And Absalom said, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and we will hear also what he says.
Ahithophel's plan to kill David had just won over Absalom and the elders. Then Absalom paused and asked for a second opinion. That pause turned the whole rebellion. Why would a man so close to victory call in David's own friend?
Absalom had every reason to act on the advice he had just approved. One writer asks why he did not, and finds the answer above the palace:
Ahithophel's advice was right in the eyes of Absalom and all the elders of Israel (v. 4). They were sure the plan this man proposed was excellent. How was it, then, that Absalom decided to call Hushai the Archite as well, to hear his advice? … It is because God directs everything — circumstances, men's decisions, their opinions — as He wills, to carry out His plans. On the surface it would seem that God does not care what is happening. Evil is winning. Evil is reigning. Men are going further than their own hearts imagined. But God is hidden behind the scenes.
David had already prayed one thing about Ahithophel's counsel. This summons is where the answer came.
David prayed (2 Sam. 15:31), "O Lord, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness." God answered that prayer by making Absalom listen to the counsel of another. … What a comfort for believers to know that God is greater than any group of men that can stand against Him. That stays true even when the subtlety and force of Satan himself lies behind them all.
Absalom sends for a man who loved David. Ittai had stayed at the king's side; Hushai served in a more painful way, by going back to Jerusalem.
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 stay apart from his friend for a time. This is painful for a man who had come to David to express 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: Hushai would defeat the counsel of Ahithophel. It is in closeness to Christ that we receive His thoughts.
Ahithophel's counsel was wise and cold. Hushai's advantage was that he knew the man he was speaking to.
But the limit is reached, and Hushai's opposition defeats the wise and heartless counsel in the end, though it won approval at first. His speech fits the man he is addressing, and works on Absalom's fears and on his vanity. Nothing could be wiser than his advice, if only one thing were true — that the will of the whole nation has put him where he is. The new king does not stop to question it. Ahithophel knows better, and so he despairs when Absalom prefers Hushai's counsel to his own.
Commentators differ here. Some see Hushai's return to Jerusalem as the service his master chose for him:
As we have seen, the king had sent Zadok, Abiathar and Hushai back to Jerusalem to use them in his service. Displays of devotion are not enough, however dear they may be to the master's heart. They are only the first step before service. So it is for us Christians. Like Hushai and the priests, we do not get to choose the place or the manner in which we serve the Lord. He decides that.
Another writer weighs the outcome and counts a loss in it:
Ahithophel's counsel was aimed at David's person only. He wanted him killed, and so, by the death of one man, bring all Israel back. But Ahithophel had not counted on David's Lord… It was not Hushai who defeated the counsel of Ahithophel, but the Lord. … Though He used Hushai's counsel, 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.
- Prayer. David had asked God to turn Ahithophel's counsel into foolishness. The answer begins here, when a rebel decides to hear one more adviser.
- Providence. Nothing human explains the summons. God directs circumstances, decisions and opinions, hidden behind the scenes while evil seems to be winning.
- Friendship. David himself told Hushai what to do. Closeness to David brought an understanding that not even the high priests had.
- Instrument. Hushai aimed his speech at Absalom's fears and vanity. It worked because Absalom never stopped to ask whether the nation was behind him.
- Result. The Lord defeated Ahithophel's counsel, not Hushai. One writer adds that David might have seen a greater rescue if he had waited for it.
And Hushai came to Absalom, and Absalom spoke to him saying, Ahithophel has spoken after this manner shall we carry out his word? If not, speak thou.
Absalom already had a plan, and it pleased him and every elder in Israel. Yet he sends for a second voice and repeats the whole proposal. Why does a man with an approved plan stop to ask again — and who is steering that pause?
This verse did not need to happen. One writer asks why it happened anyway, and looks behind the scenes:
And Ahithophel's advice "was right in the eyes of Absalom, and in the eyes of all the elders of Israel" (v. 4). They were sure that the plan this man proposed was excellent. How was it, then, that Absalom decided to call Hushai the Archite as well to hear his advice? ... It is because God directs everything — the circumstances, men's decisions, their opinions — as He wills, to carry out His purposes. On the surface it can look as if God does not care what is happening. Evil is winning. Evil is reigning. Men are going beyond what their own hearts imagined. But God is hidden behind the scenes. Nothing can resist God: even Satan serves as His instrument. To us Satan's power looks overwhelming; to God it is less than a speck of straw that a puff of wind blows away.
Back in his flight, David had asked God to turn Ahithophel's advice into foolishness. Here is the answer arriving:
David prayed (2 Sam. 15:31), "O Lord, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness." God answered that prayer by making Absalom listen to the counsel of another. But He let man's wicked plan to get rid of Christ run its full course, to its own defeat... What a comfort for believers to realise that God is greater than any combination of men that can be against Him! And that holds even when behind them all lie the subtlety and force of Satan himself.
Absalom asks Hushai whether he agrees. Hushai knows the honest answer and gives the opposite one, because he serves David:
Absalom thought it an advantage to have another counsellor as well. He called for Hushai, told him what Ahithophel had counselled, and asked him whether he agreed or not. Of course Hushai knew it was the best thing from Absalom's point of view, but he was there to serve David. So he tells Absalom that Ahithophel's counsel "is not good at this time."
Ahithophel wanted to strike at once. Stopping to hear one more speech cost Absalom the one thing evil needs:
If evil is to gain an advantage it must strike quickly. ... Ahithophel knew it when he counselled Absalom to pursue and kill David at once (2 Samuel 17:1-2). Hushai knew it too when he counselled Absalom the opposite way (vv. 7-13); but Absalom's own pride blinded him to this fact.
Ahithophel's advice used to settle matters like an answer from God. Absalom's question begins his ruin:
This friend and companion of David had turned traitor. Yet in those days his counsel was as if a man had inquired at the oracle of God. But the Lord had now appointed to overthrow him. Absalom rejects his counsel and passes over his word. His reputation for wisdom in the nation was everything to him, so his household gods are now stolen from him. His "good thing" is gone, and he sinks down a defiled, dishonoured ruin.
Hushai's task came from David himself, and the two men were close:
Hushai is David's close friend. A great love unites them, and they have no secrets from one another... With his deep, calm love for his friend, Hushai has an understanding that not even the high priests had. David himself gave him this understanding: you shall "defeat the counsel of Ahithophel." Closeness to Christ is how we receive His thoughts.
Commentators differ on the result. Another writer gives the credit elsewhere, and counts a cost:
Ahithophel had not reckoned with David's Lord, who loved him. Through all the discipline David had to pass through, the Lord was still his Lord and his Keeper. It was not Hushai who defeated the counsel of Ahithophel, but the Lord... The Lord gave the counsel through Hushai and then made Absalom and his men follow Hushai's advice. ... But would David have been lost if Hushai had not acted the spy? The Lord would not have forsaken the king, and though He used Hushai's counsel, David was the loser after all. He lost the opportunity of seeing the Lord's power step in on his behalf.
- Prayer. David asked God for one thing: turn Ahithophel's counsel into foolishness. This verse is the answer arriving — Absalom listening to somebody else.
- Summons. The call for Hushai was unnecessary; the plan was already approved. God directs circumstances, decisions and even people's opinions from behind the scenes. Even Satan serves as His instrument.
- Delay. Evil can only win by striking fast. Absalom's pride made him willing to wait for a second opinion, and the waiting undid him.
- Collapse. Ahithophel's word carried the weight of an oracle from God. Absalom passed it over, and the reputation that was everything to him was gone.
- Credit. Hushai spoke, but the Lord defeated Ahithophel. Commentators differ: one praises the closeness that shared David's mind; another says David missed seeing God act alone.
And Hushai said to Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel has given this time is not good.
Absalom's court had already agreed to Ahithophel's plan: hunt David down that very night. Then Hushai spoke, and one sentence overturned the verdict — which raises the question of who really changed their minds.
Ahithophel's advice was not weak. It was fast, focused, and aimed at one man. One writer shows why speed mattered so much:
Ahithophel saw clearly that if Absalom was to gain any victory over David, he must strike quickly. Satan knows that the only way to establish the antichrist in power is to destroy the true Christ. So Ahithophel asks Absalom to let him take 12,000 men with him and chase David that same night... Wickedness can succeed only by striking quickly; it cannot afford to wait for calm, careful deliberation.
Hushai had to argue against the better plan, not the worse one. One writer also reads the scene as a preview of a later conflict:
Hushai goes to Absalom and opposes Ahithophel's counsel in every way. In the same way, in those coming days the Lord will know how to defeat all the plans of the devil. Of the two, Ahithophel was without doubt the more subtle — the one best able to advance Absalom's plans. But the time had not yet come for anything more than a shadowy effort.
Hushai does not call the advice stupid. He calls it wrong for this moment, then builds his case on David's reputation as a fighter:
Of course Hushai knew it was the best thing from Absalom's point of view, but he was there to serve David. So he tells Absalom that this time Ahithophel's counsel "is not good." He gives reasons that convinced Absalom. First, David and his men were men of war, and at that moment enraged like a bear robbed of her cubs, so their resistance would be furious. Also, David would be hiding somewhere apart from the people, for he knew how to survive alone in rough conditions.
Hushai was not a neutral adviser. One writer draws the line between showing devotion and doing service:
The king had sent Hushai back to Jerusalem, along with the priests Zadok and Abiathar, in order to use them in his service. Displays of devotion are not enough, however dear they may be to the master's heart; they are only the prelude to service. So it is for us Christians. Like Hushai and the priests, we do not get to choose the place or the manner in which we serve the Lord. He decides that. Here it was a matter of defeating Ahithophel's counsel, of stopping this false prophet from ruining David's cause.
Absalom and every elder had already approved Ahithophel's plan. So the puzzle is not Hushai's speech, but why the room changed its mind:
How is it that after hearing Hushai, Absalom and all the men of Israel say, "The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel"? It is because God is directing everything as He wills, to carry out His purposes — the circumstances, men's decisions, their opinions. On the surface it seems that God does not care what is happening. Evil is winning, evil is reigning, men are going beyond even the imaginations of their hearts. But God is hidden behind the scenes. Nothing can resist God: even Satan serves as His instrument.
Hushai spoke the words, but one writer gives the victory elsewhere — and then asks what David's spy plan cost him:
It was not Hushai who defeated the counsel of Ahithophel, but the Lord... The Lord gave the counsel through Hushai and then made Absalom and his men follow Hushai's advice... But would David have been lost if Hushai had not been acting as a spy? The Lord would not have forsaken the king, and though He used Hushai's counsel, 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.
Commentators differ here. One treats Hushai's mission as service the king was right to assign; another judges that David lost by managing his own rescue.
- Counsel attacked. Ahithophel's plan targeted David alone and depended on speed. Wickedness cannot afford to wait.
- Counsel contradicted. Hushai never called the plan foolish, only wrongly timed. He then played on David's reputation as a cornered fighter.
- Counsel through a servant. Devotion becomes service when the Master assigns the place. Hushai's place was inside the enemy's court, ruining a false adviser's word.
- Counsel overruled. A room already convinced changed its mind. God was directing circumstances, decisions and opinions while seeming to do nothing.
- Counsel credited. The overthrow belonged to the Lord, not to Hushai's skill. One writer warns that managing our own rescue can cost us the sight of God acting for us.
And Hushai said, Thou knowest thy father and his men, that they are mighty men, and they are of exasperated spirit, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field; and thy father is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people.
Absalom has taken the throne, and Ahithophel has just urged a fast night strike to kill David alone. Hushai, David's friend in the rebel court, answers with a picture meant to stop that plan. He paints David and his men as hardened fighters, as dangerous as a bear that has lost her cubs.
Hushai is not a neutral adviser. David sent him back to Jerusalem with one assignment. He is fit for it because he stands so close to the king.
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 by closeness to Christ that we receive His thoughts.
That assignment decided where he stood, not his own preference.
Shows of devotion are not enough, however dear they may be to the master's heart. They are only the prelude to service. So it is for us Christians. 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 will decide this.
Hushai reaches for a known image of danger. The animal he names lived in the hills of that land.
The she-bear is regarded as especially fierce and dangerous when robbed of her cubs. 2 Sam. 17:8; Prov. 17:12; compare 2 Kings 2:24.
Hushai adds two more claims about David. He is a skilled soldier, and he does not sleep among his troops.
He tells Absalom that Ahithophel's counsel "is not good at this time." He gives reasons that convinced Absalom. First, David and his men were men of war. At that moment their minds were enraged, like a bear robbed of her cubs, so their resistance would be furious. But also, David would be hiding somewhere apart from the people, for he knew how to survive alone in rugged conditions. Then if some of Absalom's men fell at the start, the people would hear the report, and tend to become nervous and afraid.
Absalom had already approved Ahithophel's plan. What undid it was not a better military argument. Hushai read Absalom better.
His speech fits the man he is addressing exactly. It works on Absalom's fears and on his vanity. Nothing could be wiser than his recommendation, if only one thing were true. The new king does not stop to question it: that the will of the nation as a whole has placed him where he is. Ahithophel knows better. That is why he despairs when Absalom prefers Hushai's counsel to his own.
The chapter explains the outcome itself. It gives no credit to Hushai's skill with words.
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." The Lord gave the counsel through Hushai. Then He made Absalom and his men follow that advice.
Nothing in the scene showed God at work.
On the surface it would seem that God does not care what is taking place. Evil is winning, evil is reigning, and men are going beyond even what their hearts imagined. But God is hidden behind the scenes. Nothing can resist God — even Satan serves as His instrument.
Commentators differ. Some treat Hushai's return as true service to the king. Others call David's move a failure of faith, because it required Hushai to lie.
This was not faith on David's part, for he told Hushai to lie to Absalom by 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.
Even so, David's prayer over Ahithophel stands behind the whole episode.
David judges in spirit that he may plead against Ahithophel. He says, "O LORD, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness." The Lord allows this desire, and answers it by quickly confounding that evil counsellor.
- Prayer first. David asked God to turn Ahithophel's counsel into foolishness. The answer came through the man he sent back.
- Friendship equips. Hushai knew David's mind, so he could serve him in the enemy's court. Closeness comes before usefulness.
- The image. A bear robbed of her cubs was the standard picture of fury, and Hushai used it to make a night attack sound suicidal.
- The hook. The speech worked on Absalom's fear and his vanity, not on the facts. He never stopped to question it.
- The hand behind it. Scripture credits the outcome to the Lord, not to Hushai's skill. God stayed hidden behind the scenes the whole time.
Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or some such place; and it will come to pass, when some of them fall at the first, whoever heareth it will say, There has been slaughter among the people that follow Absalom,
Ahithophel has urged Absalom to strike David at once, and Hushai answers with a warning no one can check: David is hidden, and the first losses will spread panic. Behind the two speeches lies the real question — who is steering the outcome?
Hushai's reply was built to sound careful. One writer traces its reasons in order:
Of course Hushai knew Ahithophel's plan was the best thing from Absalom's point of view, but he was there to serve David. So he tells Absalom that this counsel "is not good at this time." He gives reasons that convinced Absalom. First, David and his men were fighting men, enraged at that moment like a bear robbed of her cubs, so their resistance would be furious. Second, David would be hiding somewhere apart from his people, for he knew how to survive alone in rough country. Then if some of Absalom's men fell at the first attack, the people would hear the report of it (v.9) and tend to grow anxious and afraid.
Hushai's advice called for delay, and that was the whole point:
Hushai knew very well that this delay would help David, not Absalom. But he also knew Absalom was proud enough to think all Israel would be glad to welcome him as king once they had thought it over. So Absalom's pride was his downfall.
Ahithophel's plan had one target: David himself. One writer sees in that a pattern larger than one rebellion:
In verses 1 to 4 we discover the enemy's hidden design: he wants to get at David. He has good reason to think that killing David will make everything fall to pieces, and the people will become Absalom's prey. "I will strike down only the king, and I will bring all the people back to you" (vv. 2-3). This is how the prince of darkness works: he aims every effort at Christ. So he stirred the world up against Him, but at the cross he lost the fight instead of winning it, and his power was broken.
Absalom had already approved Ahithophel's plan. One writer asks why he then called for a second opinion and preferred it:
How is it that after hearing Hushai Absalom and all the men of Israel say: "The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel" (v. 14)? It is because God directs the circumstances, men's decisions and their judgments — in short, everything — as He wills, to carry out His purposes. On the surface God seems not to care what is happening. Evil wins, evil reigns, men go beyond what their own hearts imagined. But God stands hidden behind the scenes.
Another writer names what Ahithophel left out of his calculations:
Ahithophel's counsel was aimed at David alone. He wanted him killed, so that the death of one man would bring all Israel back. But Ahithophel had not reckoned with David's Lord, who loved him. Through all the discipline David had to pass through, the Lord was still his Lord and his Keeper. It was not Hushai who defeated the counsel of Ahithophel, but the Lord... The Lord gave the counsel through Hushai, and then made Absalom and his men follow Hushai's advice.
Hushai had wanted to go with David into exile and was sent back instead. Writers treat this as a lesson about who chooses the form our service takes:
Demonstrations of devotion are not enough, however dear thay may be to the master's heart, but are only the prelude to service. So it is for us Christians; and like Hushai and the priests, we do not have the option of choosing the place or the manner in which we are to serve the Lord. He will decide this. Here it was a matter of defeating Ahithophel's counsel, of preventing this false prophet from ruining David's cause.
Not every writer approves the plan. One notes that David told Hushai to profess a loyalty he did not feel:
This was not faith on David's part. He told Hushai to lie to Absalom by saying 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 act in a more miraculous way if he had just trusted Him.
Another writer turns it into a question for the reader:
His plan of defeating Ahithophel through Hushai has worked completely. If success can justify a plan, then this one is justified. How many people would accept that excuse — some openly, some in secret, some hardly admitting it even to themselves?
- Aimed. Ahithophel wanted David alone killed, sure that all the people would then fall to Absalom. That is how the enemy works: every effort aimed at the anointed one.
- Hidden. Hushai replied that David was hiding apart from his men. One early loss, and word of slaughter would run through Absalom's camp and spread fear.
- Delayed. Hushai's advice bought David time. Absalom took it because his pride told him all Israel would welcome him as king.
- Overruled. The counsel fell, and not to Hushai's cleverness. God stood hidden behind the scenes, directing circumstances and men's decisions.
- Questioned. David planted a spy and told him to lie. It worked, yet writers ask whether success can justify the means, and whether David missed seeing God act for him.
and even the valiant man whose heart is as the heart of a lion shall utterly melt; for all Israel knows that thy father is a mighty man, and they that are with him are valiant men.
David is fleeing for his life, and two counsellors are advising the son who wants to kill him.
Hushai gave reasons that Absalom found convincing. Each one built the same picture: attack now, and one early loss would spread fear through the whole army, until even a lion-hearted man melts.
Hushai knew it was the best thing from Absalom's point of view, but he was there to serve David. So he tells Absalom that Ahithophel's counsel "is not good at this time." He gives reasons that Absalom found convincing. First, David and his men were men of war, and at that moment their minds were enraged like a bear robbed of her cubs. Their resistance would be furious. He also argued that David would be hiding somewhere away from his people, since he knew how to survive alone in rough country. Then, if some of Absalom's men fell in an early clash, the people would hear the report (v.9) and start to grow anxious and afraid. He pressed home that all Israel knew David's record of powerful conquest, and that valiant men surrounded him (v.10).
Ahithophel's plan aimed at one man, not at an army. Commentators read that aim as the mark of a far older war.
In verses 1 to 4 we discover the enemy's hidden design: he wants to get at David. His reasoning is sound: kill David, and everything falls apart, and the people become Absalom's prey. "I will strike down only the king, and I will bring all the people back to you" (vv. 2-3). This is how the prince of darkness operates: all his efforts are directed against Christ. To this end he stirred up the world against Him. But at the cross he did not win the conflict. He lost, and his power was broken.
Hushai spoke well. But the account gives the credit somewhere else.
Ahithophel had not reckoned with David's Lord, who loved him. Through all the discipline David had to face, 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." It seems Hushai was not present when Ahithophel spoke. When he came in and Absalom asked his opinion, he gave different advice, and Absalom and all the men of Israel took it. The Lord gave the counsel through Hushai and then made Absalom and his men to follow the advice of Hushai.
So how did the weaker plan come to sound better to a whole council of men?
It is because God directs the circumstances, men's decisions and their judgments — in short, everything. He does it as He wills, to carry out His purposes. On the surface it looks as though God does not care what is happening. Evil is winning, evil is reigning, men go further than their own hearts imagined; but God is hidden behind the scenes. Nothing can resist God: even Satan serves as His instrument.
Hushai's plan also meant delay, and delay helped David. So why did Absalom take it?
Hushai knew very well that this delay would help David, not Absalom. But he also knew that Absalom was proud enough to think all Israel would welcome him as king, once they had thought the matter over. So Absalom's pride was his downfall.
Earlier, when David heard the news about Ahithophel, he took it straight to God.
He knew how grave the news was. But that same news brought the source of his confidence before him, as clearly as he saw Satan's hand in it. A father's love might hold back from praying against Absalom, but David could now pour out his heart to God. Therefore he says, "O LORD, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness." And the LORD heard, and answered.
Hushai is David's intimate friend; a great love unites them and they have no secrets from one another... With his deep, calm love for his friend Hushai has an understanding that not even the high priests had. This understanding is communicated to him by David himself: You shall "defeat the counsel of Ahithophel." It is in intimacy with Christ that we receive the communication of His thoughts.
- Aim: The rejected plan was to strike the king alone. The enemy aims his whole effort at the Lord's anointed, not at his followers.
- Argument: Hushai wins by fear and flattery. All Israel knows David's record and the valour of his men, so the bravest heart would melt.
- Hand: God decided the outcome. He was directing not only events, but the judgments men formed about which counsel was better.
- Flaw: Absalom's pride made the weaker advice sound better. He believed all Israel wanted him, and that self-confidence ruined him.
- Answer: David had prayed that this counsellor's advice would turn into foolishness. Inside a rebel war council, God answered.
But I counsel that all Israel be speedily gathered to thee, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude; and that thou go to battle in thine own person.
Hushai's plan sounds like the bolder of the two before Absalom: gather all Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and lead them out in person. But Hushai meant it to fail, and the real question is who was steering Absalom's choice.
The grand picture of an army like sand by the sea had one practical effect: waiting. Hushai's whole argument asked Absalom to take his time first, and to capture David later.
Then he uses his most convincing argument, so far as Absalom was concerned. He advises Absalom to take time, so that all Israel is gathered in submission to him. The whole country, from Dan to Beersheba, would be persuaded that Absalom was the best choice for king (v.11). Once the kingdom was settled in this way, they would have no difficulty in capturing David later.
The plan was not a foolish one. It rested on a single assumption that Absalom never stopped to test — that the whole nation was already his.
His speech is exactly fitted to the man he is speaking to. It works on Absalom's fears and on his vanity. Nothing could be wiser than his advice, if you grant one thing that the new king does not stop to question: that the will of the whole nation has placed him where he is. Ahithophel knows better, so he despairs when Absalom prefers Hushai's counsel to his own.
The plan flattered Absalom, and his pride did the rest. Set him beside David and the contrast is complete.
Hushai knew very well that this delay would help David, not Absalom. But he also knew Absalom's pride. Absalom thought that all Israel would gladly welcome him as king once they had thought it over. So Absalom's pride was his downfall. He and all his men accepted the counsel of Hushai. The self-confidence of Absalom and his followers stands in sharp contrast to David's humble confidence in God.
Why did Absalom call for a second opinion at all, when the elders had already approved the first? The answer lies outside the room where they met.
It is because God is directing the circumstances, men's decisions and men's judgments — in short, everything — as He wills, and to carry out His purposes. On the surface it looks as if God does not care what is happening. Evil is winning, evil is reigning, men go further than their own hearts imagined; but God is hidden behind the scenes. Nothing can resist God: even Satan serves as His instrument.
So who turned Absalom away from the winning plan? The credit does not belong to Hushai.
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." ... The Lord gave the counsel through Hushai and then made Absalom and his men to follow the advice of Hushai.
Hushai's plan worked. But did that make it right? One commentary refuses to let the outcome settle the question.
If deceit and treachery are evil — if we may not do evil so that good may come — if God therefore cannot lead His people along such a path, then success can never be enough to prove that a thing is right or wise. We must not look less closely at the question of right just because someone can show that a plan will work.
The same commentary then counts what David's rescue cost him.
It is certainly true that David escaped by Hushai's help. But how much did he miss of seeing God's hand stretched out for him? How willingly we rob ourselves of many such glorious sights in the same way! The richer we are in resources, the poorer our lives become.
- Delay — The point of gathering all Israel was time, not strength. The grand army would slow Absalom down and let David escape.
- Flattery — The counsel worked on Absalom's fears and his vanity. It rested on one thing he never questioned: that the whole nation was already behind him.
- Pride — Absalom's self-confidence chose the plan that ruined him. David's confidence was humble, and it rested on God.
- Providence — God stayed hidden behind the scenes. He was directing the circumstances, the decisions, and even men's judgments of what sounded wise.
- Deliverer — It was the Lord, not Hushai, who defeated Ahithophel. And the more we lean on our own resources, the less we see of God's hand stretched out for us.
And we shall come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew falls on the ground; and of him and of all the men that are with him there shall not be left so much as one.
Hushai speaks in Absalom's court as David's man on the inside, and the plan he lays out here is built to fail. It promises an army settling on David like dew and leaving no survivor, yet it hands Absalom delay instead of victory.
The promise of a crushing victory flattered Absalom, while the delay inside it served David:
Hushai knew perfectly well that this time delay would benefit David rather than Absalom. But he also knew that Absalom was proud enough to think that all Israel would gladly welcome him as king when they had considered the matter. So Absalom's pride was his downfall. He and all his men accepted the counsel of Hushai. Their self-confidence stands in sharp contrast to David's humble confidence in God.
Ahithophel had wanted one man struck down. Hushai widens the target to David and everyone with him. One writer sees in Ahithophel's aim the pattern of how evil always works:
In verses 1 to 4 we discover the enemy's hidden design: he wants to get at David. He has good reason to think that if David is killed, everything will fall to pieces and the people will become Absalom's prey... This is how the prince of darkness operates: he directs all his efforts against Christ. To this end he stirred up the world against Him. But at the cross he did not win the conflict. He lost, and his power was broken.
Absalom and the elders had already approved Ahithophel's advice. One writer finds the hinge of the whole chapter in what happened next:
How was it then that Absalom decided to call Hushai the Archite also to hear his advice? How is it that after hearing Hushai, Absalom and all the men of Israel say: "The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel"? It is because God directs everything as He will, to carry out His designs. He directs the circumstances, men's decisions, and even the judgments they make. On the surface it would seem that God does not care what is happening. Evil is winning. Evil is reigning. Men are going further than their own hearts imagined. But God stays hidden behind the scenes. Nothing can resist God: even Satan serves as His instrument.
The chapter names who defeated Ahithophel, and Hushai had not even heard the speech he was answering:
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." It seems Hushai was not present when Ahithophel spoke. When he came to Absalom, Absalom asked his opinion. He gave different advice, and Absalom and all the men of Israel adopted it. The Lord gave the counsel through Hushai and then made Absalom and his men follow the advice of Hushai.
Commentators differ over David's part in planting Hushai in Absalom's court. One writer reads the move as prayer answered at once:
God gives an immediate answer to His servant's prayer. Hushai, the king's intimate friend, rejoins him. David, filled with spiritual discernment, sends him back, knowing that God has destined him to "defeat the counsel of Ahithophel."
Another asks what David lost by relying on a spy:
Would David have been lost if Hushai had not acted as a spy? The Lord would not have forsaken the king. Though He used Hushai's counsel, David was the loser after all. He lost the chance to see 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.
Ahithophel's word had carried the weight of a divine oracle. Absalom set it aside, and the man collapsed:
The counsel which this apostate friend and companion of David gave in those days was as if a man had inquired at the oracle of God. But the Lord had now appointed to overthrow him. Absalom rejects his counsel and sets his word aside. His reputation for wisdom in the state was everything to him. Now his household gods have been stolen from him, his "good thing" is gone, and he sinks down a defiled, dishonoured ruin.
- Prayer — David asked God to defeat Ahithophel's counsel, and the rest of the chapter is the answer arriving.
- Flattery — Hushai's promise of total victory fed Absalom's pride, and that pride was his downfall.
- Delay — the slowness of the plan was its whole point; the time it cost Absalom was time given to David.
- Hiddenness — God was directing the circumstances and the choices men made, while He seemed to do nothing at all.
- Collapse — Ahithophel's word once carried the weight of an oracle; when Absalom set it aside, he sank into a dishonoured ruin.
And if he withdraw into a city, then shall all Israel bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the torrent, until there be not one small stone found there.
Hushai has urged Absalom to gather all Israel before striking. Here he ends the speech with a picture of unstoppable force: whole armies hauling a city into the valley with ropes until nothing of it is left. The boast is grand, but it is aimed. The question the chapter asks is who was steering Absalom's choice that night.
This is flattery dressed as strategy. It plays on Absalom's fear that David could slip behind city walls, and on his vanity, by putting all Israel at his command.
His speech is exactly suited to the man he is addressing. It works on Absalom's fears and on his vanity. Nothing could be wiser than his advice. But it rests on one thing the new king never stops to question: that the will of the nation as a whole has placed him where he is. Ahithophel knows better. That is why he despairs when Absalom prefers Hushai's counsel to his own.
Behind the ropes and the rubble, Hushai is asking for one thing: delay.
Hushai knew very well that this delay would help David, not Absalom. But he also knew Absalom's pride. Absalom believed all Israel would welcome him as king once they had thought it over. So Absalom's pride was his downfall. He and all his men accepted the counsel of Hushai. Absalom and his followers trusted themselves. David humbly trusted God.
David had asked for this outcome long before Hushai spoke. The news that his own adviser had joined the rebellion sent him to God.
Then someone told David, "Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom." David turns to God. He knew how serious the news was. But this very thing brought before him the source of his confidence, as surely as he saw the hand of Satan in it. A father's love might hold back from pleading against Absalom; but David could now unburden his heart to God. So he says, "O LORD, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness." And the LORD heard, and answered.
Absalom and the elders had already approved Ahithophel's plan. Why did he then call for a second opinion — and prefer the weaker advice?
And the advice of Ahithophel "seemed right in the eyes of Absalom and all the elders of Israel" (v. 4). How was it, then, that Absalom decided to call Hushai the Archite as well, to hear his advice? How is it that after hearing Hushai, Absalom and all the men of Israel say: "The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel" (v. 14)? It is because God directs everything — the circumstances, men's decisions, their judgements — as He wills, to carry out His purposes. On the surface it looks as if God is indifferent to what is happening. Evil is winning, evil is reigning, men are going beyond what their hearts imagined. But God is hidden behind the scenes.
Hushai's speech carried the day, but commentators differ on who gets the credit. One reading treats David's planting of Hushai as a lost opportunity.
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." … But would David have been lost if Hushai had not been acting as a spy? The Lord would not have forsaken the king, and though He used Hushai's counsel, 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.
Another reading treats the same mission as a real assignment. The master chose the place, and the servant went.
The king had sent Zadok, Abiathar, and Hushai back to Jerusalem to use them in his service. Expressions of devotion are not enough, however dear they may be to the master's heart; they are only the prelude to service. So it is for us Christians; and like Hushai and the priests, we do not get to choose the place or the manner in which we serve the Lord. He will decide this. Here it was a matter of defeating Ahithophel's counsel, of stopping this false prophet from ruining David's cause.
- Flattery — Hushai's picture of a city dragged off by ropes targets Absalom's vanity and fears, not the facts. It assumes the nation is already his.
- Pride — Absalom accepted it because he was proud enough to believe it, and that pride was his downfall.
- Delay — the grand boast was a plea for time, and the time it won helped David, not Absalom.
- Providence — Absalom first called Ahithophel's plan right, then called Hushai's better. God was directing his judgement while seeming to do nothing.
- Answer — David had prayed that God would turn Ahithophel's counsel into foolishness, and God did. One writer adds that if David had simply waited, he would have seen even more of the Lord's power.
And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. And Jehovah had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, in order that Jehovah might bring evil upon Absalom.
Absalom had two advisers, and he picked the wrong one. The verse tells us why — and the reason answers a bigger question: who is in control when a rebel rules?
One writer puts two questions to this scene and answers both from the verse.
Why did Absalom call in Hushai the Archite to hear his advice too? And why, after hearing him, did Absalom and all the men of Israel prefer his counsel to Ahithophel's? The reason is that God directs the circumstances, men's decisions and their opinions. In short, He directs everything 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 further than their own hearts imagined. But God is behind the scenes, out of sight. Nothing can resist God: even Satan serves as His instrument.
The verse calls Ahithophel's advice good, and it still lost. Hushai gets the credit in the story, but the verse hands it elsewhere.
Ahithophel had not reckoned with David's Lord. He loved David, and 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."
One prayer stands behind this verse. David made it when the news about Ahithophel reached him.
David turns to God. He knew how serious the news was. He also saw the hand of Satan in it. But this very thing brought the spring of his confidence before him. A father's love might hold back from praying against Absalom. But David could now pour out his heart to God. So he says, "O LORD, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness." And the LORD heard, and answered.
One writer pushes the question further. What if David had never planted a spy at all?
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 chance of seeing the Lord's power step in for him. And how much we also lose through lack of faith in Him, with whom nothing is too hard.
Hushai's plan meant delay. One writer explains why Absalom took it anyway.
Hushai knew very well that this delay would help David, not Absalom. But he also knew Absalom's pride. Absalom believed all Israel would be glad to have him as king, once they had thought it over. So Absalom's pride was his downfall. He and all his men accepted the counsel of Hushai. Absalom and his followers trusted themselves. David's confidence was humble and in God, and the contrast is sharp. The verse adds that the Lord had purposed to defeat the wise counsel of Ahithophel, so that Absalom might be brought down to ruin.
His name carries its own verdict on him.
But Ahithophel is, after all, "brother of foolishness." He does not see that the wheel has swung as far as it goes. It will come up again for David. God has glorified Himself openly in view of David's sin. So He can now appear for David, as soon becomes clear, and as Ahithophel has to discover.
The loss went deeper than one lost argument.
Absalom rejects his counsel and passes over his word. His reputation for wisdom in the state was everything to him. So his household gods are now stolen from him. His "good thing" is gone, and he sinks down a defiled, dishonoured ruin.
What happened in Absalom's council chamber is read as a sample of something God keeps doing.
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.
God does not always work by blocking the plan. Sometimes He lets it run all the way.
David prayed, "O LORD, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness" (2 Samuel 15:31). God answered it by making Absalom listen to someone else's counsel. But man's wicked plan to get rid of Christ was allowed to run its full course, to its own defeat... What a comfort for believers to realise that God is greater than any combination of men that can be against Him. That is true even though behind them all there is the subtlety and force of Satan himself.
- Prayer — David met a traitor's brilliance with one request: turn his counsel into foolishness. This verse is the answer.
- Providence — The counsel did not fail because it was weak. God had ordained its defeat, and He was directing even the opinions in that room.
- Pride — God's instrument was Absalom's own pride. He believed all Israel would be glad to have him as king, and that confidence ruined him.
- Collapse — Ahithophel's name means "brother of foolishness." His reputation was his whole life, and it fell with his counsel.
- Comfort — At the cross God let a wicked plan run its full course. He turned it to its own defeat, and He is greater than every power ranged against Him.
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