Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - How to Bring Unity to the Church | Historical Books | 2 Samuel 19:16-43

Episode Date: July 9, 2025

Do you see unity in the church? What do you put your hope in? How do we bring peace into a divisive world? In today's episode, Jensen shares how 2 Samuel 19:16-43 encourages us to rest in Christ, who unifies his church. If you're listening on Spotify, tell us about yourself and where you're listening from! Read the Bible with us in 2025! This year, we’re exploring the Historical Books—Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, and 1 & 2 Kings. Download your reading plan now. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it so that others can find it, too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passages: 2 Samuel 19:16-43

Welcome to 10-minute Bible talks, where we connect the Bible to your life and the time it takes to get to work. I'm Jensen Holt McNair. When you think of the church, do you think of unity? Maybe you can honestly answer yes for your local congregation. I definitely see unity flourishing within the community of my local church. But when I zoom out to the church in America and then even more broadly to the global church, unity is not something that I often see. The wars raging within the church over doctrinal differences, scriptural interpretation, political beliefs, and cultural divides echo the same division of wars raging on our global

landscape. Disrust, dislike, violence, hatred, disunity. A unified and peaceful church seems as far off as a unified and peaceful world does. How can the church claim to be a people bringing good news of peace and joy to the world when inside of its very walls it holds the same blueprints for hatred and division? How can we, as the people of God, hope to overcome the division and produce peace in the church and spread that peace to the world as part of our mission as God's people? It's a big question. And it's not the first time God's people have faced insurmountable trials of the same kind.

In the second half of 2 Samuel 19, David is returning to Jerusalem after his time in exile. You'll remember that he was in exile because his son Absalom had attempted a coup to overthrow the throne and take power before the death of his father. David is now able to return to the city because his armed forces have defeated those. of his son, and Absalom has been killed in the process. Now, if you want to examine a divided people, then you don't need to look any further than this story. David has a huge task ahead of him. Absalom didn't take the throne alone, right? He was able to gain support from many people in the nation to accomplish what he did. While David wandered in the wilderness, he was not treated kindly

by all. But now he returns as king, king to all of God's people, one nation, a nation that as king, he is called to rule and to unite. And in the first portion of today's chapter, we see that David chooses mercy as he greets his people, those who were for and against him on his way back to Jerusalem. David begins by pardoning Shemay, a descendant of Saul who had taunted and verbally assaulted him in the wilderness. He settled the matter between Maphibishev and Ziva, who had spun a web of slander surrounding each other's support of King David. He offered them forgiveness and waved the matter aside. He rebuked those whose desire was to punish those who had not been loyal. He was generous

to those who came out in support of him. He extended a hand of peace to all. David is re-entering Jerusalem as king, and he is doing everything he can to unite the people, to offer forgiveness. forgiveness and mercy to move past the days of division. But, despite his best efforts, he's not successful. The very next verses after the long narrative describing his return say this. Then all the men of Israel came to the king and said to the king, Why have our brothers the men of Judah stolen you away and brought the king and his household over the Jordan all David's men with him?

All the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, because the king is out of our close relative. Why then are you angry over this matter? Have we eaten at all at the king's expense? Or has he given us any gift? And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah. We have ten shares in the king, and in David also we have more than you. Why then do you despise us? Were we not the first to speak of bringing back our king? But the words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel. So you hear the division, right? The men of Judah and the men of Israel, ten turns. tribes against who fighting over their king, who knows him better, who's treated him better, who's closer, who has more rights to him. Does it sound familiar? People making claims on who is

right, who actually knows the king, who's actually following closely to him. A modern church focused on tearing the beliefs of others apart, pointing fingers, pridefully asserting that they know best. See, despite David's best efforts, he cannot unite the people have gotten. And no matter how hard we try to get the church to play nice, to erase division, to bring unity, you and I, we will fail as well. Because our hope for peace and unity in the people of God cannot be found in a mere human. It cannot be accomplished by human striving. Human striving, human decision making, human seeking power and control. That's how we got here. See, the hope for unity of God's people, is found in surrendering to King Jesus, the only one with the power to unite all of

creation under his peaceful rule. Ephesians 2 says this, but now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh, the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body, to reconcile both of them to God through the cross by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you, who were far away, and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one spirit. consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people,

and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him, the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him, you two are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit. So because of the sacrificial death of Jesus, we've been brought near, both to each other and to God. Christ is our peace. He has brought us together.

He has broken down the wall of hostility. He made one new humanity. He made peace by bringing all things together in him. Hostility has been put to death. Through him we have access to the Father by the Holy Spirit. All of this means that we're no longer foreigners or strangers. We are family, citizens of one kingdom. Jesus is our king.

Jesus has brought together people who are far from God, strangers from one another, and he has built us into a holy temple, one unified building that is to be the dwelling place of God on earth. That's the vision for God's people. That's what God has made possible through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The division in the church, the division of God's people go starkly against the central call of the gospel. But debating and reprimanding and pointing out who's to blame for what is not going to bring peace. Go back to Ephesians 2. What brings peace? What brings God's people together? What joins them?

What makes them one? What unites them? Jesus. The person of Jesus. recognizing that all you have, that all you are is a gift from him. Recognizing that it is only by his mercy and love and rescue that you have a place in the people of God, recognizing that without him, you would still be far off, separated, cut off from life. It is the humility that comes from recognizing only by the grace of Jesus Christ are you welcome as a citizen of the kingdom of God, that you can begin to see fellow believers across political aisles and denominations and cultural divides as brothers and sisters. It is only when you are

securely resting in Christ that the hostility crumbles as you see someone you thought was your enemy resting safely in the arms that hold you together as well. The unified body and building that you are a part of that you have devoted your life to building is being held up and supported by people you thought weren't good enough, you thought weren't holy enough, didn't worship right. Let go of your pride, of your belief that you're right in all things and instead surrender to Christ. Humble yourself. Trust him. Look to him. Allow him to build you into a dwelling place for God. Root yourself in the humility of Christ. Allow it to transform you. Allow it to knock down the walls of hostility and open the doors for unity. Christ died.

for the unity of his people. He died to reconcile all things to himself. In his kingdom, there's no room for division, hostility, or hatred. Don't let your disdain, your hostility for another human keep you from resting securely in the peaceful embrace of Christ. Look to Jesus. Give him praise, that though you were once far off, divided by hostility, alienated from God and one another, you have now been brought near in his warm embrace.