And it came to pass, when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, came to Absalom, that Hushai said to Absalom, Long live the king! Long live the king!
Absalom has taken Jerusalem, and the first man to meet him is Hushai — the very friend David left behind on purpose. His shout of loyalty raises two questions. Which king is he cheering? And was David right to plan this?
The verse calls Hushai "David's friend." That title had a history, and Absalom's cold welcome shows he knew it:
At his meeting with Absalom, Hushai takes up the part David gave him. He plays it with a cleverness that shows us why David trusted him. The new king answers his repeated greeting coldly. Absalom is the chief traitor himself, yet he is surprised that another man has deserted. But the "king's friend" had doubtless earned the title by acts that were unmistakable. So Absalom's surprise ran much deeper than the confidence he showed later. Indeed, all through this scene there is a certain ambiguity, hinting how unwilling Hushai was even to look like a deserter.
after-note: DISCUSS
"Long live the king" costs nothing when the throne is secure. The test comes when the crowd has switched sides. Older translations word that cheer "God save the king":
Suppose the king sits firmly on his throne, and no rebel rises up to dispute his right to be there. Then it is easy to look loyal, and to cry with the crowd, "God save the king!" But rebellion may spread far among the masses. The people's favourite may no longer be the king, but some man reaching for royal power and honour. Then the king finds out who his real friends are, though a short while ago he was perhaps cheered wherever he went. He can tell the flattering courtier from the loyal subject. The day of the king's rejection is the day for the subject to declare himself.
Hushai says the words to Absalom. He means them for someone else:
Absalom was surprised by the presence of Hushai, who greeted him enthusiastically, "Long live the king! Long live the king!" Of course we know that Hushai really meant King David, but he knew Absalom would not see through this.
Ittai stayed at David's side. Hushai took the other road, back to Jerusalem:
Hushai has a different character from Ittai. It is just as beautiful in its own way, and he knows God's thoughts even better. Hushai is David's close friend. A great love unites them, and they have no secrets from one another. Yet Hushai, unlike Ittai, agrees to part from his friend for a time. This is painful for a man who had come to David to show his sympathy. But he chooses the best way to serve him, and returns to Jerusalem. With his deep, calm love for his friend, Hushai has an understanding that not even the high priests had. David himself gives him this understanding: you shall "defeat the counsel of Ahithophel." It is through closeness with Christ that we receive His thoughts.
Commentators differ here. Some read Hushai's mission as devoted service. Others read it as David arranging his own rescue instead of leaving it with God:
However, David did not leave this matter fully with God. When Hushai came to him, he saw a chance to plant his own secret agent in Absalom's court… This was not faith on David's part. He told Hushai to lie to Absalom, and to say he would be Absalom's servant just as he had been David's servant. The matter did work out as David hoped. But if he had simply trusted God, he might have seen Him work in a more miraculous way.
Another writer names what that choice cost David:
So Hushai's plot, acting as a spy for David, saved the king. But would the king have been lost if Hushai had not played the spy? The Lord would not have forsaken the king, and though He used Hushai's counsel, yet David was the loser after all. He lost the opportunity of seeing the Lord's power and intervention on his behalf. And how much we also lose through lack of faith in Him, for nothing is too hard for Him.
One writer reads this clash of counsellors as a picture of days still to come:
Hushai goes to Absalom and opposes in every way the counsel of Ahithophel. So also in those future days the Lord will know how to defeat all the plans of the devil.
- Friend, earned. Hushai earned the title "the king's friend" by unmistakable acts, not by flattery. That is why Absalom is startled to see him.
- Friend, tested. Cheering a secure king costs nothing; the day of rejection is the day loyalty must declare itself.
- Friend, disguised. The shout goes to Absalom's ear, but the king Hushai means is David.
- Friend, informed. Hushai accepts a painful parting because closeness to David has given him David's own thoughts. In the same way, closeness to Christ teaches us His mind.
- Friend, questioned. Commentators differ. Some see devoted service. Others see a plan that worked, yet cost David the sight of God acting alone. Either way, the Lord would not have forsaken His king.
And Absalom said to Hushai, Is this thy kindness to thy friend? why didst thou not go with thy friend?
Absalom has just seized Jerusalem. David's closest adviser walks into his court shouting "Long live the king!" Absalom answers with a question about loyalty — asked by the man who has just betrayed his own father.
Absalom cannot understand how a man could abandon David. Yet that is exactly what Absalom has done himself. One writer notes that the title "the king's friend" was no empty label:
The new king meets his repeated greeting coldly enough. Absalom is the chief traitor himself, yet he is surprised at another man's desertion. But the "king's friend" had no doubt earned the title by acts that were unmistakable, and Absalom's surprise rested on much deeper ground than his later confidence did. Indeed, all through this scene there is a certain ambiguity, which seems to hint to us how unwilling Hushai was even to appear to desert.
Absalom is suspicious because Hushai's record is too well known.
Hushai answers in the next verse. Absalom hears one thing; Hushai means another. Every phrase fits David.
Hushai's answer, though not a lie at all, was still a masterpiece of deception. He knew Absalom's pride and used it as he spoke. "No," he says, "but whomever the Lord and this people and all the men of Israel choose, his I will be, and with him I will remain." Of course Absalom thought this applied to him. Hushai was confident that it really applied to David… "As I have served in your father's presence, so will I be in your presence." Hushai worded this so that Absalom would hear devotion to himself. But Hushai meant that even in Absalom's presence he would still be serving David, just as he had done before.
Hushai's words here are quoted from an older translation than the ESV.
Hushai had come to David to share his grief. Others, like Ittai, stayed at David's side. Hushai's love took the harder road of separation.
Hushai is David's close friend. A great love unites them and they have no secrets from one another. But Hushai, unlike Ittai, agrees to be apart from his friend for a time. This is painful for a man who had come to David to express his sympathy. Still, he chooses the best way to serve him and returns to Jerusalem. With his deep, calm love for his friend, Hushai has an understanding that not even the high priests had. David himself passed that understanding on to him: you shall "defeat the counsel of Ahithophel." It is in closeness to Christ that we receive His thoughts.
Commentators differ here. Rossier reads David's move as discernment given in answer to prayer. God answered David at once, he writes, and David, "filled with spiritual discernment, sends him back, knowing that God has destined him to 'defeat the counsel of Ahithophel'" (H. L. Rossier). Others see a king scheming instead of waiting.
However, David did not leave this matter entirely with God. When Hushai came to him, he saw a chance to plant his own secret agent in Absalom's court… This was not faith on David's part. He told Hushai to lie to Absalom and claim that he would be Absalom's servant, just as he had been David's servant. The matter did work out as David hoped. But he might have seen God work in a more miraculous way if he had only trusted Him.
Whichever reading you take, the outcome was never in the hands of the man standing in Absalom's court.
It was not Hushai who defeated the counsel of Ahithophel, but the Lord… The Lord gave the counsel through Hushai. Then He made Absalom and his men follow Hushai's advice… But would David have been lost if Hushai had not acted as a spy? The Lord would not have forsaken the king. He used Hushai's counsel, yet David was the loser after all. He lost the opportunity of seeing the Lord's power and intervention on his behalf. And how much we also lose through lack of faith in Him, with whom nothing is too hard.
- Friend accused. Absalom betrayed his own father. Yet he demands to know why a friend would desert David. The traitor is surprised at treachery.
- Friend proven. Hushai had earned his title, "the king's friend," by acts nobody could mistake. That is why his apparent desertion startled Absalom.
- Friend hidden. Hushai framed his reply so Absalom heard loyalty to himself. He meant every word of David: even in the son's presence he served the father.
- Friend sent. Love does not always stay close. Hushai accepted a painful parting as the best way to serve, and he carried David's own thoughts with him.
- Friend overruled. The rescue came from the Lord, not the strategy. Commentators differ on whether David's plan was discernment or a lost chance to see God act alone.
And Hushai said to Absalom, No; but whom Jehovah, and this people, and all the men of Israel choose, his will I be, and with him will I abide.
Absalom has taken his father's throne, and David's closest friend now stands in his court promising his loyalty. He never says which king he means. The words sound like a defection, and Absalom takes them that way. Yet every clause also fits David, the father.
Hushai's reply hangs on one question: whom had the LORD and the people chosen? Read strictly, his words do not fit the man in front of him.
All through this scene there is a certain ambiguity. It seems to show how unwilling he was even to appear to desert David. He says, "No, for whom the LORD and this people and all the men of Israel have chosen, his I will be, and with him I will remain." In the strict sense this was only true of David. His own later counsel rested on one assurance: not all the men of Israel had chosen Absalom, and much less had the LORD chosen him. Again he says, "Whom should I serve? Should it not be in the presence of his son?" … So Absalom took it, of course, and was meant to take it, as if David's reign were over for Hushai. But if that was not so for him, then even in the son's presence the faithful service would still be to the father.
Absalom never tested the claim, because it fed his self-importance.
Whom did Hushai mean? He said, "whom the LORD and this people and all the men of Israel have chosen, his I will be, and with him I will remain." The words can only fit David, and most likely in his heart he meant David. But it was flattery, and wicked Absalom gladly accepted it.
Hushai's ability to speak for David's cause grew out of how close the two men were. He gave up walking with David in order to serve him better.
Hushai is David's intimate friend; a great love unites them and they have no secrets from one another. Yet Hushai, unlike Ittai, accepts a time apart from his friend. This is painful for a man who had come to David to show his sympathy. But he chooses the best way to serve him and returns to Jerusalem. With his deep, calm love for his friend, Hushai has an understanding that not even the high priests had. David himself gave him that understanding: you shall "defeat the counsel of Ahithophel." It is in intimacy with Christ that we receive the communication of His thoughts.
Some writers admire the skill of the answer without excusing how it came about. Leslie Grant calls the speech "a masterpiece of deception," and traces the plan back to David rather than to God:
Instead of leaving this matter entirely with God, David saw an opportunity when Hushai came to him. He planted his own secret agent in Absalom's court… This was not faith on David's part. He told Hushai to lie to Absalom, and to say he would be Absalom's servant just as he had been David's servant. The matter did work out as David hoped, but he might have seen God work in a more wonderful way if he had simply trusted Him.
Others put the weight on the master's orders rather than on the servant's own choice.
Like Hushai and the priests, we do not get to choose the place or the manner in which we are to serve the Lord. He decides that. Here the task was to defeat Ahithophel's counsel and to stop this false prophet from ruining David's cause.
Whatever the verdict on the tactic, the result is credited elsewhere.
Ahithophel had not reckoned with David's Lord. That Lord loved David. Through all the discipline David had to pass through, He was still his Lord and his Keeper. It was not Hushai who defeated the counsel of Ahithophel, but the Lord. "For the LORD had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the LORD might bring harm upon Absalom."
- Choice — the verse turns on the word "chosen." The LORD and Israel had chosen David, so Hushai's pledge lands on the father, even while Absalom claims it.
- Flattery — Absalom accepts the words because they flatter him. He never asks whether the nation had chosen him at all.
- Intimacy — Hushai can serve David's cause because he is David's friend. The king shares his own thoughts with him, and nearness makes him useful.
- Cost — separation proves that friendship. Hushai gives up walking with David and takes the harder task his master gives him.
- Verdict — commentators differ on whether the plan showed faith. They agree on the end of it: Ahithophel's counsel fell because the LORD had ordained its defeat.
And again, whom should I serve? should it not be in the presence of his son? as I have served in thy father's presence, so will I be in thy presence.
Absalom has just seized Jerusalem from his father, David. Yet David's closest friend walks into the rebel's court with a greeting on his lips. Challenged about his loyalty, Hushai answers with a question of his own — and every word of it can be read two ways.
The older wording these writers quote runs "in the presence of his son… in your presence." Serving in a man's presence is not the same as serving that man, and Hushai's answer trades on the gap. One writer traces it phrase by phrase, and finds the honest reading points back to David:
All through this scene there is a certain double meaning. It seems to show how unwilling he was even to appear to desert David. "No," he says, "whom the LORD has chosen, and this people, all the men of Israel, his I will be, and with him I will remain." In the strict sense this was only true of David. His own later counsel rested on the certainty that not all the men of Israel — and much less the LORD — had chosen Absalom. Again he says, "Whom should I serve? Should it not be in the presence of his son? As I have served in your father's presence, so I will be in your presence." Now faithful service to the father would surely make one expect faithful service to the son. But only if the father's days were over. So Absalom took it, of course, and was meant to take it, as if for Hushai David's reign were over. But if that was not so for Hushai, then even in the son's presence his faithful service would still be to the father.
Absalom hears a servant offering to serve him, and asks nothing further:
Hushai worded this so that Absalom thought he would serve him in devotion. But Hushai had in mind that even in Absalom's presence he would still be serving David, just as he had done before. Absalom accepted him without further question.
Hushai had come out to David to share his grief. David sent him back into the city with a task:
Hushai is David's close friend. A great love unites them and they have no secrets from one another. Yet Hushai, unlike Ittai, agrees to part from his friend for a time. This is painful for a man who had come to David to show his sympathy. But he chooses the best way to serve him and returns to Jerusalem. With his deep, calm love for his friend, Hushai has an understanding that not even the high priests had. David himself gave him that understanding: you shall "defeat the counsel of Ahithophel." It is in closeness to Christ that we receive His thoughts.
Commentators differ on the speech itself. One finds the words true and Absalom the one who misread them. Another finds David scheming where he should have waited:
Instead of leaving this matter entirely with God, David saw an opportunity when Hushai came to him. He could plant his own secret agent in Absalom's court… This was not faith on David's part. He told Hushai to lie to Absalom, declaring that he would be Absalom's servant just as he had been David's servant. The matter did work out as David hoped. But he might have seen God work in a more miraculous way if he had simply trusted Him.
Whatever the verdict on the method, the outcome was never in Hushai's hands. Ahithophel's plan had already won over Absalom and the elders. Yet Absalom sent for Hushai too:
Ahithophel's saying "was right in the eyes of Absalom, and in the eyes of all the elders of Israel." They were all sure the plan was excellent. How then did Absalom decide to call Hushai the Archite as well, to hear his advice? … It is because God directs everything — the circumstances, men's decisions, their judgments — as He wills, to carry out His purposes. On the surface it would seem that God does not care what is happening. Evil is winning, evil is reigning, men are going beyond the imaginations of their hearts. But God is hidden behind the scenes.
The picture reaches past this palace intrigue. The Lord may send His servants right in among His enemies:
Hushai's was a difficult task. So it is today for those who struggle against Christ's enemies. Like Ahithophel, these enemies pretend to be prophets. But when it comes down to it they are false prophets, who know the Lord's thoughts and use their knowledge to deny His authority. But if the Lord sends us among enemies, let us go without fear. Is not defeating Ahithophel's counsel really restoring to our David the place that belongs to Him?
- Whose presence — the verse turns on one question: in whose presence do you serve? Hushai stands before Absalom and serves David.
- Two hearings — Absalom hears a man joining the winning side. In truth, Hushai never left the rightful king.
- Friendship first — David told Hushai what to do. Nearness to the king came before the task.
- Divided verdict — were the words true, or a deception David should never have arranged? Writers differ. All agree the Lord, not the plan, wrecked Ahithophel's advice.
- Posted, not defected — God may station the believer in the rebel's court. The work there is to restore the true King His place.