In this episode, we delve into 2 Samuel 16 where David’s encounters with Ziba and Shammai reveal a leader in conflict, both externally and internally. Guest reader Vicki Bustos narrates the chapter, portraying the tension as betrayals and loyalties surface in David’s life. David is confronted by challenges from within his own family as Absalom seeks the throne, forcing David to grapple with his past actions and their unfolding consequences.
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. We join Allen J. Huth as he shares Bible passages and comments from over 30 years of his personal Bible reading journals.
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Today brings us to 2 Samuel chapter 16. We’ll listen as guest reader Vicki Bustos, chaplain of the Ezra Project, reads 2 Samuel 16. 2 Samuel chapter 16.
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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. 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. 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. 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. When King David came to Bahurim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shammai, the son of Gerah. And as he came, he cursed continually. 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. And Shammai said as he cursed, Get out, get out, you man of blood, you worthless man. 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. 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. 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 done so? And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, Behold, my own son seeks my life. How much more now may this Benjaminite leave him alone and let him curse? for the Lord has told him to. It may be that the Lord will look on the wrong done to me, and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing today. So David and his men went on the road while Shammai went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went and threw stones at him and flung dust. And the king and all the people who were with him arrived weary at the Jordan and there he refreshed himself. Now Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem and Ahithophel with him. And when Hushai, the archite, David’s friend, came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, Long live the king! Long live the king! And Absalom said to Hushai, Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend? 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. And again, whom should I serve? Should it not be his son? As I have served your father, so I will serve you. Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, Give your counsel, what shall we do? 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. So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and Absalom went in to his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel. Now in those days the counsel that Ahithophel gave was as if one consulted the word of God. So was all the counsel of Ahithophel esteemed, both by David and by Absalom.
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Back in that first journal I wrote in 1983, after reading 2 Samuel 16, I had one of those one-liners. In 1997, after reading 2 Samuel 16, I had a different take. I wrote, David appeared to always be in tune with God rather than men. When he is being cussed out, he thought it might be of God, so he let him continue rather than have his servant take his head off. But ten years later, 2007, I had a very different approach to 2 Samuel 16. As I wrote in my journal, Nowhere is David shown as a strong leader. He was a people pleaser and a great warrior. God anointed him king, but he is not decisive. Here are two more examples in this chapter. Ziba lies to him, and he accepts it. And another, Shimei, curses him out, and he accepts it. David was a whatever leader. I believe my journal entries show that at various times when we read a chapter of Scripture, in different times in our lives, it hits us differently. And this is certainly the case with this chapter. David has become a very different man, hasn’t he? After his affair with Bathsheba, it’s absolutely changed his life. Sure, God has forgiven him for it, but the consequences of that sin are unfolding now in his family life. I think David has a perspective of looking over his shoulder and saying, is God, you know, forgiving me for this? Or is he punishing me for the things that I did with Bathsheba and Uriah? Look at verses 11 and 12 in this chapter. And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, Behold, my own son seeks my life. How much more now may this Benjaminite leave him alone and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. It may be that the Lord will look on the wrong done to me and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing today. Maybe something similar has happened in your own life. Maybe you’ve had a major failure. Maybe you’ve had a big sin in your life. And yes, God has forgiven you. Or maybe you need to ask God to forgive you, and He will forgive you. But even so, you may be suffering under the consequences of that sin. Forgiveness is one thing, but consequences are still another. And so you too may be looking over your shoulder, wondering if God has forgiven you, or if you’re suffering the consequences of some kind of major sin in your past. May I remind you that God, in His Word, says David was a man after his own heart. So He forgave David, and yet these consequences remain. God either has or will forgive you too for your trespass. Allow Him to do so. The story is not over in David’s life, and it’s not over in yours either. So let’s continue to read 2 Samuel and see how God unfolds the circumstances and the consequences of David’s behavior. I sure hope you’re enjoying AdBible. I hope it’s a blessing in your life. I hope you share it with others, and others can get on board with AdBible. If this is one of the first podcasts that you’ve listened to, welcome! Do me a favor and visit EzraProject.net to see how you could become involved and support these broadcasts. On the website, you’ll see an opportunity to join Club 365, which means 365 days in God’s Word. And your financial partnership helps us continue to be able to make these podcasts available for free. So again, do me a favor and visit EzraProject.net and look up how to join Club 365 today. Father, we pray for any big sins in our past. We thank you that you are a forgiving God, that you love us, and that you will forgive us as you forgave David. And we pray, Lord, that if there are consequences we’re facing because of some sins of our past, that you would lighten our load, that you would take care of things, that you would help us through those consequences. Lord, forgive us and help us stand by our side. Walk with us as we walk through this journey of life. Thank you for it. In Jesus’ name, amen. Thanks for listening to AdBible today. You have probably noticed I refer to my personal Bible reading journals in AdBible. I took an honors English class in high school and learned about journaling. I kept a journal in high school probably related to that class, and then I quit. For some reason, I started journaling my Bible reading about 10 years later. I don’t know why I decided to journal my Bible reading, but my first journal is dated 1983. Back then, I bought spiral-bound notebooks from a retail store. Nothing fancy. But when I started the Ezra Project, I decided to publish Bible reading journals. You can find two of them on our website at ezraproject.net. Why journal? It will change the way you read the Bible. If you struggle with your daily quiet time, try it. If you know you’re going to write something down after you read, you will pay more attention to what you’re reading. It can be as simple as your favorite verse in the passage or the major point you got out of the passage. You decide. It’s your journal. And it’s not a personal journal. It’s a Bible reading journal. So you shouldn’t have to worry about someone finding it and reading it. I wanted to print a bumper sticker once called Real Men Journal. I figured it would look good on the back of the pickup trucks. Well, you know, I never printed it because I knew it wouldn’t sell. But get an Ezra Project Bible reading journal at EzraProject.net. All of the AdBible radio programs are available to you in writing. We transcribed all of AdBible into an 11-book series called Day by Day Through the Bible, and we did it in a unique way by authors of the Bible. You can get the complete set or a book at a time at our website, EzraProject.net. For example, there are the writings of Moses, the writings of Solomon, the writings of the minor prophets and the writings of the major prophets, the writings of the Old Testament historical books, and the writings of Old Testament leaders. Covering the New Testament, we have the writings of Matthew and Luke, the writings of John, the writings of Paul, and the writings of Mark, Peter, James, Jude, and Hebrews. So this 11-book series covers all 66 books of the Bible, chapter by chapter. So if the radio program was on 1 Samuel, you would find the written version in day by day through the Bible, the writings of Old Testament historical books. If the radio program is covering Daniel or Jonah, you would find all the minor prophets in the writings of the minor prophets. But say you’re studying the gospel of John in your own personal quiet time. You can find our coverage of John’s gospel in the writings of John, which includes not just his gospel, but other writings like 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John and Revelation. Or you are going to be reading one of Paul’s epistles. You could find them all in the writings of Paul. Our Day by Day through the Bible series is a tremendous resource as you read and study any book of the Bible. It will deepen your understanding of God’s Word and enhance your personal quiet time because each book breaks down the passage with comments from my personal Bible reading journals, offers life applications, and prayers related to the passage. If you want more from your time in God’s Word, visit EzraProject.net and try one of our day-by-day through the Bible devotional books. Any of the 11 books are a great place to start or get the full set to use wherever you are in the Bible today or wherever you are heading in your Bible reading. I know you’re going to enjoy it and want to share it with others.
