Latest / A Chapter a Day Bible Reading / April 24 - 2 Samuel 14

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April 24 - 2 Samuel 14 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it's shown here. It is Wednesday, it is the 24th
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  of April and welcome along. Thank you for tapping on play
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  and inviting me into your day so that we can do another day of
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  our tradition of reading a chapter of the Bible together.
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  Today being April 24th, as I've just learned, is the annual
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  celebration of the coronation of Pope Benedict when Joe Ratzinger
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  became the Pope. That was 19 years ago, and when
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  Avon and I were in Rome all that time ago, he was the Pope and we
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  went along to Saint Peters Square.
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  For us, I think it's his Wednesday sermon to the masses.
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  And there we stood and he preached A sermon, which well,
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  there was a papal sermon. It was middle of the road.
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  It was fantastic. It was brief and he finished
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  preaching it. And then he preached in a second
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  language and then a third language and then a fourth.
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  I think it was six or seven different languages.
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  This dude preached his sermon in and even, and I looked at each
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  other and we're like, we don't know how good you are as a Pope,
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  but as a linguist, Oh, man, what an absolutely extraordinary guy.
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  So for whatever he was remembered for, he will always
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  be amazing in my estimation as a guy who could preach a sermon in
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  six or seven different languages.
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  Wow, very impressive. And now my brain is working
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  overtime trying to come up with a segue from linguistic language
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  talent to our Bible reading today, which is all about
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  Absalom returning to his father. And I am struggling.
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  The language of forgiveness. Yeah, I'm not even gonna try.
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  Let us just begin our days reading.
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  We are gonna continue on this story.
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  After Absalom has murdered his brother and fled for a number of
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  years, it's time to get the family back together again.
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  So let's read together. In Second Samuel Chapter 14,
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  Job realised how much the king longed to see Absalom, so he
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  sent for a woman from Toccoa who had a reputation for great
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  wisdom. He said to her, pretend you are
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  in mourning. Wear mourning clothes and don't
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  put on lotions. Act like a woman who has been
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  mourning for the dead for a long time.
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  Then go to the King and tell him the story I'm about to tell you.
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  Then Joeb told her what to say. When the woman from Tonkawa
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  approached the king, she bowed with her face to the ground and
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  deep respect and cried out. Oh king, help me watch the
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  trouble. The king asked.
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  Alas, I'm a widow. She replied.
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  My husband is dead. My two sons had a fight out in
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  the field and since no one was there to stop it, one of them
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  was killed. Now the rest of the family is
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  demanding. Let us have your son.
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  We will execute him for murdering his brother.
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  He doesn't deserve to inherit his family's property.
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  They want to extinguish the only coal I have left, and my
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  husband's name and family will disappear from the face of the
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  earth. Leave it to me, the king told
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  her. Go home, and I'll see to it that
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  no one touches him. Oh, thank you, my Lord the king,
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  the woman from Tonkawa replied. If you are criticised for
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  helping me, let the blame fall on me and my father's house and
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  let the king and his throne be innocent.
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  If anyone objects, the king said, bring him to me.
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  I can assure you he will never harm you again.
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  Then she said, Please swear to me by the Lord your God that you
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  won't let anyone take vengeance against my son.
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  I want no more bloodshed as surely as the Lord lives, he
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  replied. Not a hair on your son's head
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  will be disturbed. Please allow me to ask one more
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  thing of my Lord the King, she said.
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  Go ahead and speak, he responded.
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  She replied, Why don't you do as such for the people of God, as
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  you have promised to do for me? You have convinced yourself in
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  making this decision because you have refused to bring home your
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  own banished son. All of us must die eventually.
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  Our lives are like water spilled out on the ground which cannot
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  be gathered up again. But God doesn't just sweep life
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  away. Instead, He devises ways to
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  bring us back when we have been separated from Him.
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  I have come to plead with my Lord the King because people
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  have threatened me, I said to myself.
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  Perhaps the King will listen to me and rescue us from those who
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  would cut us off from the inheritance God has given us.
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  Yes, my Lord, the King will give us Peace of Mind again.
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  I know that you are like an Angel of God and discerning good
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  from evil. May the Lord your God be with
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  you. I must know one thing, the king
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  replied. And tell me the truth.
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  Yes, my Lord the King, she responded.
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  Did Joab put you up to this? And the woman replied, My Lord
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  the king, how can I deny it? Nobody can hide anything from
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  you. Yes, Joab sent me and told me
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  what to say. He did it to place the matter
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  before you in a different light. But you are as wise as an Angel
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  of God, and you understand everything that happens among
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  us. So the king sent for Joe, Abin
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  told him. Alright, go and bring back the
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  young man. Absalom Joab bowed with his face
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  to the ground and deep respect, and said, At last I know that I
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  have gained your approval, my Lord the King, for you have
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  granted me this request. Then Jacob went to Geisha and
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  brought Absalom back to Jerusalem.
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  But the king gave this order. Absalom may go to his own house,
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  but he must never come into my presence.
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  So Absalon did not see the king. Now Absalom was praised as the
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  most handsome man in all Israel. He was flawless from head to
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  foot. He cut his hair only once a
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  year, and then only because it was so heavy.
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  When he waded out, it came to 5 lbs.
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  He had three sons and one daughter.
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  His daughter's name was Tamar and she was very beautiful.
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  Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two years, but he never got to
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  see the king. Then Absalon sent for Joe B and
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  asked him to intercede for him, but Joeb refused to come.
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  Absalom sent for him a second time, but Joab refused to come.
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  So Absalom said to his servants, go and set fire to Joe's Barley
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  Field, the field next to mine. So they set his field on fire,
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  as Absalom had commanded. Then Joab came to Absalom at his
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  house and demanded Why did your servants set my field on fire?
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  And Absalom replied. Because I wanted you to ask the
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  king why he brought me back from Gesha.
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  If he didn't intend to see me, I might as well have stayed there.
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  Let me see the king. If he finds me guilty of
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  anything, then let him kill me. So Joab told the king what
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  Absalom had said. Then at last David summoned
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  Absalom, who came and bowed low before the king, and the king
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  kissed him. Lord, truly, you are the God of
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  reconciliation. Not only do you reconcile
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  creation back to you again and again, that you reconcile us,
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  everyone of us, You draw back hour by hour by hour as we
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  broken people live our lives and continue to put sin between you
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  and us. You sanctify us, You wash us
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  clean, and you reconcile us back to you.
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  Thank you for this ongoing work that you do.
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  Thank you that you never get sick of it and turn your back on
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  us. Saying enough is enough, but
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  with your heart bursting with compassion and mercy for us, you
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  reconcile again and again. You're a good, good, loving
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  Father, and we are grateful for your commitment to us, your
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  grateful but hopelessly broken children.
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  So we pray all of these things with great gratitude.
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  And the saving name of Jesus. Ah, man.