The Death of Ahithophel
17:1 Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me pick out twelve thousand men. Then I will go and pursue David this very night.
Ahithophel’s advice was to pursue David immediately with 12,000 men. David had no food, no supplies, and only 600 soldiers. This was very good advice. Absalom should have moved immediately while his father was unprepared.
17:2 When I catch up with him he will be exhausted and worn out. I will rout him, and the entire army that is with him will flee. I will kill only the king
The army would not only be short of soldiers and supplies, but they would be too fatigued to fight. The physical and emotional drain on them was very severe. Ahithophel would allow the army to escape, but only kill the king.
17:3 and will bring the entire army back to you. In exchange for the life of the man you are seeking, you will get back everyone. The entire army will return unharmed.”
After King David was killed, his soldiers would choose to serve a new king.
17:4 This seemed like a good idea to Absalom and to all the leaders of Israel.
Absalom and his advisors liked this idea. They should have moved quickly.
17:5 But Absalom said, “Call for Hushai the Arkite, and let’s hear what he has to say.”
Absalom may have been curious as to what Hushai would say. Absalom had questioned Hushai’s loyalty at the city gates. He may have wanted to test Hushai to see if he could actually trust him.
17:6 So Hushai came to Absalom. Absalom said to him, “Here is what Ahithophel has advised. Should we follow his advice? If not, what would you recommend?”
Absalom desired the best advice, but he was inexperienced.
17:7 Hushai replied to Absalom, “Ahithophel’s advice is not sound this time.”
Hushai was a spy who was protecting David. Hushai knew that Ahithophel’s advice would catch David unprepared. He had to offer good advice that would give David more preparation time.
17:8 Hushai went on to say, “You know your father and his men – they are soldiers and are as dangerous as a bear out in the wild that has been robbed of her cubs. Your father is an experienced soldier; he will not stay overnight with the army.
This was very true. David was very experienced and very dangerous. His men were just as dangerous.
17:9 At this very moment he is hiding out in one of the caves or in some other similar place. If it should turn out that he attacks our troops first, whoever hears about it will say, ‘Absalom’s army has been slaughtered!’
David knew the caves of the wilderness extremely well. He lived there as a shepherd. He hid in the caves during Saul’s persecution.
17:10 If that happens even the bravest soldier – one who is lion-hearted – will virtually melt away. For all Israel knows that your father is a warrior and that those who are with him are brave.
If David mounted a successful attack, then Absalom’s army would lose morale.
17:11 My advice therefore is this: Let all Israel from Dan to Beer Sheba – in number like the sand by the sea! – be mustered to you, and you lead them personally into battle.
Hushai flattered Absalom. Absalom had no military experience. He would be a terrible general. Absalom thought that he could win with all of Israel on his side.
17:12 We will come against him wherever he happens to be found. We will descend on him like the dew falls on the ground. Neither he nor any of the men who are with him will be spared alive – not one of them!
Hushai painted a mental picture where Absalom would become the star general and hero of the battle.
17:13 If he regroups in a city, all Israel will take up ropes to that city and drag it down to the valley, so that not a single pebble will be left there!”
If David heads to a city, then Absalom will have the entire nation of Israel to siege the city.
17:14 Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Arkite sounds better than the advice of Ahithophel.” Now the Lord had decided to frustrate the sound advice of Ahithophel, so that the Lord could bring disaster on Absalom.
Jehovah controlled the actions, thoughts, and decisions of David’s enemies. He made sure that Ahithophel’s advice would be not be followed.
17:15 Then Hushai reported to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, “Here is what Ahithophel has advised Absalom and the leaders of Israel to do, and here is what I have advised.
Hushai took this information to Zadok and Abiathar. Zadok and Abiathar were priests who were spying for David.
17:16 Now send word quickly to David and warn him, “Don’t spend the night at the fords of the desert tonight. Instead, be sure you cross over, or else the king and everyone who is with him may be overwhelmed.”
The spies were to send word to David to immediately cross over the Jordan River.
17:17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying in En Rogel. A female servant would go and inform them, and they would then go and inform King David. It was not advisable for them to be seen going into the city.
The priests sent a female servant to take this message to Jonathan. Jonathan was the son of the High Priest. He was part of David’s priestly espionage group.
17:18 But a young man saw them on one occasion and informed Absalom. So the two of them quickly departed and went to the house of a man in Bahurim. There was a well in his courtyard, and they got down in it.
Absalom also had his own espionage network. Absalom’s spies found out about David’s spies and passed the information to Absalom. David’s spies hid in a dry well.
17:19 His wife then took the covering and spread it over the top of the well and scattered some grain over it. No one was aware of what she had done.
Grain was placed over the dry well to hide David’s spies.
17:20 When the servants of Absalom approached the woman at her home, they asked, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” The woman replied to them, “They crossed over the stream.” Absalom’s men searched but did not find them, so they returned to Jerusalem.
The men were hiding in the well, but the woman sent Absalom’s men on a wild goose chase over the stream.
17:21 After the men had left, Ahimaaz and Jonathan climbed out of the well. Then they left and informed King David. They advised David, “Get up and cross the stream quickly, for Ahithophel has devised a plan to catch you.”
King David received the message and was able to prepare.
17:22 So David and all the people who were with him got up and crossed the Jordan River. By dawn there was not one person left who had not crossed the Jordan.
David was able to get his entire army over the Jordan River during the night.
17:23 When Ahithophel realized that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and returned to his house in his hometown. After setting his household in order, he hanged himself. So he died and was buried in the grave of his father.
Ahithophel must have realized that Hushai’s counsel would result in Absalom’s defeat. Instead of being eventually executed by David for treason, he decided to commit suicide.
17:24 Meanwhile David had gone to Mahanaim, while Absalom and all the men of Israel had crossed the Jordan River.
Mahanaim was a town in Gilead, which was east of the Jordan River. Ish-Bosheth, the successor of Saul reigned there for two years. Jacob saw the angels on a stairway to heaven while traveling to Penuel. It was appointed to be a Levitical city from the territory of Gad. It was a well fortified city, so it would become a safe haven for David.
17:25 Absalom had made Amasa general in command of the army in place of Joab. (Now Amasa was the son of an Israelite man named Jether, who had married Abigail the daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah, Joab’s mother.)
Skeptics claim that this was a bible error, because I Chronicles 2:17 says that Amasa’s father was “Jether the Ishmeelite.” However, Jether most likely became an Ishmaelite proselyte to the Jewish faith, so there is no contradiction.
Abigail is said to be the daughter of Nahash in this verse. However, she is listed as the daughter of Jesse in I Chronicles 2:13-16. It is very possible that Nahash was the same individual as Jesse. Another possibility is that that Abigail’s mother was previously married to Nahash, with Abigail later being adopted by Jesse.
17:26 The army of Israel and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead. 17:27 When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, Makir the son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim 17:28 brought bedding, basins, and pottery utensils. They also brought food for David and all who were with him, including wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils, 17:29 honey, curds, flocks, and cheese. For they said, “The people are no doubt hungry, tired, and thirsty there in the desert.”
Absalom was not an anointed king of Israel. David was anointed by Samuel. It was prophesied that Solomon, not Absalom, would become the next king of Israel. Therefore, Absalom had no chance of succeeding David.
Prophets anointed all of the kings of Israel. Those kings who attempted to take the throne without being anointed did not live very long.
God raised up many supporters to aid David during his flight from his angry and rebellious son. Absalom wanted to take the monarchy by force, but God did not allow this to happen. In one day, God completely supplied David for his coming conflict with Absalom.