2 Samuel 18:1-5 – Misplaced emotion can impede right action

David had fought in many battles and was an experienced military strategist. Like any good leader, he also needed to know how many men he had so that he could organize his force. Hence the first thing he did was to count the number of men with him. Then he effectively divided them into three groups. He appointed Joab to lead one group, Abishai the other, and Ittai to lead the third group. Of the three commanders,  Ittai who was a Philistine was the newest addition. Earlier in 2 Samuel 15, we were told that Ittai wanted to join the king when he was departing Jerusalem. David was reluctant to involve him at first seeing that he was a foreigner and saw no reason why he should want to wander with him as a fugitive. So he tried to persuade him to return and serve Absalom, but Ittai insisted on following him. In 2 Samuel 15:21 he told David, “As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, surely wherever my lord the king may be, whether for death or for life, there also your servant will be.” He was a loyalist. So The king was persuaded to include him in his band of 600 men, fleeing from Absalom.

David wanted to lead his men into the battle, but the people loved him and valued him too much to let him put himself at risk. According to Ahithophel’s strategy, David would be their main target and focus. So his men persuaded him to remain in the city in safety with whatever number they would leave behind to protect him. They could surmise that he would certainly be the main object of Absalom’s attack. So they refused to let him go out and confront Absalom and his men. David reluctantly agreed. They probably also knew that the king’s emotion for his son would come in the way as they confront Absalom. They were spot on. For as they were leaving for the fight, David was heard to tell Joab, Abishai, and Ittai to “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” What he said was heard by his people. Despite all that heartaches Absalom had brought him, David still loved his rebellious son. This is the heart of a father and the reason why they felt he should not join them in the battle.

Try to stand in David’s shoes and one will realize the dilemma he faced. David was not known to be a disciplinarian. This was one of the reasons that led him to this point in his life. He failed to discipline Amnon for raping his half-sister Tamar. Because nothing was done to punish him, Absalom, her brother, took matters into his hand and murdered Amnon. David also did not deal with Absalom rightly but allowed him to return to Jerusalem. The latter then took advantage of the situation to usurp his throne. Now he was on the run and even then, he was still reluctant to see the son receive severe punishment. We learn that being emotional often makes it hard for us to make the right decision. Much as we love our children, discipline cannot be spared if we want to see them maturing uprightly. We must show love, and love requires that we chasten to bring out the best in them. The Bible tells us that those whom God loves, He chastens. We are also told not to spare the rod. To spare the rod is to hate the child. Remember the maxim that says, a stitch in time saves nine. Love by all means,  but remember that to love is to correct any wrong as well.  

2 Samuel 17:24-29 – Serving our Lord spontaneously

King David and his men had crossed the Jordan and came to Mahanaim and there he found solid support. Three persons were particularly named to bring provisions for him. They were Shobi, Machir, and Barzillai. Shobi was an Ammonite, the son of Nahash, the king who gave shelter to David’s parents and family while he was on the run from King Saul. Machir was the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar. He was the one who took care of Mephibosheth before David handed him to Ziba. He obviously was a supporter of David and now came to show kindness to the fugitive king. Then there was Barzillai, a wealthy Gileadite from Rogelim. These three considerate people strongly supported David. They showed compassion for David and his men, and brought provision for David and his escaping men. Verses 28-29 said that they  ^“brought beds, basins, pottery, wheat, barley, flour, parched grain, beans, lentils, parched seeds, honey, curds, sheep, and cheese of the herd, for David and for the people who were with him, to eat; for they said, “The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.”

Meanwhile Absalom who took the counsel of Hushai led his men in pursuit of his father. They had crossed the Jordan hot on David’s heel. Absalom was determined to apprehend David and finish him. He set Amasa, the illegitimate cousin of Joab, as the general and commander-in-chief of his army.  

Of these six verses, one lesson stands out. It was the hospitality shown to David and his men by Shobi, Machir, and Barzillai. They came spontaneously to give to David and his fleeing men, who were probably tired and hungry. The actions of the three were admirable for they came to help though it was unsolicited by David. Such a benevolent attitude could only arise from a deep appreciation for what is right and proper, and a sense of gratitude and loyalty. Believers with such an attitude are also much needed in the advancement of God’s work today. We need people who can identify needs in the work of God and spontaneously give their best resources to serve the King of kings. Let us be spontaneous in offering ourselves and service for the advancement of the cause of God. It a debt of gratitude that we owe to Jesus our King, who so willingly gave Himself for us.  

2 Samuel 17:21-23 – Overcoming life’s disappointment

When Absalom’s men who were pursuing Ahimaaz and Jonathan could not find them, they departed for Jerusalem. Emerging from the well, the pair of messengers then came to King David. They must have told the king everything Hushai had conveyed to them through the maidservant. The most important part of the message was “Arise and cross over the water quickly for thus Ahithophel has counseled against you.” Digesting everything quickly, David then ordered everyone to arise and cross the river to the other side. So they all arose and crossed the Jordan river overnight. And by dawn, every one of his men including himself was on the other side of Jordan.

In verse 23, we are told of how Ahithophel’s life ended. He went home and hanged himself and died. It dawned on him that wise as his counsel might have seemed to himself, Absalom did not take it. So saddling his donkey he went to his home, set everything in order then he committed suicide. The last part of verse 23 tells us that he was buried with his father.  

Why did Ahithophel kill himself? The Word of God is silent, but for our own learning let us postulate two. Firstly, Ahithophel took his own life out of disappointment. Realizing that Absalom did not take his counsel was more than what his wounded pride could handle. As a man who was wise unto himself, he did not know that God had other plans. It is true that man may propose, but our all-seeing, all-knowing God in His perspective has the right to dispose. Apparently here God did it for the sake of his servant David. So unable to bear the disappointment, the “wise” counselor hanged himself.

Secondly, Ahithophel could anticipate the outcome of Absalom now that he had not taken his advice. His imagination probably drew an outcome for himself should David retake the throne. Perhaps, he could imagine dying in the hand of David. Again his pride would have yelled out an endless ‘no’ to that thought. It was unthinkable for him to die in the hand of a king he had come to despise. He would rather die in his own hand, so he committed suicide. Wounded pride has a way of making us hurt more than we can bear. Be careful not to allow pride to dictate and hurt us and determine how we should conduct our lives. No one is exempted from life’s disappointments. It will come at some point in life. How we handle it will determine how we will progress. Trust God and He will direct our path.  

David wrote Psalms 42 and 43 with the backdrop of the circumstances that he was facing now. The gist of the Psalms shows us that though David was in very trying circumstances, yet he placed his hope in God. In so doing, his mood progressed from one of dejection to one of confident trust in God. He ended with a note of triumph because his life and hope rested in God. This should encourage us to lean on God and know that He is our ever trustworthy and reliable help. Herein lies the difference between David and Ahithophel. One put his confidence in God and the other in himself. Like David, we have the choice of putting our hope in God no matter how adverse our situation in life may appear. Do what David did when he was discouraged by his crisis. He would say to his soul, “Why so cast down O my soul, put your hope in God.” We can also do and say the same to our soul when we are overwhelmed.  

2 Samuel 17:15-20 – Be selective who your friends are

Hushai wasted no time to make his way to the temple to convey both his, as well as Ahithophel’s counsels to Zadok and Abiathar, the high priests. They were supposed to then transmit what they had received from Hushai to David through their sons, Ahimaaz and Jonathan, who were waiting at En-rogel in the Kidron Valley. Their sons waited there and not in the city to avoid arousing any suspicion. Meanwhile, David was waiting at the fords of the wilderness, the place appointed for their rendezvous. The message to David ended with “Do not spend the night at the fords of the wilderness, but by all means, cross over, or else the king and all the people who are with him will be destroyed.” He was not certain that Absalom would take his advice over that of Ahithophel and so he had to act quickly.

The account was made more exciting by what happened in the interim. Hushai’s message was conveyed to the sons of the priests waiting at En-rogel through a maidservant. But they were spotted by a lad who reported them to Absalom. Ahimaaz and Jonathan then quickly made their way to Bahurim to the house of an unnamed man. In the courtyard of his house was a well which they used to hide from Absalom’s servants. A woman, probably the unnamed man’s wife had the presence of mind to conceal the mouth of the well. She smartly threw a covering to spread over it. To camouflage it further, she scattered grains over the covering so that the men sent by Absalom would not know that there was a well there. If not, they would surely have climbed down to look for the messengers in the well. When questioned about the two messengers, that woman sent pursuers on a wild goose chase by saying that they have crossed the brook of water. Since the messenger could not be found, the Absalom’s men then returned to the city.

In life, we need faithful friends and crisis in life helps us to identify them. Many people are fair-weather friends. They run with us when we are up and nowhere to be found when we are down. In David’s life, he had few faithful friends. They were those that were there when his chips were down. Here he was running away from his own son and to be found taking his side would put them at risk of his son’s displeasure. Yet we see in this passage people like the chief priests Zadok and Abiathar, their sons Ahimaaz and Jonathan, respectively. What about Hushai, as well as the unknown man who allowed the messengers of David to hide in the well in his house. Then there was his wife who had the presence of mind to drape the well with a covering and scattered grain to camouflage it. These people put their lives on the line for David. What faithful friends! Times of adversity helps us to identify true friends. You know who they are almost immediately. They are not people who will use your misfortune as a springboard to their own future. They will stick with you through the thick and thin of life. So select friends carefully. Notice a friend and a fiend (monster) is differentiated by the letter “r”. Yes, a true friend sticks closer than a brother.

2 Samuel 17:11-14 – No one can foil God’s plan for us

Seeing that Absalom and the elders concurred with his reasoning that Ahithophel’s strategy was not as good as it seemed, Hushai then proceeded to share his own approach. He was stalling time for David. The plan he suggested would require a huge amount of time to gather men from all the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba. Furthermore, to muster such a huge force as numerous as the grains of sands on the seashore was no small feat. Using hyperbolic language. Hushai was painting a scenario, where the people with Absalom would be so large it would be impossible to count. The number he proposed was much more than Ahithophel’s suggestion of 12,000 men. Furthermore, in Hushai’s proposal, Absalom should lead the pack himself. He was stirring up the strong masculine mentality and pride he suspected the latter might have.  

His proposal further suggested that with such a huge force, they would be able to cover the land more extensively. And there would be nowhere that David could hide where such a great amount of people would not be able to ferret him out. And besides, with that amount of men, they could also fall upon David like the dews that fall on the ground early in the morning. Hushai was painting for Absalom a picture that with the number of men they would be an irresistible force. They would be like dews in the morning that left no ground uncovered with its droplets. And like dews, they could also fall upon David and his men quietly and effortlessly, without their awareness. Hushai made it seemed so easy to cover the whole ground and annihilate David and his men totally till no one would be left to resist the throne anymore.

He further added that should David and his men try to seek refuge in any city Absalom and his men could even scale the city wall with the rope that would bring with them. They could virtually dismantle any city leaving no stone unturned. With such a seemingly foolproof and impervious plan, the elders with Absalom together concluded than Hushai’s strategy was much better than Ahithophel’s. Of course, it would certainly be, for verse 14 left us with no doubt that “the Lord had ordained to thwart the good counsel of Ahithophel so that the Lord might bring calamity on Absalom.”

Proverbs 16:9 says, “the mind of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his path.” God's unseen hand was moving providentially to protect David and bring a swift end to the evil counsel of Ahithophel and the unsuspecting rebelling son of David. The last verse underscores for us how needful it is to be in God’s plan. When we are living in the center of God’s plan, nothing can thwart it. He will engineer the circumstances in such a way that the plan he had for our life will come to pass.  This brings us to what God said in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.” God’s plan for us can never be thwarted. When we stay connected with Him, He will deal with the obstacles that may come in the way to prevent His plan for us from coming true. What a marvelous God!    

2 Samuel 17:5-10 – Speaking truthfully but wisely

We have established that Hushai the Archite was God’s answer to David’s prayer. On hearing that Ahithophel had joined Absalom, David prayed a quick and urgent prayer asking God to thwart any ill advice that this evil counselor would give to his son. It was amazing how God, in answer to his prayer, sent Hushai so immediately to him. The simple prayer of David tells us that prayers need not be well-structured and grammatically correct before God would hear and answer. All things being equal, the best prayers to God are those offered in faith and trust in Him, uttered in simplicity and sincerity of the heart.

In these verses, we see the hand of God moved in answer to David’s prayer. No hint was given as to why Absalom would seek Hushai’s advice. But he did and we know God had to do with why Hushai was summoned. So Absalom sought his opinion on Ahithophel’s counsel. This then gave Hushai the opportunity to counter and thwart what Absalom had heard from Ahithophel and to stall time for David. Notice how he wisely presented his advice. He prefaced what he said with the nuance that Ahithophel was right most times but not this time. Without maligning Ahithophel, Hushai cleverly insinuated that the former was misguided this time.

While Ahithophel looked at David’s present condition, Hushai cleverly highlighted David’s past. Firstly, he brought up the fact that he and his men were seasoned, experienced, and fierce mighty men of war. Skilfully, He sought to kindle Absalom’s memory of  David’s past successes with his enemy. Secondly, he conjured the picture that like a bear whose cub was taken from it, David and his men would be even more aggressive now than at other times. Thirdly, he also painted the picture that being a seasoned man of war, David was elusive and hard to apprehend. It would be hard to guess where he would be at any given time. He could be hiding in one cave or another, leading Ahithophel and the 12,000 pursuing men on a wild goose chase. If they were caught on the wrong footing and were defeated, the news of their slaughter would cause even the bravest men to lose heart. Then he reiterated that David his father was a mighty man and with him were valiant men. Hushai’s counsel resonated better with Absalom than Ahithophel’s.

Hushai was persuasive. What he said were not untruths. He merely presented the past scenario of David’s life as well as situations that created uncertainty in the sound advice given by Ahithophel. People are usually more susceptible to be swayed by sound and logical presentation. As people of God, we must learn to set forth the truth in such a way that will arouse godly fear and desire to act rightly for God. Be sure to speak truthfully but wisely. 

2 Samuel 17:1-4 – The detrimental effect of bitterness

From all the counsels of Ahithophel, his intense hatred for David was palpable. He first counseled Absalom to violate his father’s concubines openly, and thus publicly shamed David to solidify his claims on the throne. He then went on to incite Absalom to allow him to lead 12,000 men to pursue David. He wanted to kill the ousted king personally. Ahithophel’s plan was strategic. He imagined David would be wearied and tired after a hurried flight out of Jerusalem and would be needing rest at some point. Calculating that if he and the 12,000 men began the pursue immediately, they would be able to overtake David and he would strike him alone. He only wanted David’s life. He surmised that with David dead, a panic among his followers would ensue. His ultimate plan was to lead David’s followers back to serve Absalom. His plan resonated with the upstart son as well as the elders of Israel and they were pleased.  

Didn’t Ahithophel once serve David? What led him to this point of intense hatred and bitterness toward the king he once served? Remember he was the grandfather of Bathsheba with whom David committed adultery in secret, and then schemed and had Uriah, his grandson-in-law cruelly murdered. As the grandfather, he probably knew all the inside stories. For compromising Bathsheba and killing Uriah, his anger with David was warranted. However, to let his anger degenerate into bitterness and intense hatred for the deposed king was an indulgence he could ill afford to nurture. It would not be wrong to say that he was looking forward to the day when he could take the king down himself. His opportunity seemed to have arrived, so how could he not seize it?

Here is one learning point from this account for us: be quick to deal with anger and bitterness. When not properly handled, anger and bitterness can degenerate into intense hatred and give rise to a murderous spirit within us. If we refuse to let go of the hurt in our life, bitterness will soon follow. Bitterness, when not released from our hearts, will eventually bring about an intense hatred and a vengeful vicious spirit. This makes the warning of Hebrews 12:15 needful and necessary. The verse says, “See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it, many are defiled.” 

What steps then can one take to ensure one does not meander down that path? Hebrews 12:12-13 have this to offer, “Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.” To strengthen the weak hands and feeble knees is a call to fervent prayer. Making straight the paths is a call to walk aright resolutely. Prayers will give the impetus for us to walk aright resolutely. As we do, we will find our walk and relationship with God and fellow men aligned. And in the process, any fractured relationship can be healed and restored. Let’s not allow bitterness to take root in our life. Our health, both our spiritual and physical health, demands it.