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Word in the Wild is a one year Bible adventure with friends. Join from anywhere and enjoy a fun, rewarding, and doable 12-month journey through the Bible where you read it from cover to cover and understand it. It’s not a devotional or recap. It’s a guide by your side through God’s Word. With support from a weekly podcast and an online community of fellow travelers, this is the year when you finally explore the Bible in its own words and on its own terms for yourself.
This is Word and the Wild...a one year Bible adventure with friends. My name is Owen. I'm your host and your guide, and together we are on a 12-month journey as a podcast plus community...where we read the Bible for ourselves, but not by ourselves.
We are here in WEEK 18... This week... the chickens come home to roost for David as family drama and political intrigue have him on the run in the wilderness, just like old times.
So... hello and welcome we're rolling though this journey together. It's not a recap where we feed you bite-sized bits of the Bible... No this is free-wheeling walk where we watch the story the Bible unfold like the epic movie it is... So, subscribe here on your favorite podcast platform and share with a friend.
And, a special welcome to our Word and the Wild PLUS community members. Their support of this non-profit endeavor is making space for all of us on this Bible reading adventure. They enjoy access to our private, safe online space where no honest question is a dumb question... along with a weekly livestream Q&A, and bonus content like articles, interactions, meet-ups, and even some livestream teaching gatherings with yours truly.
If any of that sounds like your jam, then check the show notes for how to become a member yourself. Or get all the details over at wordandthewild.com
And now, let's get into this binge-worthy week in the epic story of the Bible.
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This week, we see a very private choice become a very public problems.
This week in the story, almost no one is who they should be or who we think they are. It's deception and trickery everywhere we turn.
David's son, Absalom, is a model turned menace as he betrays his father, and stokes a conspiracy that leads to a civil war.
Joab, who David treats as his honorable military commander is a liar and a murderer.
Even Saul's crippled grandson, Mephibosheth -- a man who eats at David's own table -- brings so much drama that David can't tell if he's a friend or a foe.
And we will encounter many such characters this week. It's a confusing mix of lies and manipulation with family and political backstabbing, side stabbing, and heart stabbing (for real!) that shows just how complicated life in and around David's household has become.
And, while the story is confusing, the root cause for all this drama is clear. We can trace all the crooked storylines back to their single, crooked source.
It all started with a lazy King David who looks out over the rooftops around his palace and decides to reach out for that forbidden fruit.
He betrays and murders a close friend. Get his friends' wife pregnant. Involves Joab in an elaborate cover up. And if it weren't for the direct intervention and confrontation of God himself, who knows where David would have ended up.
To David's credit, he does admit his mistake. But, as the prophet Nathan predicted, the consequences don't just linger. They snowball. David's plot killed Bathsheba's husband, Uriah and a few others. By the end of all the civil wars and attempted coups that result from David's choices, thousands die. And, David's heart gets broken time and again.
And yet, to David's credit, he continues to lean on God for comfort and support through it all.
So, as we walk through this week in the epic movie that is the Bible, I think it will help you to keep three things in mind.
First, remember that the Bible does not condone everything it describes. The Bible recounts these stories because the fit inside the Main Story. The big story arc of God's plans to rescue and restore his beloved creation. What we see people doing is different from what we see God doing. God doesn't agree with everything we see.
Second, when you see a shady character in the story getting away murder -- literally sometimes -- keep reading. And when you see someone talking out both sides of their mouths... keep reading. It ain't over until it's over.
Third, and this is something for us to overlay onto our own thinking as we read. Our choices may be made private, but they are not made in isolation. Take note from David's experiences. God is both a God of compassion AND accountability. Small, secret choices rarely stay that way. Just like the results of David's affair with Bathsheba, the results of our choices start showing.
Listen to David's own description of this truth in the lyrics to a song he wrote in the face of betrayal by his enemies:
“The wicked conceive evil; they are pregnant with trouble and give birth to lies.
They dig a deep pit to trap others, then fall into it themselves.
The trouble they make for others backfires on them. The violence they plan falls on their own heads.”
(Psalm 7:14–16)
In the New Testament, James uses similar language to describe the life cycle of our choices to turn away from God's path to walk our own:
“Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.”
(James 1:14–15 NLT)
How many times did regret keep David awake at night? How many times did he feel the weight of guilt sit on his chest as he watched the consequences of his decisions come home to roost?
We can only guess. But, one think we can know for certain. If David had a chance to offer a word of advice to us, the viewer in this epic tale, he would say, "Be careful, my friends. In the heat of the moment, don't forget about the future. You can't imagine the impact of today's decisions on the future. You always harvest what you plant."
And, it's never too late to admit when you've walked away from friendship with God. Honesty strengthens the friendship. God's love outlasts our mistakes. God's love endures forever.
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And now, you are all set to hit the trail this week. It's been a real pleasure to be with you. I'm grateful for the opportunity. If you love it... share it with someone you know... throw a little something in the tip jar... and make sure you've subscribed.
All you Word and the Wild PLUS community members, special thanks to you for your financial support of this non-profit endeavor. You guys are real gems. I'll be seeing you in THE WILD... our private online community space.... this week.
Word and the Wild is a LineHouse Community. It's part of the LineHouse Community Network, a nonprofit organization with a mission to bring neighbors together to promote awareness, appreciation, and understanding of the Bible.
Because friendship and God's Word change lives and change cities.
And... presented by the LumaVoz podcast network.
And with that, we're out. I'm Owen, I'm your host and your guide. Until next time, I'll see you out there on the trail in the Word and the Wild.