Ahithophel advised Absalom – Ahithophel’s plan was to take 12,000 men, and to go that very night, to strike while David was weary. David usually sleeps at night and is active during the day. He knew that David and his men were weary and weak. He could attack the rear ranks and cause them to fear and run for their lives, leaving David exposed and then kill him.
How unlike David he was. David was The LORD’s anointed, but Ahithophel would have killed him whereas David would not do so to king Saul. Ahithophel planned for them to strike only the king as he would be left exposed (v1-4).
Seemed a smart plan – just to get rid of David and bring back all his followers to the city in peace as they would surrender on the loss of their leader. In fact, v14 tells us that Ahithophel’s plan could have worked – God says Ahithophel’s counsel was good in the sense that it would have been successful.Ahithophel’s counsel was rooted in revenge and bitterness and Absalom’s intentions left out the will of God.
However, Absalom in his pride and glory, had two of his father’s top advisers at his side and wanted the benefit of both, so he consulted Hushai also (v5). Perhaps he thought Hushai would have even more information. Whilst Hushai knew that David was not in a good frame of mind, he referred to him as being strong and mighty, which is what he had been previously. Hushai suggested that it would be unlikely that David’s men would leave him exposed by running away. They were brave and loyal men, as we have seen before. Rather, David would be hidden away from the camp and surrounded by all his valiant men. In one sense Hushai‘s counsel (v5-10) was no different to Ahithophel’s, save for the fact that he advised not just 12,000 men but all Israel from north to south who were in number like grains of sand. And that Absalom go in person. His plan would wipe them all out and even the cities where David is. (v11,12,13) That obviously sounded more exciting, so Absalom and all the men of Israel agreed to Hushai’s plan. No doubt Hushai was praying that his advice would be taken, and relieved when it was.
How people can get carried away with numbers and the thrill and excitement of being at the forefront? So it was with Absalom and his men deciding to follow Hushai’s plan, but it was not by accident! For in v 14we read that it was all in God’s plan to defeat Ahithophel’s counsel and to bring defeat on Absalom.Ahithophel’s plan was a good one and potentially fatal to David, but God was in control, He always is! God was answering David’s prayer that Ahithophel’s counsel would be defeated.
Hushai told Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, the counsel of Ahithophel and his own counsel to thwart it and sent them off to tell David (v15,16) – there was urgency as Absalom was obviously ready to move off to attack David.
There was no time to waste, not even to camp the night, but to go over the river Jordan. Jonathan and Ahimaaz, Zadok and Abiathar’s sons who were supposed to be the ‘runners’ (see Ch 15:36) were afraid to be seen coming into the city so they arranged for a maidservant to go from the city to give them the news so that they could pass it on to David. It could have been fatal because they were seen by a lad who went and told Absalom. Jonathan and Ahimaaz left at once and came to a man’s house in Bahurim and his wife hid them in their courtyard in a well. The house owner’s wife covered it over with a sheet and spread grain on top of it to camouflage it. Absalom’s men searched but didn’t find the two runners so after they had left, Jonathan and Ahimaaz climbed out of the well and went hurriedly to David to inform him of the plan (v17-22).
Notice carefully what they said, v 21 “Arise and cross over the water quickly. For thus has Ahithophel advised against you.” They got it wrong, but God was in control and I assume that the action taken by David was to counteract Ahithophel’s plot, but Absalom was actually following Hushai’s plan.
No wonder Ahithophel was distraught when his counsel wasn’t followed (v23) – there was the enemy falling into Ahithophel’s trap but there was his leader following Hushai’s plan.
Ahithophel was evidently a proud man and couldn’t bear to be ignored – “He went and put his household in order and hanged himself and died and was buried in his father’s tomb.” (v23). It was serious and Ahithophel must have known that his plan would have worked and couldn’t bear the consequences of defeat and failure. In fact, ch.18:2-4 says that is exactly what happened. David did stay behind, not because he was weary but because his men persuaded him to. He had learned a bitter lesson in staying behind rather than going out to fight in the battle some years before when he fell into sin with Bathsheba. This time his men said he was safer in case they all fled for their lives and Absalom and his men wouldn’t bother about them but go straight for David. This was Ahithophel’s counsel – he didn’t get it exactly right, but the idea was roughly correct, that the men would flee and leave David alone to be attacked in the face of the battle.
Ahithophel hanged himself. Suicide is a sin. No-one has the right to take a life, except in judicial circumstances or in a just war. including one’s own. In the book of Exodus God provided cities of refuge for those who took a life as a result of an accident, where there was no intention to kill. Suicide, however, is not an unforgivable sin. It is said to be an act of cowardice, although I am always puzzled by that as I would have thought one has to be brave to do the act to oneself. However, it should never be looked upon as heroic and it is often indicative of a person succumbing to Satan’s lies who seeks to kill and destroy (see John 10:10).
David reached Mahanaim, (v24-26) a place Jacob named – means ‘God’s Camp. Meanwhile Absalom marched with his men and crossed the Jordan. He had appointed Amasa, the son of Jether, an Israelite, over his army in place of Joab. Joab, of course was with David, but many of the men who had been in David’s army under Joab’s command had defected, so they needed a new commander. Amasa was a relative just as Joab was.
Amasa was the son of Abigail, David’s sister (1 Chronicles 2:16,17) not to be confused with Abigail the widow of Nabal, who became David’s wife. Amasa’s father was Jether (or Jithra). Joab was the son of Zeruiah, David’s other sister. So, Amasa and Joab were cousins, and both were nephews of David, and cousins of Absalom. So, we have
divided loyalties and as we shall see later, there was no love lost between Joab and Amasa. Maybe because Amasa was possibly half Arab. (Jithra) is said to be an Israelite but Jether (1 Chronicles) an Ishmaelite and Ishmael, even though a son of Abraham was not the heir to the promise. He was the forerunner of the Arabs.
Abigail is also described as the daughter of Nahash, why not Jesse if she was David’s sister? Possibly Nahash was Abigail’s’ mother although it is not usual that the mother is listed as the parent, or simply Nahash is another name for Jesse.
When David and his men camped at Mahanaim – Shobi the son of Nahash, from Rabbah, of the Ammonites, Machir son of Ammiel from Lo Debar and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim brought supplies for David as they recognised that they would be exhausted, hungry and thirsty (v27-29). Machir had a reputation for hospitality – he was the one in whose home Mephibosheth had been staying when David came to show favour on Jonathon’s son. Little wonder the place was called God’s Camp for God provided for His people there. Apart from Machir, little is known about these men, but they turned out to be good friends when David and his men were in need.
