Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - Is There Still Hope For Me? | Historical Books | 2 Samuel 16:15-23

Episode Date: July 2, 2025

Do you feel hopeless? Does life feel bleak? Will evil ever be defeated? In today's episode, Jensen shares how 2 Samuel 16:15-23 encourages us to have hope even when things seem bleak because our King is faithful to his promises. 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 16:15-23

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. Today we find ourselves in the middle of a narrative in which all seems bleak for those who are seeking to follow God faithfully. David has been cast out of his kingdom. He's fleeing into exile in the wilderness because his son, Absalom, has overthrown his throne. David is relying on the generosity of others as he brings his house. hold out into the wilderness, and most recently he's come under a verbal attack from one of Saul's relatives. And rather than defend himself, David, in defeat, believes the attack to be deserved, maybe even sent from God to punish him for his sin. Now, David, his family, and all of Israel,

are currently suffering under bleak circumstances as fallout from David's sin. Things look dark. They're doesn't seem to be much hope for victory. Have you ever found yourself in a similar place to David, feeling like there isn't much hope? Maybe it's in a personal battle or maybe just on a global or political scale. Things feel hopeless to you right now. The idea of overcoming all the evil, all the brokenness of restoring justice and bringing healing to our world and nation seems like a far-off dream. There's so much wrong. Injustice always seems to be winning. And in our passage today, we will have to wrestle with attention of finding hope when all seems hopeless, when things continue to get worse. Second Samuel 16 verse 15. Meanwhile, Absalom and all the men of Israel came to

Jerusalem, and Ahithafel was with him. Then Hushai, the archite, David's confidant, went to Absalom, and said to him, long live the king, long live the king. Absalom said to Hushai, so this is the love you show your friend? If he's your friend, why didn't you go with him? Okay, so here we have David's friend, Hushai, who tried to flee with David, but was sent back by the king with the expressed intention of trying to undermine the wisdom of David's former counsel, Ahithafel. Okay, but Absalom questions him. How can he know that Hushai is really here to be loyal to him? So Hushai appeals to Absalom's ego. He said to Absalom, no, the one chosen by the Lord, by these people, and by all the men of Israel, his I will be, and I will remain with him. Furthermore, whom should I serve? Should I not

serve this son just as I served your father, so I will serve you. So Absalom seems appeased by this declaration that Absalom is the chosen one by God and the people, and so in turn he moves on, and he directs his attention to Ahithafel, the one that Hushai is here to undermine. So Absalom said to Ahithafel, give us your advice. What should we do? Ahithafel answered, sleep with your father's concubines, whom he left to take care of the palace, then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself obnoxious to your father,

and the hands of everyone with you will be more resolute. So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and he slept with his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel. If things were looking bad before, this certainly does nothing to improve upon the outlook.

The wise counsel given to the king may have accomplished its desired effect, but it further misalines Absalom's kingship with the ways of God. In fact, this is just what Nathan prophesied would happen as part of the curse David brought on his family in 2nd Samuel 1211. The author closes this chapter with this reflection on the council of Ahithafel. Now, in those days, the advice Ahithafel gave was like that of one who inquires of God. That was how both David and Absalom regarded all of Ahithel's advice. So Ahithel clearly was successful, so successful that both David and Absalom had come to regard his advice with the same kind of absolute authority and wisdom as they

would regard the words of God. They sought out his counsel like one would seek out gods. Now, when the words of one man, a man who would uphold and advise evil and disgusting actions for the sake of advancing his own agenda become tantamount to the word of the Lord, something has gone seriously, seriously wrong. And it has. A false king has

overtaken the throne. He's listening to advice that takes him far from the ways of God under the guise of wise counsel. And this closing remark given by the author sets up the insurmountable obstacle that Hushai has to overcome.

If Hushai is not successful in justice will continue. If he is not successful, God's anointed will never return to the throne. If he's not successful, Absalom will continue to lead his people into further madness and sin. But how can he be successful? How can he when it's so bleak? When the man whose wisdom he has to undermine is taken as one would take a command from God? That's the question the author wants us to face. But not to depress us, not to make us certain that evil will win, that hope is lost, but to help us realize, when faced with an insurmountable obstacle, when faced with unimaginable evil being packaged as wisdom, the only hope for victory comes

from the Lord. That is where Hushai and David and the faithful remnant wandering in the wilderness must turn, and it's where you and I must also firmly plant our hope when things seem hopeless. Isaiah 42 promises that a servant of the Lord is coming. Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight. I will put my spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed, he will not break, and a smoldering wick, he will not snuff out in faithfulness, he will bring forth justice. He will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his teaching, the islands will put their hope. The servant in this passage is pointing forward to Jesus. Jesus will not fail to produce real

and lasting justice for all people. He will be faithful. He has to has already died for the sins of his people and risen from the grave to establish a kingdom that cannot be overtaken, that cannot be poisoned with evil in disguise. He is the good and true king. He does not use violence and aggression to assert his power over people, but comes armed with love, justice, and mercy to free the world from those who would seek to destroy it for their own gain. Look to Jesus when all seems like. lost. Remember the promises of the Bible, remember the vision of his good kingdom given to us in the book of Revelation, a place where there's no fear, no pain, no sadness, no death, a place where we can

dwell under the rule and reign of a good king forever, where we are free to serve the one who is worthy of our service. Until that day, as you and I face a bleak landscape, we can hope because we know the promises of our king are sure. And in that hope, we can make small moves to bring justice into the corner of our worlds. To be like our good king, to lead with love, justice, and mercy, knowing that he will be faithful to complete the good works that we begin here in this life. When the enemy and the evil of this world seems too powerful to defeat, too big to overcome. Remember, you, sir, a big God, who has made big promises,

and who has called you and all of his people to be faithful to spread the boundaries of his kingdom little by little today and every day. Will you join him in that call?