Counsel and Wisdom

2 Samuel 17:1-14
    1 Moreover Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Now let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight. 2 I will come upon him while he is weary and weak, and make him afraid. And all the people who are with him will flee, and I will strike only the king. 3 Then I will bring back all the people to you. When all return except the man whom you seek, all the people will be at peace.” 4 And the saying pleased Absalom and all the elders of Israel.
    5 Then Absalom said, “Now call Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear what he says too.” 6 And when Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom spoke to him, saying, “Ahithophel has spoken in this manner. Shall we do as he says? If not, speak up.”
    7 So Hushai said to Absalom: “The advice that Ahithophel has given is not good at this time. 8 For,” said Hushai, “you know your father and his men, that they are mighty men, and they are enraged in their minds, like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field; and your father is a man of war, and will not camp with the people. 9 Surely by now he is hidden in some pit, or in some other place. And it will be, when some of them are overthrown at the first, that whoever hears it will say, ‘There is a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom.’ 10 And even he who is valiant, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will melt completely. For all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man, and those who are with him are valiant men. 11 Therefore I advise that all Israel be fully gathered to you, from Dan to Beersheba, like the sand that is by the sea for multitude, and that you go to battle in person. 12 So we will come upon him in some place where he may be found, and we will fall on him as the dew falls on the ground. And of him and all the men who are with him there shall not be left so much as one. 13 Moreover, if he has withdrawn into a city, then all Israel shall bring ropes to that city; and we will pull it into the river, until there is not one small stone found there.”
    14 So Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than the advice of Ahithophel.” For the LORD had purposed to defeat the good advice of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring disaster on Absalom.

We find that David’s direction to leave Hushai behind to frustrate the good counsel of Ahithophel as told in 2 Samuel 15:34 now comes into play.  Ahithophel wanted to attack David and his small band while they were tired to scatter his followers, kill the king, and bring back all those who left Jerusalem with him.  Absalom knew the reputation of David’s old counselor, and asked Hushai to remark on Ahithophel’s plans; this moment provided the planted weapon of dissuading counsel to stop a good plan and gain David the victory in the end.  Absalom believed the misdirection and set in motion the disaster to come on him m from the LORD.  What we learn here is that in matters of national strategy there is time for misinformation and false narratives to gain military victory, but also that this is not to be automatically applied to personal matters.  We are not to lie or deceive each other, but to speak truth in love and entrust ourselves to the Lord’s mighty hand.  This is similar to not personally murdering anyone, yet still be willing to kill for the nation as the soldier doing his duty to fight as John said (Luke 3:14) to this question.  We are to be interpersonally honest and yielding over striking back, yet finding a place for espionage and deceit in wartime as we find in this passage.  These are difficult thoughts to deal with, but must be considered especially among those servants in the military who are the Lord’s servants.  Counsel and wisdom which come from God win out in the end.