2 Samuel 17

2 Samuel 17

With roles reversed, David found himself in hiding while Absalom sat on the throne in Jerusalem. In order to gain full control, Ahithophel presented a plan to Absalom that would ultimately lead to David’s death. He planned to gather a group of men who would set out and find David. Without harming anyone else, they would kill David and bring the rest of his men back to Jerusalem, hopefully leading to a reunification of Israel. When this plan was presented to Absalom, he initially approved, but he also wanted the approval of Hushai. Now remember that Hushai was in a sense a mole left behind by David to serve Absalom. So of course Hushai did not approve of this plan. But the problem was that Hushai could not come right out and give his disapproval for fear that Absalom might figure out where his true allegiance was. So he also set forth a plan that would ultimately lead to David’s death just to make Absalom think that he was still supporting Absalom’s decisions. In reality, his plan would ultimately save David’s life.


The amazing thing about this part of the story was that it was all part of God’s plan to leave Hushai in Jerusalem and have him put in this predicament. It would be one of the pieces that would ultimately lead to David’s ability to regain the throne in Jerusalem, but it was also God’s way of promoting Hushai above Ahithophel. As God continued to work the situation out for David’s good, He also began setting up obstacles for Absalom that would lead to his demise.

As Absalom began to prepare for battle, people once again began to scramble. Ahithophel was distraught because his plan had not been accepted. As a result, he fled to his hometown where he hung himself. Meanwhile, Hushai was secretly aligning with the few Israelites in Jerusalem who still supported David. He prepared two men to travel to David that very night (the night before Absalom would leave) and warn David about what Ahithophel and Absalom were up to. However, some of Absalom’s men heard about what these two men were up to, and their chance at saving David was almost shot. Thankfully, there was a woman who was able to hide them while Absalom’s men passed by. They were finally able to complete their journey and get David across the river and into safety for the time being.

In 2 Samuel 16, it seemed as if David’s time as the king of Israel was over. With the circumstances the way they were, it seemed doubtful that David would ever regain the throne. Absalom was gaining more and more control, and he had successfully gained the approval of a large portion of Israel. Yet while many Israelites spent their time cursing David, David did not give up. He was on the run in fear of his life, being pursued by his own son, but he knew that no matter the outcome, God was in control. If he had the opportunity to regain the throne, he would be grateful, but he ultimately knew that God had to make that decision. He sent men back to Jerusalem who were able to help him from the inside, and in 2 Samuel 17, the power began to shift back to David thanks to the efforts of Hushai. We never know how God is going to work, but one lesson we can learn from Hushai is to be ready to be God’s instrument. We must always be willing to allow God to use us for whatever He needs. Hushai had remained faithful to David and most importantly to God, and as a result, God was able to use Hushai to further carry out his plans. May we, like Hushai, remain faithful and be willing to do whatever it is that God has called us to do.

Matt