actions, the prophet delivered the devastating revelation.
• 47:52
  In verse seven, Nathan declared, you are the man. Then
• 47:56
  he delivered God's message directly to the king's face. God
• 48:00
  reminded David of all his blessings through Nathan's words in
• 48:04
  verse eight, I anointed you king over Israel, and I
• 48:09
  delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave your
• 48:12
  master's house to you, and your master's wives into your arms.
• 48:16
  I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all
• 48:19
  this had been too little, I would have given you
• 48:21
  even more. David had everything he could want, yet he
• 48:25
  still took what belonged to another man. Nathan then detailed
• 48:29
  David's sins in verse nine. Why did you despise the
• 48:34
  word of the Lord by doing what is evil in
• 48:36
  his eyes? You struck down your Riah, the Hittite, with
• 48:40
  the sword, and took his wife to be your wife.
• 48:43
  You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. God
• 48:46
  saw both the adultery and the murder, and he held
• 48:50
  David responsible for both. The judgment was swift and severe.
• 48:55
  Nathan announced God's punishment in verse eleven. Out of your
• 48:58
  own household. I am going to bring calamity on you
• 49:02
  before your very eyes. I will take your wives and
• 49:05
  give them to one who is close to you, and
• 49:07
  he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight. David's
• 49:11
  secret sin would be repaid with public humiliation, but the
• 49:15
  immediate consequence would be even more heart breaking. In verse fourteen,
• 49:20
  Nathan told David, because by doing this you have shown
• 49:23
  utter contempt for the Lord, the son born to you
• 49:26
  will die. The innocent child would pay the price for
• 49:30
  his father's guilt. David's response showed genuine repentance. In verse thirteen,
• 49:36
  he simply said, I have sinned against the Lord. There
• 49:40
  were no excuses, no attempts to justify his actions, just
• 49:44
  honest confession of guilt. Nathan confirmed that David's repentance was accepted.
• 49:50
  He told the King, the Lord has taken away your sin.
• 49:54
  You are not going to die. David would live, but
• 49:58
  he would face the consequences his choices. The judgment began immediately.
• 50:03
  The baby became seriously ill, and David did everything he
• 50:07
  could to save his son's life. He fasted, lay on
• 50:11
  the ground all night and refused to eat. His officials
• 50:15
  were afraid to tell him when the child died on
• 50:17
  the seventh day, thinking David might harm himself, but David's
• 50:21
  reactions surprised everyone. When he realized the child was dead,
• 50:26
  he got up, washed, changed his clothes, and went to
• 50:29
  worship in the House of the Lord. Then he went
• 50:32
  home and asked for food. His servants were confused by
• 50:36
  his behavior when they asked why he was acting normally
• 50:40
  after the child's death, David explained in verse twenty three,
• 50:43
  while the child was still alive, I fasted and wept.
• 50:47
  I thought, who knows? The Lord may be gracious to
• 50:51
  me and let the child live. But now that he
• 50:54
  is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I
• 50:57
  bring him back again? I will go to him, but
• 51:01
  he will not return to me. David then comforted Bathsheba
• 51:05
  in her grief, and she became pregnant again. When their
• 51:09
  second son was born, they named him Solomon. Verse twenty
• 51:13
  four adds that the Lord loved him, showing that God's
• 51:18
  judgment was complete and his mercy was returning. Meanwhile, the
• 51:23
  siege of Rabbah was nearing its end. Joab sent word
• 51:27
  to David that the city was about to fall and
• 51:30
  urge the king to come personally to capture it. David
• 51:33
  gathered his forces and went to Rubbah, taking the city
• 51:37
  and claiming the victory. He took the royal crown, which
• 51:41
  weighed a talent of gold, and made it his own.
• 51:44
  The conquest was complete, but David's personal battles were just beginning.
• 51:49
  The consequences of his sin with Bathsheba would echo through
• 51:53
  his family for years to come. Nathan's prophecy about trouble
• 51:57
  coming from David's house began with his own oldest son, Amnon.
• 52:02
  Chapter thirteen. Verse one tells us that Amnon fell in
• 52:05
  love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of Absalom, son of David.
• 52:10
  But this wasn't love, It was destructive lust that consumed
• 52:14
  Amnon completely. Verse two describes how Amnon became so obsessed
• 52:19
  with his sister Tamar that he made himself ill. She
• 52:23
  was a virgin, and it seemed impossible for him to
• 52:26
  do anything to her. His cousin Jonadab noticed Amnon's condition
• 52:31
  and devised a wicked plan. In verse five, he told Amnon,
• 52:36
  go to bed and pretend to be ill. When your
• 52:39
  father comes to see you, say to him, I would
• 52:42
  like my sister Tamar to come and give me something
• 52:45
  to eat. Amnon followed this evil advice perfectly. When David
• 52:50
  came to check on his sick son, Amnon made his
• 52:53
  request exactly as suggested. David, caring for his son's health,
• 52:59
  immediately sent were to Tamar to help her brother. She
• 53:02
  came innocently to Amnon's house and prepared bread while he
• 53:06
  watched from his bed. But when Tamar brought the food,
• 53:10
  Amnon told everyone else to leave. Once alone, his true
• 53:14
  intentions became clear. In verse eleven, he grabbed Tamar and said,
• 53:20
  come to bed with me, my sister. Tamar was horrified
• 53:24
  and tried desperately to stop him. In verse twelve, she pleaded, no,
• 53:28
  my brother, don't force me. Such a thing should not
• 53:31
  be done in Israel. Don't do this wicked thing. But
• 53:35
  Amnon was beyond reason. Verse fourteen records the brutal reality.
• 53:41
  But he refused to listen to her, and since he
• 53:44
  was stronger than she, he raped her. What happened next
• 53:48
  revealed how twisted Amnon's feelings really were. Verse fifteen describes
• 53:53
  the shocking change. Then Amnon hated her with intense hatred.
• 53:58
  In fact, he hated her more more than he had
• 54:00
  loved her. He threw her out of his house, leaving
• 54:04
  Tamar devastated. When Absalom found his sister crying, he told
• 54:08
  her to be quiet, but his calm words hid burning
• 54:12
  rage that would eventually explode. For two long years, Absalom
• 54:17
  said nothing about what Amnon had done to their sister.
• 54:20
  Chapter thirteen, verse twenty two explains his strategy. Absalom never
• 54:25
  said a word to Amnon, either good or bad. He
• 54:28
  hated Amnon because he had disgraced his sister Tamar, but
• 54:33
  Absalom's silence didn't mean he had forgotten. He was planning
• 54:36
  something terrible. The opportunity for revenge came during sheep shearing season,
• 54:42
  a time of celebration and feasting. Absalom owned property in
• 54:47
  Balhazor and decided to throw a party there. He went
• 54:51
  to David with what seemed like an innocent invitation in
• 54:56
  verse twenty three. Absalom said, your servant has had shearers come.
• 55:01
  Will the King and his attendants please join me? David declined,
• 55:07
  knowing his entire court would be expensive to entertain. When
• 55:10
  Absalom pressed him, David blessed his son but still refused
• 55:14
  to come. Then Absalom made what seemed like a reasonable
• 55:18
  alternative request. In verse twenty six, he asked, if not,
• 55:23
  please let my brother Amnon come with us. David found
• 55:27
  this request puzzling, but eventually agreed to send all the
• 55:31
  king's sons to the celebration the sheep shearing Festival proceeded
• 55:35
  normally at first, with plenty of food, wine, and celebration,
• 55:39
  but Absalom had given his servants secret instructions. In verse
• 55:44
  twenty eight, he told them, listen, when Amnon is in
• 55:48
  high spirits from drinking wine, and I say to you,
• 55:52
  strike Amnon down, then kill him. Don't be afraid. Haven't
• 55:55
  I given you this order? Be strong and brave. When
• 56:00
  the moment was right and Amnon was drunk and relaxed,
• 56:03
  Absalom gave the signal. His servants struck Amnon down and
• 56:07
  killed him instantly. The other princes, seeing their brother murdered
• 56:12
  before their eyes, panicked and fled on their mules. A
• 56:16
  garbled report reached David before his sons could return home,
• 56:20
  claiming that all the king's sons were dead. David's grief
• 56:24
  was overwhelming until Jonadab explained that only Amnon was dead,
• 56:30
  killed in revenge for raping Tamar. Soon, David's surviving sons
• 56:34
  returned home, confirming the truth, but Absalom had fled immediately
• 56:39
  to Gesher, his grandfather's kingdom, where he stayed for three
• 56:44
  years while David mourned for both his dead son and
• 56:47
  his exiled one. After three years of separation, Joab noticed
• 56:53
  that David's anger toward Absalom was softening. Chapter fourteen, Verse
• 56:58
  one tells us that Joab's song of Zurwiah knew that
• 57:01
  the king's heart longed for Absalom. David missed his son,
• 57:06
  but his royal position made it difficult to simply recall
• 57:09
  a murderer from exile. Joab decided to help by arranging
• 57:14
  a clever intervention, using a wise woman from Tacoa. He
• 57:17
  gave her detailed instructions and had her dress in mourning
• 57:21
  clothes to make her story believable. When the woman appeared
• 57:24
  before David, she told him a heart breaking story about
• 57:28
  being a widow whose two sons had fought, resulting in
• 57:32
  one killing the other. Now her family wanted to execute
• 57:36
  the remaining son for murder, She told David in verse seven.
• 57:42
  Now the whole clan has risen up against your servant.
• 57:45
  They say, hand over the one who struck his brother down,
• 57:49
  so that we may put him to death for the
• 57:51
  life of his brother, whom he killed. She explained that
• 57:55
  if her last son died, her family line would be
• 57:59
  extinct and she would have no one to care for her.
• 58:02
  David was moved by her plight and promised to protect
• 58:05
  her son. But then the woman sprang her trap. In
• 58:09
  verse thirteen, she said, why then have you devised a
• 58:12
  thing like this against the people of God? When the
• 58:15
  king says this, does he not convict himself? For the
• 58:18
  king has not brought back his banished son. She was
• 58:22
  pointing out David's inconsistency and protecting her fictional son while
• 58:26
  keeping his real son in exile. The woman's argument was
• 58:30
  brilliant and piercing, reminding David that God himself believes in
• 58:35
  restoration and second chances. When David realized Joab was behind
• 58:41
  this intervention, he gave in in verse twenty one, he
• 58:45
  told Joab very well, I will do it. Go bring
• 58:50
  back the young man Absalom. But David's reconciliation came with
• 58:54
  a significant condition. Absalom could return to Jerusalem, but was
• 58:59
  forbidden from from seeing his father's face. When Absalom returned
• 59:03
  to Jerusalem, everyone noticed him immediately because of his spectacular beauty.
• 59:09
  Chapter fourteen, verse twenty five explains why in all Israel
• 59:14
  there was not a man so highly praised for his
• 59:18
  handsome appearance as Absalom. From the top of his head
• 59:21
  to the sole of his foot. There was no blemish
• 59:24
  in him. His most striking feature was his magnificent hair,
• 59:29
  which was so thick and beautiful that it weighed five
• 59:32
  pounds when cut annually. Despite his beauty and success, Absalom
• 59:37
  was deeply frustrated by his father's coldness. For two full
• 59:41
  years he lived in Jerusalem without being allowed to see
• 59:45
  David's face. This partial reconciliation was worse than exile. He
• 59:51
  was close enough to the palace to feel rejected every day. Finally,
• 59:56
  Absalom decided to force a meeting with his father through Joab,
• 1:00:00
  who had arranged his return. When Joeab ignored his requests twice,
• 1:00:06
  Absalom took drastic action. In verse thirty he told his servants, look,
• 1:00:11
  Joe AB's field is next to mine, and he has
• 1:00:14
  barley there. Go and set it on fire. This wasn't
• 1:00:18
  just property damage. It was a direct challenge that Joab
• 1:00:22
  couldn't ignore. The plan worked perfectly. When joeabs barleyfield went
• 1:00:28
  up in flames, he came storming to Absalom's house demanding answers.
• 1:00:33
  Absalom was ready with his response. In verse thirty two,
• 1:00:36
  he explained, look, I sent word to you and said
• 1:00:40
  come here, so I can send you to the king
• 1:00:42
  to ask why have I come from Geshur. It would
• 1:00:45
  be better for me if I were still there now.
• 1:00:48
  Then I want to see the King's face, and if
• 1:00:51
  I am guilty of anything, let him put me to death.
• 1:00:54
  Absalom's logic was simple but powerful. He deserved either full
• 1:00:58
  restoration or execuoncution, not this painful limbo. Joab recognized the
• 1:01:04
  wisdom in this argument and agreed to help arrange the meeting.
• 1:01:09
  The reunion was formal but emotional. Verse thirty three describes
• 1:01:15
  what happened. So Joab went to the king and told
• 1:01:18
  him this. Then the king summoned Absalom, and he came
• 1:01:21
  in and bowed down with his face to the ground
• 1:01:23
  before the king and the king kissed Absalom. After five
• 1:01:27
  years of separation, father and son were finally reunited, but
• 1:01:32
  this reconciliation was only surface deep. Once Absalom regained access
• 1:01:37
  to his father, he began preparing for something much bigger
• 1:01:40
  than family reconciliation. Chapter fifteen, verse one tells us that
• 1:01:45
  Absalom provided himself with a chariot and horses, and with
• 1:01:49
  fifty men to run ahead of him. This wasn't just
• 1:01:53
  royal display, it was political theater designed to make Absalom
• 1:01:57
  look like the future king Mourning. Absalom positioned himself strategically
• 1:02:03
  at the gate of Jerusalem, where people came to seek
• 1:02:07
  justice from the king. When any one approached with a
• 1:02:10
  legal dispute, Absalom would intercept them before they could reach
• 1:02:14
  David's court. His approach was friendly and sympathetic, designed to
• 1:02:19
  make people feel heard and valued. Absalom's technique was brilliant
• 1:02:24
  political manipulation. In verse three, when someone came with a case,
• 1:02:29
  Absalom would say, look, your claims are valid and proper,
• 1:02:33
  but there is no representative of the king to hear you.
• 1:02:36
  He was implying that David's government was failing to provide
• 1:02:40
  proper justice, while positioning himself as someone who understood their problems.
• 1:02:46
  Then Absalom would deliver his killer line in verse four.
• 1:02:49
  He would say, if only I were appointed judge in
• 1:02:52
  the land, then everyone who has a complaint or case
• 1:02:55
  could come to me and I would see that they
• 1:02:58
  received justice. He was promising to be the King Israel
• 1:03:02
  needed accessible fare and personally involved in his people's problems.
• 1:03:07
  Absalom's false humility was particularly effective when people bowed to
• 1:03:12
  him in respect. Verse five tells us that he would
• 1:03:16
  reach out his hand and take hold of them and
• 1:03:18
  kiss them. Instead of accepting formal honor, Absalom treated everyone
• 1:03:24
  like a close friend. The strategy worked perfectly over four years.
• 1:03:29
  Verse six explains the result. Absalom behaved in this way
• 1:03:34
  toward all the Israelites who came to the king asking
• 1:03:36
  for justice, and so he stole the hearts of the
• 1:03:39
  people of Israel. After four years of preparation, Absalom was
• 1:03:43
  ready to launch his rebellion. He went to David asking
• 1:03:47
  permission to go to Hebron to fulfill the religious vow,
• 1:03:51
  and David gave his blessing, not suspecting treachery. But Absalom
• 1:03:56
  had already sent secret messengers throughout his lia with instructions
• 1:04:01
  to proclaim him king. When they heard the trumpet signal,
• 1:04:05
  the news hit David like a thunderbolt. A messenger came
• 1:04:08
  running to the palace with devastating information. In verse thirteen,
• 1:04:13
  he reported, the hearts of the people of Israel are
• 1:04:16
  with Absalom. David's own son had successfully stolen the loyalty
• 1:04:22
  of the entire nation and was marching on Jerusalem with
• 1:04:25
  an army. David's response was immediate and practical. He knew
• 1:04:30
  Jerusalem's walls could become a trap if besieged. In verse fourteen,
• 1:04:35
  David told his officials, come, we must flee, or none
• 1:04:40
  of us will escape from Absalom. We must leave immediately,
• 1:04:44
  or he will move quickly to overtake us and bring
• 1:04:46
  ruin on us and put the city to the sword.
• 1:04:50
  The evacuation began immediately. David's household, officials and loyal soldiers
• 1:04:57
  prepared to leave the capital, though he left ten concubines
• 1:05:01
  to care for the palace. As the procession moved out,
• 1:05:04
  David was encouraged to see his body guard remain loyal,
• 1:05:08
  including six hundred Gittites under foreign commander Ittai. David tried
• 1:05:13
  to release Itai from obligation since he was a foreigner
• 1:05:17
  who had only recently joined David's service, but Etai's response
• 1:05:21
  revealed true loyalty. In verse twenty one, he declared, as
• 1:05:26
  surely as the Lord lives, and as my lord the
• 1:05:29
  King lives, wherever my Lord the King may be, whether
• 1:05:32
  it means life or death, there will your servant be.
• 1:05:36
  When David reached the Kidron Valley and saw the priests
• 1:05:39
  carrying the Ark of the Covenant, he made a decision
• 1:05:43
  that revealed his faith in God's sovereignty. In verse twenty five,
• 1:05:48
  David told Zadok, take the Ark of God back into
• 1:05:51
  the city. If I find favor in the Lord's eyes,
• 1:05:55
  he will bring me back and let me see it
• 1:05:57
  and his dwelling place again. David understood that the ark
• 1:06:01
  belonged in Jerusalem, not in exile with a fleeing king.
• 1:06:06
  As David climbed the Mount of Olives weeping, he received
• 1:06:09
  devastating news that his most trusted counselor, a Hithefel, had
• 1:06:13
  joined Absalom's rebellion. This betrayal hit David harder than his
• 1:06:18
  son's revolt. He immediately prayed in verse thirty one, Lord
• 1:06:23
  turn a Hitherefel's council into foolishness. But God provided help
• 1:06:27
  when Hushai the Archite arrived, whom David sent back to
• 1:06:31
  Jerusalem as a double agent to frustrate a Hitherefel's advice
• 1:06:35
  from within Absalom's court. As David's procession continued its journey
• 1:06:40
  away from Jerusalem, they faced both hostility and unexpected kindness.
• 1:06:46
  When they reached Bahurim, a man named Shimei from Saul's
• 1:06:50
  family came out, cursing and throwing stones at the king
• 1:06:53
  and his supporters. Chapter sixteen, verse seven records she May's
• 1:06:58
  bitter words, get out, Get out, you murderer, you scoundrel.
• 1:07:04
  The Lord has repaid you for all the blood you
• 1:07:07
  shed in the household of Saul, in whose place you
• 1:07:10
  have reigned. The Lord has given the kingdom into the
• 1:07:13
  hands of your son Absalom. Every word was designed to
• 1:07:17
  wound David's spirit during his darkest hour. Abeshai, Joab's brother,
• 1:07:23
  was furious at this insult to his king. In verse nine,
• 1:07:27
  he asked David, why should this dead dog curse my lord?
• 1:07:30
  The King let me go over and cut off his head,
• 1:07:34
  But David's response revealed his broken but still faithful heart.
• 1:07:39
  In verse ten, he told ABESHI, what does this have
• 1:07:43
  to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah. If he
• 1:07:47
  is cursing because the Lord said to him, curse David,
• 1:07:50
  who can ask why do you do this? David was
• 1:07:54
  wondering if God himself had sent Shimeh to curse him
• 1:07:57
  as part of his punishment, David continued his remarkable response
• 1:08:01
  in verse eleven, My son, my own flesh and blood,
• 1:08:05
  is trying to kill me. How much more then this
• 1:08:08
  Benjamite leave him alone, let him curse, for the Lord
• 1:08:11
  has told him to. If his own son could betray him,
• 1:08:16
  why should David be surprised by a stranger's hatred. Meanwhile,
• 1:08:20
  back in Jerusalem, Absalom was taking control of the city
• 1:08:24
  with disturbing symbolism. When Hushai arrived and offered to serve
• 1:08:29
  the new king. Absalom questioned his loyalty, but Hushai gave
• 1:08:33
  a clever answer that satisfied his ego. A hithefel then
• 1:08:39
  gave shocking counsel about how Absalom should establish his authority.
• 1:08:44
  In verse twenty one, he told Absalom, sleep with your
• 1:08:47
  father's concubines, whom he left to take care of the palace.
• 1:08:51
  Then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself
• 1:08:54
  obnoxious to your father. This wasn't just political advice. It
• 1:08:59
  was the fulfillment of Nathan's prophecy that David's wives would
• 1:09:03
  be given to another. In broad daylight, a tent was
• 1:09:07
  set up on the palace roof, and Verse twenty two
• 1:09:10
  records that Absalom slept with his father's concubines in the
• 1:09:15
  sight of all Israel. The next morning, a hitherful presented
• 1:09:19
  Absalom with a plan that could have ended the rebellion immediately.
• 1:09:24
  In chapter seventeen, verse one, he proposed, I would choose
• 1:09:28
  twelve thousand men and set out to night in pursuit
• 1:09:31
  of David a Hitherefel wanted to strike while David was tired, disorganized,
• 1:09:37
  and demoralized. His strategy was brilliant, attacked David personally while
• 1:09:42
  his forces were scattered and weak. The plan impressed every
• 1:09:46
  one who heard it, but Absalom made a fatal mistake
• 1:09:50
  by asking for a second opinion from Hushai. When Hushai
• 1:09:54
  was called in, he carefully undermined a Hithafel's council. In
• 1:09:58
  verse eight, he warned, you know your father and his men.
• 1:10:02
  They are fighters and as fierce as a wild bear
• 1:10:05
  robbed of her cubs. Instead, Hushai proposed gathering all Israel
• 1:10:10
  for a massive campaign with Absalom personally leading, which sounded
• 1:10:15
  more glorious but would take much longer. Verse fourteen records
• 1:10:19
  the crucial decision. Absalom and all the men of Israel said,
• 1:10:23
  the advice of Hushai the Arkite is better than that
• 1:10:26
  of a Hitherafel. But the text adds the real reason
• 1:10:31
  for the Lord had determined to frustrate the good advice
• 1:10:34
  of Ahithofel in order to bring disaster on Absalom. A
• 1:10:39
  Hitherefel realized immediately that his counsel had been rejected and
• 1:10:43
  that Absalom's cause was doomed. His response was tragic. Verse
• 1:10:49
  twenty three tells us he put his house in order
• 1:10:53
  and then hanged himself. Meanwhile, David crossed the Jordan River
• 1:10:58
  and organized his forces at Mahanaim. When both armies were
• 1:11:03
  finally ready for battle, the confrontation took place in the
• 1:11:06
  forest of Ephraim. David's commanders refused to let him fight personally,
• 1:11:11
  but he gave them a crucial instruction that every one
• 1:11:14
  could hear. In Chapter eighteen, verse five, he ordered, be
• 1:11:19
  gentle with the young man Absalom, for my sake. The
• 1:11:23
  battle was a disaster for absaloms forces. Verse seven records
• 1:11:27
  that casualties were great. Twenty thousand men died. David's experienced
• 1:11:33
  soldiers proved superior to Absalom's larger but less experienced army.
• 1:11:38
  The forest itself became Absalom's enemy, and many soldiers became
• 1:11:43
  lost or trapped in the dense woods. Absalom met an
• 1:11:46
  ironic end when his magnificent hair, which had been his pride,
• 1:11:51
  became his trap. Verse nine describes what happened now. Absalom
• 1:11:57
  happened to meet David's men. He was riding his mule,
• 1:12:01
  and as the mule went under the thick branches of
• 1:12:04
  a large oak, Absalom's hair got caught in the tree.
• 1:12:08
  He was left hanging in mid air, while the mule
• 1:12:10
  he was riding kept on going. When Joab heard that
• 1:12:14
  Absalom was hanging helpless, he took three javelins and thrust
• 1:12:18
  them into the rebel prince's heart. With their leader dead,
• 1:12:22
  Absalom's army collapsed completely. The handsome prince, who had tried
• 1:12:27
  to steal his father's throne, ended up in an unmarked grave.
• 1:12:32
  The news of Absalom's death should have been cause for celebration,
• 1:12:36
  but David's reactions shocked everyone. Chapter nineteen, verse one tells
• 1:12:40
  us that Joab was told the king is weeping and
• 1:12:44
  mourning for Absalom. Instead of thanking God for victory, David
• 1:12:49
  was consumed with grief for his rebellious son. His loud
• 1:12:53
  weeping echoed through the palace as he cried out in
• 1:12:57
  verse four, O my son, Absalom, O Absalom, my son,
• 1:13:01
  my son. The man who had tried to kill him
• 1:13:04
  was the only person David could think about. The victory
• 1:13:07
  celebration turned into a funeral atmosphere. Verse two explains that
• 1:13:12
  for the whole army, the victory that day was turned
• 1:13:14
  into mourning because on that day the troops heard it, said,
• 1:13:19
  the king is grieving for his son. David's soldiers had
• 1:13:24
  risked their lives to save him, but now they felt
• 1:13:27
  ashamed of their success. These brave warriors, who should have
• 1:13:31
  been heroes, sneaked back into the city like defeated men.
• 1:13:36
  Verse three describes how the men stole into the city
• 1:13:39
  that day as men steal in who are ashamed when
• 1:13:43
  they flee from battle. Joab couldn't stand watching this any longer.
• 1:13:47
  He marched straight into David's private chambers, where the king
• 1:13:51
  was still crying. Joab's words in verse five were harsh
• 1:13:55
  but necessary. To day, you have humiliated all your men
• 1:14:00
  who have just saved your life, and the lives of
• 1:14:04
  your sons and daughters, and the lives of your wives
• 1:14:07
  and concubines. Joab continued his rebuke with brutal honesty in
• 1:14:12
  verse six. You love those who hate you, and hate
• 1:14:16
  those who love you. You have made it clear today
• 1:14:19
  that the commanders and their men mean nothing to you.
• 1:14:23
  I see that you would be pleased if Absalom were
• 1:14:25
  alive today and all of us were dead. Then Joab
• 1:14:29
  delivered his ultimatum. In verse seven. He warned David, now
• 1:14:33
  go out and encourage your men. I swear by the
• 1:14:36
  Lord that if you don't go out, not a man
• 1:14:39
  will be left with you by nightfall. This will be
• 1:14:42
  worse for you than all the calamities that have come
• 1:14:45
  on you from your youth till now. David realized that
• 1:14:50
  Joab was right. His personal grief was destroying the kingdom
• 1:14:55
  he had fought so hard to save. Slowly, David composed
• 1:14:59
  himself and went to sit in the gateway where his
• 1:15:01
  people could see him. Words spread quickly that the king
• 1:15:04
  was available, and verse eight tells us that all the
• 1:15:07
  men came before the king the process of healing could
• 1:15:11
  finally begin David's return journey to Jerusalem became a careful
• 1:15:15
  exercise in political forgiveness and wisdom. One of his first
• 1:15:21
  encounters was with Sheimee, the man who had cursed and
• 1:15:24
  thrown stones at him during his escape from Absalom. Now
• 1:15:28
  Shimah came running with a thousand Benjamines to meet David
• 1:15:31
  at the Jordan River. Shimae fell down before the king
• 1:15:35
  and in verse nineteen pleaded, May my Lord not hold
• 1:15:39
  me guilty. Do not remember how your servant did wrong
• 1:15:43
  on the day my lord the King left Jerusalem. May
• 1:15:46
  the King put it out of his mind. Abeshi still
• 1:15:49
  wanted to execute Shimee for his earlier insults, but David
• 1:15:53
  chose mercy instead. In verse twenty two, David declared, what
• 1:15:58
  does this have to do with hi? You, you sons
• 1:16:01
  of Zeruiah? Should any one be put to death in Israel?
• 1:16:04
  To day? Don't I know that to day I am
• 1:16:08
  king over Israel. David swore an oath that she May
• 1:16:12
  would not die. Next came Mephibosheth, Jonathan's son, who looked
• 1:16:17
  terrible after not caring for his appearance during David's absence,
• 1:16:21
  his feet were unwashed, his beard untrimmed and his clothes dirty.
• 1:16:26
  When David asked why he hadn't come along during the exile,
• 1:16:30
  Mephiboschev explained in verse twenty six, my Lord the King,
• 1:16:34
  since I your servant am lame, I said, I will
• 1:16:37
  have my donkey saddled and will ride on it so
• 1:16:40
  I can go with the king. But Zebra, my servant,
• 1:16:43
  betrayed me. The truth about Zebra's lies finally came out,
• 1:16:47
  but David was tired of family disputes. In verse twenty nine,
• 1:16:51
  he told mephibosheth, why say more? I order you and
• 1:16:56
  Zebra to divide the land. Mephibaschev's response showed his true heart.
• 1:17:01
  He told David that Zebra could have it all since
• 1:17:05
  the king had returned safely. The most touching encounter was
• 1:17:09
  with Basilai, the old man who had provided food and
• 1:17:12
  supplies during David's exile. When David invited him to live
• 1:17:16
  in Jerusalem, Barzilai politely declined. In verse thirty five, he said,
• 1:17:21
  how many more years will I live that I should
• 1:17:23
  go up to Jerusalem with the King? I am now
• 1:17:26
  eighty years old. Can I tell the difference between what
• 1:17:31
  is enjoyable? And what is not? Can your servant taste
• 1:17:34
  what he eats and drinks? Can I still hear the
• 1:17:37
  voices of male and female singers? Instead, Basilai sent his
• 1:17:42
  son Kimham to serve in the royal court. But as
• 1:17:45
  David's procession approached Jerusalem, old tribal tensions began to surface.
• 1:17:50
  The men of Judah had arranged David's crossing of the Jordan,
• 1:17:54
  but the northern tribes felt left out. In verse forty one,
• 1:17:58
  the men of Israel can play to David. Why did
• 1:18:01
  our brothers, the men of Judah, steal the king away
• 1:18:05
  and bring him and his household across the Jordan together
• 1:18:08
  with all his men. This argument would soon explode into
• 1:18:13
  another crisis. The argument between Judah and the northern tribes
• 1:18:18
  created the perfect opportunity for another rebel. A trouble maker
• 1:18:23
  named Sheba, son of Bikri, saw his chance and blew
• 1:18:26
  a trumpet to get everyone's attention. Chapter twenty, verse one
• 1:18:30
  records his rallying cry, we have no share in David,
• 1:18:34
  no part in Jesse's son. Every man to his tent Israel.
• 1:18:39
  This slogan appealed to northern resentment against Southern dominance. The
• 1:18:44
  response was immediate and devastating. Verse two tells us that
• 1:18:49
  so all the men of Israel deserted David to follow Sheba,
• 1:18:53
  son of Bikri, but the men of Judah stayed by
• 1:18:56
  their king all the way from the Jordan to Jerusalem.
• 1:19:00
  The kingdom was splitting apart again, just when David thought
• 1:19:04
  peace was restored. David acted quickly to prevent this new
• 1:19:08
  rebellion from gaining strength. He gave a Massa, his new
• 1:19:11
  army commander, three days to mobilize Judah's forces. In verse four,
• 1:19:17
  David ordered summon the men of Judah to come to
• 1:19:20
  me within three days and be here yourself. But a
• 1:19:24
  Massa took longer than the deadline David had given him.
• 1:19:27
  David couldn't wait any longer and turned to Abishai for help.
• 1:19:31
  In verse six, David warned, now Sheba, son of Bikri,
• 1:19:36
  will do us more harm than Absalom did. Take your
• 1:19:39
  master's men and pursue him, or he will find fortified
• 1:19:42
  cities and escape from us. Abishai took Joab's men, the
• 1:19:46
  royal bodyguard, and all the fighting men to chase after Sheba.
• 1:19:51
  As they marched out of Jerusalem, they met a Massa
• 1:19:53
  coming to join them at the Great Rock in Gibeon.
• 1:19:56
  What happened next was swift and brutal. Joab greeted a
• 1:20:01
  Massa like an old friend, asking how he was doing,
• 1:20:04
  as Joab reached out with his right hand to grab
• 1:20:07
  a Mass's beard for a friendly kiss. Verse ten records
• 1:20:11
  the treachery. A Massa was not on his guard against
• 1:20:14
  the dagger in Joab's hand, and Joab plunged it into
• 1:20:17
  a Massa's belly, and his intestines spilled out on the ground.
• 1:20:22
  Without being stabbed again, a Massa died. Joab had murdered
• 1:20:27
  another rival for military leadership. One of Joab's men stood
• 1:20:31
  over a Mass's body and shouted to the troops, whoever
• 1:20:35
  favors Joab and whoever is for David, let him follow
• 1:20:40
  Joab the When the soldiers kept staring at the corpse
• 1:20:44
  instead of marching, someone dragged a Massa's body off the
• 1:20:48
  road and covered it with a cloth. Then all the
• 1:20:52
  men continued following Joab in pursuit of Sheba. Sheba's rebellion
• 1:20:56
  led him north through all the tribes of Israel, gathering
• 1:21:00
  support as he went. He finally took refuge in the
• 1:21:03
  city of able Beth Marker, which was known for its
• 1:21:07
  wisdom and peaceful nature. Joab arrived with his army and
• 1:21:12
  began building siege works to break down the city walls.
• 1:21:16
  The situation looked hopeless for the people trapped inside with Sheba,
• 1:21:20
  but then a wise woman from the city called out
• 1:21:23
  from the wall to get Joab's attention. When he came near,
• 1:21:27
  she asked in verse seventeen, are you Joab. When he
• 1:21:31
  confirmed his identity, she said, listen to what your servant
• 1:21:36
  has to say. Joab agreed to hear her out. The
• 1:21:40
  woman began by reminding Joab of her city's reputation. In
• 1:21:44
  verse eighteen, she said, long ago they used to say
• 1:21:48
  get your answer at Abel, and that settled it. She
• 1:21:52
  was telling him that able Beth Maker was famous for
• 1:21:55
  wise counsel and peaceful solutions to problems. Then she made
• 1:21:59
  her main argument in verse nineteen. We are the peaceful
• 1:22:03
  and faithful in Israel. You are trying to destroy a
• 1:22:06
  city that is a mother in Israel. Why do you
• 1:22:10
  want to swallow up the lord's inheritance. She was appealing
• 1:22:14
  to Joab's better nature, asking why he would destroy innocent
• 1:22:18
  people who had done nothing wrong. Joab's response showed that
• 1:22:21
  he wasn't interested in senseless destruction. In verse twenty he replied,
• 1:22:27
  far be it from me, Far be it from me
• 1:22:30
  to swallow up or destroy. He explained his real purpose
• 1:22:35
  in verse twenty one, that is not the case. A
• 1:22:40
  man named Chibba, son of Bikri, from the hill country
• 1:22:44
  of Ephraim, has lifted up his hand against the king,
• 1:22:48
  against David. Hand over this one man, and I'll withdraw
• 1:22:52
  from the city. The woman immediately agreed to this reasonable solution.
• 1:22:57
  She told Joab, confidently, his head will be thrown to
• 1:23:01
  you from the wall. The wise woman then went to
• 1:23:04
  her people and convinced them that sacrificing one rebel was
• 1:23:08
  better than watching their entire city be destroyed. The people
• 1:23:13
  of abel Bethmaker executed Sheba and threw his head over
• 1:23:17
  the wall to Joab. Verse twenty two concludes, So he
• 1:23:21
  sounded the trumpet, and his men dispersed from the city,
• 1:23:25
  each returning to his home, and Joab went back to
• 1:23:29
  the king in Jerusalem. The rebellion was over, the city
• 1:23:32
  was saved, and peace was restored through wisdom rather than warfare.
• 1:23:38
  The chapter ends by listing David's government officials, showing that
• 1:23:43
  normal administration had resumed with Joab back as army commander
• 1:23:48
  despite his continued violence. During David's reign, Israel was struck
• 1:23:53
  by a terrible famine that lasted three long years. Crops failed,
• 1:23:59
  people went hungry, and the land suffered. David finally did
• 1:24:02
  what he should have done from the beginning. He sought
• 1:24:05
  the Lord's face to understand why this disaster had come
• 1:24:09
  upon his kingdom. Chapter twenty one, Verse one tells us
• 1:24:14
  what God revealed. It is on account of Saul and
• 1:24:17
  his blood stained house. Is because he put the Gibionites
• 1:24:21
  to death. Years earlier, Saul had broken a sacred oath
• 1:24:26
  that Joshua had made with the Gibionites centuries before. The
• 1:24:31
  Gibionites were not Israelites, but Israel had sworn to protect them.
• 1:24:36
  Despite this covenant, Saul had tried to wipe them out
• 1:24:39
  in his zeal for Israel and Judah. Now God was
• 1:24:42
  holding the nation accountable for this broken promise. David immediately
• 1:24:47
  called the surviving Gibeonites to meet with him. He asked
• 1:24:50
  them directly in verse three, what shall I do for you?
• 1:24:54
  How shall I make atonement? So that you will bless
• 1:24:57
  the Lord's inheritance. The Gibeonites didn't want money or the
• 1:25:01
  right to kill Israelites in revenge. Instead, they had a
• 1:25:05
  specific request. In verse six, they told David, let seven
• 1:25:09
  of his male descendants be given to us to be
• 1:25:12
  killed and their bodies exposed before the Lord at Gibeah
• 1:25:16
  of Saul, the Lord's chosen one. They wanted justice through
• 1:25:20
  the execution of seven men from Saul's family. David agreed
• 1:25:25
  to their request, but was careful to protect those under
• 1:25:28
  his personal oath. Verse seven explains the king spared Mephibosheth,
• 1:25:34
  son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the
• 1:25:37
  oath before the Lord between David and Jonathan's son of Saul.
• 1:25:42
  David had made a sacred promise to Jonathan, and he
• 1:25:45
  would not break it, even to end the famine. Instead,
• 1:25:49
  David chose seven other descendants of Saul, two sons of Rispa,
• 1:25:54
  Saul's concubine, and five grandsons through Saul's daughter Merab. The
• 1:25:59
  gibeon Ights executed all seven men at the beginning of
• 1:26:03
  barley harvest and left their bodies exposed on the mountain.
• 1:26:08
  This was meant to be a public demonstration that justice
• 1:26:11
  had been done for Saul's crimes. But then something beautiful
• 1:26:15
  and heartbreaking happened. Rispa, the mother of two of the
• 1:26:18
  executed men, took sackcloth and spread it on a rock.
• 1:26:23
  From the beginning of harvest until the rains came. She
• 1:26:26
  stayed there day and night, protecting the bodies from birds
• 1:26:30
  and wild animals. Her faithful vigil lasted for months, and
• 1:26:35
  Verse ten tells us that she did not let the
• 1:26:37
  birds touch them by day or the wild animals by night.
• 1:26:41
  When David heard about Risper's devotion, he was moved to
• 1:26:45
  show proper honor to the dead. He arranged for the
• 1:26:48
  bones of Saul and Jonathan to be brought from their
• 1:26:52
  burial place and gave them a proper burial alongside the
• 1:26:56
  seven executed men. Verse fourteen records they buried the bones
• 1:27:01
  of Saul and his son Jonathan in the tomb of
• 1:27:04
  Saul's father kish At Zella in Benjamin and did everything
• 1:27:08
  the king commanded. After that, God answered prayer in behalf
• 1:27:13
  of the land. As David grew older, his legendary strength
• 1:27:18
  began to fade, and this became dangerously apparent during another
• 1:27:22
  war with the Philistines. Chapter twenty one, verse fifteen sets
• 1:27:27
  the scene once again. There was a battle between the
• 1:27:31
  Philistines and Israel. David went down with his men to
• 1:27:34
  fight against the Philistines, and he became exhausted. During this battle,
• 1:27:40
  David faced Ishbi Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha,
• 1:27:44
  the ancient race of giants. This giant warrior carried a
• 1:27:48
  bronze spear that weighed three hundred shekels and wore a
• 1:27:52
  new sword. Verse sixteen tells us that he said he
• 1:27:56
  would kill David. The aging king was in serious danger,
• 1:27:59
  but his loyal warriors came to his rescue. Abishai's son
• 1:28:04
  of Zariah, struck down the giant and saved David's life.
• 1:28:08
  After this close call, David's men made an important decision.
• 1:28:12
  They told their king in verse seventeen, never again will
• 1:28:16
  you go out with us to battle, so that the
• 1:28:18
  lamp of Israel will not be extinguished. They realized that
• 1:28:22
  David was too valuable to risk in personal combat anymore.
• 1:28:26
  His days as a warrior were over, but his role
• 1:28:29
  as king and spiritual leader continued. The text then honors
• 1:28:33
  the mighty warriors who continued fighting the giants in David's place.
• 1:28:38
  At gob there was another battle with the Philistines, where
• 1:28:42
  Sibeki the Hushathite killed saf another descendant of Rafa. In
• 1:28:47
  yet another battle at gob Elhanan's son of Jaya killed
• 1:28:51
  Goliath the Gittite's brother, whose spear shaft was like a
• 1:28:55
  weaver's rod. The most impressive giant killer was Jonathan, son
• 1:28:59
  of david VIDs brother Shimeah. This giant he faced, had
• 1:29:03
  six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot,
• 1:29:07
  twenty four digits in total. Verse twenty one tells us
• 1:29:11
  that when he taunted Israel, Jonathan's son of Shimeah, David's brother,
• 1:29:17
  killed him. The chapter concludes by noting in verse twenty
• 1:29:21
  two that these four were descendants of Rafa in Gath,
• 1:29:25
  and they fell at the hands of David and his men.
• 1:29:28
  The race of giants that had terrorized Israel since the
• 1:29:32
  days of Moses was finally being eliminated by David's mighty warriors.
• 1:29:38
  Even though David could no longer fight them personally, his
• 1:29:41
  legacy lived on through the brave men he had trained
• 1:29:45
  and inspired. Near the end of his life, David composed
• 1:29:50
  a magnificent psalm that summarized God's faithfulness throughout his entire
• 1:29:55
  journey from shepherd boy to king. Chapter twenty two preserves
• 1:29:59
  this song deliverance, which begins in verse two with David declaring,
• 1:30:04
  the Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer.
• 1:30:08
  My God is my rock in whom I take refuge,
• 1:30:12
  my shield, and the horn of my salvation. He is
• 1:30:16
  my stronghold, my refuge, and my savior from violent people.
• 1:30:19
  You save me. David remembered how God had rescued him
• 1:30:23
  from every enemy, describing his deliverance in vivid imagery. In
• 1:30:27
  verse five, he sang, the waves of death swirled about me,
• 1:30:32
  the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me, but God heard his
• 1:30:36
  cry for help. Verses eight to nine painted dramatic picture
• 1:30:41
  of divine intervention. The earth trembled and quaked, The foundations
• 1:30:46
  of the heavens shook. They trembled because he was angry.
• 1:30:50
  Smoke rose from his nostrils, consuming fire came from his mouth,
• 1:30:54
  Burning coals blazed out of it. David praised God's perfect character,
• 1:31:00
  declaring in verse twenty six, to the faithful, you show
• 1:31:04
  yourself faithful. To the blameless, you show yourself blameless. He
• 1:31:09
  acknowledged that his victories came not from his own strength,
• 1:31:12
  but from God's power. In verse thirty three, David saying,
• 1:31:16
  it is God who arms me with strength and keeps
• 1:31:19
  my way secure. The psalm concludes with David recognizing that
• 1:31:23
  his success would inspire people from many nations to serve
• 1:31:27
  the Lord. After this great song of praise, David spoke
• 1:31:32
  his final prophetic words. Chapter twenty three. Verse one introduces them,
• 1:31:38
  these are the last words of David, the inspired utterance
• 1:31:42
  of David son of Jesse, the utterance of the man
• 1:31:46
  exalted by the Most High, the man anointed by the
• 1:31:49
  God of Jacob, the hero of Israel's songs. These weren't
• 1:31:55
  just personal reflections, they were prophecies about the future. David
• 1:32:00
  spoke about a coming ruler who would be greater than himself.
• 1:32:04
  In verse three, he declared, when one rules over people
• 1:32:07
  in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God,
• 1:32:11
  he is like the light of morning at sunrise on
• 1:32:14
  a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings
• 1:32:18
  grass from the earth. David understood that his own kingdom
• 1:32:22
  was just a shadow of something much greater that was coming.
• 1:32:26
  In verse five, he expressed confidence in God's eternal covenant.
• 1:32:31
  If my house were not right with God, surely he
• 1:32:34
  would not have made with me an everlasting covenant arranged
• 1:32:38
  and secured in every part. Surely he would not bring
• 1:32:42
  to fruition my salvation and grant me my every desire.
• 1:32:46
  David knew that his family line would continue until the
• 1:32:49
  perfect king arrived. Before recording David's final sin, the text
• 1:32:54
  carefully lists his mighty warriors and their heroic deeds. Chapter
• 1:32:59
  twenty three catalogs the brave men who had made David's
• 1:33:02
  kingdom possible, starting with the three, his most elite fighters.
• 1:33:07
  Joshah Bashabeth killed eight hundred men with his spear in
• 1:33:11
  one battle. Elizar fought so long that his hand froze
• 1:33:15
  to his sword. Shama single handedly defended a field of
• 1:33:19
  lentils against an entire Philistine army. The list continues with
• 1:33:25
  the thirty, including foreign warriors like Uriah the Hittite, whose
• 1:33:30
  loyalty had cost him his life. After honoring these heroes,
• 1:33:35
  the narrative takes a dark turn. Chapter twenty four, Verse
• 1:33:38
  one tells us that again the anger of the Lord
• 1:33:41
  burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying,
• 1:33:46
  go and take a census of Israel and Judah. This
• 1:33:50
  census wasn't for military planning or taxation. It was an
• 1:33:54
  act of pride that showed David was trusting in numbers
• 1:33:59
  rather than in God. David gave the order to Joab,
• 1:34:02
  but his commander immediately objected. In verse three, Joab protested,
• 1:34:07
  may the Lord your God multiply the troops a hundred
• 1:34:11
  times over. But why does my lord the king want
• 1:34:14
  to do such a thing. Even Joab could see that
• 1:34:17
  this census was wrong, but David insisted on proceeding. The
• 1:34:21
  counting took nine months and twenty days to complete, revealing
• 1:34:26
  that Israel had eight hundred thousand fighting men and Judah
• 1:34:30
  had five hundred thousand. But as soon as the census
• 1:34:33
  was finished, David realized his mistake. Verse ten records his repentance.
• 1:34:39
  David was conscience stricken after he had counted the fighting men,
• 1:34:43
  and he said to the Lord, I have sinned greatly
• 1:34:47
  in what I have done. Now, Lord, I beg you
• 1:34:51
  take away the guilt of your servant. I have done
• 1:34:55
  a very foolish thing. God sent the prophet Gad to
• 1:34:59
  give David three choices for punishment. Three years of famine,
• 1:35:03
  three months of fleeing from enemies, or three days of plague.
• 1:35:07
  David chose the plague, saying in verse fourteen, let us
• 1:35:11
  fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy
• 1:35:14
  is great, but do not let me fall into human hands.
• 1:35:18
  The plague was devastating. In one day, seventy thousand people
• 1:35:23
  died from Dan to Beersheba. When the destroying angel reached Jerusalem,
• 1:35:28
  David saw him standing at the threshing floor of Arauna,
• 1:35:31
  the Jebucite. David immediately interceded for his people, crying out
• 1:35:36
  in verse seventeen, I have sinned, Hey, the shepherd have
• 1:35:40
  done wrong. These are but sheep, what have they done?
• 1:35:44
  Let your hand fall on me and my family. God
• 1:35:47
  commanded David to build an altar at that exact spot.
• 1:35:51
  When Aruna offered to give everything for free, David refused,
• 1:35:55
  saying in verse twenty four, I will not sacrifice to
• 1:35:58
  the Lord. My god burnt offerings that cost me nothing.
• 1:36:02
  David bought the threshing floor an oxen for fifty shekels
• 1:36:05
  of silver, built an altar, and offered sacrifices. Verse twenty
• 1:36:10
  five concludes. Then the Lord answered prayer in behalf of
• 1:36:14
  the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped. This
• 1:36:17
  place where Judgment ended would become the site of Solomon's temple,
• 1:36:22
  connecting David's final sin with future hope. If this deep
• 1:36:27
  dive into Second Samuel opened your eyes to something new
• 1:36:30
  about God's Word, I want to ask you for two
• 1:36:33
  simple favors. First, hit that subscribe button and join our
• 1:36:38
  community of Bible explorers. We're just getting started with these
• 1:36:43
  like you've never seen before series, and there's so much
• 1:36:46
  more scripture to discover together. Second, share this video with
• 1:36:51
  someone who needs to hear these stories. Maybe it's a
• 1:36:54
  friend who thinks the Bible is boring, or a family
• 1:36:57
  member who's going through their own struggles with power, family,
• 1:37:00
  or faith. David's story reminds us that God uses broken
• 1:37:05
  people to accomplish his perfect plans. Drop a comment below
• 1:37:09
  and let me know which part of David's story hit
• 1:37:12
  you the hardest. Was it his dance before the ark,
• 1:37:16
  his sin with Bathsheba, Absalom's rebellion, or maybe his final
• 1:37:20
  songs of praise. I read every comment and love hearing
• 1:37:25
  how God's Word is working in your lives. Thanks for
• 1:37:29
  taking this journey through Second Samuel with me until next time.
• 1:37:33
  Keep digging deeper into the greatest story ever told, because
• 1:37:37
  the more you discover, the more you'll realize it's really
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  all about Jesus.