Daily Devotional for Monday, January 15

The Ruse

“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 appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the Lord might bring evil upon Absalom,” 2 Samuel 17:14.

In Scripture, we continue to see the results of sinful choices and how quickly sin can overtake a person. After David brought Absalom back publicly in an act of forgiveness, Absalom presented himself as a counselor to the people, settling disputes before they could even get to David and built connections with the people of Israel. He gathered up a following and planned to overthrow his father. David heard of this and fled Jerusalem to prevent war from breaking out in the city. Absalom entered Jerusalem with a new sense of authority and publicly went into his father’s concubines. Who needs soap operas when you have the story of David’s family?

David knew that one of his counselors, Ahithophel, had been recruited to Absalom’s side. He prayed to God to give Ahithophel incorrect prophesies to lead Absalom astray. Then he sent his own friend, Hushai, to Absalom to pretend to be loyal to the throne and not to David. When Absalom sought advice, Ahithophel told him to take the men he already had and pursue David immediately to kill him to ensure that Absalom would be king. This would have in fact brought about the result Absalom wanted; however, God was working to restore David to his throne and allowed Hushai’s advice to also be given to Absalom. Hushai suggested they gather more men from all over Israel, reminding them that David was skilled in hiding and fighting in the wilderness. In the Lord’s favor, Absalom went with Hushai’s plan which would give David time to prepare for a battle.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY
God is sovereign and is at work in our lives, whether or not we can see what He is doing. Trust Him to work all things for the good of those who love Him.

Ashley Ridings