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The Death of Sheba · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: The matter is not so. But a man of Mount Ephraim, Sheba,
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  Speaker 1: son of Bitri by name, hath lifted up his hand
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  Speaker 1: against the king, even against David. Deliver him only, and
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  Speaker 1: I will depart from the city. And the woman said
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  Speaker 1: unto Joab, Behold, his head shall be thrown to thee
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  Speaker 1: over the wall. 2 Samuel 20.21 Dear God, when the
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  Speaker 1: enemy comes in like an agent of chaos, I thank you, God,
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  Speaker 1: that you will raise up support systems to help me
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  Speaker 1: accomplish and fulfill the mission you've placed on my life.
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  Speaker 1: I will use your word like a battering ram to
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  Speaker 1: break down the walls of chaos surrounding my future. I
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  Speaker 1: thank you that even in the midst of my fight
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  Speaker 1: for truth and freedom, you will bring people into my
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  Speaker 1: life that will fight alongside me and will help deliver
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  Speaker 1: me from the hands of my enemies, like you did
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  Speaker 1: for David and Absalom. I declare that because I am
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  Speaker 1: in step with you, God, time is for me and
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  Speaker 1: not against me. I declare that it is only a
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  Speaker 1: matter of time before the head of division and tension
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  Speaker 1: is severed from the body of strife in my life.
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  Speaker 1: The victory is mine, and only in your power, God,
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  Speaker 1: is true peace restored. Thank you that today is the
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  Speaker 1: day that I receive rest and freedom. In Jesus' name.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with me today. Continue listening for
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  Speaker 1: an incredible Bible story. Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 3: The Death of Sheba In our last story, Sheba began
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  Speaker 3: a revolt against David, and many people gathered to defy
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  Speaker 3: David in the streets of Israel. David, knowing that Sheba's
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  Speaker 3: rebellion could topple Israel, sent his strongest men in pursuit
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  Speaker 3: of him. In this story, Joab and Abishai prepare their
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  Speaker 3: attack against Sheba. However, their preparation turns out to be
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  Speaker 3: in vain, as the people of Israel come to their senses.
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  Speaker 3: Inspired by the book of 2 Samuel.
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  Speaker 2: Hello, I'm Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible
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  Speaker 2: in a Year podcast. But before we begin, I want
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: to let you know about a unique e-book that's yours
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: to download absolutely free today. It's called Breaking Free from Stress.
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: And my prayer is that it will help you conquer
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: the daily tasks and pressures and burdens that bring stress
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: in your life. Download your free copy of Breaking Free
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  Speaker 2: from Stress today by visiting jackgraham.org slash stress. That's jackram.org
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  Speaker 2: slash stress. In our last episode, we saw that David
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  Speaker 2: returned to Jerusalem seeking peace, not war, with those who
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  Speaker 2: had opposed him. He forgave those who repented for having
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  Speaker 2: followed Absalom, even when his advisors pushed for harsh judgment.
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  Speaker 2: The people began to see that David wanted what was
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  Speaker 2: best for them and could be trusted to lead with
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  Speaker 2: integrity and kindness. But as we also learned, not all
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  Speaker 2: were quick to follow, and Sheba... in Benjamin, started to
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  Speaker 2: mount an insurrection that was a true threat to the nation.
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  Speaker 2: David knew that this called for decisive action, so he
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  Speaker 2: sent his men to deal with Sheba and his army. Today,
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  Speaker 2: we'll hear how the conflict comes to a head and
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  Speaker 2: how Sheba's efforts prove fruitless as the people open their
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  Speaker 2: eyes and see Sheba for the liar that he is. So,
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  Speaker 2: let's listen now to today's readings.
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  Speaker 3: Sheba's rebellion spread like a plague through the tribes of Israel.
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  Speaker 3: Sheba would blow trumpets and stir up the people into
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  Speaker 3: a frenzy of fear and doubt. Sheba was an agent
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  Speaker 3: of chaos, a true antagonist whose only agenda was to
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  Speaker 3: watch David's kingdom crumble. He paced the countryside, sowing whispers
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  Speaker 3: of dissension and seeds of corruption. Eventually, he made his
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  Speaker 3: way to the city of Abel, All the members of
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  Speaker 3: his clan and all the rebels he could assemble prepared
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  Speaker 3: for the inevitable battle that awaited them. Sheba prepared the
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  Speaker 3: walls for impact and braced the city gates so an
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  Speaker 3: army could not penetrate it. The people of Abel watched
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  Speaker 3: as Sheba and his men sharpened their swords and fortified
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  Speaker 3: the barricades. The people grew concerned, so Sheba once again
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  Speaker 3: told lies, saying, David and Joab desire to destroy your city.
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  Speaker 3: They want to burn it to the ground. We are
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  Speaker 3: here to protect you. So the people allowed Sheba to
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  Speaker 3: make their city his own personal fortress, in hopes he
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  Speaker 3: would protect him. A few miles away, Joab and Abishai
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  Speaker 3: were strategizing. They camped near a small town on the
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  Speaker 3: outskirts of Abel with their army. Joab and Abishai planned
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  Speaker 3: all night. They knew that they outnumbered Sheba. However, he
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  Speaker 3: and his men had fortified themselves among innocent people. They
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  Speaker 3: needed to be tactful and cautious. In the morning, they
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  Speaker 3: had their men build a battering ram to demolish the
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  Speaker 3: city gates. The only way they could find Sheba without
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  Speaker 3: setting fire to the city was through the gate. It
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  Speaker 3: was their only chance, and they had to topple the
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  Speaker 3: gate flawlessly. The men marched forward towards Abel. Sheba watched
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  Speaker 3: them through cracks in the walls. He chuckled to himself,
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  Speaker 3: for he knew that if they made it through the gate,
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  Speaker 3: his men would have the advantage. It was a thin entrance,
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  Speaker 3: and there would be easy kills. It took dozens of
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  Speaker 3: men to carry the battering ram. They charged the gate
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  Speaker 3: and delivered the first blow. Thud! The gate did not budge.
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  Speaker 3: They drew back again and charged.
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  Speaker 1: Thud!
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  Speaker 3: The gate rattled slightly, but did not crack. Joab had
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  Speaker 3: them step back even further, and the men ran with
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  Speaker 3: the battering ram as fast as they could.
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  Speaker 1: Thud!
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  Speaker 3: Small cracks could be seen through the beams holding up
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  Speaker 3: the gate. Just a few more and they would be in.
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  Speaker 3: Joab told his men to draw back again when he
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  Speaker 3: was interrupted by a scream. Are you Joab? he heard
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  Speaker 3: calling from nearby. Joab looked to his left and saw
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  Speaker 3: a woman running towards him. She was a beautiful woman,
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  Speaker 3: touched slightly with age and experience. A few gray streaks
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  Speaker 3: fell down her long hair. Joab told his men to
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  Speaker 3: stop and met her a few yards away. The woman
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  Speaker 3: had an intense gaze as she met Joab. Her voice
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  Speaker 3: was bold and she spoke with the authority of her people, saying,
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  Speaker 3: There used to be a saying here. If arguments need
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  Speaker 3: to be settled, ask for the wisdom of the city
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  Speaker 3: of Abel. We love peace here in the city and
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  Speaker 3: will not have you destroy it. Joab looked at her confused.
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  Speaker 3: She spoke to him as if they were trying to
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  Speaker 3: burn the city down. The woman continued, saying, This is
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  Speaker 3: an important city to the Lord. Why would the king
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  Speaker 3: want to devour it? Joab raised his hands to his
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  Speaker 3: chest and said, Believe me, I do not want to
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  Speaker 3: destroy Abel. We are not here for that. In your
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  Speaker 3: city is a man named Sheba. He is a rebel
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  Speaker 3: and has started a revolt against King David. He is
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  Speaker 3: dangerous to anyone who is near him. We are simply
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  Speaker 3: here for him. The woman looked into Joab's eyes in
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  Speaker 3: order to judge his sincerity. The two spoke for.
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  Speaker 2: A while longer.
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  Speaker 3: Joab explained all of Sheba's lies and the chaos he
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  Speaker 3: had caused in the country. After a few minutes, Joab
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  Speaker 3: felt comfortable enough to say, If you bring him to us,
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  Speaker 3: there will be no need to destroy anything. We do
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  Speaker 3: not want anybody to be harmed. The woman looked back
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  Speaker 3: to the city, thinking for a long moment. She turned
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  Speaker 3: to Joab and said, We will do it. With that,
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  Speaker 3: The woman snuck back into the city and spoke to
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  Speaker 3: all her people. They argued for a few hours, but
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  Speaker 3: ultimately agreed that Sheba was deceiving them. Sheba was still
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  Speaker 3: chuckling through the cracks of the wall, thinking it was
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  Speaker 3: only a matter of time before they bowed at his
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  Speaker 3: feet begging for mercy. As he was crouching, a shadow
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  Speaker 3: blocked the sunlight behind him. Sheba looked up to a
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  Speaker 3: few of the people standing over him with their swords.
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  Speaker 3: Before he could say a word, the woman swooped her
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  Speaker 3: sword through his neck. and his head fell to the floor.
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  Speaker 3: Joab and Abishai were standing still with their men. They
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  Speaker 3: hoped the people would follow through, but were still prepared
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  Speaker 3: to take the city by force if it was needed.
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  Speaker 3: Joab looked towards the sun, trying to determine the time
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  Speaker 3: of day. Then, in an instant, he saw Sheba's head
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  Speaker 3: flying towards him. Joab stepped back as Sheba's head landed
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  Speaker 3: at his feet. The men cheered and put down the
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  Speaker 3: battering ram. Joab looked to the top of the gate
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  Speaker 3: to see the woman looking down at him. They exchanged smiles,
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  Speaker 3: and Joab took his army and returned to Jerusalem.
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  Speaker 2: As we begin today, Sheba is continuing to spread lies
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  Speaker 2: and confusion throughout the kingdom. Like Absalom before him, his
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  Speaker 2: primary tactic was one of disinformation and sowing distrust. Satan
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  Speaker 2: is the father of lies and the author of chaos
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  Speaker 2: and confusion, and like Absalom, this man Sheba was acting
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  Speaker 2: as an agent of the enemy, the devil, reflecting Satan's nature,
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  Speaker 2: not God's. Sheba and his supporters made their way to
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  Speaker 2: a city named Abel and began fortifying its walls in
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  Speaker 2: preparation for battle. He knew he would need the support
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  Speaker 2: of the people of Abel, and what better way to
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  Speaker 2: win them over than to convince them that David intended
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  Speaker 2: to destroy their city. So that's what he told the
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  Speaker 2: residents of Abel, saying that David and his commander Joab
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  Speaker 2: would stop at nothing to destroy them, even burning the
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  Speaker 2: city to the ground. Sheba told them not to worry, though,
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  Speaker 2: He was there to help. Crafty lies meant to undermine
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  Speaker 2: the king and lead the people astray. As David's men
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  Speaker 2: drew up plans for attack not far away, their intentions
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  Speaker 2: were clearly not for destruction and devastation. They could have
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  Speaker 2: easily destroyed the whole city, but it was only Sheba
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  Speaker 2: they needed, and if they could only tear down the gate,
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  Speaker 2: the collateral damage would be minimal. So they approached Abel
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  Speaker 2: and began ramming the gate with a battering ram, as
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  Speaker 2: Sheba hid inside, certain that the people would rally to
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  Speaker 2: help him fight off Joab's men. But the people of
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  Speaker 2: Abel were truly peaceful, and as Joab's men struck the
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  Speaker 2: gate over and over again, a wise woman approached them
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  Speaker 2: and asked why they would want to destroy a city
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  Speaker 2: like Abel, whose people were faithful to Israel. Joab responds
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  Speaker 2: in 2 Samuel 20, verses 20 and 21. Joab answered,
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  Speaker 2: Far be it from me, far be it that I
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  Speaker 2: should swallow up or destroy. That is not true. But
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  Speaker 2: a man of the hill country of Ephraim called Sheba
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  Speaker 2: the son of Bishri has lifted up his hand against
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  Speaker 2: King David. Give up him alone and I will withdraw
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  Speaker 2: from the city. The woman could tell Joab was being
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  Speaker 2: truthful and she returned to the city and convinced the
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  Speaker 2: people that it was Sheba who had evil intentions. So
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  Speaker 2: they struck him down, cutting off his head and threw
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  Speaker 2: it over the wall to Joab. In the end, Lies
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  Speaker 2: will never defeat God's truth. And Sheba's campaign to overthrow
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  Speaker 2: David ended without a war, as the people's eyes were
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  Speaker 2: opened to see the deception of this one man. Joab
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  Speaker 2: and his men returned to Jerusalem, and now David could
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  Speaker 2: continue the task of putting things right again. We'll hear
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  Speaker 2: about this the next time. Dear God, we thank you
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  Speaker 2: for this message, even though it is hard to hear
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  Speaker 2: and contains violence. And yet we know that evil will
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  Speaker 2: not prevail against you, that you overcome evil with good
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  Speaker 2: and darkness with light. We thank you that in Jesus Christ,
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  Speaker 2: we have victory over all the works of the enemy.
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  Speaker 2: May we always be truthful in our words and live
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  Speaker 2: with integrity so that when people refer to us, they
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  Speaker 2: know that we are speaking truth. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 2: Before we go, I want to let you know about
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  Speaker 2: a unique e-book that's yours to download absolutely free today.
• 12:55
  Speaker 2: It's called Breaking Free from Stress. And my prayer is
• 12:59
  Speaker 2: that it will help you conquer the daily task and
• 13:02
  Speaker 2: pressures and burdens that bring stress into your life. Download
• 13:05
  Speaker 2: your free copy of Breaking Free from Stress today by
• 13:09
  Speaker 2: visiting jackgram.org slash stress. That's jackgram.org dot org slash stress.