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King of Israel - The Books of 2 Samuel & 1 Chronicles · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And behold, the servants of David and
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  Speaker 1: Joab came from pursuing a troop, and brought a great
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  Speaker 1: spoil with them. But Abner was not with David at Hebron,
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  Speaker 1: for he had sent him away, and he was gone
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  Speaker 1: in peace. 2 Samuel 3.22 Lord, when I inherit opportunities
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  Speaker 1: that seem to be in ruins and surrounded with conflict,
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  Speaker 1: I thank you that, like David, I will be wise
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  Speaker 1: and tactful when it comes to leading and making decisions.
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  Speaker 1: In the midst of chaos, I trust and believe that
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  Speaker 1: your hand will continue to be with me, in spite
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  Speaker 1: of the circumstances around me, like you did with David.
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  Speaker 1: I realize that on my journey to claim what you've
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  Speaker 1: promised me, there may be people who are occupying the
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  Speaker 1: seat you've called me to sit in. However, I will
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  Speaker 1: not take it by force or by vengeful means. because
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  Speaker 1: I know that in your perfect timing, you will deliver
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  Speaker 1: it into my hands. No matter the wait time, I
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  Speaker 1: will calm my heart and soul with memories of your
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  Speaker 1: goodness and faithfulness to me. I will stand in the
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  Speaker 1: place of greatness. I will rule over and flourish in
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  Speaker 1: what you've entrusted to me. The life you have for
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  Speaker 1: me is coming to pass, and I thank you in advance,
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  Speaker 1: knowing that my new chapter of victory is being written
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  Speaker 1: even as I speak. In Jesus' name.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with us today. Continue your time
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  Speaker 1: with God by listening to today's Bible story. Brought to
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  Speaker 1: you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 3: King of Israel, In our last story, we witness the
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  Speaker 3: divided kingdom of Israel. Israel named Ish-bosheth king, while Judah
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  Speaker 3: crowned David. The two nations were at odds with one another,
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  Speaker 3: and Abner, general of Israel's army, killed Joab's brother. Joab,
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  Speaker 3: David's commander, spared Israel's army. However, it was not the
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  Speaker 3: end of the conflict. Now we witness the messy merging
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  Speaker 3: of two kingdoms— Murder, betrayal, and sorrow follow the greatness
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  Speaker 3: of a united kingdom. David, God's anointed, will inherit a
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  Speaker 3: kingdom riddled with imperfection and in desperate need of God's guidance,
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  Speaker 3: inspired by the book of 2 Samuel.
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  Speaker 4: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the
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  Speaker 4: Bible in a Year podcast. Yesterday, we heard how David
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  Speaker 4: ascended to the throne of Judah, but Ish-bosheth was crowned
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  Speaker 4: king of Israel. The nation was divided and fighting within itself.
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  Speaker 4: It was a civil war. We heard the story of
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  Speaker 4: Joab and Abner as the armies of Israel and Judah
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  Speaker 4: clashed and many died, but Joab's mercy spared many more. Today,
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  Speaker 4: we'll hear how the conflict between the two sides is
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  Speaker 4: far from over, as are the problems of Israel. It
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  Speaker 4: is a story of jealousy, betrayal, shifting loyalties, and ultimately
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  Speaker 4: a kingdom that is in desperate need of a godly leader.
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  Speaker 4: and desperately in need of God Himself. So, let's listen
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  Speaker 4: to God's Word today.
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  Speaker 3: The spite of King Saul lived on through Ish-bosheth and
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  Speaker 3: the armies of Israel. Day after day there was conflict
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  Speaker 3: between the sibling nations, and heartache scarred the people for
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  Speaker 3: over two years. King David grew stronger through the conflict.
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  Speaker 3: His love for the whole nation of Israel and Judah
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  Speaker 3: informed every tactical decision he made. David was wise, tactful,
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  Speaker 3: and merciful as he planned, yet he was ruthless on
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  Speaker 3: the battlefield. His men followed him passionately, and Israel's strength
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  Speaker 3: began to wane. Abner was also finding a place for
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  Speaker 3: himself among the armies of Israel. Ish-bosheth was a weak leader,
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  Speaker 3: and in need of Abner's guidance continually. Abner loved Ish-bosheth
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  Speaker 3: as he loved Saul, yet above all, he loved Israel
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  Speaker 3: and wanted it to flourish. Between the battle and hardship,
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  Speaker 3: Abner found comfort in the company of Saul's concubine, Rizpah.
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  Speaker 3: Together they made love, ate, and took walks among the city.
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  Speaker 3: The two of them fell in love, and this was
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  Speaker 3: truly disturbing to Ish-bosheth. One day, he stormed into Abner's
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  Speaker 3: quarters and yelled, Why would you mingle with my dead
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  Speaker 3: father's concubine? I forbid it! Abner looked at Ishbosheth with rage.
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  Speaker 3: He did not try and hide his anger. Abner flipped
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  Speaker 3: the table in between them and pointed to Ishbosheth. Do
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  Speaker 3: you treat me like a dog? Abner yelled. I have
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  Speaker 3: shown you, the house of Saul, and all of Israel
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  Speaker 3: nothing but love and faithfulness. I show honor to you,
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  Speaker 3: your uncles, and all of Saul's allies. Now you storm
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  Speaker 3: into my house and charge me because of a woman?
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  Speaker 3: Abner stormed closer to Ish-bosheth. Ish-bosheth stood still, fearing Abner
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  Speaker 3: would do something to him. Abner leaned in and whispered
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  Speaker 3: in his ear, saying, Mark my words. I will establish
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  Speaker 3: the kingdom of David here in Israel. The nation will
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  Speaker 3: be united under him, and you will dwindle into nothingness.
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  Speaker 3: And just like that, Abner left the room. Ish-bosheth stood still,
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  Speaker 3: unable to answer Abner, for he was a weak man
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  Speaker 3: and a coward. Abner gathered a few of his men
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  Speaker 3: and sent them out to David. They rode through the night,
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  Speaker 3: hoping to find David before another battle began. Abner's message
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  Speaker 3: to David was, Who does this land belong to? Make
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  Speaker 3: a covenant with me, and my sword will be yours.
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  Speaker 3: Together we will unite Israel and Judah. As his men
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  Speaker 3: were riding, Abner wasted no time. He gathered a few
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  Speaker 3: of the elders of Israel and spoke to them plainly.
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  Speaker 3: He knew that many of them doubted Ish-bosheth and would
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  Speaker 3: gladly welcome a stronger king worthy of their loyalty. Together
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  Speaker 3: they conspired to leave Ish-bosheth and bind themselves to King
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  Speaker 3: David for the good of Israel. Already a nation was
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  Speaker 3: beginning to form in the shadows. Abner ventured to Hebron
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  Speaker 3: to meet with David with twenty men behind him. They
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  Speaker 3: entered into the city to find it bustling with activity.
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  Speaker 3: The smell of freshly baked bread and cooked meat filled
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  Speaker 3: the air, and men and women exchanged goods in the marketplace.
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  Speaker 3: They felt safe and secure, with no worries of future
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  Speaker 3: raids or ambushes from Israel or the Philistines. Abner could
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  Speaker 3: not help but regret the months spent serving Ish-bosheth, for
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  Speaker 3: David had truly led Judah into a period of cultural
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  Speaker 3: and economic thriving. David was standing at the entrance of
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  Speaker 3: his home to greet Abner. They embraced as old friends.
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  Speaker 3: Abner was a young man when David defeated Goliath and
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  Speaker 3: joined the armies of Israel. The two had grown close
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  Speaker 3: in battle years ago. Now they stood as friends, ready
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  Speaker 3: to make amends and build alliances. David hosted a great
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  Speaker 3: feast for Abner and his men, and all of them
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  Speaker 3: laughed into the night and rejoiced in one another's company.
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  Speaker 3: After this, Abner was sent away in peace. The two
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  Speaker 3: of them would reconvene at another time. Shortly after, Joab
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  Speaker 3: returned with his men from a raid. Spoils of war
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  Speaker 3: were carried in on carriages, and all the people of
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  Speaker 3: Hebron marveled at Joab and his men. David embraced Joab,
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  Speaker 3: happy to see him back healthy and unharmed. Joab sat
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  Speaker 3: at David's hall to eat, and one of the servants
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  Speaker 3: mentioned to him that Abner had just left. Joab's eyes widened,
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  Speaker 3: and he stood up from his chair and looked at David.
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  Speaker 3: Joab's eyes were foggy, and it seemed like he was
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  Speaker 3: holding back tears. Abner came to you? Joab asked David.
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  Speaker 3: David nodded matter-of-factly. That man killed my brother. He has
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  Speaker 3: come to deceive you. He wants to know where you
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  Speaker 3: dwell and what your weaknesses are. He does not care
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  Speaker 3: about you. David's resolve to partner with Abner did not relent.
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  Speaker 3: He knew that Abner was the key to uniting the kingdoms. However,
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  Speaker 3: Joab seeped with rage. Frantic, hurt, and weary from battle,
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  Speaker 3: Joab stormed out of David's presence. The night fell upon
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  Speaker 3: all the land of Judah and Israel. Abner had just
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  Speaker 3: settled into his home when a messenger came to him.
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  Speaker 3: The message said that Abner needed to return to Hebron
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  Speaker 3: immediately and meet David at the gates. Abner wasted no
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  Speaker 3: time and took his horse to Hebron without his men.'
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  Speaker 3: Abner rode fast, for the message seemed urgent.' Is David
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  Speaker 3: in danger? Am I in danger?' Abner thought to himself.'
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  Speaker 3: It did not take long for Abner to arrive at
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  Speaker 3: the gates of Hebron.' He dismounted his horse and looked
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  Speaker 3: around for David.' He peeked his head over some shrubs
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  Speaker 3: and around some trees.' Still no sign of David.' Abner
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  Speaker 3: looked behind him to see a hooded figure ten yards away.' Ah,
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  Speaker 3: my king,' Abner said. He came in close to speak
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  Speaker 3: with him. Before Abner could make another sound, a blade
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  Speaker 3: was driven into his ribs. Abner gasped as blood spat
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  Speaker 3: out of his mouth. He fell to his knees, holding
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  Speaker 3: the blade in his abdomen. He looked up to see
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  Speaker 3: a face under the hood, illuminated by the moonlight. It
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  Speaker 3: was Joab standing over him, watching the life slowly leave
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  Speaker 3: his eyes. Abner fell to the floor and bled out
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  Speaker 3: in front of Joab. Dawn emerged from the valley and
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  Speaker 3: the sun shone on Abner's lifeless body. David stood over it,
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  Speaker 3: knowing exactly who was to blame. He had his men
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  Speaker 3: capture Joab and bring him. Joab knelt before David with
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  Speaker 3: spears pointed towards him. This was David's first betrayal as king.
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  Speaker 3: How he handled Joab would set a precedent for all
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  Speaker 3: other acts of disobedience in the future. David closed his
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  Speaker 3: eyes and prayed a silent prayer. He then opened his
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  Speaker 3: eyes and looked at Joab. My hands and the hands
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  Speaker 3: of Judah are clean from this blood. You and you
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  Speaker 3: alone are to blame for Abner's death. I know in
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  Speaker 3: my heart God will deal with you more harshly than
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  Speaker 3: I ever could. Your family will be cut off from
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  Speaker 3: my favor and God's. There will be defeat in battle,
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  Speaker 3: disease and misfortune to plague you and your children and
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  Speaker 3: your children's children. And like that, David allowed Joab to
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  Speaker 3: go his way. David wept over Abner, for he represented
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  Speaker 3: a past bond to Saul and Jonathan. He would have
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  Speaker 3: to find another way to unite the kingdoms. The next day,
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  Speaker 3: Ish-bosheth was laying in his bed taking a nap. What
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  Speaker 3: little courage he had vanished at the news of Abner's death.
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  Speaker 3: Now he awaited his inevitable demise. Unbeknownst to Ish-Bosheth, that
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  Speaker 3: demise would come sooner than expected. Ish-Bosheth napped during the
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  Speaker 3: day as the warm breeze trickled in through his window. Slowly,
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  Speaker 3: three of Ish-Bosheth's men entered into his room. Raman, Rechab,
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  Speaker 3: and Banah creeped near to his bed, doing their best
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  Speaker 3: to remain quiet. Raman lifted his blade and drove it
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  Speaker 3: into Ish-Bosheth's side. As his eyes opened at the pain,
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  Speaker 3: Rechab swung his axe down and chopped off his head.
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  Speaker 3: Later that day, the three men sauntered into Hebron with
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  Speaker 3: their heads held high. They could not wait to show
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  Speaker 3: David what they had done. They smiled cheek to cheek,
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  Speaker 3: eyes beaming with the thought of possible reward and status.
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  Speaker 3: They entered into David's throne room and laid their head
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  Speaker 3: out on the table before David. Rechab grinned and presented
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  Speaker 3: the head of Ish-bosheth. Behold, my king, the Lord has
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  Speaker 3: avenged you today. Here is the head of Ish-bosheth, the
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  Speaker 3: king that sought your life. David stood up from his
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  Speaker 3: seat and observed the head. The men could not contain
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  Speaker 3: their excitement. David walked around them and said, Let me
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  Speaker 3: tell you a story. The room grew tense for a
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  Speaker 3: moment as David spoke. A man once came to me
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  Speaker 3: and told me that he was the one who killed Saul. Behold,
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  Speaker 3: Saul is dead, he shouted. He expected me to reward him.
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  Speaker 3: He expected riches, favor, and a hug. He received no
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  Speaker 3: such thing. I slaughtered him right where he stood. The
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  Speaker 3: men began to sweat as they listened to David's voice
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  Speaker 3: grow loud. Tell me, how should I treat the men
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  Speaker 3: who murder their innocent king in his bed? Before they
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  Speaker 3: could answer the question, David and his men struck them
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  Speaker 3: down and cut off their heads and feet. David desired
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  Speaker 3: his kingdom to be united through mercy, diplomacy, and worship,
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  Speaker 3: not assassination. Shortly after, the elders of Israel came to David.
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  Speaker 3: They crowned him king over all Israel, and the two
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  Speaker 3: split nations were united once again. David was thirty years
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  Speaker 3: old now and felt as though he had lived an
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  Speaker 3: entire lifetime. After slaying giants, fighting the Philistines, fleeing from
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  Speaker 3: Saul and navigating a civil war, David had finally taken
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  Speaker 3: the mantle as shepherd over God's sheep. Many acts of
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  Speaker 3: faith and failure would follow David. Yet one thing would remain,
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  Speaker 3: his desire to know God and unite himself to his
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  Speaker 3: will forever.
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  Speaker 4: Today's story begins with Ish-bosheth still ruling over Israel. There
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  Speaker 4: was constant conflict between the two kingdoms, a civil war.
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  Speaker 4: David flourished along with Judah while Israel floundered under a
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  Speaker 4: weak and unwise king. Abner was still advisor to Ish-bosheth,
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  Speaker 4: seeking to help Israel grow strong. But when Ish-bosheth confronted
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  Speaker 4: Abner for his romantic involvement with one of Saul's concubines,
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  Speaker 4: Abner was deeply offended and angered. After all that he
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  Speaker 4: had done for the king and for Israel, it seemed
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  Speaker 4: so petty to him. And just like that, his loyalty turns.
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  Speaker 4: This man wanted what was best for Israel, and he
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  Speaker 4: realized Ish-bosheth wasn't the best for Israel. He vowed that
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  Speaker 4: he would help to bring about a unified Israel under David,
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  Speaker 4: as this was the will of God. So Abner sent
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  Speaker 4: word to David that he would join forces with him
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  Speaker 4: in order to unify Israel. To unify Israel under his rule,
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  Speaker 4: the rule of David, and so then he gathered the
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  Speaker 4: Israelite elders and reminded them of their desire to have
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  Speaker 4: David as king. This is what he said to them
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  Speaker 4: in 2 Samuel. Now then, bring it about, for the
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  Speaker 4: Lord has promised David, saying, By the hand of my
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  Speaker 4: servant David I will save my people Israel from the
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  Speaker 4: hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all
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  Speaker 4: their enemies. Abner knew the truth, that David was the
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  Speaker 4: chosen man to be king of Israel. It would be
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  Speaker 4: through him, David, that God would deliver his people. Abner
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  Speaker 4: knew that it was far better to be on the
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  Speaker 4: side of God's will rather than resist or to fight
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  Speaker 4: against it. When he reunites with David, it is like
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  Speaker 4: a meeting of long-lost friends. David embraced and accepted him.
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  Speaker 4: David could have been bitter and angry about Abner's allegiance
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  Speaker 4: to Abisheth, but instead he threw a feast for Abner
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  Speaker 4: and sent him away in peace, resolved to work with
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  Speaker 4: Abner to unify Israel. When David's commander, Joab, found out
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  Speaker 4: that the man who killed his brother had been received
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  Speaker 4: with open arms, he was not as understanding. He told
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  Speaker 4: David that Abner surely had evil motives and could not
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  Speaker 4: be trusted, but David was unwavering. Joab went away angry,
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  Speaker 4: and the mercy he showed on the battlefield gave way
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  Speaker 4: to hatred and murderous intent. When we are bitter and angry,
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  Speaker 4: it always finds a way to express itself, and often
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  Speaker 4: with disastrous consequences. So he tricked Abner into thinking David
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  Speaker 4: had called for him, and under the cover of night,
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  Speaker 4: he murdered Abner in cold blood. David, of course, knew
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  Speaker 4: who had committed this crime and had Joab brought to him.
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  Speaker 4: Once more, we see David's mercy on display. Rather than
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  Speaker 4: kill Joab, David sent him away, vowing that God would
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  Speaker 4: deal with Joab himself. But although Abner was gone, Ish-bosheth
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  Speaker 4: was still not safe on the throne, and one night
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  Speaker 4: three of his men snuck into his room and took
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  Speaker 4: off his head, then traveled to Hebron to deliver it
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  Speaker 4: to David. Surely they were expecting a reward, but what
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  Speaker 4: they received was the same fate as Ish-bosheth. David was
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  Speaker 4: not interested in a hostile, violent takeover. He knew that
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  Speaker 4: peace and unity would not be achieved through the sword.
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  Speaker 4: He himself was setting the example for his people. And
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  Speaker 4: so when the elders of Israel finally came and crowned
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  Speaker 4: David king over all of Israel, both Israel and Judah,
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  Speaker 4: the stage was set for a different kind of rule,
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  Speaker 4: one that was marked by the God of Israel and
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  Speaker 4: those who sought after him. We'll hear more of this
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  Speaker 4: story the next time as the shepherd of God's people, David,
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  Speaker 4: leads Israel. Dear God, we thank you for your word today,
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  Speaker 4: always teaching us your truth. May we live in obedience
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  Speaker 4: to your word every day. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank
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  Speaker 4: you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
• 18:04
  Speaker 4: I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the Pray.com app
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• 18:35
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