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David Returns to Jerusalem - The Book of 2 Samuel · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. So the king returned and came to Jordan,
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  Speaker 1: and Judah came to Gilgal to go to meet the
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  Speaker 1: king to conduct the king over Jordan. 2 Samuel 19.15
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  Speaker 1: My Lord, when thoughts try to invade my mind, with
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  Speaker 1: tenacity and grit I will drive them out like Joab
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  Speaker 1: and Abishai in 2 Samuel 19. I will not give
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  Speaker 1: the negative thoughts and ungodly beliefs the time and space
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  Speaker 1: to overthrow the truth of God's word in my heart.
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  Speaker 1: I decree and declare that, like David's mighty men, I
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  Speaker 1: will speak the word of God over those limiting beliefs
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  Speaker 1: and watch them crumble under the weight of your power
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  Speaker 1: and your glory, Lord. When the thoughts seem like too many,
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  Speaker 1: when they seem to come unrelenting, I will not stop
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  Speaker 1: in my pursuit to speak life over myself and my
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  Speaker 1: loved ones. Like King David, you have set me in
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  Speaker 1: this new life, God. And through the power of your
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  Speaker 1: Holy Spirit, I will conquer and subdue all ungodly thoughts
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  Speaker 1: and beliefs in my mind. In Jesus' name.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thanks for making prayer a priority in your life. To
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  Speaker 1: hear the Bible come to life, stay tuned for The
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  Speaker 1: Bible in a Year. Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: David returns to Jerusalem. In our last story, we witnessed
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  Speaker 2: the short-lived coup of Absalom. Having just taken over the
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  Speaker 2: throne of David, Absalom's army was defeated in battle by
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  Speaker 2: David's mighty men. Their skill was unmatched, and Absalom died
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  Speaker 2: hanging on a tree. David was so busy mourning his
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  Speaker 2: son's death that he did not comfort or encourage his people. Joab,
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  Speaker 2: as a good friend should, rebuked David. In this story,
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  Speaker 2: David's kinship is restored, but not without resistance from within.
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  Speaker 2: Inspired by the book of 2 Samuel.
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  Speaker 3: This is Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible
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  Speaker 3: in a Year podcast. In yesterday's episode, Absalom's army was
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  Speaker 3: quickly defeated by David's men and Absalom himself met an
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  Speaker 3: early end as he tried to flee from capture. David
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  Speaker 3: was devastated by the death of his son, even though
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  Speaker 3: Absalom had sought to take away his throne and kill
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  Speaker 3: his father. When David's commander and closest friend Joab saw
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  Speaker 3: how David's sorrow overshadowed his gratitude for all that his
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  Speaker 3: people had done to restore their king, he called him out.
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  Speaker 3: David recognized that Joab was right and finally rose up
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  Speaker 3: to speak to his people. Today we'll hear about David
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  Speaker 3: returning to Jerusalem to restore his kingship. It would not
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  Speaker 3: be all smooth sailing, as the effects of the divisions
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  Speaker 3: Absalom had brought about continue to be felt throughout the kingdom.
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  Speaker 3: But David will demonstrate what a good king is like,
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  Speaker 3: seeking peace with those who opposed him. So, once again,
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  Speaker 3: let's listen to God's word today.
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  Speaker 2: Absalom was dead, but the discord and doubt he sowed
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  Speaker 2: into the people was not yet killed. People grumbled and
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  Speaker 2: quarreled among themselves as to whether David should be king
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  Speaker 2: or not. David knew that the only way to settle
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  Speaker 2: the hearts of the people was to settle the hearts
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  Speaker 2: of Absalom's closest followers. He spoke kindly with Absalom's priests
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  Speaker 2: and generals and greeted them with compassion. He spoke with
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  Speaker 2: them about having a place in his ranks and counsel
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  Speaker 2: by his side. Although David was a man of war,
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  Speaker 2: his default was always peace. So David was welcomed back
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  Speaker 2: into Jerusalem, having the full support of those who were
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  Speaker 2: once loyal to Absalom. Dysfunction and sorrow still hid in
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  Speaker 2: the shadows of Israel. Slowly, people began to emerge and
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  Speaker 2: fall at the feet of David. ashamed of their treachery.
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  Speaker 2: The first among them was a man named Shammai. He
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  Speaker 2: begged David to forgive him for serving Absalom. Abishai, one
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  Speaker 2: of David's mighty men, encouraged David to put him to death. However,
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  Speaker 2: David looked at him with compassion and said, This is
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  Speaker 2: not a day for death and execution. Today I am
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  Speaker 2: king of Israel again. So David spared him. Next was
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  Speaker 2: a man named Mephibosheth, Jonathan's son. Mephibosheth was a crippled
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  Speaker 2: boy who used to dwell in the palace of David.
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  Speaker 2: David cared for him deeply and was grieved when he
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  Speaker 2: did not join him when he escaped. Mephibosheth was grieved
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  Speaker 2: as well and said that he was kept from doing so.
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  Speaker 2: David forgave him and restored to him some land. Some
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  Speaker 2: of this land would reside in Bethlehem, where a certain
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  Speaker 2: inn with a stable would be built. Small disputes continued
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  Speaker 2: to arise among the people. The ten tribes of Israel
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  Speaker 2: were angry with Judah because they felt they had special
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  Speaker 2: privileges to the king. So David continued to navigate the
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  Speaker 2: messy politics of pleasing people. He rallied elders, made treaties,
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  Speaker 2: and spoke with clansmen. David was originally a man made
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  Speaker 2: for battle. However, this was a time for him to
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  Speaker 2: be a governor. The nation continued to squabble, but slowly
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  Speaker 2: the people began to heal and experience unity once again. However,
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  Speaker 2: a remnant of rebellion lurked in the shadows. A man
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  Speaker 2: named Sheba waited for his moment to strike. In the
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  Speaker 2: tribe of Benjamin, a loud trumpet could be heard blowing
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  Speaker 2: throughout the streets. Sheba and a small band of rebels chanted,
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  Speaker 2: Down with the dynasty of David! Rally, O you men
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  Speaker 2: of Israel! Down with David! His words began to catch fire,
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  Speaker 2: and men began to join Sheba in his rebellion. Dozens
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  Speaker 2: became hundreds, and hundreds became thousands. David dwelled in Judah,
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  Speaker 2: continuing his work among the city. David sent Amasa, Absalom's
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  Speaker 2: old general, and asked him to assemble an army in Judah.
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  Speaker 2: Amasa left immediately. However, he did not get to Judah
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  Speaker 2: in time. David beckoned Abishai and said,' Sheba has the
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  Speaker 2: potential to do far more damage than Absalom.' Assemble my
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  Speaker 2: troops and drive him out at once.' We must reach
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  Speaker 2: him before he fortifies himself. So Abishai and Joab banded
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  Speaker 2: together with David's mighty men. They gathered warriors and set
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  Speaker 2: out to go after Sheba. When Abishai and Joab reached
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  Speaker 2: the outskirts of Judah, they saw Amasa. Amasa was asked
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  Speaker 2: to assemble an army for David, but did not. This
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  Speaker 2: enraged Joab. Joab could see right through Amasa. His neglect
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  Speaker 2: would sabotage David. Joab faked a smile and hid his
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  Speaker 2: dagger under his belt. Joab walked towards Amasa, saying, Greetings, brother.
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  Speaker 2: How are you? The two of them hugged, and Amasa
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  Speaker 2: felt a sharp jolt in his stomach. Joab whispered in
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  Speaker 2: Amasa's ear, Traitor. And Amasa fell to the ground with
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  Speaker 2: a dagger in his side. Joab and Abishai left Amasa
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  Speaker 2: there to bleed and die. With intent and drive, they
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  Speaker 2: continued their march towards Sheba.
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  Speaker 3: As we begin today, Absalom is gone. His illegitimate reign
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  Speaker 3: was short-lived and David is now returning to the throne.
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  Speaker 3: But though Absalom is dead, the ripple effects of the
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  Speaker 3: lies that he told are being felt. There is division
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  Speaker 3: among the people as to whether David should return to power.
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  Speaker 3: How would King David handle these divisions? The question is
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  Speaker 3: about his own legitimacy as ruler of God's people. There was,
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  Speaker 3: of course, the option of force. David and his mighty
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  Speaker 3: men had shown their power in battle. He could have
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  Speaker 3: easily punished those who doubted his authority, but that wasn't
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  Speaker 3: David's way. It wasn't what was in his heart. David's
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  Speaker 3: heart sought peace with those who opposed him. So he
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  Speaker 3: spoke to the priests and generals who supported Absalom, easing
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  Speaker 3: their concerns and assuring them that they would have a
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  Speaker 3: place at the table. His wisdom and kindness paid off,
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  Speaker 3: and David was able to return to Jerusalem, counting on
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  Speaker 3: the support of those who had backed Absalom. There were others, though,
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  Speaker 3: who had remained in Jerusalem, many of whom had sided
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  Speaker 3: with Absalom, and with David back in the city, they
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  Speaker 3: began to approach, begging for forgiveness. One of these men
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  Speaker 3: was a man named Shammai, who had chosen to serve Absalom.
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  Speaker 3: We hear his words to the king in 2 Samuel 19,
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  Speaker 3: verse 19. Let not my lord hold me guilty, or
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  Speaker 3: remember how your servant did wrong on the day my
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  Speaker 3: lord the king left Jerusalem. Do not let the king
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  Speaker 3: take it to heart. Can you imagine the memories that
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  Speaker 3: must have flooded David's mind as he heard these words?
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  Speaker 3: For they sounded so much like the words that he
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  Speaker 3: had cried out to God after sins of adultery and
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  Speaker 3: murder came to light. Had not God forgiven him, how
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  Speaker 3: then could he not show grace and forgiveness to someone
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  Speaker 3: who responded with repentance towards him? Still, David's men urged
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  Speaker 3: him to put to death the traitor, but David stood
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  Speaker 3: firm and forgave this man. His quest for peace and
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  Speaker 3: reconciliation continued. He understood what his son Solomon would one
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  Speaker 3: day write in Ecclesiastes, that there is a time for everything,
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  Speaker 3: a time to kill and a time to heal, a
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  Speaker 3: time for war and a time for peace. This was
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  Speaker 3: a time for peace and restoring peace, and David knew
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  Speaker 3: the future of the nation depended upon it. Others came
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  Speaker 3: to David, and he forgave them one after another, signaling
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  Speaker 3: to the people that he would not be a vindictive king.
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  Speaker 3: In this new era of his reign, David navigated disputes
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  Speaker 3: on the home front rather than fighting battles with foreign foes,
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  Speaker 3: and slowly the nation began to experience unity once again.
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  Speaker 3: But not all were eager for peace. In Benjamin, there
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  Speaker 3: was a man named Sheba who was sowing dissension, rallying
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  Speaker 3: people to his side. The king understood that his opposition
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  Speaker 3: posed a far greater danger than his son Absalom's ill-conceived coup.
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  Speaker 3: David sent Joab, Abishai, and his other mighty men to
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  Speaker 3: shut down the insurrection brewing in Benjamin. He also called
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  Speaker 3: on Amasa, one of his generals who had served Absalom,
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  Speaker 3: but had been pardoned by David, staying true to his
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  Speaker 3: word that these men too would have a place in
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  Speaker 3: the kingdom. But Amasa was treacherous and had it in
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  Speaker 3: his heart to sabotage the king. Joab, however, saw right
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  Speaker 3: through it and put Abasa to death. Still Sheba remained
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  Speaker 3: and had to be dealt with swiftly, and we'll hear
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  Speaker 3: more about that the next time. Dear God, we thank
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  Speaker 3: you for forgiveness, your forgiveness of us. that when we
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  Speaker 3: repent and turn from our sins, that we find complete
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  Speaker 3: and total forgiveness because of what you have done for
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  Speaker 3: us in sending Jesus to die on the cross for
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  Speaker 3: our sins, to rise again, that we would have eternal life.
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  Speaker 3: May we not only be forgiven, but offer forgiveness to others.
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  Speaker 3: And may we live in the grace and the mercy
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  Speaker 3: of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 3: I'm Pastor Jack Graham, and we appreciate so very much
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  Speaker 3: your interest, your prayers, and your involvement in this wonderful
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  Speaker 3: effort to walk through the Bible. I would encourage you
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  Speaker 3: to download the Pray.com app and make prayer a true
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  Speaker 3: priority in your life along with the study of God's Word.
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  Speaker 3: If you appreciate and have enjoyed this podcast, It would
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  Speaker 3: be very helpful if you would share it with someone
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  Speaker 3: you love because it will make a huge difference in
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  Speaker 3: their lives. And if you want to know more about
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  Speaker 3: how you can know Jesus and follow him, how you
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  Speaker 3: can live the Christian life, be sure to visit jackgraham.org.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you and God bless you.