In this episode of Add Bible, we delve into the dramatic events of 2 Samuel 14, focusing on the complex family dynamics of King David. Through the strategic moves of Joab, a wise woman from Tekoa, and the estranged son Absalom, we explore themes of reconciliation, forgiveness, and the balance between justice and mercy. The narrative compels us to reflect on the parallels between David’s struggles and challenges we might face in our own family dynamics.
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 we are in 2 Samuel 14. The 33 verses will be read by Faith Comes by Hearing. 2 Samuel 14
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Now Joab, the son of Zeruiah, knew that the king’s heart went out to Absalom.
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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. Go to the king and speak thus to him. So Joab put the words in her mouth.
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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.
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And the king said to her, What is your trouble?
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She answered, Alas, I am a widow. My husband is dead. 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. 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 brother whom he killed. And so they would destroy the air also. Thus they would quench my coal that is left, and leave to my husband neither name nor remnant on the face of the earth.
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Then the king said to the woman, Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you.
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And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, On me be the guilt, my lord the king. and on my father’s house. Let the king and his throne be guiltless.
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The king said, If anyone says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall never touch you again.
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Then she said, Please let the king invoke the Lord your God, that the avenger of blood kill no more, and my son be not destroyed.
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He said, Then the woman said, He said, And the woman said,
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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. 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. 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. 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. And your servant thought, the word of my Lord the king will set me at rest. For my Lord the king is like the angel of God to discern good and evil. The Lord your God be with you.
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Then the king answered the woman, Do not hide from me anything I ask you.
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And the woman said, Let my lord the king speak.
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The king said, Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?
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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. 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.
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Then the king said to Joab, Behold now, I grant this. Go, bring back the young man Absalom. And Joab fell on his face to the ground and paid homage and blessed the king.
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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 request of his servant.
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So Joab arose and went to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
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And the king said, Let him dwell apart in his own house. He is not to come into my presence.
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So Absalom lived apart in his own house and did not come into the king’s presence. 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. 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. There were born to Absalom three sons and one daughter, whose name was Tamar. She was a beautiful woman. So Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem without coming into the king’s presence. 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. Then he said to his servants,
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See, Joab’s field is next to mine and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire.
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So Absalom’s servants set the field on fire. Then Joab arose and went to Absalom at his house and said to him, Why have your servants set my field on fire?
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Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I send word to you. Come here that I may send you to the king to ask, Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to be there still. Now therefore let me go into the presence of the king, and if there is guilt in me, let him put me to death.
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Then Joab went to the king and told him, and he summoned Absalom. So he came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king, and the king kissed Absalom.
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Chapter 14 opens with Joab. Remember, Joab was the commander of David’s army, and he kind of sees the mess that David’s household is in, and so he sets up this woman to create some way of reconciliation between David and Absalom. David sees through the story, understands that Joab is behind it, but he does agree to bring Absalom back to Jerusalem. In Jewish law, a murderer was to be put to death. So what Joab is doing is trying to set aside the ordinary course of law for the good of the king’s family. David does allow Absalom to return to Jerusalem, but in verse 24 it says, And the king said, Let him dwell apart in his own house. He is not to come into my presence. So Absalom lived apart in his own house and did not come into the king’s presence. After two years of living in Jerusalem, Absalom has had enough of this, sets Joab’s field on fire to get his attention, so he’ll go to the king and say, let’s resolve this. You know, if I’m guilty, then let the king put me to death. And we’re going to find out what is going to happen in the next chapter. Back in 2007, I wrote in my journal about this chapter, David may have been a great warrior, a great king, but he was a poor father. He didn’t punish Amnon for raping Tamar. He didn’t deal with Absalom for killing Amnon or for setting Joab’s field on fire. Our public and private lives must be consistent. David does not fall at the hands of his public enemies. He falls privately. What about us? Is our public life and our private life consistent? Do we look good with those we work with? But what’s the real story in our families? David looked good as the king, but his family was a mess. If you’re in the same situation, you can do something about it. You can work on your family stuff in the privacy of your own home, in the privacy of your own quiet time with the Lord. You can lift up your family in prayer. You can ask for forgiveness from the Lord and maybe from some of your family members. Lord, we pray for consistency in our public life and our private life. And Lord, if we do have some challenges in our private life at the moment, help us square them up. Help us deal with them through you, with prayer to you, and maybe to go to them and ask them for forgiveness. Lord, help us be strong enough to deal with our private life, not just our public life. In the name of the Lord, we pray. Amen. All of the Ad Bible radio programs are available to you in writing. We transcribed all of Ad Bible 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. Thanks for listening to AdBible Today. I love passages like this because they impact my life. I don’t read for information. I read the Bible for transformation. In other words, I can read or listen to a scripture passage, like it, set it aside, and move on with my day. I got information. The Bible offers so much more. After I read the passage for information, I read it again for transformation. I want to personalize what I read, so I get out my daily Bible reading journal and record my thoughts from the passage. What did I read? What does it mean to me in my life right now? What do I need to do to apply it to my day, my week, my life? After I read the passage a second time and journal, then I pray. What I read ignites my prayer as I pray through the concepts of the passage. After that, I pray for other matters on my daily prayer list. If you want to watch me demonstrate my personal quiet time, visit EzraProject.net and watch the Quiet Time How-To video.
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I know you will enjoy it and want to share it with others.
In this episode of Add Bible, we delve into the dramatic events of 2 Samuel 14, focusing on the complex family dynamics of King David. Through the strategic moves of Joab, a wise woman from Tekoa, and the estranged son Absalom, we explore themes of reconciliation, forgiveness, and the balance between justice and mercy. The narrative compels us to reflect on the parallels between David’s struggles and challenges we might face in our own family dynamics.
