October 15, 2024 - 2 Samuel 17:24-29 24  Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel.  25  Now Absalom had set Amasa over the army instead of Joab. Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra the Ishmaelite, who had married Abigal the daughter of Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, Joab's ‘mother.  26  And Israel and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead. 27  When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, and Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim,  28  brought beds, basins, and earthen vessels, wheat, barley, flour, parched grain, beans and lentils,  29  honey and curds and sheep and cheese from the herd, for David and the people with him to eat, for they said, “The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.” Don’t you love the provisions God provided through these men. They knew David and the people would be hungry and weary and thirsty. Our God is so

October 14, 2024 - 2 Samuel 17:15-22 15  Then Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, “Thus and so did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel, and thus and so have I counseled.  16  Now therefore send quickly and tell David, ‘Do not stay tonight at the fords of the wilderness, but by all means pass over, lest the king and all the people who are with him be swallowed up.’”  17  Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were waiting at En-rogel. A female servant was to go and tell them, and they were to go and tell King David, for they were not to be seen entering the city.  18  But a young man saw them and told Absalom. So both of them went away quickly and came to the house of a man at Bahurim, who had a well in his courtyard. And they went down into it.  19  And the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth and scattered grain on it, and nothing was known of it.  20  When Absalom's servants came to the woman at the house, they said, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jon

  October 13, 2024 - 2 Samuel 17:1-14 17 Moreover, Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight. 2 I will come upon him while he is weary and discouraged and throw him into a panic, and all the people who are with him will flee. I will strike down only the king, 3 and I will bring all the people back to you as a bride comes home to her husband. You seek the life of only one man, and all the people will be at peace.” 4 And the advice seemed right in the eyes of Absalom and all the elders of Israel. 5 Then Absalom said, “Call Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear what he has to say.” 6 And when Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom said to him, “Thus has Ahithophel spoken; shall we do as he says? If not, you speak.” 7 Then Hushai said to Absalom, “This time the counsel that Ahithophel has given is not good.” 8 Hushai said, “You know that your father and his men are mighty men, and that they are enraged, like a bear robbed of her

October 12, 2024 - 2 Samuel 16:15-23   15  Now Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him.  16  And when Hushai the Archite, David’s friend, came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”  17  And Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?”  18  And Hushai said to Absalom, “No, for whom the Lord and this people and all the men of Israel have chosen, his I will be, and with him I will remain.  19  And again, whom should I serve? Should it not be his son? As I have served your father, so I will serve you.” 20  Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give your counsel. What shall we do?”  21  Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to your father’s concubines, whom he has left to keep the house, and all Israel will hear that you have made yourself a stench to your father, and the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened.”  22  So they pitched a tent

October 11, 2024 - 2 Samuel 16:5-14   5  When King David came to Bahurim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera, and as he came he cursed continually.  6  And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David, and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left.  7  And Shimei said as he cursed, “Get out, get out, you man of blood, you worthless man!  8  The Lord has avenged on you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned, and the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, your evil is on you, for you are a man of blood.” 9  Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and take off his head.”  10  But the king said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord has said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who then shall say, ‘Why have you d

October 10, 2024 - 2 Samuel 16:1-4   16 When David had passed a little beyond the summit, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of donkeys saddled, bearing two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred bunches of raisins, a hundred of summer fruits, and a skin of wine.  2  And the king said to Ziba, “Why have you brought these?” Ziba answered, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride on, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for those who faint in the wilderness to drink.”  3  And the king said, “And where is your master’s son?” Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he remains in Jerusalem, for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will give me back the kingdom of my father.’”  4  Then the king said to Ziba, “Behold, all that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours.” And Ziba said, “I pay homage; let me ever find favor in your sight, my lord the king.”   Ziba proves to be a loyal servant and friend to David by bringing saddled donkeys, food

October 9, 2024 - 2 Samuel 15:24-37   24  And Abiathar came up, and behold, Zadok came also with all the Levites, bearing the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God until the people had all passed out of the city.  25  Then the king said to Zadok, “Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me back and let me see both it and his dwelling place.  26  But if he says, ‘I have no pleasure in you,’ behold, here I am, let him do to me what seems good to him.”  27  The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Are you not a seer? Go back to the city in peace, with your two sons, Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar.  28  See, I will wait at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.”  29  So Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem, and they remained there. 30  But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, barefoot and with his head cov

October 8, 2024 - 2 Samuel 15:13-23   13  And a messenger came to David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom.”  14  Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Go quickly, lest he overtake us quickly and bring down ruin on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”  15  And the king’s servants said to the king, “Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king decides.”  16  So the king went out, and all his household after him. And the king left ten concubines to keep the house.  17  And the king went out, and all the people after him. And they halted at the last house. 18  And all his servants passed by him, and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Gath, passed on before the king.  19  Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why do you also go with us? Go back

October 7, 2024 - 2 Samuel 15:7-12   7  And at the end of four years Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed to the Lord, in Hebron.  8  For your servant vowed a vow while I lived at Geshur in Aram, saying, ‘If the Lord will indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will offer worship to the Lord.’”  9  The king said to him, “Go in peace.” So he arose and went toHebro n.  10  But Absalom sent secret messengers throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then say, ‘Absalom is king at Hebron!’”  11  With Absalom went two hundred men from Jerusalem who were invited guests, and they went in their innocence and knew nothing.  12  And while Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his city Giloh. And the conspiracy grew strong, and the people with Absalom kept increasing.   How tricky handsome Absalom was.   The king showed him favor by allow

October 6, 2024 - 2 Samuel 15:1-6   15 After this Absalom got himself a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run before him.  2  And Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way of the gate. And when any man had a dispute to come before the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, “From what city are you?” And when he said, “Your servant is of such and such a tribe in Israel,”  3  Absalom would say to him, “See, your claims are good and right, but there is no man designated by the king to hear you.”  4  Then Absalom would say, “Oh that I were judge in the land! Then every man with a dispute or cause might come to me, and I would give him justice.”  5  And whenever a man came near to pay homage to him, he would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him.  6  Thus Absalom did to all of Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.   Absalom was not only handsome, but showed he had some wealth.   He was such

October 5, 2024 - 2 Samuel 14:25-33   25  Now in all Israel there was no one so much to be praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.  26  And when he cut the hair of his head (for at the end of every year he used to cut it; when it was heavy on him, he cut it), he weighed the hair of his head, two hundred shekels by the king’s weight.  27  There were born to Absalom three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar. She was a beautiful woman. 28  So Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem, without coming into the king’s presence.  29  Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but Joab would not come to him. And he sent a second time, but Joab would not come.  30  Then he said to his servants, “See, Joab’s field is next to mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire.” So Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.  31  Then Joab arose and went to Absalom at his house and said to

October 4, 2024 - 2 Samuel 14:18-24   18  Then the king answered the woman, “Do not hide from me anything I ask you.” And the woman said, “Let my lord the king speak.”  19  The king said, “Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?” The woman answered and said, “As surely as you live, my lord the king, one cannot turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has said. It was your servant Joab who commanded me; it was he who put all these words in the mouth of your servant.  20  In order to change the course of things your servant Joab did this. But my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God to know all things that are on the earth.” 21  Then the king said to Joab, “Behold now, I grant this; go, bring back the young man Absalom.”  22  And Joab fell on his face to the ground and paid homage and blessed the king. And Joab said, “Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord the king, in that the king has granted the requ

October 3, 2024 - 2 Samuel 14:12-17   12  Then the woman said, “Please let your servant speak a word to my lord the king.” He said, “Speak.”  13  And the woman said, “Why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God? For in giving this decision the king convicts himself, inasmuch as the king does not bring his banished one home again.  14  We must all die; we are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God will not take away life, and he devises means so that the banished one will not remain an outcast.  15  Now I have come to say this to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid, and your servant thought, ‘I will speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his servant.  16  For the king will hear and deliver his servant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together from the heritage of God.’  17  And your servant thought, ‘The word of my lord the king will set me at rest,’

October 2, 2024 - 2 Samuel 14:1-11   14 Now Joab the son of Zeruiah knew that the king’s heart went out to Absalom.  2  And Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman and said to her, “Pretend to be a mourner and put on mourning garments. Do not anoint yourself with oil, but behave like a woman who has been mourning many days for the dead.  3  Go to the king and speak thus to him.” So Joab put the words in her mouth. 4  When the woman of Tekoa came to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and paid homage and said, “Save me, O king.”  5  And the king said to her, “What is your trouble?” She answered, “Alas, I am a widow; my husband is dead.  6  And your servant had two sons, and they quarreled with one another in the field. There was no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him.  7  And now the whole clan has risen against your servant, and they say, ‘Give up the man who struck his brother, that we may put him to death for the life of his broth

October 1, 2024 - 2 Samuel 13:30-39 30  While they were on the way, news came to David, “Absalom has struck down all the king's sons, and not one of them is left.”  31  Then the king arose and tore his garments and lay on the earth. And all his servants who were standing by tore their garments.  32  But Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David's brother, said, “Let not my lord suppose that they have killed all the young men, the king's sons, for Amnon alone is dead. For by the command of Absalom this has been determined from the day he violated his sister Tamar.  33  Now therefore let not my lord the king so take it to heart as to suppose that all the king's sons are dead, for Amnon alone is dead.” 34  But Absalom fled. And the young man who kept the watch lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, many people were coming from the road behind him by the side of the mountain.  35  And Jonadab said to the king, “Behold, the king's sons have come; as your servant said, so