Advice that Appeals to Our Pride or God’s Glory
[11] But my counsel is that all Israel be gathered to you, from Dan to Beersheba, as the sand by the sea for multitude, and that you go to battle in person. [12] So we shall come upon him in some place where he is to be found, and we shall light upon him as the dew falls on the ground, and of him and all the men with him not one will be left. [13] If he withdraws into a city, then all Israel will bring ropes to that city, and we shall drag it into the valley, until not even a pebble is to be found there.” [14] And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel.” For the LORD had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the LORD might bring harm upon Absalom.
[15] Then Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, “Thus and so did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel, and thus and so have I counseled. [16] Now therefore send quickly and tell David, ‘Do not stay tonight at the fords of the wilderness, but by all means pass over, lest the king and all the people who are with him be swallowed up.’” (ESV)
2 Samuel 17:11–16 ESV Read More
Absalom has taken the city of Jerusalem from his father, King David, and is now seeking counsel on what to do next. Two men that are trusted advisors give him contradictory advice, and he quickly chooses one over the other. The Lord is behind this scheme because the Lord desires to keep David as king.
Discernment is one of the hardest things that any of us ever have to do. If you don’t think you ever have to make any big decisions, you’re just making decisions without thinking about it. Even though you can get a degree in Decision Sciences or you can get Google to answer the question “How do you make a decision?” there is a pretty good red flag of advice in today’s reading.
The prophet that God wanted to shush advised that they form a small, elite group of men and go fight King David and his men that very night. They would only try to assassinate David and then return to Jerusalem victorious. This plan involved a lot of hard work fast, and a tiny amount of glory for another man on behalf of Absalom.
Plan B, from Hushai, was different. It appealed to the pride of Absalom. It had some great catch-phrases like
All Israel be gathered to you, from Dan to Beersheba, as the sand by the sea for multitude (You’ll have many loyal subjects)
We shall light upon him as the dew falls on the ground (You’ll rule a massive army)
Of him and all the men with him not one will be left (You’ll have a powerful victory)
If he withdraws into a city, then all Israel will bring ropes to that city, and we shall drag it into the valley, until not even a pebble is to be found there. (You already have such devoted subjects, they’ll fight mightily for you!)
Absalom makes the decision that appeals most to his pride. God knew He could foil Absalom, not by forcing him, but by sending Hushai to nurture Absalom’s desire for glory instead of seeking God’s glory. Absalom has developed a pattern of working his own will, instead of seeking God’s.
You have heard it said when looking for motives: “Follow the money,” but when it comes to making hard decisions, we should seek God and “Follow the Glory.”
You can get the Daily Bible Readings to your inbox via email every day by subscribing here. Join the discussion online on Facebook or Twitter.