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Victory after Victory · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Dear God, etch in the foundations of my heart that
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  Speaker 1: I am a giant killer, like David in 2 Samuel 10.
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  Speaker 1: I will not cower and run away when I am
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  Speaker 1: faced with challenges and limiting mindsets. that try to loom
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  Speaker 1: over areas of my life. As I build my faith
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  Speaker 1: on your word, my feet will move with purpose and
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  Speaker 1: speed in the direction of my calling, knowing that the
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  Speaker 1: armies of heaven are backing my life, like the army
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  Speaker 1: of Israel backed King David. Today, I make known the
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  Speaker 1: truth that I am not afraid to fight for what
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  Speaker 1: God has spoken over my life. I make known the
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  Speaker 1: fact that I will fight for the dignity of others.
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  Speaker 1: Through the battles and blows of life, I will stay
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  Speaker 1: on the battlefield until God gives me the victory. I
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  Speaker 1: am fighting the fight of faith for the Lord. I
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  Speaker 1: am fighting for more. I am fighting for peace. And
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  Speaker 1: I am fighting to become the highest version of me.
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  Speaker 1: In Jesus' name, Amen. Listening to these daily prayers strengthens
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  Speaker 1: your relationship with God. Continue hearing from the Lord by
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  Speaker 1: listening to today's Bible in a Year. Brought to you
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  Speaker 1: by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Victory after victory. In our last story, David came to
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  Speaker 2: the realization that that the Lord should have a temple
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  Speaker 2: built for him. Nathan the prophet agreed and spoke for
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  Speaker 2: the Lord, saying his kingdom would be established forever. The
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  Speaker 2: Lord blessed all of David's exploits, and the kingdom of
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  Speaker 2: Israel continued to grow day by day. In this story, Hanan,
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  Speaker 2: king of Ammon, will humiliate David's servants, and the Ammonites
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  Speaker 2: learn that David is not a king to be trifled with.
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  Speaker 2: as inspired by 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles.
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  Speaker 3: I'm so glad you joined us on the Bible in
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  Speaker 3: a Year podcast today. But before we get to today's episode,
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  Speaker 3: I want you to know that I would absolutely love
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  Speaker 3: to send you my daily devotional that will give you
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  Speaker 3: fresh encouragement every single morning and day. From the moment
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  Speaker 3: we wake up to the moment our head finally hits
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  Speaker 3: the pillow, there are thousands of things that demanding our attention.
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  Speaker 3: But it's in the midst of all this crush and
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  Speaker 3: hustle and bustle that you and I need peace and
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  Speaker 3: truth in God's Word. That's why I want to help
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  Speaker 3: you spend time each day growing in God's life-giving, life-changing
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  Speaker 3: Word by sending you my free daily email devotional, PowerPoint Today.
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  Speaker 3: So visit jackgram.org to sign up for your PowerPoint Today devotional.
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  Speaker 3: That's jackgram.org. jackgram.org. In our last episode, we saw David's
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  Speaker 3: heart to honor God and build the Lord a home,
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  Speaker 3: a temple where his glory could be on display for
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  Speaker 3: all the world to see. As a result of his faithfulness,
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  Speaker 3: David received a message from God through the prophet Nathan.
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  Speaker 3: The message was this, God would establish a lasting kingdom
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  Speaker 3: through David. God blessed David's efforts both as king and
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  Speaker 3: as a warrior, and today, we'll continue to see the
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  Speaker 3: victories that God gives to David. We'll also hear how
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  Speaker 3: the king of Ammon meets David's act of kindness with
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  Speaker 3: distrust and disrespect and discovers that David is not a
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  Speaker 3: king to be mocked or toyed with. And as always,
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  Speaker 3: through it all, God's name will be made known not
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  Speaker 3: just among the Israelites, but to all the nations. Let's
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  Speaker 3: listen now to today's reading.
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  Speaker 2: Not too far away from Israel, Nahash, the king of
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  Speaker 2: the Ammonites, had died. Trumpets sounded in the distance, and
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  Speaker 2: the Ammonite people mourned the death of their king. Hanan,
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  Speaker 2: his son, took the throne after his father and surrounded
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  Speaker 2: himself with counsel. David heard of Nahash's death and remembered
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  Speaker 2: the kindness he showed David while in the wilderness. There
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  Speaker 2: was historic blood between the Ammonites and the Israelites. However,
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  Speaker 2: David was determined to usher in a new era of peace.
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  Speaker 2: David gathered some of his men to go and console
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  Speaker 2: Hanun with gifts and goodwill. The servants entered the land.
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  Speaker 2: There was a slight eeriness in the city when they entered.
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  Speaker 2: Being Israelites in the land of the Ammonites was uncomfortable,
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  Speaker 2: and whispers filled the streets as they passed. Nevertheless, the
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  Speaker 2: men walked into the halls of Hanan, determined to comfort him.
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  Speaker 2: The princes and counselors sat beside Hanan as David's men entered.
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  Speaker 2: One of them leaned over to Hanan and whispered, Do
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  Speaker 2: you really think David sent comforters because of your father?
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  Speaker 2: You know they are here to spy on our land.
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  Speaker 2: It is a ruse, my king. Hanan gave a slight nod,
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  Speaker 2: not taking his eyes off the men as they entered
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  Speaker 2: the room. The men bowed before Hanan and laid gifts
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  Speaker 2: at his feet. However, corruption and paranoia had easily gripped
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  Speaker 2: Hanan's mind. He stood to his feet and ordered the
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  Speaker 2: servants to be taken at once. The servants were confused
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  Speaker 2: at his intentions. Hanan slipped a devious smile and ordered
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  Speaker 2: his men to shave off half of their beards and
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  Speaker 2: cut the lower half of their robes, exposing their genitalias
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  Speaker 2: before everyone.
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  Speaker 3: Then.
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  Speaker 2: They cast them out into the streets for all to see.
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  Speaker 2: Ammonite cackles filled the city streets as the men ran
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  Speaker 2: in embarrassment. Tears of shame filled their eyes, and they
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  Speaker 2: hid themselves in Jericho. They sent word to David and
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  Speaker 2: told him what happened. David did not send men to
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  Speaker 2: get them. He went himself. David rode to his men
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  Speaker 2: swiftly as a father would to his hurting children. David
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  Speaker 2: found them hiding in Jericho and comforted them. Remain here
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  Speaker 2: until your beards grow back. Here are supplies and new robes.
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  Speaker 2: So David left them and relieved them of their duties
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  Speaker 2: until they recovered their dignity. He mounted his horse and
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  Speaker 2: left the area. He rode fast and aggressively. He looked
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  Speaker 2: forward with fury in his eyes. David would not forgive
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  Speaker 2: the humiliation of his servants. Unlike Hanan, David was a
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  Speaker 2: king with actual power. Hanan would soon learn this for himself.
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  Speaker 2: The Ammonites heard that David was outraged by Hanan's disrespect.
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  Speaker 2: They wanted to attack him before he attacked them. So
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  Speaker 2: they hired 20,000 Syrian mercenaries to join their army. They
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  Speaker 2: also allied with a neighboring city to gain an extra
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  Speaker 2: 13,000 men. Soon... A vast army prepared themselves for David's retaliation. Unperturbed,
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  Speaker 2: David sent Joab, his mighty men, and a portion of
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  Speaker 2: his army to face them. Joab scooped out the field
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  Speaker 2: and saw that the Ammonites and the Syrians split up
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  Speaker 2: to ambush them on both ends. Joab and the mighty
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  Speaker 2: men decided to march towards the Syrians, while the army
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  Speaker 2: of Israel took on the Ammonites. Joab shouted to his
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  Speaker 2: men with his spear in the air and said, Protect
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  Speaker 2: one another. If one side proves to be too strong,
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  Speaker 2: we will come to each other's aid. Joab looked to
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  Speaker 2: the battlefield. He longed for battle, craved it. But the
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  Speaker 2: armies were large and his men were few. Be strong
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  Speaker 2: and courageous, Joab yelled again, for you are the city
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  Speaker 2: of God. A roar followed Joab's words, and the men
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  Speaker 2: of Israel descended upon the Syrians and Ammonites. Joab and
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  Speaker 2: the mighty men reached the Syrians first. Their speed caught
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  Speaker 2: the Syrians completely off guard. Never had they seen men
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  Speaker 2: fight with such unity. Months of training with David in
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  Speaker 2: the wilderness honed them in. They battled as a single unit,
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  Speaker 2: as if they were one body. They overwhelmed the Syrians
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  Speaker 2: within minutes. and they began to flee. The Ammonites saw
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  Speaker 2: their mercenaries flee and became scared. They fled from the
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  Speaker 2: battle and hid behind their city gates. Joab returned with
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  Speaker 2: the soldiers and awaited orders from David for the next move.
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  Speaker 2: The Syrians threw their weapons on the floor in frustration.
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  Speaker 2: They had been caught completely off guard. Though they were
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  Speaker 2: hired hands, they would not allow themselves to be beaten
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  Speaker 2: and humiliated by Israel. They rallied and gathered their allies
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  Speaker 2: from beyond the Euphrates. Shobak, their commander, led them to
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  Speaker 2: Helam and awaited David for battle. Shobak stood taller than
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  Speaker 2: all the other men under his command. He was fierce
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  Speaker 2: and a brilliant swordsman and tactician. The Syrians feared him
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  Speaker 2: and followed him into battle. This time David did not
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  Speaker 2: send Joab and his men. David rode out with his
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  Speaker 2: army behind him to Helam. Thousands of Syrian horsemen and
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  Speaker 2: soldiers stood before David on the opposite end of the field.
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  Speaker 2: David drew his sword and, without saying a word, ran
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  Speaker 2: headfirst into battle. The men of Israel stood in awe
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  Speaker 2: of their king. He ran like a lion, shortening the
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  Speaker 2: gap between him and his prey. The Syrian chariots rushed
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  Speaker 2: in first. For a moment it seemed as though it
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  Speaker 2: was David running towards a sea of chariots on his own.
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  Speaker 2: His men followed behind him, inspired by their warrior king.
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  Speaker 2: David's fighting was like poetry. His sword slashed the legs
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  Speaker 2: of horses, sending the horsemen flying through the air. His
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  Speaker 2: shield absorbed every blow, and his blade returned with twice
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  Speaker 2: the force. David's sword seemed to dance in his hand
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  Speaker 2: as he fought his way through the Syrian lines. Shobak
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  Speaker 2: had David in his line of vision. He ran towards David,
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  Speaker 2: toppling other soldiers on his way. David barely saw Shobak
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  Speaker 2: at the corner of his eye before he struck a
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  Speaker 2: blow to his side with his shield. David flew into
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  Speaker 2: the air and landed on his back. Shobak did not
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  Speaker 2: stop and ran toward David with his sword in the air.
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  Speaker 2: David dodged the second attack and swiped Shobak's calf. The
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  Speaker 2: two fought ferociously, yet Shobak's strength was no match for
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  Speaker 2: David's skill. David allowed Shobak to come close, grabbed the
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  Speaker 2: hilt of his sword, and drove his blade into Shobak's side.
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  Speaker 2: He stumbled back, holding his stomach. Frightened that David might
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  Speaker 2: slay him where he stood, Shobak ran away. Bleeding from
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  Speaker 2: his stomach, Shobak ran through the battle looking for safety.
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  Speaker 2: Growing faint, he fell to his knees and bled out
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  Speaker 2: on the battlefield.
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  Speaker 3: The battle was won.
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  Speaker 2: David and his men killed 700 chariots and 40,000 horsemen.
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  Speaker 2: David raised his spear into the air and roared a
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  Speaker 2: mighty cry of victory with the blood of his enemy
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  Speaker 2: laced on his face and clothes. The men of Israel
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  Speaker 2: shouted and chanted to God. The kings of the east
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  Speaker 2: trembled in fear of David and made peace with Israel.
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  Speaker 2: David used his sword to make a statement, but he
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  Speaker 2: would go no further than protecting his people. David was
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  Speaker 2: not a conqueror and had no interest in enslaving other kingdoms.
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  Speaker 2: He wanted peace. and welcomed any kingdom that desired the same.
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  Speaker 2: David's bravery became renowned in all the land, yet even
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  Speaker 2: the bravest of kings can be undone by the smallest
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  Speaker 2: of temptations, a lesson David would soon learn.
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  Speaker 3: Today's passage begins with the death of the Ammonite king.
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  Speaker 3: His son, Hanun, was his successor. And when David heard
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  Speaker 3: of the death of the man who had once been
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  Speaker 3: kind to him when he was in exile, he wanted
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  Speaker 3: to show his respect and return the kindness. So he
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  Speaker 3: sent some of his men on a peaceful mission into
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  Speaker 3: the land of the Ammonites, historically enemies of Israel. Though
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  Speaker 3: he was a very powerful king with a great army,
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  Speaker 3: David wanted to rule with peace whenever possible. But as
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  Speaker 3: his men entered the palace of Hanun, there they were
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  Speaker 3: met with distrust and paranoia. Now, for sure, a certain
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  Speaker 3: amount of trepidation on the part of the Ammonite king
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  Speaker 3: would have been understandable. But rather than give the men
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  Speaker 3: a chance to speak, he had them seized immediately. Their
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  Speaker 3: beards were shaved, an act of humiliation in itself in
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  Speaker 3: those days, and their robes were cut off at the waist,
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  Speaker 3: exposing them to ridicule as they were cast into the streets.
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  Speaker 3: The men fled in embarrassment and hid in Jericho. 2
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  Speaker 3: Samuel 10.5 tells us how David reacted. We read, When
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  Speaker 3: it was told to David, he sent to meet them,
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  Speaker 3: for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said,
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  Speaker 3: Remain in Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return. Now,
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  Speaker 3: don't miss the significance of this passage. First, it tells
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  Speaker 3: us that David was primarily concerned with his men. As
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  Speaker 3: a king, he could have focused first on the disrespect
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  Speaker 3: shown to him by Hanun. He could have immediately departed
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  Speaker 3: to attack the Ammonites to punish them for their mockery.
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  Speaker 3: But he went first to his men to care for
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  Speaker 3: their needs and comfort them. Secondly, David went to them himself.
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  Speaker 3: A great leader is never above serving those who follow him.
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  Speaker 3: Jesus gave us the best example of this as he
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  Speaker 3: washed his own disciples' feet. David surely could have sent
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  Speaker 3: someone else to reach his men, but he went to
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  Speaker 3: see them himself. So with the first priority handled, David
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  Speaker 3: then turned to the Ammonites for their offense could not
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  Speaker 3: be unanswered. David gathered his men with his faithful commander
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  Speaker 3: Joab in charge. Joab wisely was careful in his plan
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  Speaker 3: of attack. He'd learned from David, a skillful and wise
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  Speaker 3: military leader. And rather than rush into the war, Joab
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  Speaker 3: surveyed the battlefield. He saw there were two fronts on
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  Speaker 3: which to fight, so he prepared his men and they
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  Speaker 3: resolved to fight as one unit, supporting each other where
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  Speaker 3: any weakness arose. Joab's men were strong and ready for
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  Speaker 3: battle and the enemy was quickly defeated. and the Syrian
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  Speaker 3: mercenaries driven off. When the Syrians realized they were in
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  Speaker 3: a large fight, they gathered their allies, and this time
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  Speaker 3: David himself led the Israelite army into battle. God, as
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  Speaker 3: he had been doing since David rose to the throne,
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  Speaker 3: gave David a convincing victory, and the Syrians were defeated
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  Speaker 3: and driven away. And rather than use this as an
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  Speaker 3: opportunity to increase his territory and kill his enemies, David
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  Speaker 3: made peace with the Syrians and their allies, who knew
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  Speaker 3: now that David and God's people were not to be abused.
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  Speaker 3: But as David's fame and power grew, a complacency began
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  Speaker 3: to creep in, and with it, temptation was just around
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  Speaker 3: the corner. We'll discover the tragic consequences of that in
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  Speaker 3: our next reading. Dear God, we thank you for today's
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  Speaker 3: passage on servant leadership. Help us always be willing to
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  Speaker 3: serve those around us and to help those that we
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  Speaker 3: lead and love. May we show kindness even to our
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  Speaker 3: enemies as Jesus taught us. And it is in his
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  Speaker 3: name that we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening to
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  Speaker 3: today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas.
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  Speaker 3: And before we go, I want you to know that
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  Speaker 3: I would love to send you my daily devotional to
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  Speaker 3: give you fresh encouragement every single day. So visit jackgraham.org
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  Speaker 3: to sign up for your PowerPoint Today devotional. That's jackgraham.org.