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Day 137 2 Samuel 16-18

Day 137 2 Samuel 16-18

Welcome to Day 137. These chapters are among the most painful in the entire Old Testament. David is a king without a kingdom, a father without his sons, and a man who is being publicly shamed for the very sins he thought he had hidden.

2 Samuel 16: Stones and Shaming

As David flees Jerusalem, he encounters two very different people. First, Ziba (the servant of Mephibosheth) brings supplies but tells a lie about his master to get David’s favor. Then comes Shimei. He follows David’s group, throwing stones and screaming curses: "Get out, you man of blood!" David’s soldiers want to take Shimei’s head off, but David stops them. He says, "Let him curse... perhaps the Lord has told him to." David understood that God is the sovereign Disposer of all things. Even the curses of an enemy like Shimei are used by God to humble His people and remind them of their need for Him.

Jesus Connection: David was an innocent king being cursed and pelted with stones as he walked out of his city. This points directly to Jesus, who was cursed, mocked, and pelted as He carried His cross out of Jerusalem—yet He didn't say a word to defend Himself.

2 Samuel 17-18: The Forest of Ephraim

The rebellion reaches a boiling point. Ahithophel (the betrayer) tells Absalom to strike David immediately, but David’s secret ally, Hushai, convinces Absalom to wait. This delay gives David time to organize his army. When the battle finally happens in the woods, David’s experienced commanders crush the rebellion.


Absalom, the son David loved so much, gets his long hair caught in a tree while riding his mule. Despite David’s direct order to "deal gently with the young man," Joab kills him. When David hears the news, he doesn't celebrate the victory. He weeps with a cry that echoes through history: "O my son Absalom... would I had died instead of you!"

God’s Character: God is the Protector of His Anointed. Even when David is weak, God thwarts the "wisdom" of men like Ahithophel to keep His promise to David alive.
God’s Desire: God’s purpose is to establish His kingdom through righteousness, even when it involves the painful pruning of a rebellion.
Jesus Connection: David cried, "Would I had died instead of you!" David couldn't actually die in his son's place, but Jesus did. He is the Father’s Son who actually did trade places with the rebels (us), dying on a "tree" so that we could be restored.

The Heartbeat: This is the high cost of sin coming home. David won the battle but lost his son. In his grief, we see a shadow of the heart of God. A father’s love doesn't stop just because a son rebels. David would have traded his life for Absalom's; Jesus actually did trade His life for ours.

Heart-Check: When people "throw stones" at your reputation, is your first move to fight back or to trust God with your defense? Have you ever "won a battle" but still felt the pain of a loss? How did God meet you there? How does David’s grief help you understand how much your Heavenly Father loves you, even when you wander?

Listen to today's verses from the ESV, then scroll down to select your learning path for supplemental studying.

Heart Dive is a daily Bible study community helping you read Scripture with clarity, consistency, and a heart for Jesus. Everything we create is meant to stay simple, accessible, and rooted in the Word. CLICK HERE for more clarification on the three "paths" below and how to move through them.

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**Before Heart Dive Phase: This content is considered "Bonus Content: The Early Days (2023 Bible Study)". It is Kanoe's complete, first walk-through on YouTube, following the 365-day path.
Phase One (2024): A complete 365-day library for personal study.
Phase Two (2025): Our Heartbeat of God, a deep-dive study produced at a weekly pace.

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**Click on the "plus/minus sign" to open/close your preferred study path.

Before Heart Dive

Our Foundation: In 2023, Kanoe took the first dive. It began as a raw, real-time experimental Bible study in consistency; a commitment to walk through the Word chronologically and see what happened when we showed up for God every day.

This was where Heart Dive was birthed, not as a ministry but as a personal call to obedience. Kanoe didn't intend for it to catch fire and grow beyond her "junk journaling" of #NOTESandHUES.

Yet it was there that she found her rhythm, testing the waters of daily video commentary and discovering a community of "Heart Divers" hungry for more than a surface-level reading.

These early reflections may contain doctrinal or technical errors. We ask for your grace as you listen, and always encourage you to study the Word for yourself.

Watch the 2023 Day 137 2 Samuel 16-18

Kanoe's 2023 Day 137 2 Samuel 16-18 Daily Bible Journaling Notes

Kanoe shared images of her Bible every day as a source of inspiration for your own quiet time and Bible journaling. Today’s notes can be found on a Google Drive link below. You may need to download the Google Drive app or use a desktop browser. Click below for an instant link (no email needed).

DOWNLOAD KANOE'S NOTES

Phase One (2024)

Listen to the Phase One Day 137 2 Samuel 16-18

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Looking for Phase One Day 137 2 Samuel 16-18 resources?

Today’s notes are available at the Google Drive link below. You may need to download the Google Drive app or use a desktop browser. Click below for an instant link (no email required).

NOTE: Moving forward, we will provide Kanoe's notes and Holly's when she covers for Kanoe. However, there will be days when Kanoe's notes may not be available because she chose to truly rest and not create detailed Bible journaling notes.

DOWNLOAD Kanoe's notes DOWNLOAD HEART CHECK PDF

Phase 2 & Phase 3: Coming Soon

Congratulations on making it this far with us!

We hope you've enjoyed the Bonus Year with Kanoe and Phase One of Heart Dive 365.

If you're looking for Phase 2 (The Heartbeat of God) and Phase 3 (Heart Work PDFs), we're currently doing a third walk through the Bible at a more sustainable pace. We're moving at one deep study per week, so we can honor both the season of life we're in and the depth these passages deserve.

Phase 2 and Phase 3 will make their way to the Hub as we complete them. This could take a few weeks or a few years, and we're okay with that. Good things take time.

In the meantime, stay connected with us:


Thank you for being here, Bible study friends. We're grateful for you. 🖤

Phase Two (2025+)

Listen to Phase 2 Day 137 2 Samuel 16-18

Watch the Phase 2 Day 137 2 Samuel 16-18

Looking for Phase 2 Day 137 2 Samuel 16-18 Resources?

Today’s notes are available at the Google Drive link below. You may need to download the Google Drive app or use a desktop browser.


Click below for an instant link (no email needed). Kanoe and Holly are continuing to use the ESV Interleaved Bible in 2025 and beyond; however, they are no longer providing journaling pages and are focusing on producing the Heartbeat of God PDFs and Heart Work PDFs for small-group use.

DOWNLOAD HEARTBEAT OF GOD

Phase Three (2026+)

Phase 3: From Knowledge to Action


Phases 1 and 2 have filled your head with God's truth. Phase 3 is about filling your heart and hands. The Heart Work PDFs aren't just for reflection. They're invitations to transformation.


Now it's time to get real. Share your heart with others. Iron sharpens iron, and community accelerates growth. Phase 3 challenges you in three ways:

  • Personal Obedience (what is God asking you to change?),
  • Relational Grace (who needs your forgiveness or encouragement?)
  • Missional Movement (where is God asking you to step out in faith?).


This is faith in action—head knowledge becoming lived reality.


**There may not always be a video to accompany the Heart Work PDF.

Listen to Phase 3 Day 137 2 Samuel 16-18

Looking for Phase 3 Day 137 2 Samuel 16-18 Resources?

Today’s notes are available at the Google Drive link below. You may need to download the Google Drive app or use a desktop browser.


Click below for an instant link (no email needed). Kanoe and Holly are continuing to use the ESV Interleaved Bible in 2025 and beyond; however, they are no longer providing journaling pages and are focusing on producing the Heartbeat of God PDFs and Heart Work PDFs for small-group use.

DOWNLOAD Heart work

Study Resources & Links

Every day we dive deep, and we want to make sure you have the tools you need to follow along. Below are the ongoing resources and legal credits for our daily study:

Essential Study Tools

Our Trusted Partners & Affiliates

  • Logos Bible Software: logos.com — The gold standard for digital Bible study.
  • Christianbook: christianbook.com — Our go-to for physical Bibles and Christian resources.
  • The James Method: thejamesmethod.com — Beautiful tools for verse mapping.
  • The Daily Grace Co.: thedailygraceco.com — Quality supplies for your journaling journey.

Recommended Teaching & Creators

  • Pastor Skip Heitzig: YouTube Channel — Verse-by-verse teaching through the entire Bible.
  • Pastor Paul LeBoutillier: YouTube Channel — Clear, biblically sound teaching from Calvary Chapel Ontario.
  • 2BeLikeChrist: YouTube Channel — Fantastic visual summaries and breakdowns of biblical books.

Commentary & Sources Used

Our daily teaching is informed by a variety of respected biblical scholars and resources, including:

  • Enduring Word: enduringword.com - Free Bible Commentary from Pastor David Guzik.
  • Jon Courson: Jon Courson’s Application Commentary: Old & New Testament (Thomas Nelson Inc., 2006). (Get it on Logos)
  • The Nelson Study Bible: New King James Version (NKJV Study Bible, 2nd ed.), Edited by E. D. Radmacher et al. (Thomas Nelson, 1997/2011).

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Scripture Quotations Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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The ESV text is quoted for audio use in our podcasts and videos under the publisher's fair use guidelines for non-commercial ministry.
Visual Use:
Any italics in quotations of Scripture have been added by Heart Dive Ministry for emphasis.
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Heart Dive Resources: All daily "Heart Checks," "Heartbeats," and "Heart Work" study guides are produced by Heart Dive Ministry. While we provide these copies for your unrestricted personal use and small group discipleship, please honor the work by not selling or translating these materials without written permission.

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