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Speaker 1: Let us pray the matter is not so. But a

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Speaker 1: man of Mount Ephrium Sheba, son of Bitchery, by name

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Speaker 1: Hath lifted up his hand against the king, even against David.

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Speaker 1: Deliver him only, and I will depart from the city.

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Speaker 1: And the woman said, and a joab behold, his head

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Speaker 1: shall be thrown to thee over the wall. Second Samuel

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Speaker 1: twenty twenty one. Dear God, when the enemy comes in

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Speaker 1: like an agent of chaos, I thank you God that

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Speaker 1: you will raise up support systems to help me accomplish

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Speaker 1: and fulfill the mission You've placed on my life. I

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Speaker 1: will use your word like a battering ramp to break

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Speaker 1: down the walls of chaos surrounding my future. I thank

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Speaker 1: you that even in the midst of my fight for

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Speaker 1: truth and freedom, you will bring people into my life

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Speaker 1: that will fight alongside me and will help deliver me

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Speaker 1: from the hands of my enemies, like you did for

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Speaker 1: David and Absalom. I declare that because I am in

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Speaker 1: step with you, God, time is for me and not

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Speaker 1: against me. I declare that it is only a matter

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Speaker 1: of time before the head of division and tension is

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Speaker 1: severed from the body of strife in my life. The

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Speaker 1: victory is mine and only in your power, God is

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Speaker 1: true peace restored. Thank you that today is the day

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Speaker 1: that I receive rest and freedom in Jesus' name. Amen,

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Speaker 1: thank you for praying with me today. Continue listening for

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Speaker 1: an incredible Bible story brought to you by Bible in

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Speaker 1: a Year dot com.

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Speaker 2: The Death of Shea. In our last story, Sheba began

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Speaker 2: a revolt against David, and many people gathered to defy

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Speaker 2: David in the streets of Israel. David, knowing that Sheba's

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Speaker 2: rebellion could topple Israel, sent his strongest men in pursuit

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Speaker 2: of him. In this story, Joe Aben Abashi prepare their

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Speaker 2: attack against Sheba. However, their preparation turns out to be

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Speaker 2: in vain as the people of Israel come to their

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Speaker 2: senses inspired by the Book of Second Samuel.

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Speaker 3: Hello, this is Jack Graham with today's episode of the

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Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. In our last episode, we

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Speaker 3: saw that David returned to Jerusalem seeking peace, not war,

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Speaker 3: with those who had opposed him. He forgave those who

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Speaker 3: repented for having followed Absalom, even when his advisors pushed

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Speaker 3: for harsh judgment. The people began to see that David

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Speaker 3: wanted what was best for them and could be trusted

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Speaker 3: the lead with integrity and kindness. But as we also learned,

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Speaker 3: not all were quick to follow, and Sheba in Benjamin

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Speaker 3: started to mount an insurrection that was a true threat

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Speaker 3: to the nation. David knew that this call for decisive action,

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Speaker 3: so he sent his men to deal with Sheba and

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Speaker 3: his army. Today, we'll hear how the conflict comes to

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Speaker 3: a head, and how Sheba's efforts prove fruitless as the

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Speaker 3: people open their eyes and see Sheba for the liar

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Speaker 3: that he is. So let's listen now to today's reading.

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Speaker 2: Sheba's rebellion spread like a plague through the tribes of Israel.

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Speaker 2: Sheba would blow trumpets and stir up the people into

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Speaker 2: a frenzy of fear and doubt. Sheba was an agent

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Speaker 2: of chaos, a true antagonist whose only agenda was to

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Speaker 2: watch David's kingdom crumble. He paced the countryside, sowing whispers

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Speaker 2: of dissension and seeds of corruption. Eventually he made his

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Speaker 2: way to the city of Abel. All the members of

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Speaker 2: his clan and all the rebels he could assemble, prepared

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Speaker 2: for the inevitable battle that awaited them. Sheba prepared the

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Speaker 2: walls for impact and braced the city gates so an

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Speaker 2: army could not penetrate it. The people of Abel watched

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Speaker 2: as Sheba and his men sharpened their swords and fortified

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Speaker 2: the barricades. The people grew concerned, so Sheba once again

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Speaker 2: told lies, saying, David and Joab desire to destroy your city.

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Speaker 2: They want to burn it to the ground. We are

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Speaker 2: here to protect you. So the people allowed Sheba to

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Speaker 2: make their city his own personal fortress in hopes he

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Speaker 2: would protect him. A few miles away, Joe Aabin Abershire

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Speaker 2: was strategizing. They camped near a small town on the

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Speaker 2: outskirts of Abel with their army. Joe Abin Abershire planned

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Speaker 2: all night. They knew that they outnumbered Sheba. However, he

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Speaker 2: and his men had fortified themselves among innocent people. They

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Speaker 2: needed to be tactful and cautious. In the morning, they

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Speaker 2: had their men build a battering ram to demolish the

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Speaker 2: city gates. The only way they could find Shiba without

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Speaker 2: setting fire to the city was through the gate. It

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Speaker 2: was their only chance, and they had to topple the

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Speaker 2: gate flawlessly. The men marched forward towards Abel, Shiba watched

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Speaker 2: them through cracks in the walls. It chuckled to himself,

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Speaker 2: for he knew that if they made it through the gate,

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Speaker 2: his men would have the advantage. It was a thin entrance,

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Speaker 2: and they would be easy kills. It took dozens of

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Speaker 2: men to carry the battering ram. They charged the gate

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Speaker 2: and delivered the first blow thud. The gate did not budge.

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Speaker 2: They drew back again and charged thudd. The gate rattled

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Speaker 2: slightly but did not crack. Joe Ab had them step

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Speaker 2: back even further, and the men ran with the battering

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Speaker 2: ram as fast as they could. Thud. Small cracks could

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Speaker 2: be seen through the beams holding up the gate. Just

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Speaker 2: a few more and they would be in. Joab told

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Speaker 2: his men to draw back again when he was interrupted

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Speaker 2: by a scream, Are you joe Ab? He heard calling

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Speaker 2: from nearby. Joab looked to his left and saw a

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Speaker 2: woman running towards him. She was a beautiful woman, touched

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Speaker 2: slightly with age and experience. A few gray streaks fell

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Speaker 2: down her long hair. Joab told his men to stop

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Speaker 2: and met her a few yards away. The woman had

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Speaker 2: an intense gaze as she met Joab. Her voice was bold,

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Speaker 2: and she spoke with the authority of her people, saying,

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Speaker 2: there used to be a saying here. If arguments need

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Speaker 2: to be settled, ask for the wisdom of the city

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Speaker 2: of Abel. We love peace here in the city and

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Speaker 2: will not have you destroy it. Joab looked at her, confused.

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Speaker 2: She spoke to him as if they were trying to

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Speaker 2: burn the city down. The woman continued, saying, this is

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Speaker 2: an important city to the lord. Why would the king

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Speaker 2: want to devour it. Joab raised his hands to his

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Speaker 2: check and said, believe me, I do not want to

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Speaker 2: destroy Abel. We are not here for that. In your

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Speaker 2: city is a man named Sheba. He is a rebel

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Speaker 2: and has started a revolt against King David. He is

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Speaker 2: dangerous to anyone who is near him. We are simply

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Speaker 2: here for him. The woman looked into Joab's eyes in

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Speaker 2: order to judge his sincerity. The two spoke for a

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Speaker 2: while longer. Joab explained all of Sheba's lies and the

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Speaker 2: chaos he had caused in the country. After a few minutes,

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Speaker 2: Joab felt comfortable enough to say, if you bring him

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Speaker 2: to us, there will be no need to destroy anything.

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Speaker 2: We do not want anybody to be harmed. The woman

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Speaker 2: looked back to the city. Thinking for a long moment,

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Speaker 2: she turned to Joab and said, we will do it

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Speaker 2: with that. The woman snuck back into the city and

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Speaker 2: spoke to all her people. They argued for a few hours,

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Speaker 2: but ultimately agreed that Sheba was deceiving them. Sheba was

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Speaker 2: still chuckling through the cracks of the wall, thinking it

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Speaker 2: was only a matter of time before they bowed at

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Speaker 2: his feet, begging for mercy. As he was crouching, a

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Speaker 2: shadow blocked the sunlight behind him. Sheba looked up to

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Speaker 2: a few of the people standing over him with their swords.

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Speaker 2: Before he could say a word, the woman swooped her

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Speaker 2: sword through his neck and his head fell to the floor.

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Speaker 2: Joab and Abershi were standing still with their men. They

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Speaker 2: hoped that people would follow through, but were still prepared

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Speaker 2: to take the city by force if it was needed.

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Speaker 2: Joab looked towards the sun, trying to determine the time

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Speaker 2: of day. Then, in an instant he saw Sheba's head

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Speaker 2: flying towards him. Joab stepped back as Sheba's head landed

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Speaker 2: at his feet. The men cheered and put down the

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Speaker 2: battering ram. Joab looked to the top of the gate

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Speaker 2: to see the woman looking down at him. They exchanged smiles,

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Speaker 2: and Joab took his army and returned to Jerusalem.

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Speaker 3: As we begin today, Sheiba is continuing to spread lies

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Speaker 3: and confusion throughout the kingdom. Like Absalom before him, his

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Speaker 3: primary tactic was one of disinformation and sowing distrust. Satan

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Speaker 3: is the father of lies and the author of chaos

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Speaker 3: and confusion, and like Absalom, this man Sheba was acting

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Speaker 3: as an agent of the enemy, the devil, reflecting Satan's nature,

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Speaker 3: not God's. Sheba and his supporters made their way to

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Speaker 3: a city named Abel and began fortifying its walls in

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Speaker 3: preparation for battle. He knew he would need the support

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Speaker 3: of the people of Abel, and what better way to

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Speaker 3: win them over than to convince them that David intended

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Speaker 3: to destroy their city. So that's what he told the

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Speaker 3: residents of Abel, saying that David and his commander Joe

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Speaker 3: Abb would stop at nothing to destroy them, even burning

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Speaker 3: the city to the ground. Sheba told them not to worry,

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Speaker 3: though he was there to help crafty lies meant to

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Speaker 3: undermine the king and lead the people astray. As David's

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Speaker 3: men drew up plans for attack, not far away. Their

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Speaker 3: intentions were clearly not for destruction and devastation. They could

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Speaker 3: have easily destroyed the whole city, but it was only

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Speaker 3: Sheiba they needed, and if they could only tear down

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Speaker 3: the gate, the collateral damage would be minimal. So they

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Speaker 3: approached Abel and began ramming the gate with a battering

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Speaker 3: ram as Shiba hid inside, certain that the people would

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Speaker 3: rally to help him fight off Joeab's men. But the

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Speaker 3: people of Abel were truly peaceful, and as Joab's men

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Speaker 3: struck the gate over and over again, a wise woman

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Speaker 3: approached them and ask why they would want to destroy

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Speaker 3: a city like Abel, whose people were faithful to Israel.

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Speaker 3: Joeab responds in Second Samuel twenty versus twenty and twenty one,

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Speaker 3: Joeab answered, far be it from me? Far be it

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Speaker 3: that I should swallow up or destroy? That is not true.

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Speaker 3: But a man of the hill country of Euphraim, called Sheba,

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Speaker 3: the son of Bishri, has lifted up his hand against

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Speaker 3: King David. It give up him alone, and I will

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Speaker 3: withdraw from the city. The woman could tell Joeb was

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Speaker 3: being truthful, and she returned to the city and convinced

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Speaker 3: the people that it was Sheba who had evil intentions,

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Speaker 3: so they struck him down, cutting off his head and

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Speaker 3: threw it over the wall to Joeb. In the end,

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Speaker 3: lies will never defeat God's truth, and Sheba's campaign to

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Speaker 3: overthrow David ended without a war. As the people's eyes

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Speaker 3: were open to see the deception of this one man.

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Speaker 3: Joeb and his men returned to Jerusalem, and now David

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Speaker 3: could continue the task of putting things right again. We'll

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Speaker 3: hear about this the next time. Dear God, we thank

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Speaker 3: you for this message, even though it is hard to

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Speaker 3: hear and contains violence, and yet we know that evil

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Speaker 3: will not prevail against you, that you overcome evil with

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Speaker 3: good and darkness with light. We thank you that in

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Speaker 3: Jesus Christ, we have victory over all the works of

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Speaker 3: the enemy. May we always be truthful in our words

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Speaker 3: and live with integrity, so that when people refer to us,

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Speaker 3: they know that we are speaking truth in Jesus's name. Amen.

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Speaker 3: Thank you so very much for listening to today's Bible

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Speaker 3: in a Year podcast. We are so very grateful for

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Speaker 3: the millions of people who have downloaded this podcast. I'm

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Speaker 3: Pastor Jack Graham, and when you download Theprey dot Com

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Speaker 3: app and make it a priority in your life to

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Speaker 3: listen to God's word. Your life truly will be changed.

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Speaker 3: We are hearing reports from so many of the power

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Speaker 3: of God's Word in their lives. So let me encourage

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Speaker 3: you to pass this podcast onto others, to share it

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Speaker 3: with someone you know, someone you care about, because the

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Speaker 3: Word of God truly will change lives. And if you

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Speaker 3: want more resources on how to experience God's power in

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Speaker 3: your life, be sure to visit Jack Graham dot org.

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Speaker 3: We would love to connect with you and for you

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Speaker 3: to connect with us again. That's Jack Graham dot org.

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Speaker 3: God bless you.

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Speaker 4: Welcome to the pre News podcast, where hope is our

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Speaker 4: only bias. Each day, we'll unpack the most prominent stories

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Speaker 4: happening in the news and offer a Christian perspective. We

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Speaker 4: won't shy away from the hard topics, and we won't

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Speaker 4: dilute the hopeful message of Christ. This is more than

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Speaker 4: a daily brief on the news. It's a way to

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Speaker 4: be informed and transformed. Listen to pre News on the

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Speaker 4: iHeartRadio app Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts