April 15: One brave, wise woman saved a entire city from destruction!

2 Samuel 19:5-20:26

2 Samuel 20:14-22

Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹⁴ Joab went through all the tribes of Israel to Abel of Beth-maacah, and all the Berites assembled and also went after [Sheba] ardently.

¹⁵ And they came and besieged Sheba in Abel of Beth-maacah, and they cast up a siege mound against the city, and it stood against the rampart; and all the men with Joab battered andundermined the wall to make it fall.

¹⁶ Then a wise woman of the city cried, Hear, hear! Say to Joab, Come here so I can speak to you.

¹⁷ And when he came near her, the woman said, Are you Joab? He answered, I am. Then she said to him, Hear the words of your handmaid. He answered, I am listening.

¹⁸ Then she said, People used to say, Let them but ask counsel at Abel, and so they settled the matter.

¹⁹ I am one of the peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city which is a mother in Israel. Why will you swallow up the inheritance of the Lord?

²⁰ Joab answered, Far be it, far be it from me that I should swallow up or destroy!

²¹ That is not true. But a man of the hill country of Ephraim, Sheba son of Bichri, has lifted up his hand against King David. Deliver him only, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said, Behold, his head shall be thrown to you over the wall.

²² Then the woman in her wisdom went to all the people. And they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bichri and cast it down to Joab. So he blew the trumpet, and they retired from the city, every man to his own home. And Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.

Maybe you are bothered by a scary situation and you think to yourself, "But what can I do? I'm just one person!"

First of all, Seek God fervently and diligently (using Biblical words - I just love these words; they are so rich with meaning) and ask Him what He'd like for you to do, if anything. 

Secondly, you must be brave. The wise woman of Abel-beth-maacah was very brave to make her suggestion. She could have been scorned and then killed!

Thirdly, take action! With God on your side, you can't lose!

You may be the one God has chosen to save a whole city (or family)! 

Here are 10 other common people in the Bible God used to deliver many people: 

By Lee Andrew Henderson

Common Person That God Used: Joseph

In the Bible Joseph becomes the Pharaoh's right hand man. Joseph can interpret dreams and he saves Egypt from a famine. Before that Joseph was two things that weren't all that great. Joseph started his life in Egypt as a slave and later he was a prisoner in jail too.

Common Person that God Used: Moses

If you were a shepherd an your daily work consisted of leading a bunch of sheep around you'd probably be shocked if God not only talked to directly and revealed himself to you but also told you that you were going to lead his people to the promised land.

Common Person that God Used: Gideon

God used Gideon to deliver Israel from Midian but before that Gideon was nothing more than a farmer.

Common Person that God Used: Jephthah

Jephthah is used by God to deliver Israel from the Ammonites. Before that Jephthah was only known as being the son of a prostitute.

Common Person that God Used: David

Like Moses, David was also a shepherd but David also just a boy. David was just a boy when he defeated Goliath and he would eventually be king.

Common People that God Used: Esther

Like Joseph, Esther was a slave before God used her to save her people from being massacred.

Common People that God Used: Mary

Who did God choose to be the mother of Jesus? A famous actress? A celebrity? A great athlete? A famous politician? No, the mother of Jesus was a peasant girl.

Common People that God Used: Matthew

Matthew was one of the 12 disciples and wrote one of the Gospels that told about the life of Jesus. But before Jesus asked Matthew to join him he was just a tax collector.

Common People that God Used: Luke

Luke traveled with Paul giving him a companion to journey with and Luke would also write one of the four Gospels. But Luke was nothing more than a physician.

Common People that God used: Peter

Many of the disciples were just common fisherman and would go on to do God's work. Peter is the best example as he would be an apostle, a leader of the early church and he would write two letters in the Bible.

"Dear God, I don't feel very special. I don't feel like I could do anything spectacular such as this wise woman who saved a whole city. However, there are some things going on that are very troubling to me. Some I will pray about and lay them at Your feet, because I simply can't change them. Only You can. But there are other things that weigh heavily on me such as the pain and suffering in the world, and in the very city where I live. Please show me exactly what I, just one ordinary person, can do. And please help me to be brave and courageous as this wise woman was. And help me to take action! Sometimes prayer isn't enough - I must do what You quicken my spirit to do. Lead me Lord, I will follow. Send me. I pray this in Your Precious name, the name of Jesus, AMEN."