Now someone told David: "Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom." So David pleaded, "O LORD, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness!" Now someone told DavidThis phrase introduces a moment of revelation and urgency. The Hebrew word for "told" is "נָגַד" (nagad), which implies a formal announcement or report. In the context of ancient Israel, such reports were often delivered by trusted messengers or informants. This moment underscores the gravity of the situation, as David receives news that could alter the course of his reign. It highlights the importance of communication and the role of divine providence in the unfolding of events. Ahithophel is among the conspirators
Ahithophel was a highly esteemed counselor, known for his wisdom and insight. The Hebrew name "אֲחִיתֹפֶל" (Ahithophel) can be translated as "brother of folly," which is ironic given his reputation for wise counsel. His defection to Absalom's side was a significant blow to David, as it represented not only a loss of a trusted advisor but also a shift in political power. The term "conspirators" (Hebrew: "קָשַׁר" - qashar) indicates a binding alliance against David, emphasizing the seriousness of the rebellion. with Absalom
Absalom, David's son, is central to this narrative. His name in Hebrew, "אַבְשָׁלוֹם" (Avshalom), means "father of peace," yet his actions are anything but peaceful. This juxtaposition highlights the tragic nature of his rebellion. Historically, Absalom's revolt was a culmination of personal grievances and political ambition, reflecting the complexities of familial and national loyalty in ancient Israel. So David prayed
In response to the dire news, David turns to prayer, demonstrating his reliance on God in times of crisis. The Hebrew verb "פָּלַל" (palal) for "prayed" conveys a sense of intercession and supplication. This act of prayer is a testament to David's faith and his understanding that true wisdom and deliverance come from the LORD. It serves as a model for believers to seek divine guidance and intervention in challenging circumstances. O LORD
The invocation of "LORD" (Hebrew: "יְהוָה" - Yahweh) is significant, as it calls upon the covenant name of God. This name is associated with God's eternal presence and faithfulness to His people. By addressing God in this manner, David acknowledges the LORD's sovereignty and his own dependence on divine will. It is a reminder of the personal relationship between God and His chosen leaders. please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness
David's prayer is specific and strategic. The word "turn" (Hebrew: "הָפַךְ" - haphak) suggests a complete reversal or transformation. David seeks not just the failure of Ahithophel's advice but its conversion into "foolishness" (Hebrew: "סִכְלוּת" - siklut), which denotes a lack of understanding or insight. This request underscores the belief that God can intervene in human affairs to thwart the plans of the wicked. It reflects a deep trust in God's ability to protect His anointed and to bring about justice. Persons / Places / Events 1. DavidThe King of Israel, a man after God's own heart, who is facing a rebellion led by his son Absalom. 2. AhithophelA highly esteemed counselor whose advice was considered as if one had inquired of the word of God. He joins Absalom's conspiracy against David. 3. AbsalomDavid's son who rebels against his father, seeking to usurp the throne of Israel. 4. ConspiracyThe plot led by Absalom to overthrow King David, involving key figures like Ahithophel. 5. PrayerDavid's immediate response to the news of Ahithophel's betrayal, seeking divine intervention. Teaching Points The Power of Prayer in CrisisDavid's immediate response to betrayal is prayer, demonstrating the importance of seeking God's intervention in times of trouble. The Danger of Ungodly CounselAhithophel's betrayal highlights the potential harm of ungodly counsel. Believers must discern and seek wisdom that aligns with God's will. Trusting God's SovereigntyDespite the conspiracy against him, David trusts in God's sovereignty to protect and guide him, reminding us to rely on God's control over our circumstances. The Consequences of BetrayalAhithophel's actions serve as a warning about the destructive nature of betrayal and the importance of loyalty and integrity. God's Faithfulness in AdversityDavid's prayer is answered as Ahithophel's counsel is eventually disregarded, illustrating God's faithfulness to those who trust in Him. Bible Study Questions 1. How does David's response to Ahithophel's betrayal challenge us to respond to our own crises? 2. In what ways can we ensure that the counsel we receive aligns with God's wisdom? 3. How does David's prayer reflect his understanding of God's sovereignty, and how can we apply this understanding in our lives? 4. What are the potential consequences of betrayal, and how can we guard our hearts against it? 5. How does this passage encourage us to trust in God's faithfulness during times of adversity, and what other scriptures reinforce this trust? Connections to Other Scriptures Psalm 55David laments betrayal by a close friend, which can be seen as a reflection of his feelings towards Ahithophel's treachery. 1 Samuel 23:9-12David inquires of the Lord when faced with betrayal, showing his reliance on God for guidance. James 1:5Encourages believers to seek wisdom from God, similar to David's prayer for Ahithophel's counsel to be turned into foolishness. People Abiathar, Absalom, Ahimaaz, Ahithophel, Aram, Arkite, Cherethites, David, Gittites, Hushai, Israelites, Ittai, Jonathan, Kerethites, Levites, Pelethites, ZadokPlaces Aram, Gath, Geshur, Giloh, Hebron, Jerusalem, Kidron, Mount of OlivesTopics Absalom, Ab'salom, Ahithophel, Ahith'ophel, Ahithophel's, Conspirators, Counsel, David, Declared, Foolish, Foolishness, Joined, O, Please, Prayed, Saying, Someone, Turn, WisdomDictionary of Bible Themes 2 Samuel 15:31 5780 advisers
5817 conspiracies 2 Samuel 15:31-34 5779 advice Library A Loyal Vow
'And the king's servants said unto the king, Behold, thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my lord the king shall appoint.'--2 SAMUEL xv. 15. We stand here at the darkest hour of King David's life. Bowed down by the consciousness of his past sin, and recognising in the rebellion of his favourite son the divine chastisement, his early courage and buoyant daring seem to have ebbed from him wholly. He is forsaken by the mass of his subjects, he is preparing to abandon Jerusalem, and to flee as an …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureIttai of Gath
'And Ittai answered the king, and said, As the Lord liveth, and as my lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be.'--2 SAMUEL xv. 21. It was the darkest hour in David's life. No more pathetic page is found in the Old Testament than that which tells the story of his flight before Absalom. He is crushed by the consciousness that his punishment is deserved--the bitter fruit of the sin that filled all his later life …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Pardoned Sin Punished
'And It came to pass after this, that Absalom prepared him chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him. 2. And Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate: and it was so, that when any man that had a controversy came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto him, and said, Of what city art thou? And he said, Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel. 3. And Absalom said unto him. See, thy matters are good and right; but there is no man deputed of the king to …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Loyal to the Core
On the other hand, look at Ittai, perfectly free to go, but in order to end the controversy once for all, and to make David know that he does not mean to leave him, he takes a solemn oath before Jehovah his God, and he doubles it by swearing by the life of David that he will never leave him; in life, in death, he will be with him. He has cast in his lot with him for better and for worse, and he means to be faithful to the end. Old Master Trapp says, "All faithful friends went on a pilgrimage years …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 26: 1880 Following Christ
"And Ittai answered the king, and said, as the Lord liveth, and as my lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be."--2 Samuel 15:21. SOME men have a very remarkable power of creating and sustaining friendship in others. David was a man brimming over with affection--a man, notwithstanding all his rough soldier-life, of an exceedingly tender heart--a man, I was about to say--the word was on my tongue--a man of vast …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 62: 1916 The Will of God
"Here am I, let Him do to me as seemeth good unto Him."--2 Sam. xv. 26. G. Ter Steegen. tr., Emma Frances Bevan, 1899 Thou sweet beloved Will of God, My anchor ground, my fortress hill, The Spirit's silent fair abode, In Thee I hide me and am still. O Will, that willest good alone, Lead Thou the way, Thou guidest best; A silent child, I follow on, And trusting, lean upon Thy Breast. God's Will doth make the bitter sweet, And all is well when it is done; Unless His Will doth hallow it, The glory …
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen and Others (Second Series) A Light to Lighten the Gentiles
P. G. 2 Sam. xv. 19-22; John xii. 26 "Wherefore goest thou with me?" Said the king disowned-- Said the king despised, rejected, Disenthroned. "Go, return unto thy place, To thy king of yore-- Here a pilgrim and a stranger, Nothing more. "Not for thee the cities fair, Hills of corn and wine-- All was portioned ere thou camest, Nought is thine. "Wandering forth where'er I may, Exiled from mine own, Shame, rejection I can grant thee; That alone. "Turn and take thy brethren back, With thy people …
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen, Suso, and Others The Daily Walk with Others (iii. ).
Thrice happy they who at Thy side, Thou Child of Nazareth, Have learnt to give their struggling pride Into Thy hands to death: If thus indeed we lay us low, Thou wilt exalt us o'er the foe; And let the exaltation be That we are lost in Thee. Let me say a little on a subject which, like the last, is one of some delicacy and difficulty, though its problems are of a very different kind. It is, the relation between the Curate and his Incumbent; or more particularly, the Curate's position and conduct …
Handley C. G. Moule—To My Younger Brethren And V the Kingdom Undivided and the Kingdom Divided
THE HISTORICAL BOOKS: I and II Samuel. I and II Kings. I and II Chronicles. NOTE.--As these three pairs of books are so closely related in their historical contents, it is deemed best to study them together, though they overlap the two divisions of IV and V. I. CHARTS Chart A. General Contents +--+ " I AND II SAMUEL " +-------------+-----+------+ "Samuel "Saul "David " +-------------+-----+------+----------+ " " " " I AND II KINGS "NOTE.--Biblical …
Frank Nelson Palmer—A Bird's-Eye View of the Bible That Whereas the City of Jerusalem had Been Five Times Taken Formerly, this was the Second Time of Its Desolation. A Brief Account of Its History.
1. And thus was Jerusalem taken, in the second year of the reign of Vespasian, on the eighth day of the month Gorpeius [Elul]. It had been taken five [34] times before, though this was the second time of its desolation; for Shishak, the king of Egypt, and after him Antiochus, and after him Pompey, and after them Sosius and Herod, took the city, but still preserved it; but before all these, the king of Babylon conquered it, and made it desolate, one thousand four hundred and sixty-eight years and …
Flavius Josephus—The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem King of Kings and Lord of Lords
And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, K ING OF K INGS AND L ORD OF L ORDS T he description of the administration and glory of the Redeemer's Kingdom, in defiance of all opposition, concludes the second part of Messiah Oratorio. Three different passages from the book of Revelation are selected to form a grand chorus, of which Handel's title in this verse is the close --a title which has been sometimes vainly usurped by proud worms of this earth. Eastern monarchs, in particular, …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2 Samuel
Alike from the literary and the historical point of view, the book[1] of Samuel stands midway between the book of Judges and the book of Kings. As we have already seen, the Deuteronomic book of Judges in all probability ran into Samuel and ended in ch. xii.; while the story of David, begun in Samuel, embraces the first two chapters of the first book of Kings. The book of Samuel is not very happily named, as much of it is devoted to Saul and the greater part to David; yet it is not altogether inappropriate, …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links 2 Samuel 15:31 NIV2 Samuel 15:31 NLT2 Samuel 15:31 ESV2 Samuel 15:31 NASB2 Samuel 15:31 KJV
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