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Second Samuel, Chapter 20. The Rebellion of Sheba. Now there happened to be there a worthless man whose name was Sheba the son of Bichri, a Benjaminite. And he blew the trumpet and said, we have no portion in David, and we have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Every man to his tents, O Israel. So all the men of Israel withdrew from David and followed Sheba the son of Bichri. But the men of Judah followed their king steadfastly from the Jordan to Jerusalem. And David came to his house at Jerusalem. And the King took the 10 concubines whom he had left to care for the house, and put them in a house under guard, and provided for them, but did not go into them. So they were shut up until the day of their death, living as if in widowhood. Then the king said to Amasa, call the men of Judah together to me within three days, and be here yourself. Amasa went to summon Judah, but he delayed beyond the set time that had been appointed him. And David said to Abishai, now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom. Take your Lord's servants and pursue him, lest he get himself to fortified cities and escape from us. And there went out after him Joab's men, and the Kurathites and the Pillathites and all the mighty men, they went out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri. When they were at the great stone that is in Gibeon, Amesa came to meet them. Joab was wearing a soldier's garment, and over it was a belt with a sword in its sheath, fastened on his thigh. And as he went forward, it fell out. And Joab said to Amasa, is it well with you, my brother? And Joab took Emesa by the beard with his right hand and kissed him. But Amasa did not observe the sword that was in Joab's hand. So Joab struck him with it in his stomach and spilled his entrails to the ground without striking a second blow. And he died. Then Joab and Abishai his brother, pursued Sheba the son of Bichri. And one of Joab's young men took his stand by Amasa and said, whoever favors Joab and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab. And Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the highway. And anyone who came by seeing him stopped. And when the man saw that all the people stopped, he carried Amasai out of the highway into the field and threw a garment over him. When he was Taken out of the highway. All the people went on after Joab to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri. And Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel of Beth Maicah. And all the Bichrites assembled and followed him. And all the men who were with Joab came and besieged him and Abel of Beth Makah, they cast up a mound against the city, and it stood against the rampart. And they were battering the wall to throw it down. Then a wise woman called from the city, listen, listen. Tell Joab, come here that I may speak to you. And he came near her. And the woman said, are you Joab? He answered, I am. Then she said to him, listen to the words of your servant. And he answered, I am listening. Then she said, they used to say in former times, let them but ask counsel at Abel. And so they settled a matter. I am one of those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why will you swallow up the heritage of the Lord? Drab answered, far be it from me, far be it that I should swallow up or destroy. That is not true. But a man of the hill country of Ephraim called Sheba the son of Bichri, has lifted up his hand against King David. Give up him alone, and I will withdraw from the city. And the woman said to Joab, behold, his head shall be thrown to you over the wall. Then the woman went to all the people in her wisdom, and they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and threw it out to Joab. So he blew the trumpet, and they dispersed from the city, every man to his home. And Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king. Now Joab was in command of all the army of Israel. And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, was in command of the hurethites and the pelethites. And Adoram was in charge of the forced labor. And Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilad was the recorder, and Sheba was secretary. And Zadok and Abiathar were priests, and Ira and Jairite was also David's priest. Second Samuel, chapter 21. David avenges the Gibeonites. Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. And David sought the face of the Lord. And the Lord said, there is blood guilt on Saul and on his house because he put the Gibeonites to death. So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the people of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites. Although the people of Israel had sworn to spare them, Saul had sought to strike them down in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah. And David said to the Gibeonites, what shall I do for you? And how shall I make atonement that you may bless the heritage of the Lord? The Gibeonites said to him, it is not a matter of silver or gold between us and Saul or his house. Neither is it for us to put any man to death in Israel. And he said, what do you say that I shall do for you? They said to the king, the man who consumed us and planned to destroy us so that we should have no place in all the territory of Israel, let seven of his sons be given to us so that we may hang them before the Lord. At Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the Lord and the king said, I will give them. But the king spared Mephibosheth the son of Saul's son Jonathan, because of the oath of the Lord that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. The king took the two sons of Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth, and the five sons of Merib, the daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Metholathite. And he gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites. And they hanged them on the mountain before the Lord. And the seven of them perished together. They were put to death in the first days of harvest, at the beginning of barley harvest. Then Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock from the beginning of harvest until rain fell upon them from the heavens. And she did not allow the birds of the air to come upon them by day or the beasts of the field by night. When David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done, David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan from the men of Jabesh Gilead, who had stolen them from the public square of Bashan, where the Philistines had hanged them on the day the Philistines killed Saul on Gilboa. And he brought up from there the bones of Saul in the bones of his son Jonathan. And they gathered the bones of those who were hanged, and they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the land of Benjamin and Zelah, and the tomb of Kish his father. And they did all that the king commanded. And after that God responded to the plea for the land. War with the Philistines There was war again between the Philistines and Israel. And David went down together with his servants, and they fought against the Philistines. And David grew weary. And Ishbi Benob, one of the descendants of the giants, whose spear weighed 300 shekels of bronze, and who was armed with a new sword, thought to kill David. But Abishai the son of Zeruiah, came to his aid and attacked the Philistine and killed him. Then David's men swore to him, you shall no longer go out with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel. After this the there was again war with the Philistines at Gob. Then Sibbecai the Hushathite, struck down Saph, who was one of the descendants of the giants. And there was again war with the Philistines at Gob. And Elhanan the son of Jaereh, the Bethlehemite, struck down Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. And there was again war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, 24 in number. And he also was descended from the giants. And when he taunted Israel, Jonathan, the son of Shimei, David's brother, struck him down. These four were descended from the giants in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants. Acts chapter 8. Saul ravages the church and Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem. And they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. Philip proclaims Christ in Samaria. Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. And the crowds, with one accord, paid attention to what was being said by Philip. When they heard him and saw the signs that he did for unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was much joy in that city, Simon the magician believes. But there was a Man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, this man is the power of God that is called great. And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news about the kingdom of God in the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Even Simon himself believed. And after being baptized, he continued with Philip and seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed. Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for he had not yet fallen on any of them. But they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles hands, he offered them money, saying, give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit. But Peter said to him, may your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money. You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours. And pray to the Lord that if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity. And Simon answered, pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me now. When they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the Gospel to many villages of the Samaritans. Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, a queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all of her treasure. The he had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning seated in his chariot. And he was reading to the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, go over and join this chariot. So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, do you understand what you are reading? And he said, how can I unless someone guides me? And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now, the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this. Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter. And like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation, justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation for his life is taken away from the earth. And the eunuch said to Philip, about whom I ask you, does the prophet say this about himself or about someone else? Then Philip opened his mouth. And beginning with this scripture, he. He told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, see, here is water. What prevents me from being baptized? And he commanded the chariot to stop. And they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the spirit of the Lord carried Philip away. And the eunuch saw him no more and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus. And as he passed through, he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to caesarea. Psalm, chapter 93. The Lord reigns. The Lord reigns. He is robed in majesty. The Lord is robed. He has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established. It shall never be moved. Your throne is established from of old. You are from everlasting. The floods have lifted up, O Lord. The floods have lifted up their voice. The floods lift up their roaring. Mightier than the thunders of many waters, Mightier than the waves of the sea. The Lord on high is mighty. Your decrees are very trustworthy. Holiness befeats your house, O Lord, forevermore.
Episode: DAY 164 – 2 Samuel 20 & 21 | Acts 8 | Psalm 93
Host: Erika Kirk, with Pastoral Advisor James Kaddis
Date: June 17, 2026
Main Theme:
A focused daily reading journey covers tumultuous leadership transitions in Israel, a story of atonement and mighty battles, the scattering of the early Church and radical conversions in Acts, and a Psalm celebrating God’s majesty and eternal reign. The episode encourages listeners to see God’s sovereignty, justice, and redemptive work through history and individual lives.
“Behold, his head shall be thrown to you over the wall.” (The wise woman to Joab, 02:22)
“What shall I do for you? And how shall I make atonement, that you may bless the heritage of the Lord?” (David to Gibeonites, 08:55)
“She did not allow the birds of the air to come upon them by day or the beasts of the field by night.” (10:30)
“He dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.” (16:50)
“Unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many... and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was much joy in that city.” (17:30)
“May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money.” (Peter to Simon, 19:58)
“How can I unless someone guides me?” (Ethiopian eunuch, 22:10)
“See, here is water. What prevents me from being baptized?” (23:55)
“The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty... the world is established; it shall never be moved. Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.” (28:59)
“Your decrees are very trustworthy; holiness befits your house, O LORD, forevermore.” (29:35)
Episode Summary:
This episode moves from the political intrigue and turmoil of David’s reign to the unstoppable spread of the Gospel amid persecution. It balances leadership lessons, warnings about misuse of spiritual gifts, the need for godly mediation, and the radical inclusiveness of God’s kingdom. Psalm 93 anchors the reading with assurance in God’s eternal, unshakeable majesty.
Takeaway:
Repeatedly, human weakness and conflict are met by God’s intervention—through wise counsel, unexpected conversions, and the faithfulness of His promises. The narrative celebrates both God’s justice and His gracious power to redeem and reign forever.