Thank you. The Bible teaches that David was God's anointed king. So why was David's

kingdom unstable? Why would a king chosen by God suffer challenges and failures so late in

his reign? Today on Truth for Life,

Alastair Begg explains how we can find hope in David's tumultuous story.

2 Samuel, Chapter 20. Now there happened to be there a worthless man whose name was Shiba,

the son of Bickri, a Benjaminite. And he blew the trumpet and said, we have no portion in David,

and we have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Every man to his tents, O Israel. So all the men of Israel withdrew from David and followed

Sheba, the son of Bickory. But the men of Judah followed their kings steadfastly from the Jordan to Jerusalem.

And David came to his house at Jerusalem, and the king took the ten concubines whom he had left to care

for the house, and put them in a house under guard, and provided for them, but did not go into them.

So they were shut up until the day of their death, living as if in widowhood. Then the king

said to Amasa, call the men of Judah together to me within three

days and be here yourself. So Amasa went to summon Judah, but he delayed beyond the set time

that had been appointed him. And David said to Abashai, now Sheba, the son of Bickrey, will do us more harm than Absalom.

Take your Lord's servants and pursue him, lest he get himself to fortified cities and escape from us.

And there went out after him, Joeb's men and the Cherathites and the Pelothites and all the mighty men.

They went out from Jerusalem to pursue

Sheba, the son of Bickory. When they were at the great stone that is in Gibyan, Amasa came to meet them.

Now Job was wearing a soldier's garment, and over it was a belt with a sword in its sheath,

fastened on his thigh, and as he went forward, it fell out.

And Joab said to Amasa, is it well with you, my brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with

his right hand to kiss him. But Amasa did not observe the sword that was in Job's hand.

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