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David Righting Wrongs - The Book of 2 Samuel · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. Wherefore David said unto the Gibeonites, What
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  Speaker 1: shall I do for you? And wherewith shall I make
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  Speaker 1: the atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of the Lord?
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  Speaker 1: 2 Samuel 21.3 Today, Lord, I thank you that you
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  Speaker 1: are the God of the encore. Through 2 Samuel 21,
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  Speaker 1: I see again and again your faithfulness to protect King David.
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  Speaker 1: because He continually seeks to do what is right. With
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  Speaker 1: this same spirit and mindset, I will live a life
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  Speaker 1: dedicated to making sure that I do what is right. And,
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  Speaker 1: if possible, I will live at peace with all people.
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  Speaker 1: When I have the ability to do a wrong, Lord,
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  Speaker 1: give me the insight and resources to make sure that
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  Speaker 1: restitution is felt and received. If I've wronged anyone in
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  Speaker 1: my past, Lord, give me the ability to make it right,
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  Speaker 1: because I know that when there is drought in my life,
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  Speaker 1: the correction of a past wrongdoing can open the door
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  Speaker 1: to my greatest harvest season, like David and the children
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  Speaker 1: of Israel. Thank you, Lord, for second chances and for
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  Speaker 1: allowing me to reconcile my past with my future. 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: David Writing Wrongs In our last story, we saw the
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  Speaker 2: end of Sheba's Rebellion. Sheba had spread lies all throughout
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  Speaker 2: Israel about David's character. Eventually, the people began to see
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  Speaker 2: his evil for what it was and helped Joab take
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  Speaker 2: off his head. In this story, we learn about David's
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  Speaker 2: leadership through a time of hardship and continued struggle with
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  Speaker 2: other nations. David, even as he advances in years, perseveres
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  Speaker 2: through the chaos of kingship. Inspired by 2 Samuel.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, this is Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of
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  Speaker 3: the Bible in a Year. In yesterday's passage, we learned
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  Speaker 3: how Sheba's insurrection was quickly snuffed out when the people
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  Speaker 3: saw through his lies and killed him, preventing a bloody
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  Speaker 3: battle with David's army. Today, we'll turn our attention back
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  Speaker 3: to Jerusalem where King David, now advancing in years, continues
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  Speaker 3: to rule through hard times, both internally and in conflict
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  Speaker 3: with neighboring nations. We'll see the perseverance of a king
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  Speaker 3: who continually seeks God's will and the best for his people.
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  Speaker 3: Let's listen now to today's scripture.
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  Speaker 2: David walked the city streets with his head held low.
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  Speaker 2: He felt his heart sinking deeper and deeper into his chest.
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  Speaker 2: He could hardly watch his people hungry. He felt helpless.
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  Speaker 2: As with many countries, Israel had experienced a famine in
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  Speaker 2: the land for over three years. Their reserves had run
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  Speaker 2: dry sooner than anticipated. and now many children were forced
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  Speaker 2: to beg on the streets. David did all he could
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  Speaker 2: to help, but there was still scarcity. He fell before
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  Speaker 2: the Lord and listened. He wanted anything to help. Instead
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  Speaker 2: of a plan to restore the reserves of Israel or
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  Speaker 2: change the irrigation for farming, God gave David a different command.
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  Speaker 2: Go and care for the Gibeonites. Saul and his family
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  Speaker 2: were guilty of murdering their families without cause. David was
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  Speaker 2: confused at the Lord's request. How could he show generosity
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  Speaker 2: to a people group when his people were in so
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  Speaker 2: much need? Nevertheless, he summoned the leaders of the Gibeonites.
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  Speaker 2: The Gibeonites were not a part of Israel. However, Joshua
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  Speaker 2: had made a covenant with them to protect and care
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  Speaker 2: for them. This promise was broken by Saul, and he
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  Speaker 2: treated them like animals. David brought the Gibeonites into his
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  Speaker 2: home and had them sit. He offered them what little
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  Speaker 2: food he had, since times were hard and food was
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  Speaker 2: scarce even for the king. David sat down and looked
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  Speaker 2: at them compassionately. How can I make amends for what
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  Speaker 2: Saul did to your people years ago? The question surprised
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  Speaker 2: the Gibeonites. They had lived as victims of Israel for
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  Speaker 2: so many years that David's generosity seemed out of place.
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  Speaker 2: Still angry yet pleased with David's heart, they said, No
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  Speaker 2: amount of money or resources could repair our broken people.
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  Speaker 2: We are down to a few families with almost no
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  Speaker 2: hope of restoration. His words hurt David's heart. He clenched
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  Speaker 2: his fist, angry at Saul's past cruelty. What can I
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  Speaker 2: do then? David asked with his hands open. Just tell
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  Speaker 2: me what would ease your hearts and I will do it.
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  Speaker 2: The men paused for a moment and whispered amongst themselves.
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  Speaker 2: They looked at David and said, Saul was the one
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  Speaker 2: who tried to destroy us. He took away our territory
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  Speaker 2: in Israel. killed our family, and sent us into hiding.
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  Speaker 2: Give us his remaining sons, so that we may execute
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  Speaker 2: them for their father's crimes. As harsh as this deal
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  Speaker 2: might have seemed, it was customary and reasonable in the land.
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  Speaker 2: David agreed, but did not allow them to have Jonathan's son, Mephibosheth.
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  Speaker 2: Jonathan was his dear friend, and like a brother, he
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  Speaker 2: would not allow his only son to be harmed. With
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  Speaker 2: a heavy heart, David gave the rest of Saul's sons
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  Speaker 2: and grandchildren up to the Gibeonites. On a mountain overlooking
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  Speaker 2: the desolate land where the Gibbonites once.
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  Speaker 3: Lived, they slew the brothers.
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  Speaker 2: Shortly after, the famine in the land subsided. The ground
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  Speaker 2: became fertile once again as the rains came rushing in
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  Speaker 2: through the west. Barley and wheat began to sprout and
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  Speaker 2: the fish returned to the shores of Jordan. David wondered
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  Speaker 2: about the Gibbonites, how reconciling a past evil would bring
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  Speaker 2: prosperity back to Israel he did not know. He held
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  Speaker 2: these things in his heart and trusted God and his goodness.
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  Speaker 2: The entire land surrounding Israel was blighted and hardened from
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  Speaker 2: years of famine. Other nations watched as Israel began to
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  Speaker 2: recover quicker than the others. The prosperity of Israel drew
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  Speaker 2: the Philistines in like moths to a flame. They wanted
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  Speaker 2: their food, resources, and land. A hungry horde of Philistines
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  Speaker 2: arose from the east, and soon David was faced with
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  Speaker 2: yet another war. He assembled his mighty men, now grizzled
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  Speaker 2: veterans of battle. His mighty men had sons now, able
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  Speaker 2: to fight, and the armies of Israel were stronger, younger,
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  Speaker 2: and more agile than ever. However, David was growing old.
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  Speaker 2: His stamina was not what it once was, yet this
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  Speaker 2: did not deter him from putting on his armor and
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  Speaker 2: sharpening his sword. With his head held high, he led
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  Speaker 2: his men into the valley between Israel and the Philistines.
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  Speaker 2: With his sword held high, David ran into battle in
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  Speaker 2: front of his men. Although this time his men passed him,
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  Speaker 2: leaping into battle before him, David still fought with passion, skill,
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  Speaker 2: and speed. He delivered blows to every Philistine in his wake. However,
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  Speaker 2: with each kill he lost more and more of his energy.
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  Speaker 2: Slowly David's strength began to wane, and his lungs began
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  Speaker 2: to heave for air. In the distance, David could see
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  Speaker 2: a giant man hurling Israelite soldiers into the air. It
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  Speaker 2: was Ish-bai-e-binob, the Philistine giant. His spear weighed over seven pounds,
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  Speaker 2: but he wielded it like a small blade. His sword
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  Speaker 2: was new, sharpened and sliced through his men as if
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  Speaker 2: they were warm butter. David began to have flashbacks of Goliath.
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  Speaker 2: He remembered his strong legs and hulking frame. Ish-bai-e-binob would
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  Speaker 2: feel the same wrath. David began to run towards him.
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  Speaker 2: His legs were heavy and his arms were growing numb.
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  Speaker 2: but he had to protect his men. David rose his
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  Speaker 2: sword in the air to strike Ishbi, but was swatted
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  Speaker 2: away like a bug. David flew through the air and
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  Speaker 2: landed on his back. The air left his lungs and
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  Speaker 2: the sides of his vision grew dark. David looked up
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  Speaker 2: to find his sword, but only saw Ishbi looming over him.
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  Speaker 2: He cast a large shadow over David as he rose
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  Speaker 2: his spear in the air to strike him down. David
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  Speaker 2: looked up, knowing he could do nothing to save himself.
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  Speaker 2: This is where I die, David thought. As Ishbi's spear
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  Speaker 2: began its descent, a sword burst through the front of
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  Speaker 2: his chest. Ishbi's blood sprayed across David's face. Ishbi cried
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  Speaker 2: out and fell towards David. David rolled to his side,
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  Speaker 2: just dodging the Philistine's massive body crashing to the floor.
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  Speaker 2: The earth shook. Standing over David and Ishbi stood Abishai.
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  Speaker 2: He grabbed the hilt of his sword and pulled it
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  Speaker 2: out of the giant's corpse. Abishai grabbed David and helped
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  Speaker 2: him to his feet. You are no longer coming out
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  Speaker 2: to battle with us, Abishai said. We cannot risk the
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  Speaker 2: light of Israel being snuffed out. A few days of
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  Speaker 2: battle had passed, and more giants had risen from Gath.
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  Speaker 2: David's men were fighting in the Valley of Job, and
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  Speaker 2: a giant named Saph arose. His biceps were as strong
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  Speaker 2: as iron, and his hands could wrap around a man's head.
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  Speaker 2: He was slain in a fiery duel by Sibachai. Soon
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  Speaker 2: the brother of Goliath rose into battle, demolishing several men
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  Speaker 2: in his sight. His spear pierced through several men at once,
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  Speaker 2: and many men trembled at the sight of him. A
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  Speaker 2: brave young man from Bethlehem, by the name of Elhanan,
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  Speaker 2: ran into battle against him. He killed him with his spear.
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  Speaker 2: Another great Philistine with six fingers and toes on each
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  Speaker 2: limb was also fighting, but was killed in battle by
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  Speaker 2: David's nephew, Jonathan. David watched, amazed, as these brave young
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  Speaker 2: men of Israel rose up to slay giants. At one
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  Speaker 2: point in time, he was the only young man brave
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  Speaker 2: enough to face a giant. Now there were hundreds of
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  Speaker 2: men willing to lay down their lives for the sake
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  Speaker 2: of God's flock. God had raised up a whole nation
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  Speaker 2: of young warriors through the leadership of David. His loving
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  Speaker 2: and courageous guidance inspired an entire generation of people willing
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  Speaker 2: to slay giants for the protection of their families. This
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  Speaker 2: is what God did with David's slings and stones. He
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  Speaker 2: restored a cowardly generation of past slaves into a nation
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  Speaker 2: of brave and noble shepherds.
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  Speaker 3: We begin today's passage with a famine that is plaguing
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  Speaker 3: the land of Israel. Not only in Israel, but all
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  Speaker 3: the nations around. David's heart is grieving. It is heavy.
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  Speaker 3: He is hurting for his people who are suffering under
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  Speaker 3: the weight of such scarcity. And like he's done so
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  Speaker 3: many times in the past, David seeks God and seeks
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  Speaker 3: God's counsel. He is wanting to hear guidance on how
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  Speaker 3: to serve and save his people. What he gets is
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  Speaker 3: something else entirely. We find the answer in 2 Samuel
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  Speaker 3: 21 and verse 1. And the Lord said, There is
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  Speaker 3: blood guilt on Saul and on his house because he
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  Speaker 3: put the Gibeonites to death. Saul had broken a centuries-old
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  Speaker 3: vow made to Joshua to protect the Gibeonites. He had
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  Speaker 3: attempted to wipe them out and for his betrayal there
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  Speaker 3: had to be a consequence. So when David asked God
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  Speaker 3: how to deal with the famine and the answer was
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  Speaker 3: a charge of blood guilt, David knew that as king
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  Speaker 3: of Israel, he must make restitution to the Gibeonites. Interesting,
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  Speaker 3: isn't it? We sometimes deal with the consequences of the
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  Speaker 3: sins of others. There may even be sins of our
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  Speaker 3: fathers and mothers that affect us generations later. And God
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  Speaker 3: may call on us as the agent of reconciliation who,
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  Speaker 3: like David, are charged with righting a wrong we had
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  Speaker 3: no part in. So David calls the Gibeonites to him
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  Speaker 3: and asks how he can make it right. The Gibeonite
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  Speaker 3: elders tell him there is no monetary payment that can
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  Speaker 3: make it right, but neither do they seek revenge on Israel. Instead,
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  Speaker 3: they ask David to hand over Saul's sons so they
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  Speaker 3: may avenge the wrong done by his family by killing
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  Speaker 3: his sons. Harsh as this might sound, and it is harsh,
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  Speaker 3: it was a much less bloody option than the feuding
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  Speaker 3: and fighting that often went on these days as a
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  Speaker 3: result of grudges and conflicts between nations and families. So
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  Speaker 3: David agreed, but he spared Jonathan's son Mephibosheth, keeping the
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  Speaker 3: promise to his dear friend Jonathan to protect his family.
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  Speaker 3: With the sin of Saul properly punished, the famine began
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  Speaker 3: to fade, and Israel recovered more quickly than other nations.
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  Speaker 3: God prospered his own people because of David's faithfulness. Their
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  Speaker 3: prosperity could not go unnoticed, and soon other nations, especially
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  Speaker 3: the Philistines, began to want what Israel had. And so,
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  Speaker 3: once again, it was time for war. Israel's army was
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  Speaker 3: very strong, however, and prepared to defend themselves. King David,
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  Speaker 3: now old, prepared to join them in the battle. Surely
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  Speaker 3: he remembered the sorrow he had brought upon himself and
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  Speaker 3: the nation the last time he set out a fight
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  Speaker 3: and sinned with Bathsheba. But although he was still a
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  Speaker 3: strong man, it soon became clear that he did not
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  Speaker 3: need to join the fight. It would be a foolish
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  Speaker 3: act to expose the king to death when so many
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  Speaker 3: able soldiers stood ready to defend God's nation. David's legacy
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  Speaker 3: of courage and strength lived on in the generations that
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  Speaker 3: were coming. The king who continually sought God's favor and
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  Speaker 3: experienced God's face and faithfulness in his life had built
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  Speaker 3: a nation that would show God's glory to the world.
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  Speaker 3: Heavenly Father, we thank you for the example of David.
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  Speaker 3: the man you described as after your heart, the one
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  Speaker 3: who always sought you for strength and courage and instructions
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  Speaker 3: and guidance in life. Let us be like David, men
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  Speaker 3: and women who seek you, who know you, and then
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  Speaker 3: who are courageous and committed in all that you desire
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  Speaker 3: for us to do, that we serve you, that we
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  Speaker 3: fight the good fight of faith, eager to make your
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  Speaker 3: name known in all the earth. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you so very much for listening to today's Bible
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  Speaker 3: in a Year podcast. We are so very grateful for
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  Speaker 3: the millions of people who have downloaded this podcast. I'm
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  Speaker 3: Pastor Jack Graham. And when you download the Pray.com app
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  Speaker 3: and make it a priority in your life to listen
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  Speaker 3: to God's Word, your life truly will be changed. We
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  Speaker 3: are hearing reports from so many of the power of
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  Speaker 3: God's Word in their lives. So let me encourage you.
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  Speaker 3: that's jackgram.org. God bless you.