Tag Archives: Annoyed

Jezebel

142 – Jezebel

2 Kings 9:30 – 10:36

After Jehu killed the two kings, he went back to Jezebel to find Jezebel. She knew he was coming, so she put on makeup, brushed her hair, and sat next to her second floor window.

When he arrived, she called down to him, “Why are you here—to keep killing people who are better than you?”

He looked up at her, and then yelled, “Is anyone up there that’s on my side?” Some men who worked for the queen looked down from the window. Jehu yelled, “Throw her out of the window!”

They picked up Jezebel and threw her out of the window. She fell to the ground, splattering blood on the wall. Jehu drove his chariot over her several times. He then went inside to get something to eat.

After the meal, he said, “Well, I guess we should bury her. After all, she is a queen.”

He sent some men out to take care of this, but they could only find her skull, her feet, and the palms of her hands. They told Jehu, and he said, “God spoke through Elijah when he said, ‘Dogs will eat Jezebel at Naboth’s field, and she will be fertilizer.’”

Jehu then sent a message to the elders in Samaria. “Your city walls are strong, and you have plenty of horses, chariots and weapons. The 70 sons of Ahab live under your protection. Therefore, select one to be your king, and prepare for battle.”

The elders were terrified when they got this letter. They sent him a message saying, “We don’t want to make any of these sons of Ahab our king. We’re your servants and will do whatever you say.”

He sent a message back to them. “If that’s true, put the heads of those 70 sons in baskets and send them to me.” So the 70 sons of Ahab were killed, and their heads were sent to Jehu. He then made sure no other relative of Ahab was still alive.

Once all of this was done, Jehu made an announcement in Samaria. He said, “Ahab served Baal a little, but I’m totally dedicated to him. Therefore I’m having a great sacrifice to Baal. All the true worshipers of Baal are to be there. I’ll kill anyone who misses this meeting.”

This announcement was made all across Israel. Baal worshipers came from every part of the nation. They filled up the temple of Baal. No one was missing. Jehu said, “Look around and see if there are any servants of the Lord with us. If you see one, throw him out immediately. Only servants of Baal are welcome here.”

Once this was done, the people started making their burnt offerings. Jehu went outside and said to his men. “Go in and kill everyone. If anyone escapes, you’ll give your life for his.”

So the men went in and killed everyone. They then tore down the temple of Baal and made it into a large toilet.

The Lord said, “You have followed my instructions with enthusiasm. Therefore, your sons will be king of Israel for four generations.” So Jehu reigned over Israel for 28 years.

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Blind Soldiers

138 – Blind Soldiers

II Kings 6:8-23

The king of Syria invaded the land of Israel. He brought in his military leaders and told them his plans—where he was going to set up camp and how he was going to attack the Israelites. As soon as he spoke the words, Elisha went and told the king of Israel exactly what the Syrians were planning. The army of Israel made preparations and won the battle.

This happened several times until the king of Syria finally realized that the Israelites always knew exactly what he was planning. He said to his commanders, “Which one of you is a spy for Israel?” 

One of them said. “My lord, we’re all loyal to you. It’s Elisha, the prophet. He is the one telling his king about your plans. He knows what you say, even when you’re in your bedroom.”

“Where does this prophet live?”

“He lives in Dothan, my lord.”

So the king sent a large army with horses and chariots to Dothan. They arrived at night and surrounded the city.

Elisha’s servant got up early and stepped outside. Suddenly he saw this massive army. Running back inside, he yelled, “The Syrian army has surrounded the city. What are we going to do?”

Elisha was surprised. “Why are you afraid? Our army is much bigger than theirs.”

Then he prayed, “Lord, open this man’s eyes so he can see.” So the Lord opened his eyes. He looked out and saw that the mountain was covered with horses and chariots of fire. All of them were for Elisha.

At that point, the Syrians started moving in on the city. The prophet prayed, “Lord, please make all these men blind.” Suddenly the Lord struck them with blindness.

The prophet walked up to them and said, “Somehow you’ve gotten on the wrong road. You’re at the wrong city. I’ll guide you and take you to the right place.”

He then led them to Samaria, the capital of Israel. Once they were inside the gate, he prayed, “Lord, open the eyes of these men so they can see.” The men looked around and realized they were in Samaria.

The king of Israel saw this and said to Elisha, “Should I kill them? ”

“No. You can’t kill these men. You didn’t capture them in battle. They’re your guests. Give them food and drink, and let them go back to their master.”

So the king prepared a great feast for his guests. When everyone had had enough to eat and drink, they went back to the king of Syria. It was a long time before Syria invaded Israel again.

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Naaman

136 – Naaman

II Kings 5:1-14

Naaman was the commander of the Syrian army. He was a brave warrior and led his men to win many victories. His king considered him a great man. During one of their wars with Israel, he captured a young girl and brought her back to be a servant for his wife.

In time, Naaman realized he had leprosy, a crippling disease of the skin. The young slave girl said, “I wish my master could go to Israel. They have a prophet who’s able to heal people, even those with leprosy.” 

Naaman told this to the king. Immediately, the king made preparations to send Naaman to the king of Israel. He sent gifts of gold, silver, and fine clothes along with a letter saying, “I’m sending my servant Naaman so you can cure him of leprosy.”

The king of Israel was shocked when he read the letter. He ripped his clothes and yelled, “Who does he think I am? I’m not God. I can’t cure people of leprosy! He’s trying to start a war with me.”

Elisha heard about this and sent a message to the king. “Why are you ripping your clothes? Send the man to me so he’ll know there’s a prophet in Israel.”

So Naaman and his men rode to the prophet’s house and stood outside. Elisha sent his servant Gehazi out with this message. “Go down to the Jordan River and wash seven times. After you’re done, you’ll be healed of leprosy.”

Naaman couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He became furious and stormed away. He said, “A true prophet would come out and stand in front of me. He’d pray to the Lord and wave his hand over my skin. If I thought washing in a river would help, I’d bathe in one of the beautiful rivers of Syria—not a dirty river like the Jordan.”

His servants said to him, “My father, if the prophet had asked you to do something hard, you would’ve done it. But he told you to do something easy—wash and be clean.”

So Naaman went to the Jordan River and dipped into it seven times. Suddenly his skin was healed just as the prophet said it would be. In fact, it was like the skin of a young boy.

Continued in the next story

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Elijah in the Whirlwind

132 – Elijah in the Whirlwind

II Kings 2:1-25

The time came for the Lord to take Elijah to heaven. So the old prophet said to Elisha, “Stay here. The Lord is sending me to Bethel.”

Elisha said, “As sure as the Lord lives, I won’t leave you.” So they went to Bethel.

There was a group of prophets at Bethel. They said to Elisha, “Do you know the Lord is going to take your master away from you today?”

“Yes, I know. Now be quiet.” 

Elijah said, “Elisha, stay here. The Lord is sending me to Jericho.”

Elisha said, “As sure as the Lord lives, I won’t leave you.” So they went to Jericho.

The prophets at Jericho said to Elisha, “Do you know the Lord is going to take your master away from you today?”

“Yes, I know. Now be quiet.”

Elijah said to him, “Stay here. The Lord is sending me to the Jordan River.”

Elisha said, “As sure as the Lord lives, I won’t leave you.” So they went on together.

When they got to the Jordan, Elijah rolled up his cloak, and struck the water. Immediately, the waters parted and the two men walked across the river on dry ground. Fifty prophets watched from a distance.

Once the two men were on the other side, Elijah said to Elisha, “What do you want me to do for you before I’m taken away?”

Elisha didn’t hesitate. “Please, I want a double portion of your spirit.”

Elijah was shocked. He said, “What? Your request is difficult. But, you’ll have it if you see me being taken from you. If not, you won’t get it.”

As they continued on, suddenly a chariot of fire with horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them. Then Elijah was taken up into heaven in the whirlwind … and was gone.

Elisha saw it all. He ripped his clothes and yelled, “My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!”

He then saw Elijah’s cloak, which fell when the prophet went up into the air. Elisha walked over and picked it up. He turned and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan River. He lifted the cloak high in the air, and then struck the water. He said, “Where’s the Lord God of Elijah?!” The waters parted, and he walked across on dry ground.

The fifty prophets saw all of this. They said, “The spirit of Elijah lives in Elisha.” From that day on, they honored him as their new leader.

When he got back to Jericho, the people of the city said to him, “Jericho is a good place to live, but the spring is bad. It even keeps our crops from growing.

He said, “Put some salt in a new bowl and bring it to me.”

They brought it to him and he went to the spring. He threw the salt into the water and said, “The Lord has made this water pure. You can now grow crops and no one will starve.”

He left Jericho to return to Bethel. Along the way, some boys started making fun of him. They said, “Get out of here, baldy!”

The prophet turned and put a curse on them. Immediately, two bears ran out of the woods and killed 42 of the boys and ripped them apart.

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Jehoshaphat & Ahab

129 – Jehoshaphat & Ahab

I Kings 22:1-53 II Chronicles 17:1 – 19:3

After Asa died, his son Jehoshaphat became king of Judah. The Lord was with him, and he followed the example of King David.

The first thing he did was make the nation more secure. He also set up an educational program so people could understand God’s Laws. The Lord made the surrounding nations fear Jehoshaphat, so they didn’t want to go to war with him.

The king decided to build an alliance with the kingdom of Israel. So he arranged a marriage between his son and the daughter of King Ahab.

Jehoshaphat then went to Samaria to make the alliance stronger. Ahab said to him, “I’m going to fight a battle. Come with me and we’ll do it together.”

Jehoshaphat said, “I’m willing to go if it’s God’s will, so let’s ask a prophet.”

Ahab sent for his 400 prophets. He said, “Should we go into this battle?”

They said, “Yes! Go fight because God will give you victory.”

King Jehoshaphat said, “I want to hear from a prophet of the Lord. Don’t you have one in Israel?”

Ahab said, “Well yes. We have one. But I hate to call him because he only says bad things about me. He’s always talking about judgment.”

Jehoshaphat said, “Still, I want to hear from him.”

So Ahab said to his guards, “Go get Micaiah and bring him here.”

As the guards brought the prophet in, they told him, “Everyone else is saying good things about the king’s plans. So go along with them.”

He said, “As there is a God in heaven, I’ll say what the Lord tells me to say.”

When King Ahab saw Micaiah, he said, “Tell me. Should I lead my army into this battle, or should I stay home?”

Micaiah said, “Oh, you should definitely go. You’ll be successful.”

Ahab glared at him, “I’ve told you over and over. Always tell me the truth. What does the Lord really say about this battle?”

Micaiah said, “I see Israel scattered like sheep without a shepherd. Their master is dead.”

Ahab turned to Jehoshaphat. “See I told you. He only says bad things about me.”

Micaiah said, “Hear the Word of the Lord. I saw God sitting among his angels. He said, ‘How shall I get King Ahab to go to this battle?’ The angels had various ideas. Then one spirit said, ‘I can make him go. I’ll become a lying spirit in the mouth of his prophets. He’ll believe them and go into the battle.’ So, that’s what he did. Listen, the Lord wants you at that battle.”

One of Ahab’s prophets walked over and slapped Micaiah. Ahab yelled at his guards, “Put this man in prison. Give him nothing but bread and water until I come back from battle.”

Micaiah yelled at the crowd, “Everyone listen and remember. I’m not a prophet of God if the king returns from this battle.”

Both kings went to the battlefield. Once they were there, Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “You can wear your royal robes, but I’ll disguise myself as a common soldier.”

The battle was fierce. The opposing army was focused on killing Ahab, but they couldn’t find him. At one point, they thought King Jehoshaphat was Ahab. But once they realized they were mistaken, they turned away from him.

Finally, a man shot an arrow into the air without aiming. It hit Ahab at a joint in his armor. He yelled, “Take me off of the battlefield. I’m wounded.” 

Ahab watched the battle propped up in his chariot. He died as the sun set in the west.

They took his body back to Samaria and buried him. Someone washed his chariot beside a pool. Dogs licked up his blood just as the Lord had said.

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Elijah on Mount Carmel

125 – Elijah on Mount Carmel

1 Kings 18:1-46

The famine in Israel was severe and lasted for three years. Finally, the Lord said to Elijah, “Go tell King Ahab that I am going to send rain to the land.”

The person in charge of Ahab’s courts was a man named Obadiah. He was faithful to God, and even hid 100 prophets of the LORD when Jezebel was trying to hunt them down.

He and the king went out to find grass for the palace livestock. They went different directions so they could search more land. 

As Obadiah went along, Elijah suddenly walked up to him. Obadiah immediately fell to the ground and said, “Oh, my lord Elijah.”

The prophet said, “Go tell the king that I’m here.”

Obadiah was shocked. He said, “What have I done that you want me killed? The king has looked for you all across the nation, and even in other countries. As soon as I tell him that you’re here, the Lord will carry you off to some other place. Then Ahab will kill me when he comes and finds that you’re not here. Please don’t do this to me.”

The prophet said, “Don’t worry. As the Lord lives, I’ll meet with Ahab today.”

So Obadiah went and told Ahab. As soon as the king saw Elijah, he said, “So, there is the man who’s destroyed Israel.”

Elijah said, “No, it’s not me, but you who has destroyed Israel. You’ve turned your back on the Lord and are serving Baal. Tell Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. Bring the prophets of Baal and Asherah, the ones who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

So Ahab told the Israelites to gather at Mount Carmel, along with the prophets. Once everyone was there, Elijah said to the people, “How long will you go back and forth? If the Lord is God, follow Him. If Baal is God, follow him.” The people didn’t say anything, but just looked at the prophet.

He said. “I stand here as only one prophet of the Lord, but look, there are 450 prophets of Baal. Give us two bulls. They’ll take one, prepare it for sacrifice, and put it on top of the wood. But they won’t put fire on the wood. I’ll do the same. They will call on the name of their god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The God who lights the fire, He is God.”

The people said. “Yes. That sounds fair.”

Elijah said to the prophets of Baal. “You go first.”

So they prepared the bull, and called on the name of Baal. They prayed all morning until noon. They danced around the altar, but nothing happened.

Elijah started mocking them. “Maybe you should shout louder! Your god might be sleeping, and you need to wake him up! Maybe he’s gone to the toilet.” They shouted loudly, and cut themselves, until blood gushed out. They kept this up all afternoon, but nothing happened.

Finally, Elijah built an altar with twelve stones, one for each tribe of Israel. He dug a trench around the altar, and put the wood on it. He then placed the bull on top of the wood.

He said to the people, “Go get some water and pour it on the sacrifice.” Once they had done this, he told them to do it again. After they had done it a second time, he told them to do it a third time. Once they were done, the altar was totally wet, and the trench was full of water.

Elijah then walked up to the altar and prayed. “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Let everyone know that you are God, and I’m your servant. Answer me so these people will turn back to you!”

Suddenly, fire fell down from heaven and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, and the twelve stones. It even licked up the water that was in the trench. The people fell down and shouted, “The Lord, he is God! The Lord, he is God!”

Elijah ordered, “Grab the prophets of Baal! Don’t let any of them escape.” The people grabbed the prophets of Baal, and Elijah killed all of them.

He turned to Ahab and said, “Eat something. There’s a rainstorm coming.”

He then went up to the top of the mountain to pray. He said to his servant, “Look toward the sea. What do you see?”

The servant said, “I don’t see anything.”

Seven times Elijah told him to go and look. Finally, the seventh time, his servant told him, “I see a small cloud, about the size of a man’s hand, coming from the sea.”

Elijah said, “Quick, go tell Ahab, ‘Rush home as fast as you can so the rain doesn’t stop you.’” Ahab got in his chariot and rushed toward home.

In a short time, the sky grew dark and the wind started to blow. Suddenly there was a downpour of rain. The power of God came over Elijah, and he ran faster than Ahab’s chariot, and arrived in Jezreel before him.

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Kingdom Divided

119 – Kingdom Divided

I Kings 11:26 – 12:24 II Chronicles 10:1 – 11:1-4

When Solomon was alive, he promoted one of his servants, named Jeroboam. He had a unique ability of getting things done.

One day Jeroboam met a prophet, who was wearing a new coat. The prophet said, “Here is a message from God.”

He then took off the coat and ripped it into twelve pieces. He handed Jeroboam ten of them and gave him this message from the Lord: “Solomon left me and turned to worshipping idols. Therefore, I’m going to rip the kingdom out of his hands. You’ll rule over the northern ten tribes of Israel. I’m not taking all the tribes away because of David and Jerusalem. Therefore, Solomon’s son will rule over Judah 

“Follow me and obey my commandments. If you do, I’ll be with you. I’ll establish your kingdom, and you’ll have a lasting dynasty just like I gave David.”

Solomon found out about this prophecy and tried to kill Jeroboam. But he ran away and hid in Egypt until Solomon died.

One of Solomon’s sons was Rehoboam, whose mother was an Ammonite woman. After his father died, he went to Shechem so the northern tribes of Israel could crown him king.

Before the elders of Israel met with him they sent for Jeroboam. Once he arrived, they said to Rehoboam, “Your father put a yoke on us that was harsh. Promise us that you’ll lighten our load and lower our taxes. If you do, we’ll gladly serve you.”

Rehoboam said, “Give me three days to think about this.”

After Jeroboam and the elders of Israel left, Rehoboam asked advice from the older counselors in his father’s court. They said, “Serve these people with all your heart. Be kind to them, and they’ll serve you for the rest of your life.”

Rehoboam then asked for advice from his younger counselors, the ones he grew up with. They said, “Tell those rebels, ‘My father was easy on you compared to me. My little finger will be heavier than my father’s leg. He hit you with whips. I’m going to hit you with scorpions.’”

Rehoboam listened to this advice and rejected the counsel of the older men. He said to the leaders of Israel, “My father was easy on you compared to me. He hit you with whips. I’m going to hit you with scorpions.” That was exactly what the Lord wanted him to say.

When Jeroboam and the people of Israel heard this, they said, “We want nothing to do with the house of David! We’re not from Judah.”

So the people of Israel went home and Rehoboam returned to Jerusalem. He sent one of his officials to restore order among the northern tribes. The people stoned him until he was dead.

The ten tribes broke away from Judah and called themselves Israel. They asked Jeroboam to be their king. 

Rehoboam gathered an army from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. They prepared to invade Israel and force them back under Rehoboam’s control. 

Just then a man of God came to them with a message from the Lord. “Don’t go fight your brothers. Go home. I’m the one that caused them to rebel against you.” Everyone listened to the Lord, and went home.

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Mount Gerizim, Shechem, Mount Ebal from east, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com
Mount Ebal and Shechem from Mount Gerizim, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com

David’s Kingdom Restored

110 – David’s Kingdom Restored

II Samuel 19:9 – 20:13

The king was cut to the heart when he heard of Absalom’s death. He went up to the gate chamber and cried out in anguish. “My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!”

News of this got back to the army. Suddenly their joy of victory turned to sadness. It was as if they had lost the battle. 

Joab went to David. “Your men risked their lives for you. They not only saved your life, but they saved the lives of your family. Now they’re ashamed of what they have done. They think you wanted them to die instead of your son.

“Get up right now. Go out and encourage your men. If you don’t, they’ll all leave you and your troubles will be worse than ever.”

So David got up and went to sit at the gate. Soon all of his men came and sat with him.

After Absalom was killed and his army defeated, his men ran from the battlefield and went back to their homes. At that point the people of Israel started remembering all the good things David had done for them through the years. Together they issued a call to David, asking him to once again be their king.

The tribe of Judah wasn’t represented in this call, so David sent them a message. “Why aren’t you asking me to come back? After all, I’m one of you.”

They immediately sent him a message, “Come back and be our king.” They then rushed to the Jordan River and escorted him and his family across. 

As soon as David crossed the river, Shimei ran up and fell down before him. He said, “I know I sinned against you when you left Jerusalem. Please don’t hold that against me. As you can see, I’m the first one to welcome you back.”

Joab’s brother stepped forward and said, “Let me kill him. You’re the Lord’s anointed, and he disgraced you.” 

David said, “Put away your sword. Today is a special day. I’m once again king. No one will be killed in Israel today.” He then turned to the man before him. “Shimei, you’ll not die for what you did.”

Immediately, there was an argument between the tribes of Israel. The other tribes said to Judah, “Why didn’t you include us when you brought the king across the river?”

Judah said, “We’re his relatives.”

The others said, “He’s king over all of Israel, not just Judah. So he’s ten times more our king than yours.” This once again divided the nation and the fighting between the tribes became intense.

A man named Sheba stepped forward and blew a ram’s horn. He said, “David isn’t king over Israel. Let Judah have him. Let’s go home.” 

With that, the people of Israel left. Only the tribe of Judah took David to Jerusalem.

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Absalom’s Defeat

109 – Absalom’s Defeat

II Samuel 17:24 – 19:8

The Lord caused Absalom to ignore Ahithophel’s advice, even though it was better. So Absalom said, “We’ll follow the advice of Hushai.”

When Ahithophel heard this, he knew that David would win the war. So he went to his hometown, set his affairs in order, and hung himself.

Because of Hushai’s advice, David was prepared for war by the time Absalom had gathered a large army and chased after him. People of that area had given him supplies and Joab had organized the army. 

David laid out a plan of action to fight the army of Absalom. He said to his men, “I’ll lead you into battle.”

They said, “No! Stay in the city. If one of us dies, no one will care. Half of us could die, and no one would even notice. But you’re worth 10,000 soldiers. Stay in the city.”

So the king stood beside the gate while his troops marched out. He said to Joab, loud enough so everyone could hear, “For my sake, be merciful with my son, Absalom.” 

David’s army marched into battle and defeated the army of Israel. It turned into a slaughter, with over 20,000 men dead.

Absalom was riding away from the battle on a mule. Suddenly his hair got caught in the branches of a large tree. It pulled him off the mule, and he was left hanging in midair. Some of David’s men saw him hanging there, and went and told Joab.

He said, “What? You saw him hanging there, and you didn’t kill him? I would’ve paid you ten pieces of silver if you had killed him!”

They said, “We wouldn’t kill the king’s son even if you gave us 1,000 pieces of silver. We heard what he said. He wants us to spare his son. If we had killed him, the king would find out about it … and you’d let us take the blame.”

Joab said, “I’m wasting my time talking to you!” He took three spears and went to where Absalom was hanging. He and several of his guards surrounded Absalom and killed him. 

Joab then blew the ram’s horn, and his troops stopped chasing the army of Israel. Absalom was taken down from the tree and thrown into a large pit. With that, all the men of Israel went home.

A young man said to Joab, “I’ll run and tell the king how the Lord has given him victory.”

Joab said, “No, I’ll send someone else.” So he then sent another runner.

The young man begged Joab to let him run as well. Finally, he was given permission to go.  The young man ran, but he was faster than the other runner and got to the king first.

David was sitting just inside the gate, waiting for news of the battle. A watchman on the wall called down and told him a runner was coming.

As the young man got close, the watchman called down to David that another runner was coming. The young man bowed before the king and said, “The battle went well. You’ve won! The Lord has given you victory.”

David said, “What about Absalom? Is he alive?”

“I don’t know. I heard a lot of noise, but I didn’t know what that was about.”

“Stand over there and wait.”

The second runner came up and said, “I have good news. God has given you victory today.”

David said, “What about Absalom? Is he alive?”

The runner said, “May all of your enemies end up like him.”

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Pillar of Absalom in Kidron Valley (supposed burial place), from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com
Pillar of Absalom and Tomb of Zechariah in Kidron Valley, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com
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Absalom’s Return

107 – Absalom’s Return

2 Samuel 14:1-33

After three years, David finally stopped mourning for Amnon. Then he started to miss his son Absalom. Still, he wouldn’t ask him to return from hiding. 

Joab noticed this, so he hired a woman who was good at acting. He told her to go to the king, and he gave her the words she should say. She went before David dressed in clothes of mourning. She bowed before him and said, “Help me, my king.”

David said, “Tell me your problem.”

“I only had two sons after my husband died. Recently they got into a fight and no one stopped them. Soon, one killed the other one. Now my family says I’m to give them the only son I have left.  They say he must die because he’s a murderer. My king, this would remove my husband’s name from the earth.”

David said, “You can go home. I’ll take care of this for you. If anyone says this isn’t right, bring them to me.”

She said, “Oh, please swear by God that my son won’t be killed for what he did.”

David said, “I swear it by the Lord who lives. Your son won’t die for this.”

She said, “May I ask you one more question?”

“Yes, what is it?”

“I knew you’d give me a right judgment because the wisdom of God is in you. You clearly see what is good and what is evil. That’s why this judgment was good.

“So, why don’t you follow your own judgments? You’re wronging the nation of God by not bringing back your son. We’re all going to die someday, but God is the God of life. He wants us to be reconciled to one another.”

David said, “You asked me a question, now I have one for you. Listen to me carefully. You must tell me the truth. Did Joab send you here to talk to me?”

She said, “My lord the king has the wisdom of an angel of the Lord. No one can get anything around him. Yes, your servant Joab told me what to say, but it’s only because he loves you and wants what’s best for you.”

The king called for Joab and said, “Go and bring Absalom back in peace, but I don’t want to see him.” So Joab went and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem. He was allowed to live in his own house.

Two years went by and he still wasn’t allowed to see the king. Finally, he decided to ask Joab to arrange a meeting between him and his father. He sent for Joab, but he didn’t come. He sent for him a second time, but he still didn’t come.  Finally, Absalom sent his servants to set a fire to Joab’s barley field.

Joab went and yelled at Absalom. “Why did you set fire to my field?”

“I had to get your attention. Now tell me. Why did you bring me back to Jerusalem? I was better off where I was. Go to the king and arrange a meeting between the two of us. I want to see him even if he kills me.”

So Joab arranged a time when the king and his son could meet. Absalom went before his father and bowed down with his face to the ground. David got up and went and kissed his son.

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