May 30 (2 Samuel 16–17; Psalm 119:161–168; 1 Thessalonians 3–5)

Summary

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Through the ESV Bible in a Year with Jackie Hill Perry

Episode: May 30 (2 Samuel 16–17; Psalm 119:161–168; 1 Thessalonians 3–5)
Host: Crossway • Date: May 30, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode continues the daily journey of reading through the ESV Bible in one year, with passages from 2 Samuel 16–17, Psalm 119:161–168, and 1 Thessalonians 3–5. The selections explore King David’s flight from Absalom amid betrayal and providence, the Psalmist’s steadfast devotion amidst persecution, and Paul’s heartfelt encouragements to the Thessalonians about holy living, hope in Christ’s return, and practical community exhortations.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. 2 Samuel 16–17: David’s Flight, Treachery, and Deliverance

[00:00–08:12]

• Ziba’s Deception and Opportunism (16:1–4)

  • Ziba meets David with provisions, claiming Mephibosheth stayed in Jerusalem for self-serving reasons.
  • David hastily gives Ziba all that belonged to Mephibosheth.
    Notable moment: David’s judgment is made under stress, foreshadowing complications.

• Shimei’s Cursing and David’s Restraint (16:5–14)

  • Shimei from Saul’s family hurls curses and stones at David, blaming him for Saul’s downfall.
  • Abishai offers to kill Shimei, but David declines, reflecting humility and perception of God’s sovereignty:

    “Let 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... repay me with good for his cursing today.” — David [01:53–02:00]

• Absalom’s Public Rebellion & Ahithophel’s Counsel (16:15–23)

  • Absalom enters Jerusalem; David’s friend Hushai feigns loyalty.
  • Ahithophel advises Absalom to sleep with David’s concubines, asserting dominance—a calculated humiliation:

    “All Israel will hear that you have made yourself a stench to your father...” — Ahithophel [02:58–03:04]

• Advice and God’s Providence (17:1–14)

  • Ahithophel urges Absalom to chase David immediately, but Hushai (secretly loyal to David) counters, warning of David’s military prowess and advocating a different tactic, buying David time:

    “Your father and his men are mighty men... enraged like a bear robbed of her cubs...” — Hushai [04:10–04:25]

  • Absalom and Israel prefer Hushai’s advice, as “the Lord had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel...” [05:25–05:38]

• Covert Rescue and Despair (17:15–23)

  • Hushai’s warning reaches David through a secret relay; David escapes across the Jordan by daybreak.
  • Ahithophel, sidelined, commits suicide—his end contrasts God’s protection of David.

• David Supported in Exile (17:24–29)

  • Allies provide for David’s needs in exile, underlining God’s ongoing provision.

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2. Psalm 119:161–168: Faithfulness Amid Persecution

[08:12–08:41]

• The Psalmist, persecuted by princes, finds solace and strength in God’s word:
  • “Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.” [08:26]
  • Daily praise and enduring love for God’s commands are central.

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3. 1 Thessalonians 3–5: Encouragement, Holiness, and Hope

[08:41–End (~13:30)]

Paul’s Heartfelt Encouragement (3:1–13)

• Paul recounts sending Timothy to strengthen the persecuted church and expresses relief and joy at their steadfast faith:

  “For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord.” [09:26]

• Paul prays for their growth in love and holiness, anticipating Christ’s return.

Exhortations for Holy Living (4:1–12)

• Emphasis on sanctification:
  • “This is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality, that each of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor...” [10:01–10:16]
• Plea for brotherly love, a quiet work ethic, and healthy community:
  • “Aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands...” [10:52–10:55]

Hope in the Lord’s Return (4:13–5:11)

• Comfort for those grieving:
  • “We do not want you to be uninformed...that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.” [11:21]
• Vivid depiction of Christ’s return and the resurrection of the dead in Christ:

  “The Lord himself will descend...and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive...will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.” [11:35–11:58]

• Call to live as “children of light,” remaining awake and sober, equipped by faith, love, and the hope of salvation.

Practical Final Instructions and Blessings (5:12–28)

• Esteem church leaders, pursue peace, support the weak, and respond to evil with good:

  “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances...” [12:51]

• Value spiritual gifts and discernment:
  • “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything. Hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.” [13:06–13:15]
• Closing prayer and promise:

  “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” [13:22]

  • Warm farewell: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” [13:28]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• David’s humility amidst cursing:
  “Let him alone, and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to.” — David [01:53]

• Hushai’s insight on David’s tactics:
  “Your father and his men are mighty men; they are enraged like a bear robbed of her cubs...” — Hushai [04:12]

• Paul’s affirmation of faith’s impact:
  “For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord.” — Paul [09:26]

• Instruction for day-to-day Christian living:
  “Aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands...” [10:52]

• Hope at Christ’s return:
  “The dead in Christ will rise first… and so we will always be with the Lord.” [11:51–11:58]

• Guidance for constant prayer and joy:
  “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances...” [12:51]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:00–08:12]: 2 Samuel 16–17 (David’s trials and rescue)
• [08:12–08:41]: Psalm 119:161–168 (Love for God’s law)
• [08:41–10:55]: 1 Thessalonians 3–4 (Paul’s encouragement and holy living)
• [11:20–11:58]: The coming of the Lord and hope in resurrection
• [12:06–13:28]: Christian instructions and final blessing

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Summary

This episode richly brings together narratives of betrayal, steadfastness under pressure, God’s faithfulness, and practical guidance for daily spiritual life. King David’s humility, the Psalmist’s devotion, and Paul’s pastoral heart collectively call listeners to trust God’s providence, seek holiness, and abound in love and hope as they await Christ’s return. The episode moves briskly yet reverently through intense biblical moments—both in royal drama and personal exhortation—encouraging deep engagement with Scripture for all listeners.

Transcript

[A]

The reading from the book of 2 Samuel. When David had passed a little beyond the summit, Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, met him with a couple of donkeys saddled bearing 200 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 Shimei, the son of Gera. 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 Shimei said as he cursed, get out. Get out, you man of blood, you worthless man.

[B]

The Lord has avenged on you all

[A]

the blood of the house of Saul

[B]

in whose place you have reigned.

[A]

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.

[B]

It may be that the Lord will

[A]

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 Shimei 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

[B]

I will serve you.

[A]

Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, give your counsel. What shall we do? Ahithophel said to Absalom, go into 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 into his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel. Now in those days, the counsel that Ahithophel gave was as if one consulted

[B]

the word of God.

[A]

So was all the counsel of Ahithophel, esteemed both by David and by Absalom. Moreover, Ahithophel said to Absalom, let me choose 12,000 men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight. I will come upon him while he is weary and discouraged and throw him into a panic, and all the people who are with him will flee. I will strike down only the king, and I will bring all the people back to you as a bride comes home to her husband. You seek the life of only one man, and all the people will be at peace. And the advice seemed right in the

[B]

eyes of Absalom and all the elders of Israel.

[A]

Then Absalom said, call Hushai the archite also and let us hear what he has to say. And when Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom said to him, thus has Ahithophel spoken. Shall we do as he says? If not, you speak. Then Hushai said to Absalom, this time the counsel that Ahithophel has given is not good. Hushai said, you know that your father and his men are mighty men and that they are enraged like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. Besides, your father is Expert in war, he will not spend the night with the people. Behold, even now he has hidden himself in one of the pits or in some other place. And as soon as some of the people fall at the first attack, whoever hears it will say, there has been a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom. Then even the valiant man whose heart

[B]

is like the heart of a lion will utterly melt with fear. For all Israel knows that your father

[A]

is a mighty man and that those who are with him are valiant men. But my counsel is that all Israel be gathered to you from Dan to Beersheba as the sand by the sea

[B]

for multitude, and that you go to battle in person.

[A]

So we shall come upon him in some place where he is to be found, and we shall light upon him

[B]

as the dew falls on the ground. And of him and all the men

[A]

with him, not one will be left. If he withdraws into a city, then all Israel will bring ropes to that city and we shall drag it into the valley until not even a pebble is to be found there. And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, the counsel of Hushai the archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the Lord had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel so that the Lord might bring harm upon Absalom. Then Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, thus. And so did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel. And thus. And so have I counseled. Now therefore, send quickly and tell David do not stay tonight at the fords of the wilderness, but by all means pass over, lest the king and all

[B]

the people who are with him be swallowed up.

[A]

Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were waiting at Enrogo. A female servant was to go and tell them, and they were to go and tell King David. For they were not to be seen entering the city. But a young man saw them and told Absalom. So both of them went away quickly and came to the house of a man at Bahurim who had a well in his courtyard, and they went down into it, and the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth and scattered grain on it. And nothing was known of it. When Absalom's servants came to the woman at the house, they said, where are Ahimiaz and Jonathan? And the woman said to them, they have gone over the brook of water. And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem. After they had gone, the men came up out of the well and went and told King David. They said to David, arise and go quickly over the water, for thus and so has Ahithophel counseled against you. Then David arose, and all the people who were with him and they crossed the Jordan. By daybreak not one was left who had not crossed the Jordan. When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey and went off home to his own city. He set his house in order and hanged himself. And he died and was buried in

[B]

the tomb of his father.

[A]

Then David came to Maanaum, and Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel. Now Absalom had set Amasa over the army instead of Joab. Amasa was the son of a man

[B]

named Ithra, the Ishmaelite, who had married

[A]

Abigail, the daughter of Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, Joab's mother, and Israel. And Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead. When David came to Maanaim, Shobai, the

[B]

son of Nahash from Rabah of the

[A]

Ammonites, and Machir, the son of Ammiel from Lo Deber and Barzillai, the Gileadite from Rogelam, brought beds, basins and earthen vessels. Wheat, barley, flour, parched grain, beans and lentils, honey and curds and sheep and cheese from the herd for David and the people with him to eat. For they said, the people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness. A reading from the Book of Psalms. Princes persecute me without cause, but my

[B]

heart stands in awe of your words. I rejoice at your word. Like one who finds great spoil. I hate and abhor falsehood. But I love your law. Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous rules. Great peace have those who love your law. Nothing can make them stumble.

[A]

I hope for your salvation, O Lord,

[B]

and I do your commandments. My soul keeps your testimonies, I love them exceedingly. I keep your precepts and testimonies. For all my ways are before you

[A]

a reading from the book of 1 Thessalonians.

[B]

Therefore, when we could bear it no

[A]

longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone.

[B]

And we sent Timothy, our brother and God's co worker in the Gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. For when we were with you we kept telling you beforehand that we were

[A]

to suffer affliction just as it has

[B]

come to pass and just as you know, for this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain. But now that Timothy has come to us from you and has brought us the good news of your faith and love, and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us as we long to see you. For this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction, we have been comforted about you through your faith. For now we live. If you are standing fast in the Lord, for what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith? Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus, for this is the will of God, your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality, that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust, like the Gentiles, who do not know God, that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter. Because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for in purity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man, but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. Now, concerning brotherly love, you have no need for anyone to write to you. For you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more and to aspire to live quietly and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.

[A]

But we do not want you to

[B]

be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do, who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with him in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore, encourage one another with these words.

[A]

Now, concerning the times and the seasons. Brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you.

[B]

For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying there is peace and security, then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman. And they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love and for a helmet. The hope of salvation for God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we might live with him. Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus. For you do not quench the spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything. Hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful. He will surely do it. Brothers, pray for us. Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.