In today's readings, we hear about the death of Abner, and Fr. Mike points out how David publicly mourns Abner, and instructs his people to do the same. The readings are 2 Samuel 3, 1 Chronicles 3-4, and Psalm 25. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.
Chapter 1: What is the focus of today's readings?
Using the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. It is day 122. Gosh, well done, you guys. So good. We're reading from 2 Samuel chapter 3. First Chronicles chapter three and four, two chapters of names. It's going to be great. You're going to love it. I tell you.
And we're also going to be praying Psalm 25. As always, the Bible translation that I'm reading from is the revised standard version, second Catholic edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in a year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year.
You can also subscribe to this podcast in your podcast app by clicking subscribe, and that would make you subscribed. It'll be great. As I said, today is day 122, and we are reading today from 2 Samuel chapter 3, 1 Chronicles chapter 3 and 4, and praying Psalm 25. 2 Samuel 3. Abner defects to David.
There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David, and David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker. And sons were born to David at Hebron. His firstborn was Amnon of Ahinoam of Jezreel, and his second, Chileb, of Abigail, the widow of Nebal of Carmel. And the third, Absalom, the son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur.
And the fourth, Adonijah, the son of Haggith. And the fifth, Shephatiah, the son of Abital. And the sixth, Ethriam of Eglah, David's wife. These were born to David in Hebron. While there was a war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner was making himself strong in the house of Saul. Now, Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Ayah.
And a Shibosheth said to Abner, why have you gone into my father's concubine? Then Abner was very angry over the words of a Shibosheth and said, am I a dog's head of Judah? This day I keep showing loyalty to the house of Saul, your father, to his brothers and to his friends, and have not given you into the hand of David. And yet you charge me today with a fault concerning a woman.
God do so to Abner and more also, if I do not accomplish for David what the Lord has sworn to him, to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah from Dan to Beersheba. And the Shibosheth could not answer Abner another word because he feared him. And Abner sent messengers to David at Hebron, saying, To whom does the land belong?
Make your covenant with me, and behold, my hand shall be with you to bring over all Israel to you. And he said, Good, I will make a covenant with you. But one thing I require of you, that is, you shall not see my face unless you first bring Michal, Saul's daughter, when you come to see my face.
then david sent messengers to eshibosheth saul's son saying give me my wife michal whom i betrothed at the price of a hundred foreskins of the philistines and eshibosheth sent and took her from her husband paltiel the son of laish but her husband went with her weeping after her all the way to bahurim Then Abner said to him, Go, return. And he returned.
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Chapter 2: Who was Abner and why is his death significant?
And Abner said to David, I will arise and go, and will gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may reign over all that your heart desires. So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace. Abner is killed by Joab. Just then, the servants of David arrived with Joab from a raid, bringing much spoil with them.
But Abner was not with David at Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. When Joab and all the army that was with him came, it was told Joab, Abner, the son of Ner, came to the king, and he has let him go, and he has gone in peace. And Joab went to the king and said, What have you done? Behold, Abner came to you. Why is it that you sent him away, so that he is gone?
You know that Abner, the son of Ner, came to deceive you and to know you're going out and you're coming in and to know all that you are doing. When Joab came out from David's presence, he sent messengers after Abner and they brought him back from the cistern of Sarah, but David did not know about it.
And when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the midst of the gate to speak with him privately, and there he struck him in the belly so that he died for the blood of Asahel his brother. Afterward, when David heard of it, he said, I and my kingdom are forever guiltless before the Lord for the blood of Abner the son of Ner.
May it fall upon the head of Joab and upon all his father's house. And may the house of Joab never be without one who has a discharge or who is leprous or who holds a spindle or who is slain by the sword or who lacks bread. So Joab and Abishai, his brother, slew Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.
Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, tear your clothes and put on sackcloth and mourn before Abner. And David followed the beer. They buried Abner at Hebron and the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner and all the people wept. And the king lamented for Abner, saying, Should Abner die as a fool dies?
Your hands were not bound, your feet were not fettered. As one falls before the wicked, you have fallen. And all the people wept again over him. Then all the people came to persuade David to eat bread while it was yet day. But David swore, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else till the sun goes down. And all the people took notice of it.
And it pleased them, as everything that the king did pleased all the people. So all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been the king's will to slay Abner the son of Ner. And the king said to his servants, Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel? And I am this day weak, though anointed king.
These men, the sons of Zerui, are too hard for me.
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Chapter 3: How did David respond to Abner's death?
Descendants of Simeon. The sons of Simeon, Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, Shaul. Shalom was his son. Mibsam, his son. Mishma, his son. The sons of Mishma, Hamuel, his son. Zakur, his son. Shemiah, his son. Shemiah had 16 sons and 6 daughters, but his brothers did not have many children, nor did all their family multiply like the men of Judah.
They dwelt in Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar-Shual, Bilhah, Ezim, Tolad, Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, Beth-Markaboth, Hazar-Susim, Beth-Biri, and Sha'ar-Araim. These were the cities until David reigned. And the villages were Etam, Ain, Ramon, Tochen, and Ashan, five cities, along with all their villages, which were round about these cities as far as Baal.
These were their settlements and they kept a genealogical record. Meshobab, Jemlech, Josha, the son of Amaziah, Joel, Jehu, the son of Josheba, son of Zeriah, son of Asiel, Eli-o-enai, Jaakobah, Jeshohiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jeshimimiel, Behaniah, Zisa, the son of Shifi, son of Alon, son of Judiah, son of Shimri, son of Shemaiah.
these mentioned by name were princes in their families and their fathers houses increased greatly they journeyed to the entrance of gedor to the east side of the valley to seek pasture for their flocks where they found rich good pasture and the land was very broad quiet and peaceful for the former inhabitants there belonged to ham
Chapter 4: What lessons can we learn from David's mourning?
These, registered by name, came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and destroyed their tents, and the Meunim who were found there, and exterminated them to this day, and settled in their place, because there was pasture there for their flocks.
And some of them, five hundred men of the Simeonites, went to Mount Seir, having as their leaders Peletiah, Neariah, Rephiah, and Usael, the sons of Ishi. And they destroyed the remnant of the Amalekites that had escaped, and they have dwelt there to this day.
Chapter 5: What genealogies are covered in the readings?
Thank you. Psalm 25. Prayer for guidance and for deliverance.
A Psalm of David. To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust. Let me not be put to shame. Let not my enemies exult over me. Yes, let none that wait for you be put to shame. Let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. Make me to know your ways, O Lord. Teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me for you are the God of my salvation. For you I wait all the day long.
Be mindful of your compassion, O Lord, and of your merciful love for they have been from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions. According to your mercy, remember me for your goodness's sake, O Lord. Good and upright is the Lord, therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right. He teaches the humble his way.
Chapter 6: Who are the key descendants of David mentioned?
All the paths of the Lord are mercy and faithfulness for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. For your name's sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt for it is great. Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. He himself shall abide in prosperity, and his children shall possess the land.
The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant. My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the net. Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Relieve the troubles of my heart and bring me out of my distresses. Consider my affliction and my trouble and forgive all my sins.
Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me. O guard my life and deliver me. Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you. Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.
Father in heaven, we give you praise and we thank you.
We thank you for the difficulty of these days. Honestly, God, it is difficult to get through these names. And we just have to admit that. Yes, they mean something. Yes, they're powerful. They're meaningful. And they're difficult. And that is worth noting. It's worth noting that... Oh gosh, Lord, thank you.
Thank you for your word that is rooted in history and rooted in reality, rooted in people's actual stories. And so all of these names is a marker, is all these names is a person, all these names is an untold story.
So many of the names we have here, Lord, are names of people that we don't know much about other than their name and other than the fact that they were critical to you, they were loved by you, they're known by you, and they were part of your story to redeem the world.
So in the difficulty, Lord, we ask that you please give us strength and give us patience so that we can hear the words we need to hear and we can become the people you want us to become. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Oh, brother. Yeesh. Okay, so I don't know if they were difficult for you.
We have a couple more chapters with us, and it's going to be fine. It's going to be fine, my friends. It's going to be fine. But not only we have First Chronicles with us, a bunch of names that are so good. In fact, I truly am saying this.
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