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Absalom Returns - The Book of 2 Samuel · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And the king said, Let him turn
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  Speaker 1: to his own house, and let him not see my face.
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  Speaker 1: So Absalom returned to his own house, and saw not
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  Speaker 1: the king's face. 2 Samuel 14.24 Lord, through the listening
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  Speaker 1: of 2 Samuel, I now see you as the God
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  Speaker 1: of closed doors. With this as my new viewpoint, I
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  Speaker 1: pray that you continually give me the strength and resolve
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  Speaker 1: to keep the door closed on unhealthy relationships that you've
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  Speaker 1: allowed me to leave from the story of my life.
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  Speaker 1: I declare that I have a keen eye for the
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  Speaker 1: ones who desire to harbor harmful and wicked thoughts against
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  Speaker 1: me and my future. Allow the gatekeepers in my life
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  Speaker 1: to help me recognize when people are knocking on the
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  Speaker 1: door of my new season only to wreak havoc. and
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  Speaker 1: bring division and chaos. My life is too precious to
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  Speaker 1: not guard the treasure that lies within me. Thank you
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  Speaker 1: for giving me rich and refreshing relationships instead. Thank you
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  Speaker 1: that when some relationships are unhealthy, you will point them
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  Speaker 1: out and re-close the door again. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for making prayer a priority in your day.
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  Speaker 1: To learn more about the Bible, stay tuned for today's story.
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  Speaker 1: Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Absalom returns. In our last story, we peered into the
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  Speaker 2: difficult relationships within David's family. One of David's sons, Amnon,
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  Speaker 2: raped his half-sister Tamar. As an act of revenge, Absalom,
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  Speaker 2: her brother, and David's other son, murders him. Now Absalom
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  Speaker 2: waits in Geshur, stewing in bitterness over his father's inaction.
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  Speaker 2: In this story, Absalom will return from hiding after Joab
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  Speaker 2: devised a way to convince David of his innocence, as
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  Speaker 2: inspired by 2 Samuel.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, this is Jack Graham with today's episode of the
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. In our prior episode, we
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  Speaker 3: learned how David's family began to unravel into chaos as
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  Speaker 3: a consequence of his sin with Bathsheba and as a
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  Speaker 3: direct result of the choice that he made to marry
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  Speaker 3: many women. When his son Amnon raped his own sister Tamar,
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  Speaker 3: Tamar sought refuge with David's son Absalom, who took revenge
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  Speaker 3: and killed his brother Amnon. Absalom hated his father for
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  Speaker 3: his failure to intervene and punish Amnon, and as he
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  Speaker 3: lived in exile, Absalom planned for the day he would
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  Speaker 3: return to punish his father. Today we'll hear of Absalom
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  Speaker 3: coming out of hiding, aided by David's commander Joab, who
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  Speaker 3: hopes to convince David to forgive his son.
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  Speaker 2: Joab watched David's heart wrestle over his banished son Absalom.
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  Speaker 2: David held his head low. and had deep sighs of
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  Speaker 2: disappointment when speaking of him. However, David was stubborn and
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  Speaker 2: did not want to send for his son to return,
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  Speaker 2: nor did he think Absalom deserved to return for what
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  Speaker 2: he did. Joab felt the need to intervene somehow so
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  Speaker 2: the sadness would stop. Furthermore, Joab felt a sense of
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  Speaker 2: responsibility over Absalom, since he could quite possibly be king
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  Speaker 2: when David died. Joab sent for an actress from Tekoa,
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  Speaker 2: They met with her in secret and devised a plan
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  Speaker 2: for her to meet with the king over a fake matter.
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  Speaker 2: Joab coached her in what she should say. She would
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  Speaker 2: weave a tale of her two sons in order to
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  Speaker 2: pull at David's heartstrings, and when the time was right,
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  Speaker 2: she would try and convince David to allow Absalom to return.
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  Speaker 2: So the woman dressed in all black as a widow
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  Speaker 2: and mustered up convincing tears to present to David. She
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  Speaker 2: walked into his presence and shouted, Save me, Lord King!
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  Speaker 2: David perked up, concerned with how frantic the woman was.
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  Speaker 2: What happened? David asked as he gestured for her to
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  Speaker 2: take a seat. I am a widow, the woman began
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  Speaker 2: to sniffle. My husband is dead and one of my
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  Speaker 2: sons killed my other son over his inheritance. David folded
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  Speaker 2: his arms and continued to listen to her. The whole
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  Speaker 2: clan desires for me to give my son over to death.
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  Speaker 2: That would leave me with no husband and no sons
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  Speaker 2: to protect me. David leaned over and held her hand.
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  Speaker 2: Go back home. I will send word to help you.
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  Speaker 2: If anybody tries to harm you, I will make sure
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  Speaker 2: they never lay a hand on you. The woman smiled
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  Speaker 2: and placed her hand on David and thanked him. She
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  Speaker 2: stood up, and before walking out, she came back and said, Lord,
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  Speaker 2: please allow me to ask one more thing. Speak, David
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  Speaker 2: said with a compassionate smile. If you would forgive my
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  Speaker 2: son the blood of his brother... Why would you not
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  Speaker 2: forgive your own? she asked. David leaned back in his seat.
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  Speaker 2: He paused for a few moments, tapping his foot on
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  Speaker 2: the floor. He looked at the woman, then back at
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  Speaker 2: the door, then back at the woman again. Come, sit,
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  Speaker 2: he asked the woman, gesturing her to sit down again.
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  Speaker 2: I need you to tell me the honest truth, the
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  Speaker 2: woman nodded. Did Joab send for you to come tell
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  Speaker 2: me these things? Immediately the woman burst into tears. This
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  Speaker 2: time they were real. She had been caught in Joab's lie.
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  Speaker 2: She went to her knees and said, Yes, Lord, it
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  Speaker 2: was Joab. Please do not be angry with me. He
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  Speaker 2: put every word in my mouth so that you would
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  Speaker 2: reconsider bringing your son back home. You are truly gifted
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  Speaker 2: with the wisdom of God. David sent her away and
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  Speaker 2: did not hold the crime against her. It would be
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  Speaker 2: a silly thing for him to hold her accountable for
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  Speaker 2: Joab's conspiracy. David sent for Joab, and the man entered
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  Speaker 2: in before David and sat down. The two of them
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  Speaker 2: stared at one another for a few moments. David was
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  Speaker 2: annoyed that Joab would go to such great lengths to
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  Speaker 2: tell him what he already knew. David sighed and rubbed
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  Speaker 2: his temple. Go and bring back Absalom, David ordered. Joab's
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  Speaker 2: eyes lit up. He could have sworn David would imprison
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  Speaker 2: him for lying. Thank you, my lord, Joab said. He
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  Speaker 2: may come back to the land, but he may not
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  Speaker 2: enter into my presence, David said. And just like that,
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  Speaker 2: Joab left to go return Absalom. Absalom trotted back into
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  Speaker 2: Jerusalem with the sun to his back. People could not
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  Speaker 2: help but marvel at Absalom as he rode back into
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  Speaker 2: the city, for there was no man more handsome in
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  Speaker 2: all of Israel. His physique was chiseled and unscarred from war.
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  Speaker 2: He had long, thick hair that rested on his muscular shoulders.
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  Speaker 2: Absalom returned with his three sons and one daughter. He
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  Speaker 2: and his family dwelled in Jerusalem for two years without
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  Speaker 2: ever seeing David in passing. Absalom dwelled in his house
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  Speaker 2: of bitterness. Even though he was back in Jerusalem, he
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  Speaker 2: still felt like an exile. He would scoff often at
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  Speaker 2: his father's incompetent rulings. and fantasize about what it would
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  Speaker 2: be like to be king. He heard rumors of his
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  Speaker 2: younger half-brother Solomon perhaps being the heir to the throne.
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  Speaker 2: The thought vexed him. Absalom desired to see the king,
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  Speaker 2: so he sent for Joab to set up a meeting. However,
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  Speaker 2: Joab knew better than to speak with Absalom, so he
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  Speaker 2: ignored his messages. Absalom sent for Joab a second time.
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  Speaker 2: Still there was no reply. Finally, he had his servants
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  Speaker 2: venture out into Joab's farm and burn one of his
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  Speaker 2: fields to the ground. The flames were a reminder to
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  Speaker 2: Joab that Absalom was capable of hideous evils, and he
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  Speaker 2: was to be feared. Joab finally came to Absalom enraged
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  Speaker 2: and a bit afraid. Why would you burn down my field,
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  Speaker 2: Joab yelled. Absalom sat in his courtyard casually, paying no
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  Speaker 2: attention to Joab's rage. I sent for you and you
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  Speaker 2: did not reply, Absalom said matter-of-factly. I would not have
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  Speaker 2: come out of exile if I knew I wasn't going
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  Speaker 2: to be able to be in the palace with my father.
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  Speaker 2: Joab gulped, seeing a twinge of madness in Absalom's eyes.
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  Speaker 2: Take me to him. If he finds me guilty, then
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  Speaker 2: he shall kill me. Joab did as he wished and
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  Speaker 2: brought Absalom to David. David watched as his son approached
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  Speaker 2: the gates. He was reminded of how Saul once exiled
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  Speaker 2: him into the wilderness. What a tragic feeling it was
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  Speaker 2: to feel cast off from your family and country. David
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  Speaker 2: welled up with grief as his son drew closer and closer.
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  Speaker 2: Before Absalom could walk any further, David ran to him
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  Speaker 2: and embraced him. He kissed Absalom on the neck and
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  Speaker 2: hugged him. Tears ran down David's cheeks, but Absalom remained motionless.
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  Speaker 2: No amount of affection or conversation occurred. was going to
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  Speaker 2: change Absalom's mind. He was going to kill his father.
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  Speaker 3: Today's passage opens with Absalom in exile, banished by his
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  Speaker 3: father for killing his half-brother Amnon. But Joab, David's trusted commander,
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  Speaker 3: could sense the king's sadness. Beneath the anger at his
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  Speaker 3: son was a desire to reconcile. but it was a
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  Speaker 3: very complicated situation. So Joab comes up with a plan.
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  Speaker 3: He hires a woman to pretend to be someone else,
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  Speaker 3: a widow with a dilemma of her own. Joab gives
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  Speaker 3: her all the words to say to David, and much
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  Speaker 3: like Nathan did when he confronted David for his sin
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  Speaker 3: with Bathsheba, The woman's story fools David into thinking he's
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  Speaker 3: ruling on someone else's situation when it actually gives him
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  Speaker 3: clarity for his own. The woman tells David she's a widow,
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  Speaker 3: and one of her sons has killed the other for
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  Speaker 3: the inheritance. Her clan is demanding that she hand over
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  Speaker 3: the killer so he can be executed for his crime,
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  Speaker 3: but this would leave her childless and without a provider.
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  Speaker 3: David has compassion on the woman and her situation. He
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  Speaker 3: tells her to return home and promises that nothing bad
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  Speaker 3: will happen to her or her son. The woman then
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  Speaker 3: asks David why he would forgive her son but not
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  Speaker 3: his own whom he has banished. Then she says this
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  Speaker 3: in 2 Samuel 14 verse 14, We must all die.
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  Speaker 3: We are like water spilled on the ground which cannot
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  Speaker 3: be gathered up again. But God will not take away life,
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  Speaker 3: and he devises means so that the banished one will
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  Speaker 3: not remain an outcast. Her words were a reminder of
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  Speaker 3: God's mercies, and surely David was reminded that God had
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  Speaker 3: forgiven him of his great sin. And though she would
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  Speaker 3: not have known it at the time, there was also
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  Speaker 3: a foreshadowing of the lengths to which God would go
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  Speaker 3: to forgive each of us who are outcasts, banished from
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  Speaker 3: God's presence. But because of his love and grace, God
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  Speaker 3: reached out to us and brought us to himself and
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  Speaker 3: reconciled to us and with us because of the cross.
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  Speaker 3: The Bible tells us that we can be reconciled to God.
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  Speaker 3: David then asked her if Joab had put her up
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  Speaker 3: to this, and she confessed. The king sent her home
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  Speaker 3: and called for Joab. At last, David relented and allowed
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  Speaker 3: Absalom to return to Israel, but he still wanted nothing
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  Speaker 3: to do with him. So his son... and the king
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  Speaker 3: lived apart for two years. They never saw each other.
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  Speaker 3: For all of his wisdom, strength of character, and commitment
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  Speaker 3: to the Lord, David's attitude toward his son did not
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  Speaker 3: reflect the forgiving, patient heart of God. Allowing Absalom to
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  Speaker 3: return but keeping him away at arm's length was even
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  Speaker 3: more injurious than the banishment. It was a constant reminder
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  Speaker 3: to Absalom that his father did not accept him. How
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  Speaker 3: blessed we are. How graced we are. that God our
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  Speaker 3: Father does not treat us this way as his children.
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  Speaker 3: Absalom grew tired of being separated from David, and he
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  Speaker 3: knew that if he were to be king, he would
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  Speaker 3: have to get back into the palace. So he sent
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  Speaker 3: for Joab, who ignored the call twice until finally Absalom
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  Speaker 3: set Jacob's fields on fire to get his attention. I
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  Speaker 3: can only imagine the dread in Joab's heart as he
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  Speaker 3: realized that Absalom, the man who might be king one day,
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  Speaker 3: was capable of such harsh and extreme actions just to
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  Speaker 3: get his way. Unable to ignore him, Joab arranged for
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  Speaker 3: Absalom to return to the palace. And now at last
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  Speaker 3: David received him with open arms and a kiss. But
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  Speaker 3: the damage was done, and Absalom had no love for
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  Speaker 3: his father. His heart was filled with ambition, bitterness, and
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  Speaker 3: hate— a deadly combination. Dear God, through Jesus our Lord, we
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  Speaker 3: thank you that while we were outcast and banished far
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  Speaker 3: from you, that you, as a loving Father, sent your
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  Speaker 3: Son Jesus to welcome us into your arms as we
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  Speaker 3: come to you. We come to you so often, like prodigals,
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  Speaker 3: and like the Father, you welcome us home. Thank you
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  Speaker 3: for your love and for your Son Jesus, who makes
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  Speaker 3: this reconciliation and restoration possible. We pray this in Jesus' name. 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 Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the Pray.com app
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  Speaker 3: and make prayer and Bible study a priority in your life.
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  Speaker 3: power for Christian living, be sure to visit JackGraham.org. God
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  Speaker 3: bless you.