Tag Archives: Deception

Gehazi

137 – Gehazi

II Kings 5:15-27

After Naaman was healed at the Jordan River, he and his men went back to the prophet’s house and stood before him. Naaman said, “Today I’ve learned, and now know, that there’s no god on earth except the God of Israel. Please accept my humble gift.”

Elisha said, “As sure as God lives, I won’t take a gift from you.” Naaman insisted, but the prophet still refused.

Then the commander said, “Please let me have as much dirt as two mules can carry. I’ll no longer worship any other god. Instead, I’ll kneel on this dirt from Israel and worship the Lord God.”

He then asked for something else. “When my king goes into the temple of his god, I’m required to go with him because I’m his commander. While I’m there, I have to kneel down in front of the idol. I ask that the Lord will forgive me for doing this.”

Elisha said, “Go home in peace, and don’t worry about that situation.”

Shortly after Naaman left, Gehazi started thinking. “My master let this Syrian off too easy. He should’ve paid something. I’ll go catch up with him and ask for a gift for myself.”

So Gehazi went after the Syrian commander. Soon, Naaman saw him coming and stopped his chariot. He got off and greeted the servant. “Is everything all right?”

Gehazi said, “Oh yes, everything is fine. My master just found out that he’s having two young guests staying with us tonight. They’re from the school of the prophets. He was wondering if you would like to help with the expenses – possibly 75 pounds of silver and a couple of sets of clothes.”

“Certainly! Here, I’ll give you 150 pounds of silver in two bags, as well as two sets of clothes.” The commander gave all of this to a couple of his men so they could carry it back for the servant.

Gehazi had the men take the silver and clothes to his own house. Once everything was put away, he sent the men away. He then went and stood next to his master.

Elisha said, Gehazi, where did you go?”

“I didn’t go anywhere.”

Elisha said, “Oh my dear friend. My spirit was there when Naaman stopped his chariot and stepped down to greet you. It wasn’t your place to accept money, clothes, olive trees, vineyards, animals, or slaves. Therefore, Naaman’s leprosy is now attaching itself to your skin.”

With that, Gehazi turned and left the house. He looked down at his arms, and they were already white with leprosy.

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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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Naboth’s Vineyard

128 – Naboth’s Vineyard

I Kings 21:1-29

In the town of Jezreel, a man named Naboth owned a vineyard next to the palace of King Ahab. The king told Naboth he wanted to buy the vineyard and make it into a vegetable garden. He said, “I’ll pay you full value in silver or, if you prefer, I’ll give you a better vineyard someplace else.

Naboth said, “No. I couldn’t sell this vineyard. It has been owned by our family for several hundred years.”

At first, this made the king angry. He went home and refused to eat anything. Finally, he became depressed and went and lay in his bed facing the wall.

Jezebel, the king’s wife, asked him what was wrong. He said, “I asked Naboth to sell me his vineyard and he told me no! I even offered him a better vineyard in exchange for his.”

Jezebel said, “Oh, is that all? Well, come have something to eat, and don’t worry about Naboth’s vineyard. I’ll get it for you.”

She wrote a letter to the town officials. It said, “Go get Naboth and have him stand before you. Bring in two liars that will swear he cursed God and the king. Then take him out and stone him until he’s dead.” She signed Ahab’s name to the letter and sealed it with the official seal.

The city leaders did exactly as they were told. They got Naboth and condemned him to death. After the stoning, they sent a message back to Jezebel saying, “Naboth is dead.” 

She went to her husband and said, “You now own the vineyard you wanted. Go and enjoy it because Naboth is dead.” When the king heard this good news, he went to see his vineyard.

At that same moment, the Lord said to Elijah, “King Ahab just stole Naboth’s vineyard. Go tell him this. ‘You murdered Naboth and the dogs licked his blood from the ground. Dogs will lick your blood at that exact spot.’”

Elijah went and found Ahab at Naboth’s vineyard. When the king saw the prophet coming, he said, “Well, look at this. My enemy has found me.”

“Yes, I found you. And you have found every way possible to do the things God hates. Now it’s time for judgment. Your punishment will be just like King Jeroboam. You’ll have no descendants. First, dogs will eat the body of your wife Jezebel. After that, your entire family will be eliminated from the earth. Dogs will eat all your relatives that die in the city. Birds will eat those who die in the country.”

This struck Ahab in the heart. He ripped his clothes in sorrow. He fasted and wore sackcloth day and night. Finally, the Lord said to Elijah, “Ahab is truly sorry for what he did. Therefore, I won’t destroy his family until after he’s dead. All that I said will happen when his son is king.”

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Panorama of the Jezreel Valley from Tel Jezreel, from March 2019 BibleTelling Seminar in Israel

Jezreel-aerial-from-south

Aerial view of Tel Jezreel from the South, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com

Jezreel-aerial-from-east

Aerial view of Tel Jezreel from the East, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com

The Wounded Prophet

127 – The Wounded Prophet

1 Kings 20:1-43

The king of Syria invaded Israel and marched his army against Samaria. He sent a message to King Ahab saying, “Give me your silver and gold. I also want your wives and sons.”

Ahab sent a message back. “I’ll give it all to you. I even give myself to you.”

The king of Syria sent another message. “There’s one more thing. Tomorrow, I’m sending people to search your palace and all the best houses. They’ll take everything of value.”

Ahab told this to the leaders of Israel. They said, “Don’t do it. We’ll fight him.” 

Ahab sent this message to the king of Syria, and he became angry. He said, “I’ll totally destroy Samaria! When I’m done, it’ll only be a trash heap.” With that, he got drunk with some other kings who were with him.

As Ahab made preparations for battle, a prophet went to him and said, “The army of Syria is much bigger than yours, but the Lord is going to help you defeat them. You are to personally lead your men into battle so you’ll see firsthand that the Lord is in control.”

The king of Syria was still drunk when he heard that Ahab was marching his army out of Samaria. He told his soldiers “Take the men of Israel alive. I want them as slaves.”

The army of Israel hit the Syrians so hard that they ran from the battlefield. It was a crushing defeat for the Syrian army. Even their king just barely escaped.

The prophet walked up to Ahab and said, “Get ready. They’re coming back next spring.”

The officials of Syria met with their king and said, “Their god is the god of the mountains. You were defeated because you fought them in the hills. You’ll win if you fight them on flat land.”

So in the spring, he once again invaded Israel. Ahab’s army was like a small flock of goats next to a vast army.

The prophet said to Ahab. “They think the Lord is a god of the hills, and has no power on flat land. Therefore, you’ll defeat them, and then you’ll know that the Lord—he is in control.”

The battle started and the Syrian army suffered a massive defeat. 100,000 of their men died. They rushed back to their city, but suddenly a wall fell and killed another 27,000.

The king of Syria ran and hid in a closet. Finally, his officials decided to humble themselves and go ask Ahab to have mercy on their king. Ahab said, “Oh, is my brother still alive? Bring him here.” The two kings met together and worked out an agreement.

When the prophet heard about this, he turned to a friend and said, “God wants you to hit me.”

The friend was shocked. He said, “I’m not going to hit you.”

The prophet said, “You disobeyed the Lord. Therefore, a lion will kill you.” It happened just as he said. Soon after the friend left, a lion jumped on him and killed him.

The prophet said to another man, “God wants you to hit me.” So the man beat him up. The prophet then covered his wounds with bandages and stood by the road.

Soon Ahab came by, but didn’t know who this man was. The prophet yelled, “Your Majesty. During the battle, I was paid to guard a prisoner. I was told I’d be killed if he got away. Oh, I got distracted and the prisoner escaped.”

The king said, “You fool! You’ll get exactly what you said you’d get.”

The prophet then pulled off his bandages and Ahab saw who he was. He said, “The Lord told you to kill the king of Syria, and you didn’t do it. So now you’ll die in his place! And your people will die instead of his people.”

Ahab left the prophet and went back to Samaria, but he was no longer happy about his victory. Instead he became angry and depressed.

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Rehoboam & Jeroboam

122 – Rehoboam & Jeroboam

I Kings 14:1-31 15:33-34 II Chronicles 12:1-16

One of the sons of Jeroboam became sick. The king said to his wife, “When I was a servant of Solomon, a prophet told me that I’d become king of the northern ten tribes of Israel. He lives in Shiloh. Take him gifts of food and ask him what will happen to our son. Put on a disguise, so he won’t know you’re my wife.”
 
The prophet was now old and blind. The Lord said to him, “Jeroboam’s wife is coming wearing a disguise. She’s going to ask you about their son who is sick.” Then the Lord told him what to say. 

Soon the prophet heard the woman’s footsteps. He said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why are you wearing a disguise? Listen, God has a message for your husband, a horrible message!” 

The Lord says, “I selected you when you were an average man. I tore part of the kingdom away from the family of David and gave it to you. But look what you’ve done. You haven’t followed me. You haven’t kept my commandments. Instead, you’ve insulted me with two golden calves, and you’ve become more wicked than anyone else. 

“So, listen to what I’m going to do to you. All of the males in your family will die a horrible death. The family name of Jeroboam won’t continue after you’re gone. Dogs will eat those who die in the city, and birds will eat those who die in the country. 

“There will be only one exception to this. Your son who is now sick is a good man, the only one in your family. He will die a normal death. But he’ll die as soon as you get home. You’ll bury him, and all of Israel will mourn his death. But he’ll be the only one in your family that will be buried.

“All of this will happen because of what Jeroboam did to Israel. His sin will force me to hit Israel so hard that their roots will be ripped up from this soil. They’ll be carried away and scattered among the nations.” 

Jeroboam’s wife went home, and her son died as soon as she walked into their house. He was buried and all of Israel mourned his death. 

Jeroboam ruled for 22 years, and then died. His son became king after him. He followed the example of his father but only ruled for two years. He was killed and the entire family of Jeroboam was destroyed. It all happened just like the prophet said. 

While Jeroboam ruled Israel in the north, Rehoboam ruled Judah in the south. He also made the Lord angry by leading the people in ways that were evil. Judah became as wicked as all the surrounding nations. 

During the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign, Egypt came and plundered Jerusalem. They took all the gold from the Temple and the royal palace. They took the gold shields Solomon had made. 

After they left, Rehoboam replaced the shields with ones made of bronze. Whenever the king left the palace and went to the Temple, guards walked along with him, carrying the bronze shields. 

There was war between Judah and Israel as long as Rehoboam and Jeroboam lived. Rehoboam died after ruling Judah for 17 years, and his son became king after him.

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The Old Prophet

121 – The Old Prophet

I Kings 13:11-32

There was an old prophet living at Bethel. His sons told him about the young man of God from Judah, and what he had done at Jeroboam’s altar. The old prophet said, “Which way did he go?” 

He then told his sons to saddle his donkey. He rode down the road until he found the man of God sitting under an oak tree. 

“Are you the man of God from Judah?” 

“Yes, I am.”

The old prophet said, “Come home with me and I’ll serve you a meal.”

“No, I can’t go with you. The Lord told me not to eat or drink anything while I’m here.” 

The old man said, “Yes I know. I’m a prophet too, just like you. The Lord sent an angel to me who told me to come get you and provide you food and water. So, come to my house.” 

This was a lie, but the man of God went with him and ate bread in his house and drank water. While they were sitting at the table, the Lord spoke through the old prophet, saying, “You’ve rebelled against my command. I told you not to eat or drink anything at this place. Because you disobeyed me, you’ll die and you won’t be buried in your family’s grave.” 

After the two men were done eating, the old prophet saddled the young man’s donkey. He left, and along the way a lion jumped on the man of God and killed him. His body fell to the ground, but the donkey didn’t run away. He simply stood by the body of the young prophet. The lion stood on the other side. 

Some travelers saw this and told the people in the town about it. When the old prophet heard it, he said, “I know who that is. It’s the man of God who disobeyed the Lord.” 

He told his sons to once again saddle a donkey for him. He went and found the body. The lion was still standing next to it, as well as the donkey. Yet, the lion hadn’t eaten the corpse nor attacked the donkey. 

The old prophet put the body of the man of God on the donkey that was standing there. He took it back home and buried it in his own grave. He mourned the young man’s death saying, “Oh my brother.” 

He then told his sons. “When I die, bury me where this man of God is buried. Put my bones beside his bones. He spoke God’s words against these idols and Israel’s sin. Everything he said will come true.”

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Jeroboam’s Sin

120 Jeroboam’s Sin

I Kings 12:25 – 13:8 13:33-34

Jeroboam chose the city of Shechem to be the capital of Israel. He built it up and put his palace there.
 
He realized his people had a natural tendency to be loyal to the family of David. He said to his advisors, “The people keep going to Jerusalem to worship at the Temple. Eventually, they’ll decide their true loyalty is to the king from the line of David. They’ll kill me and reunite with Judah.”

To solve this problem, he made two golden calves. He put one in the south at Bethel and the other in the north at Dan. He said to the people, “It’s too hard to travel to Jerusalem several times a year. Here’s your god who brought you out of Egypt.” 

Jeroboam built shrines to these idols and appointed priests for them. The priests weren’t from the tribe of Levi but were just anyone who wanted to be a priest. He then made annual celebrations that were similar to the ones in Jerusalem. 

When he took the golden calf to Dan, people lined up behind it as it went along. Once they got there, Jeroboam made sacrifices to this new idol. He then went south to Bethel to sacrifice on the altar he had built there. 

A young man of God from Judah walked up to Jeroboam as he was standing by the altar. The prophet yelled, “Altar, altar! Hear what the Lord God says to you. ‘A king will be born in Judah named Josiah. On this altar he’ll sacrifice the priests who burn incense on it.’”
The young prophet then turned to the people, 

“The Lord gave me a sign that these things will happen. This altar will rip apart and the ashes will spill to the ground.” 

King Jeroboam got angry and pointed at the prophet. “Grab that man!” As soon as he said those words, the hand he had stretched out froze in position and he couldn’t pull it back. Suddenly the altar ripped apart and the ashes spilled to the ground. 

Seeing this, the king begged the man of God. “Please pray to the Lord and ask him to restore my hand back to me.” 

So the man of God prayed and Jeroboam’s hand returned to the way it was before. The king said, “Come with me to the palace and eat something. Then I’ll give you a gift.” 

The young prophet said, “I wouldn’t go with you even if you gave me half of everything you own. The Lord said that I’m not to eat or drink anything while I’m here. And I’m to go back to Judah a different way from how I came.” With that, he walked away. 

Even with this warning, Jeroboam didn’t repent of what he was doing. He continued to promote the worship of the two calves and appoint priests for them. Because of this sin, his kingdom didn’t continue after his death, and he had no descendants.

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The ruins of Jeroboam’s High Place at Dan, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com
The location of the altar of Jeroboam’s High Place at Dan, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com

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Wise Woman of Abel

111 – Wise Woman of Abel

II Samuel 19:13 20:1-26 I Chronicles 2:16-17

David removed Joab from his command of the army. He replaced him with Amasa, who was also his nephew. He said to Amasa, “Gather my troops in three days so you can hunt down Sheba.”

Amasa started gathering an army, but it took him too long. He wasn’t back in three days. David said to Joab’s brother, “We must act fast if we’re to defeat Sheba. If we give him time, he’ll be a bigger danger then Absalom ever was. Go after him immediately.”

Joab joined his brother, and together they quickly organized an army. They then left Jerusalem to capture Sheba.

Along the way, Amasa finally caught up with them. Joab walked over to him, “Amasa, my cousin. How are you?” He then reached up with his right hand as if to draw Amasa closer and greet him with a kiss. Amasa didn’t see the knife in Joab’s left hand.

Joab stabbed Amasa in the stomach. He fell to the ground, dying but not yet dead. Joab turned and left to continue his search for Sheba. A soldier stood next to Amasa and shouted, “Follow Joab if you’re loyal to king David.”

As the army followed Joab, they kept slowing down as they passed Amasa, who was groaning in extreme pain. Some even stopped to look at him. Finally, a soldier pulled Amasa off to the side of the road and threw a blanket over him. Then the army moved along quickly.

They chased Sheba all around the country. He finally took his men to a city called Abel. Joab’s troops lay siege on the city and built a ramp against its walls. The purpose was to tear down the walls and destroy the city.

As they were working, a woman yelled out to them. She was known around that area as woman of wisdom. She said, “Go get Joab so I can talk to him.”

Joab came to that part of the wall and yelled, “What do you want?”

She yelled back, “Are you Joab?”

“Yes, what do you want?”

She said, “People say, ‘Go to Abel to get the best advice.’ That’s because we know how to solve problems. So why would you want to destroy a valuable resource like Abel? Our city is like a mother to Israel.”

He said, “We’re not here to destroy your city. We’re chasing Sheba, who has rebelled against David, our king. If you give us this man, we’ll leave your city alone.”

The woman said, “I’ll hold you to that. We’ll throw Sheba’s head out to you.”

The woman went and talked to the city officials. They trusted her wisdom, so they caught Sheba, cut off his head, and threw it out to Joab.

Once Joab saw it, he blew the ram’s horn, and his army went home. Joab went back to Jerusalem, where he was once again made commander of David’s army.

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Absalom’s Revolt

108 – Absalom’s Revolt

II Samuel 15:1 – 17:23

Absalom was a handsome man with beautiful thick hair. He was also ambitious and wanted to be king. To impress people, he rode in a chariot with 50 men running ahead of him. 

In the morning, he stood by the road that went to the city gate. He honored anyone who bowed down to him. If he saw someone going to see the king about a problem, he asked, “What city are you from?” If they were from one of the northern tribes, he’d say, “I understand your problem. It’s too bad the king won’t listen to you. If I were king, I’d make sure you were heard.”
 
Soon, the northern tribes of Israel became loyal to Absalom. When the time was right, he sent messengers to them saying, “Listen for the ram’s horn. When you hear it, shout, ‘Absalom is king!’” 

The conspiracy spread quickly. More and more people started supporting Absalom. He left the city and enlisted the help of Ahithophel, one of David’s advisors. Both David and Absalom knew that Ahithophel’s wisdom was a gift from the Lord.

David didn’t hear about this until it was too late. By then he knew his life was in danger, so he and his servants quickly left the city. He took off his shoes, covered his head, and openly cried as he walked up the Mount of Olives. People came and cried along the path.

Once he arrived on top of the Mount, he saw Hushai, one of his friends and advisors. David said to him, “Don’t come with me. Go tell Absalom that you’ll serve him just like you served me. Advise my son against Ahithophel’s counsel if you can.” 

They then set up a way Hushai could send David information about Absalom’s plans. Hushai returned to Jerusalem just as Absalom and a large crowd were entering the city. Ahithophel was at his side. Hushai bowed before Absalom and said, “Long live the king!”

Absalom said, “Why didn’t you go with your friend?”

Hushai said, “I’ll serve the one the Lord and the people have chosen. I’ll serve you just as I served your father.”

As David was leaving, he passed by the home of a man named Shimei. He was from the family of Saul. Shimei started throwing stones at David and yelling, “You deserve this, you filthy murderer! God is judging you for what you did to King Saul. Go hide in a hole, where you belong.”

A soldier pulled out his sword and said, “This filthy dog is dead! I’m going to cut off his head!”

David turned to him, “Why would you do that? It was the Lord who said to him, ‘Shimei, go curse David!’ Why would we fight God at a time like this? Maybe the Lord will see what I’m going through and have pity on me.” 

So David and his men continued down the road with Shimei on a ridge above them. He kept yelling curses and throwing stones and dirt at David.

Once Absalom was in the palace, Ahithophel said, “Allow me to take 12,000 men and chase after David tonight. I’ll attack him while he’s weak and tired. This will cause his people to panic and they’ll scatter. I’ll only kill the king, and bring all the others back to you. We’ll have peace when people see that you’ve only killed the king and allowed everyone else to live.”

This proposal seemed good to Absalom, but he said, “Send for Hushai. I want to hear his advice.”

When Hushai heard this plan, he said, “Oh no! Don’t do that. You know your father and his men. They’re warriors. Right now they’re like a wild bear, robbed of her cubs. Your father knows how to fight. He’s probably hiding in one of the caves, waiting for your men to come out. If you act now, some of your men will get killed. Once the people hear that, they’ll say that David is slaughtering your forces. Everyone will believe it because they know your father is a skilled warrior.

“Here’s what you should do. Gather a great army from all over Israel. Personally lead them into battle. Attack David wherever you find him. With a massive army, you can make sure he doesn’t escape. If any city hides him, totally destroy that city and don’t leave one stone on top of another.”

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Kidron Valley, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com
Jerusalem Old City and Kidron Valley from northeast,from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com

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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