JUNE 28 – Wisdom in the Midst of Loss
3-Year-Bible Reading: Proverbs 19:1–2; 1 Samuel 30
//3-Year Bible Devotional Book (Year Two) Available on Amazon
//
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“Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool. Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.” — Proverbs 19:1–2 (ESV)
“David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, including his two wives.” — 1 Samuel 30:6, 19 (ESV)
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Have you ever had a day where everything seemed to go wrong? Maybe someone hurt your feelings, you failed a test, or plans fell apart. David faced a similar moment in 1 Samuel 30 when he returned to find his city destroyed and his family taken. But instead of panicking, David strengthened himself in the Lord, and that courage led him to recover everything that was lost. Proverbs 19 reminds us that rushing into decisions or following desires without wisdom can get us into trouble. Facing tough moments with patience, integrity, and reliance on God allows us to navigate challenges wisely and come out stronger.
Life can throw unexpected problems at us, but our response matters more than the problem itself. Strengthening ourselves in God means praying, seeking His guidance, and making decisions based on His wisdom instead of our immediate emotions. Like David, when we act with integrity and trust in God, we can overcome setbacks and even restore what was lost.
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THINK ABOUT IT
1. Integrity Over Impulse: How can choosing honesty and wisdom over quick fixes help you avoid bigger problems (Proverbs 19:1–2)?
2. Strength in God: When life feels overwhelming or unfair, what practical steps can you take to “strengthen yourself in the Lord” like David did (1 Samuel 30:6)?
3. Recover and Restore: What areas of your life need God’s guidance for restoration—relationships, school, or personal goals? How can you trust Him to help you recover?
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BOTTOM LINE
When life falls apart, trusting God, acting with wisdom, and standing firm in integrity equips you to recover and grow stronger.
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PRAYER
Heavenly Father, thank You for being my strength when I feel weak or overwhelmed. Help me to act with wisdom, walk in integrity, and trust You to restore what is lost. Teach me to strengthen myself in You and make choices that honor You even in difficult times. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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Welcome to Bible Chat, where we
have devotional conversations
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rooted in Scripture and relevant
for today, June 28th.
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Wisdom in the midst of loss.
We all have those days where
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everything falls apart at once.
Plans collapse, relationship
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strain, something you worked
hard for doesn’t come through.
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And in those moments, there’s a
particular temptation to panic,
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to react, to do something,
anything, just to regain a sense
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of control.
And sometimes that desperate
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reaching is what leads to the
second mistake that compounds
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the first one.
David experienced this in one of
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the most dramatic scenes in all
of First Samuel.
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In Chapter 30, he and his men
returned to find their city,
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Ziklag, burned to the ground.
Their families had been taken
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captive.
The men around David were so
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devastated.
They were talking about stoning
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him.
Everything that could go wrong
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had gone wrong.
And first Samuel chapter 30
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verse 6 says David strengthened
himself in the Lord his God.
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That sentence is so short and so
profound.
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He didn’t strengthen himself in
his own resilience.
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He didn’t strengthen himself
through motivational self talk.
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He went to God, he turned his
catastrophic moment into a
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moment of prayer and seeking
direction.
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And from that place of spiritual
grounding he received clear
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guidance.
Pursue and recover.
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And First Samuel chapter 30,
verse 19 tells us David
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recovered all, not some of all.
Proverbs.
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Chapter 19, verses 1 and 2 frame
the wisdom side of this
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beautifully.
Better is a poor person who
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walks in his integrity than one
who is crooked in speech and is
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a fool.
Desire without knowledge is not
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good, and whoever makes haste
with his feet misses his way.
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The person who panics and rushes
misses the path.
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The person who maintains
integrity even in loss stays on
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solid ground.
It’s not about being perfect or
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having it all figured out.
It’s about staying grounded in
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God and choosing wisdom over
impulse.
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When everything is screaming at
you to react, we all face our
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Ziklag moments.
Maybe yours isn’t as dramatic.
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Maybe it’s a failed friendship,
a grade that tanked your GPAA
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family situation that feels
completely out of your hands.
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But the principle is the same.
Before you react, before you
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send the message you’ll regret,
before you make the desperate
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move out of fear, strengthen
yourself in God.
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That means going to Scripture
and finding the promises that
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speak to your situation.
It means prayer that isn’t just
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a quick plea, but an actual
conversation where you wait long
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enough to sense God’s direction.
It means calling someone wiser
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than you and listening before
you act.
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Your recovery of relationships,
of goals, of trust, of peace is
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possible.
But it starts with the same
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place David started, not with
your own strength, with his.
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Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, thank you for
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being our strength in the
moments when we have none of our
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own, when life falls apart and
panic wants to take over.
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Help us to do what David did, to
strengthen ourselves in You
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before we do anything else.
Give us wisdom to act with
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integrity, courage to pursue
recovery, and faith to believe
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that what feels lost can be
restored.
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We trust you with the broken
pieces in Jesus name, Amen.
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What if the night was never
meant to be ruled by fear, but
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covered by the presence and
authority of God?
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Command Your Night is a
prophetic prayer script series
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created for believers who want
to pray with confidence before
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sleep, stand firm in spiritual
warfare and invite divine
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covering over every hour of
darkness.
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These prayers help you quiet
anxiety.
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Guard your home, resist
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dreams, cover your family, and
recognize sacred moments when
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God may be calling you to
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From peaceful sleep to midnight
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strengthens your faith and
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Order now on Amazon or visit
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Now I invite you to spend time
with God in today’s three-year
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Bible reading plan.
Proverbs chapter 19 verses one
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to two World English Bible
Better is the poor who walks in
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his integrity than he who is
perverse in his lips and is a
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fool.
It isn’t good to have zeal
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without knowledge nor being
hasty with one’s feet and
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missing the way.
First Samuel Chapter 30 World
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English Bible When David and his
men had come to Ziklag, on the
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third day, the Amalkites had
made a raid on the South and on
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Ziklag, and had struck Ziklag
and burned it with fire, and had
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taken captive the women and all
who were in it, both small and
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great.
They didn’t kill any, but
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carried them off and went their
way.
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When David and his men came to
the city, behold, it was burned
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with fire, and their wives,
their sons, and their daughters
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were taken captive.
Then David and the people who
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were with him lifted up their
voice and wept until they had no
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more power to weep.
David’s two wives were taken
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captive, Ahenome the
Jezreelitis, and Abigail the
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wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
David was greatly distressed,
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for the people spoke of stoning
him, because the souls of all
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the people were grieved, every
man for his sons and for his
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daughters.
But David strengthened himself
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in Yahweh his God.
David said to Abiathar the
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priest, the son of Ahemletch,
please bring the ephod here to
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me.
Abiathar brought the ephod to
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David.
David inquired of Yahweh,
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saying, If I pursue after this
troop, will I overtake them?
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He answered him, pursue, for you
will surely overtake them, and
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will without fail recover all.
So David went, he and the 600
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men who were with him, and came
to the brook Basore, where those
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who were left behind stayed.
But David pursued he and 400 men
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for 200 stayed behind, who were
so faint that they couldn’t go
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over the brook Basore.
They found an Egyptian in the
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field and brought him to David
and gave him bread, and he ate,
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and they gave him water to
drink.
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They gave him a piece of a cake
of figs and two clusters of
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raisins.
When he had eaten, his spirit
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came again to him, for he had
eaten no bread and drank no
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water for three days and three
nights.
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David asked him, To whom do you
belong?
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Where are you from?
He said, I’m a young man of
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Egypt, servant to an Amalekite,
and my master left me because
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three days ago I got sick.
We made a raid on the South of
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the Cherithites and on that
which belongs to Judah, and on
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the South of Caleb, and we
burned Ziklag with fire.
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David said to him, Will you
bring me down to this troop?
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He said, Swear to me by God that
you will not kill me and not
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deliver me up into the hands of
my master, and I will bring you
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down to this troop.
When he had brought him down,
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behold, they were spread around
over all the ground, eating,
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drinking, and dancing, because
of all the great plunder that
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they had taken out of the land
of the Philistines and out of
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the land of Judah.
David struck them from the
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twilight even to the evening of
the next day.
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Not a man of them escaped from
there, except 400 young men who
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rode on camels and fled.
David recovered all that the
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Amalkite had taken, and David
rescued his two wives.
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There was nothing lacking to
them, neither small nor great,
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neither sons nor daughters,
neither plunder nor anything
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that they had taken.
To them.
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David brought back all David
took all the flocks and the
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herds which they drove before
those other livestock and said
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this is David’s plunder.
David came to the 200 men who
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were so faint that they could
not follow David, whom also they
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had made to stay at the Brook
Basore, and they went out to
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meet David and to meet the
people who were with him.
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When David came near to the
people, he greeted them.
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Then all the wicked men and
worthless fellows of those who
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went with David answered and
said, Because they didn’t go
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with us, we will not give them
anything of the plunder that we
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have recovered, except to every
man, his wife and his children,
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that he may lead them away and
depart.
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Then David said, Do not do so,
my brothers, with that which
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Yahweh has given to us, who has
preserved us and delivered the
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troop that came against us into
our hand, Who will listen to you
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in this matter?
For as his share is who goes
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down to the battle, so shall his
share be, who stays with the
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baggage they shall share alike.
It was so from that day forward
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that he made it a statute and an
ordinance for Israel to this
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day.
When David came to Ziklag, he
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sent some of the plunder to the
elders of Judah, even to his
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friends, saying, Behold a
present for you from the plunder
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of Yahweh’s enemies.
He sent it to those who were in
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Bethel, to those who were in
Ramoth of the South, to those
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who were in Jadir, to those who
were in Arawar, to those who
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were in Siphmoth.
To those who were in Eshtimoa.
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To those who were in Rackle.
To those who were in the cities
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of the Jeremi Lights, To those
who were in the cities of the
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Kenites, to those who were in
Horma, to those who were in
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Borashen, to those who were in
Athach, to those who were in
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Hebron, and to all the places
where David himself and his men
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used to stay.
Thanks for joining us on Bible
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Chat, where Scripture meets
everyday life.
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If today’s devotional encouraged
you, share it with a friend and
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be sure to follow the podcast so
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conversation.
Until next time, stay rooted in
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truth, anchored in hope, and
walking daily with Jesus.

