Counsel

II Samuel 16:15–17:23

 

Disclaimer: It has been said that if the Bible was used as a Hollywood screen play, the ensuing film would be rated X; not for the fact that Hollywood is brazenly opposed to the Gospel, but because the Bible has several scenes that are full of violence and sexual sin as it displays the depravity of Man and God’s great redemption.  Again, this week we will encounter several things that may be inappropriate for younger ears.  I am not trying to hide the Bible from our children, but having three small children myself, I am not sure I want to discuss some of the things we will read about today with them yet. So, I understand if you want to remove them from the room.  Sadly, we will see suicide and open fornication, in addition to the continued family estrangement we have had the last several weeks.  I will be discrete about it as much as I can, but take what measures you feel are appropriate if you have young ones around.  Once I get out of the text and on to application, I will not return to the topics, so you can let them back in for that.  Let us spend some time reviewing and give parents time to set up their children with other activities.  I will warn you before we hit one of these topics, just in case.  As always, the message is recorded if you want to listen to it later, or the transcript will be sent out early this week and you can read it when you don’t have younger ones around. 

 

In chapter 15, Absalom had finally put his conspiracy into action.  He invited 200 people from Jerusalem to go to Hebron with him.  These 200 are completely innocent and know nothing of the coup d’état that Absalom is about to embark on.  Absalom sent messengers to all the tribes of Israel; most likely to the sympathizers he had turned away from David over the past 4 years by lying to them at the gates of Jerusalem.   He told them to announce him as king when they heard the trumpets from Hebron.  We do not know how or why, but somehow, Absalom has won the favor of one of David’s most trusted advisors, Ahithophel, and he has accompanied Absalom down to Hebron.

 

Messengers have come from Hebron telling David of Absalom proclaiming himself king of Israel.  David fled Jerusalem.  I have always wondered why David would flee.  Why not stay and fight?  I am not sure if he knew how large Absalom’s following was.  David probably was not sure if he could defend Jerusalem if all Israel was truly behind Absalom.  Absalom is also a man with a temper.  He’s very sly, but acts out of emotion.  He killed his brother about 10 years prior.  I am sure David feared Absalom would do the same to David in order to seal Absalom’s claim to the throne. 

In our passage today, we find David east of Jerusalem approaching the Jordan River.  As he left Jerusalem headed east, Absalom entered from Hebron to the south.  This is 2 Samuel 16 starting in verse 15:

 

Meanwhile, Absalom and all the men of Israel came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel was with him. Then Hushai the Arkite, David's friend, went to Absalom and said to him, "Long live the king! Long live the king!" Absalom asked Hushai, "Is this the love you show your friend? Why didn't you go with your friend?" – 2 Samuel 16:15-17

 

While Shimei is cursing David and throwing rocks at him, Absalom and his entourage come to Jerusalem.  David, being a crafty warrior king, had set up a spy network to keep tabs in the royal court.  He sent his friend Hushai back to be a spy and to send word through a network that would keep Hushai in Jerusalem so as not to arouse suspicion.  Hushai was to tell what he heard in the palace to two priests, Zadok and Abiathar, who would in turn send their sons to David with the reports.  It was well-known that Hushai was a trusted friend and confidant of David, so Absalom was shocked to find him still in Jerusalem.  Absalom was wary of Hushai, but Hushai’s clever response satisfied the new, young, egotistical king.

 

Hushai said to Absalom, "No, the one chosen by the LORD, by these people, and by all the men of Israel--his I will be, and I will remain with him. Furthermore, whom should I serve? Should I not serve the son? Just as I served your father, so I will serve you." – 2 Samuel 16:18-19

 

Hushai seems to give Absalom all the accolades that belonged to King David, but I am not so sure he did.  He seems to answer in a way that recognized David as the one chosen by God and the people, while giving Absalom the impression that since David abdicated, shouldn’t I serve you?  Absalom took it hook, line, and sinker as we would say.  Hushai gained Absalom’s trust, firmly entrenching a spy in the court.  Continuing on in Verse 20 of 2 Samuel 16.

 

Absalom said to Ahithophel, "Give us your advice. What should we do?" – 2 Samuel 16:20

 

If this whole story was not so sad, I’d find great humor in the verse.  I almost picture this scene as something from a Disney movie.  The new king who took over a kingdom by trickery is looking around his throne room and is rather pleased with himself.  Now suddenly bored, he looks to his trusted advisor who everyone knows has far more smarts than he does and says, “Well, now what do we do?”  The vizier makes a recommendation of what a new king would do, and of course the new king botches it up.

 

This is precisely what happens.  Absalom must have thought that it was far easier than he expected to take over the throne.  So, he calls the wisest of his advisors and asks what he should do next.  Remember that Ahithophel was a trusted advisor of David’s.  He knows David.  He knows just what is going to push his buttons.  Knowing the customs, Ahithophel makes a recommendation.*Young Ears Disclaimer*

 

Ahithophel answered, "Lie with your father's concubines whom he left to take care of the palace. Then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself a stench in your father’s nostrils, and the hands of everyone with you will be strengthened." So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and he lay with his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel. – 2 Samuel 16:21-22

 

David had left 10 concubines to keep the palace in order.  A concubine was lower than a true wife.  She did not have all the rights and privileges a wife would.  She was often little more than a female servant who due to poverty was sold to a wealthy man.  Other countries also gave them to kings as a way to try to insure peace.  Sadly, their only purpose other than as a symbol of honor was to bear children and to further increase the honor of the head of the household.

 

When one king took over another kingdom the defeated king’s harem became part of the spoil.  Ahithophel knew this would anger David and signal to the people that Absalom was the winner thus solidifying his position among the people.  But, there was no need to do it publicly.  We’ll get to this in a few weeks, but based on their treatment by David once he got back to Jerusalem, I think it is safe to surmise that Absalom treated them like Amnon treated Tamar, but they had the added humiliation of it being more public.  These 10 women would go on to live a widow’s life until they died.

 

Why was Ahithophel so trusted? Verse 23 answers that question.

 

Now in those days the advice Ahithophel gave was like that of one who inquires of God. That was how both David and Absalom regarded all of Ahithophel's advice. – 2 Samuel 16:23

 

This is a shocking statement based on the 2 verses prior.  How could a man of such wisdom recommend such an action toward women?  I don’t think we can incriminate Ahithophel in more than just recommending that Absalom do what the other kings of the area would do, as revolting as we may think it is today.  He said nothing about a tent on the roof.  But as we’ll see later, there was more to the story than what we’ve been told up to this point.  Let’s continue into chapter 17.

 

Ahithophel said to Absalom, "I would choose twelve thousand men and set out tonight in pursuit of David. I would attack him while he is weary and weak. I would strike him with terror, and then all the people with him will flee. I would strike down only the king and bring all the people back to you. The death of the man you seek will mean the return of all; all the people will be unharmed." This plan seemed good to Absalom and to all the elders of Israel. – 2 Samuel 17:1-4

 

Ahithophel then comes to Absalom with a plan to solidify Absalom’s reign.  He offers to take 12,000 men and leave immediately and catch David off guard.  He promises to kill only King David – whom he still calls king – and bring all the people back to Absalom, probably as slaves.  Absalom and the others of his court like the idea.  But for some reason unbeknownst to us, Absalom summons Hushai and asks his opinion. 

 

But Absalom said, "Summon also Hushai the Arkite, so we can hear what he has to say." When Hushai came to him, Absalom said, "Ahithophel has given this advice. Should we do what he says? If not, give us your opinion."

Hushai replied to Absalom, "The advice Ahithophel has given is not good this time. You know your father and his men; they are fighters, and as fierce as a wild bear robbed of her cubs. Besides, your father is an experienced fighter; he will not spend the night with the troops. Even now, he is hidden in a cave or some other place. If he should attack your troops first, whoever hears about it will say, 'There has been a slaughter among the troops who follow Absalom. ‘Then even the bravest soldier, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will melt with fear, for all Israel knows that your father is a fighter and that those with him are brave.

"So I advise you: Let all Israel, from Dan to Beersheba--as numerous as the sand on the seashore--be gathered to you, with you yourself leading them into battle. Then we will attack him wherever he may be found, and we will fall on him as dew settles on the ground. Neither he nor any of his men will be left alive. If he withdraws into a city, then all Israel will bring ropes to that city, and we will drag it down to the valley until not even a piece of it can be found." – 2 Samuel 17:5-13

 

The little town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, would see one of the bloodiest battles of the American Civil War.  General Lee had taken his forces north to try to circle around to Washington to try to end the already very bloody 2 year old Civil War.  He is initially confronted by a small detachment of Union cavalry.  Not knowing the strength of his opponent, he does not press as hard.  But, he recognized a nearby hill as a key point on the battlefield.  Lee told one of his junior generals to take the hill and to defend it, knowing it would be a tactical advantage.  However, the general delayed.  By the time he got there, Union soldiers were firmly entrenched along the ridge and resisted every attack the Confederates could muster. 

 

Hushai realizes very quickly that David needs more time.  David is at a severe tactical disadvantage.  If Ahithophel left then with 12,000 men, David would certainly be killed.  Hushai needs to convince Absalom to wait.  David probably does not have that many fighting men with him.  So Hushai reminds Absalom that despite David’s age (he is probably in his late 50’s), he is an experienced fighter and a master tactician.  David was feared among the nations as a warrior king.  This is exactly why God would not let him build the temple.  David had overthrown and brought into submission many nations that for years had harassed Israel.  He knew the Judean wilderness very well from his time running from Saul all those years ago. 

 

Hushai convinced Absalom to wait until he could gather a larger army from all across Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south.  Once they had that big of an army, they could destroy David anywhere he was hiding, Hushai argued.  They would need the strength in numbers to overcome David and his generals Joab and Abishai.  An army that large would take several days to assemble, thus buying David time.  That would give David time to get to a better place than the wilderness and gather reinforcements other than just the royal guard that left Jerusalem with him.  Absalom decides he likes Hushai’s plan and waits.

 

Absalom and all the men of Israel said, "The advice of Hushai the Arkite is better than that of Ahithophel." For the LORD had determined to frustrate the good advice of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom. – 2 Samuel 17:14

 

Finally, we are given the reason for the seemingly foolish advice that Ahithophel had suddenly been giving.  Actually, Ahithophel’s advice wasn’t bad.  God had determined to frustrate the good advice.  The Hebrew word actually means that God had commanded that the good advice of Ahithophel be frustrated so that God could destroy Absalom.  God had blinded Absalom into not accepting it. 

 

Many years later, Absalom’s much younger half-brother would write this in Proverbs 21:1

 

The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like watercourse wherever he pleases. – Proverbs 21:1

 

At the end of that same chapter, Solomon wrote:

 

There is no wisdom, insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD. The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD. – Proverbs 21:30-31

 

I wonder if as Solomon had Absalom in mind as he penned these verses.  But, Hushai still needs to warn David, so he puts his network into action.

 

Hushai told Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, "Ahithophel has advised Absalom and the elders of Israel to do such and such, but I have advised them to do so and so. Now send a message immediately and tell David, 'Do not spend the night at the fords in the desert; cross over without fail, or the king and all the people with him will be swallowed up.' "

Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at En Rogel. A servant girl was to go and inform them, and they were to go and tell King David, for they could not risk being seen entering the city. But a young man saw them and told Absalom. So the two of them left quickly and went to the house of a man in Bahurim. He had a well in his courtyard, and they climbed down into it. His wife took a covering and spread it out over the opening of the well and scattered grain over it. No one knew anything about it.

When Absalom's men came to the woman at the house, they asked, "Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?"

The woman answered them, "They crossed over the brook." The men searched but found no one, so they returned to Jerusalem.

After the men had gone, the two climbed out of the well and went to inform King David. They said to him, "Set out and cross the river at once; Ahithophel has advised such and such against you." So David and all the people with him set out and crossed the Jordan. By daybreak, no one was left who had not crossed the Jordan. – 2 Samuel 17:15-22

 

David is told of Absalom’s plan and moves across the Jordan River.  To stay on the western banks of the Jordan would have been a tactical mistake.  So David buys a little more time by putting the river between him and Absalom. 

 

Bahurim, or Nob, was a city to the east northeast of the Mount of Olives.  There was a small brook just south of it.  The unnamed woman sent Absalom’s men south to protect both David and Jonathan and Ahimaaz.

 

As for the ethics of what she did, I think she falls into the same category as Rahab when she hid the Hebrew spies.  God honored Rahab, and even allowed her to be one of David’s ancestors.  Christians have for years debated over the ethics of both women; I doubt we would solve it if we delved into it.  Thankfully, we do not have to be her judge. 

 

When Ahithophel realized Absalom was not listening to him, he knew his fate.  He knew Absalom would lose, so he decided his own fate. *Young Ears Disclaimer*

 

When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and set out for his house in his hometown. He put his house in order and then hanged himself. So he died and was buried in his father's tomb. – 2 Samuel 17:23

 

Ahithophel, a man who had been a trusted counselor to David, for reasons we are not told, turned his back on his close friend.  He betrayed David.  David wrote of this in Psalm 55 like we saw last week, but he also seems to mention it in Psalm 41:9 “Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.” 

 

Some have speculated that he was the grandfather of Bathsheba.  2 Samuel 11:3 lists Eliam as her father, while 2 Samuel 23:34 lists an Eliam as the son of Ahithophel.  We do not have anything solid to verify that this are the same people.  But some think Ahithophel may have held a grudge against David and wanted to kill him and thus joined with Absalom.  They say this explains why Ahithophel was all about gathering 12,000 men himself and pursuing David in 17:1-4.  He said “I would choose…,” “I would strike him with terror…,” “I would strike down only the king…”  We are not told and can only speculate.  But he assumed his fate and took matters into his own hands and ended his life.  Others suggest that Absalom did not like Ahithophel’s plan because it would give Ahithophel more honor as the one who had defeated King David.  But regardless, Absalom delayed, and would pay for that choice.

 

In closing, I want to look at David’s response to the punishment for his sin.  God told him that the sword would never depart from his family.  He knew that Absalom rebelling was merely part of his punishment for his treatment of Uriah and Bathsheba.  In 2 Samuel 11:11-12, Nathan told David out of David’s own house God would bring calamity, and that his concubines would be given to someone who was very close to him.  God told David that his sin was in secret, but his wives would be given to another in broad daylight.  David knew that what happened was in fulfillment of God’s promise, and he accepted his punishment.

 

Psalm 51 is very familiar to us.  We even have it set to music and sing it in our own church.  David wrote that about a year after his sin, after he was confronted by Nathan.   I still have to go to work even with Covid-19.  Thankfully, the building industry is still booming.  But on my 25 minute commute, I’ve made it a point lately to listen to sermons.  For a while, I found a topic I had questions about and listened to sermons and teachings by various men to try to find answers.  One man struck me as a gifted, knowledgeable, easy-to-listen-to, Godly teacher of the Word, so I sought out more of his messages.  I listened to one this week that struck me personally, but then God showed it to me again in 2 Samuel 12-17. 

 

Teaching from Psalm 51, the speaker made the argument that brokenness is a very appropriate response to our sin.  Our culture hates discomfort and will do anything to make it go away.  We do not like the idea of being broken over sin.  Guilt is often named something else and medicated.  Christians have embraced a soft view of God.  We have a view of Jesus as one who is needy and who just wants us to be in a relationship with him.  He just wants brothers and sisters to share life with them.  It is all about love.  We get told when we sin that we are breaking His heart.  There is some aspect to that, but we are told that that is the worst we do to Him.  It is all under the blood anyway.  In reality, He will eventually break our hearts over our sin.

 

We forget that He is a holy God who hates sin.  He will punish sin, even in His own children.  I am not discounting love here.  What Jesus did on this earth for 33 years during his life and death was the largest display of love that will ever be known.   And for Him to discipline us for our sin is a loving thing to do.  A loving father disciplines his children.  He trains them.  He guides them through that discipline.

 

Why is it appropriate to be broken over sin? There are 4 reasons.  The first is in Psalm 51:1-2.

 

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. – Psalm 51:1-2

 

Brokenness is appropriate because sin stains and scars.  Notice the verbs David used: Blot, Wash, and Cleanse.  “Blot” is the same Hebrew word that was used back in Genesis referring to what God would do with the flood.  He was going to wipe out, or obliterate the people.  “Wash” would be like a person down by the river scrubbing a garment over and over and over again on a washboard trying to get a stain out.  “Cleanse” has the idea of being ceremonially clean.  David calls out a trifecta of verbs to describe what he is pleading with God for.  He’s asking for the slate to be wiped clean, to be scrubbed, the stain worked out, and to be made ceremonially clean again.  We are forgiven.  But, we live with consequences.  We all have scar tissue. 

 

Secondly, in verse 3, sin creates memories.  David wrote:

 

For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. – Psalm 51:3

 

Remember, David wrote this after Nathan confronted him.  Nathan confronted David after the son was born.  This was at least 9 months after the sin.  What did David say?  “I know my transgression.  My sin is always before me. I can’t stop thinking about it!”  Sin creates memories that stay with us.  Why can’t we just forget our sin? 

 

Humans are not made that way.  If we could forget our sins, we would never be able to testify of the goodness of God.  By God’s grace, our sin gives us a stark contrast to the goodness of God.

 

If we did not have the memories of our sin, we wouldn’t be warned of doing it again. We would never learn anything.  We would burn our hands off on the stove because we’d never remember that the stove was hot.  He uses the memory of our sin to teach us and to drive us to repentance.

 

If we could forget our sin, we could not see growth.  We would not be able to look back to see where we used to be.  Have you ever been somewhere tied to one of those memories, and you realized how much God had changed you since you were there last?

 

Thirdly, brokenness is appropriate because our sin is an affront to a Holy God.  Look at verses 4-6.

 

Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. – Psalm 51:4–6

 

David does not say “I’ve sinned against Uriah.” Or “I’ve sinned against Bathsheba.”  He says I have sinned against You and You only.  Our sin does affect others, and we should seek to reconcile with those we hurt.  But ultimately, our sin is against a holy God. 

 

Another Scripture song that we sing here comes from Revelation 19.  Let’s turn there.  This is a powerful image of Jesus.

 

And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." – Revelation 19:11–16 NASB

 

This is not the sissified, needy Jesus that we see in so many Christian circles.  The Jesus of the Bible wages war.  His robe is dipped in blood.  He is striking down nations.  He rules with a rod of iron.  He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God the Almighty.  He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.  We look at the God of the Old Testament who killed people for talking back to Moses, who ordered children stoned for dishonoring their parents, and think I’m so glad I serve the God of the New Testament who is all about love and grace.  There was mercy in the Old Testament.  Jeremiah said the Lord’s mercy was new every morning.  David sang of the lovingkindness, the checed, of God.  The God of the Old Testament is the same God that is in the New Testament.  He cannot and will not tolerate sin.

 

He hates sin so much, that he poured out His wrath on His own Son!  And I think He’s going to let me slide?  I need to implore Him to cleanse me, to blot out my sin, to wash me from the stain.  I need to be conformed to His image as Paul put it in Romans 12. 

 

Finally, sin is a hindrance to true worship. Verses 7-9:

 

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. –  Psalm 51:7–12 NIV

 

Sin in our lives does not let us feel the joy and gladness that comes from a right relationship with God.  We need a pure heart, and only God can grant that.  Only He can clean us.  Look at Isaiah 1:10-18.

 

Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah! "What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. "When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts? Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations-- I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause. "Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. – Isaiah 1:10–18 ESV

 

In this passage, God calls for us to wash ourselves, but have you ever tried to wash an infant after he just fed himself spaghetti?  He desperately needs washed.  It’s all over his face.  But he can’t wash himself.  His bib and skin is stained reddish orange.  The high chair needs pressure washed.  Hopefully you stripped him down to just a diaper, if not, the clothes need scrubbed or better yet, trashed.  But he is flailing his arms and legs fighting you.  He doesn’t realize how filthy he is.  He doesn’t like the constant rubbing of the washcloth on his face.  Our own actions are like filthy rags.  We can’t wash ourselves.  We need to submit ourselves to God to allow Him to wash us and scrub us and make us clean.

 

David realized there are consequences to sin.  He endured them because he knew he deserved them.  But he recognized that in his own strength, he messed everything up.  He called for God to wash him, to cleanse him, to purge him, to restore him, to save him.  God does not want mindless religious rituals.  He wants a broken and contrite heart.

 

May I never get over the fact that God saved a wretch like me.  That He allowed me to see another day. I deserved to die just for the things I did, said, and thought yesterday, even while writing this message.  May I never get over the fact that He’s patient and longsuffering with me.  May I never forget that in me there is nothing that can satisfy Him.  May I never get over being broken over my sin.  May I never become complacent, or never stop realizing the distance between me and my Jesus. That is how I appreciate the distance He travelled to make me His child. 

 

I am not saying that we need to wallow in our sin, or to hold onto our guilt.  Put it under the blood and move on.  David was crushed under the weight of His sin, but he did not stay there.  But under that weight, David could worship rightly.  We are not to feel bad, to hold on to our guilt.  Brokenness is to get us to the place to understand the magnitude of His grace and mercy.  

 

Brokenness lets us sing songs like

 

And can it be that I should gain

An int'rest in the Savior's blood?

Died He for me, who caused His pain?

For me, who Him to death pursued?

Amazing love! how can it be

That Thou, my God, should die for me? 

 

Or

 

Crown him with many crowns,

The Lamb upon his throne.

Hark! How the heavenly anthem drowns

All music but its own.

Awake, my soul, and sing of him

Who died for thee,

And hail him as thy matchless King

Through all eternity.

 

Or “Depth of Mercy can there be, mercy still reserved for me?”

 

Or “What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss to bear the dreadful curse for my soul?”