Proverbs: Kingship, Household Wisdom, and Warning

Ahithophel and the Destruction of the Nation

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Old Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2012-01-27

Synopsis: Pastor John Weaver examines the character of Ahithophel, the counselor who betrayed King David and joined Absalom's rebellion. He highlights Ahithophel's wisdom, his bitter unforgiveness toward David for the sin against Bathsheba (his granddaughter), and how his resentment led to his own suicide and the deaths of thousands. The sermon applies this to the Christian life, warning against bitterness and emphasizing that personal holiness and forgiveness are essential for God's blessing on families, churches, and nations.

[John Weaver] I want you to open your Bibles, if you would please, to 2 Samuel, chapter 15. We're going to be reading several passages. 2 Samuel, chapter 15. We're going to begin with verse 31. We'll also read from chapter 16 and 17. But notice, if you would please, 2 Samuel, chapter 15, and notice verse 31. And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O Lord, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. And it came to pass that when David was come to the top of the mount where he worshipped God, behold, Hushai the archite came to meet him with his coat rent in earth upon his head. And unto whom David said, if thou passest on with me, then thou shalt be a burden unto me. But if thou return to the city and say unto Absalom, I will be thy servant, O king, as I have been thy father's servant hitherto, so will I now also be thy servant. Then mayst thou for me defeat the counsel of Ahithophel.

[John Weaver] And hast thou not there with these Zadok and Abiathar the priests? Therefore it shall be that what things whoever they shall hear out of the king's house, thou shalt tell it unto Zadok and Abiathar the priests. Behold, they have there with them their two sons Ahimeaz, Zadok's son, and Jonathan, Abiathar's son. And by them you shall send unto me everything that you can hear. So Hushai, David's friend, came into the city, and Absalom came into Jerusalem.

[John Weaver] Now skip down to chapter 16 and verse 15. Chapter 16, verse 15. And Absalom and all the people of the men of Israel came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. And it came to pass when Hushai the archite, David's friend, was coming to Absalom, that Hushai said unto Absalom, God save the king, God save the king. And Absalom said unto Hushai, Is this thy kindness, thy friend? Why wentest thou not with thy friend? And Hushai said unto Absalom, Nay, but whom the Lord and this people and all the men of Israel choose, his will I be, and with him will I abide.

[John Weaver] And again, whom should I serve? Should I not serve in the presence of his son, as I have served in his father's presence? So will I be in thy presence. Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, give counsel, I pray you, what we shall do. And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, go into thy father's concubines, which ye have left to keep the house, and all Israel shall hear that thou art a part of thy father.

[John Weaver] Then shall the hands of all them that are with thee be strong. spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house. And Absalom went into his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel. And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counseled in those days, was if a man had inquired at the oracle of God. So was all the counsel of Ahithophel, both with David and with Absalom. Moreover, Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night.

[John Weaver] And I will come upon him while he is weary and weak-handed, and will make him afraid, and all the people that are with him shall flee, and I will smite the king only. And I will bring back all the people unto thee, the man whom thou seekest, as if all return, so all the people shall be in peace. And the saying pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel.

[John Weaver] Notice if you would please verse five. Then said Absalom, call now Hushai the archite also, and let us hear likewise what he saith. And Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom spake unto him saying, Ahithophel hath spoken after this manner, Shall we do after his saying? If not, speak thou. And Hushai said in Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel hath given is not good at this time. For said Hushai, Thou knowest thy father and his men, that they be mighty men, and they be chafed in their minds, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field, and thy father is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people. Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or in some other place, and it will come to pass, when some of the people be overthrown at first, that whosoever heareth it will say, There is a slaughter among the people that follow Absalom.

[John Weaver] And he also that is valued, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, shall utterly melt. For all Israel knoweth that thy father is a mighty man, and they which be with him are valued men. Therefore I counsel that all Israel be generally gathered unto thee, from Dan even to Beersheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude, and that thou go to battle in thine own person.

[John Weaver] So shall we come upon him in some place, where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew falleth on the ground. And of him and all the men that are with him, there shall not be left so much as one. Moreover, if he be gotten into a city, then shall all Israel bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river, until there be not one small stone found there. And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The council of Hushai the Archite is better than the council of Ahithophel. For the Lord had appointed to defeat the good council of Ahithophel, to the intent that the Lord might bring evil upon Absalom. One last verse, look now in verse 23 of 2 Samuel chapter 17. 2 Samuel 17 verse 23, And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass and arose and got him home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the sepulcher of his father.

[John Weaver] Ahithophel, Ahithophel is a name that is not very well known, and sometimes it's not easily pronounced either. But Ahithophel is known as the Judas of the Old Testament. As Judas in the New Testament betrayed his master and went out and hanged himself, so Ahithophel betrayed his master, David, and then of course went out and hanged himself. Ahithophel is a very complex character. In fact, he's very perplexing in and of himself.

[John Weaver] On the one hand, he was a man of wisdom, On the other hand, he was also a man of absolute foolishness. He was a man who personified common sense and rationality and stability on one hand, and on the other hand, he was absolutely unstable and absolutely wicked and rebellious. He was really and truly an enigma in Scripture until the full light is brought upon him.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just tell you that the setting for what I just read for you is found in 2 Samuel chapter 15 and I want you to turn back there and let's look at the first 14 verses because this whole setting is set in the backdrop of the rebellion of Absalom when Absalom ran his father David off the throne and of course sought to kill him. But in 2 Samuel chapter 15 beginning with verse 1, and it came to pass after this that Absalom prepared him chariots and horses and 50 men to run before him. 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 on him and said, Of what city art thou?

[John Weaver] And he said, Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel. And Absalom said unto him, See, thy matters are good and right, but there was no man deputed to the king to hear thee. And Absalom said moreover, O that I were made judge in the land, that every man which had any suit or cause might come to me, and I would do him justice. Let me point out something. While Absalom is saying, oh, that I were judge, if any man came to me with a problem, I would do him justice. While he's saying that, he's doing an injustice to his father, to his family, and to the nation. Notice verse 5. And it was so that when any man came nigh to him, to Absalom, note what he did, to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand and took him and kissed him.

[John Weaver] He was a consummate politician. And on this matter did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel. And it came to pass, after forty years, that Absalom said unto the king, I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow, which I vowed unto the Lord in Hebron. And thy servant vowed a vow while I abode in Geshur in Syria, saying, If the Lord shall bring me again indeed to Jerusalem, then I will serve the Lord. And the king said unto him, Go in peace. So he arose and went to Hebron. But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then you shall say, Absalom reigneth in Hebron. And with Absalom went two hundred men out of Jerusalem that were called. And they went in their simplicity. They knew not anything. And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilanite, David's counselor, from his city, even from Gilo, while he offered sacrifices, and the conspiracy was strong, for the people increased continually with Absalom.

[John Weaver] And there came a messenger to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom. And David said, And all of his servants that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee, for we shall not else escape from Absalom, make speed to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly, and bring evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword." Now, I find it absolutely amazing, not only that Absalom rebelled against his father, But I find it exceedingly strange that in his rebellion, he sent for Ahithophel. Now I want you to note that Ahithophel is specifically called David's counselor. Why in the world would Absalom call for his father's counselor? Why in the world would Absalom even assume that Ahithophel would join him in the conspiracy? And the interesting thing is, when you read the story, you find out that Ahithophel was not only willing to join Absalom, but he was eager and ready to join Absalom. He wanted the conspiracy to succeed. In fact, the conspiracy is so strong now that David and his household have to flee from Jerusalem.

[John Weaver] Now, David certainly was a mighty man of war. Someone asked, well, why in the world did David flee? Why did he not fight it out there in Jerusalem? Well, it could be that David was not prepared to fight it out, or it could be that David was not willing to fight with his son Absalom. Do you remember later on in 2 Samuel chapter 18 when Joab and all the other captains had the fight with Absalom? David gave them specific orders that Absalom was not to be harmed. And yet Joab called Absalom, hanging from an oak tree by the hair of his head, and stuck three darts through his heart and killed him. And when the word got to David that Absalom was dead, the Bible tells us that David said, O my son, Absalom, O my son, Absalom, would to God I die for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son. So in all probability, the reason David did not fight it out was David just simply did not want to fight with his own son.

[John Weaver] But at any rate, the conspiracy is so strong that David and his entire household has to flee. Now, I want you to note that as David flees, he does two very important things. If you look in chapter 15 and verse 31 of 2 Samuel, and one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O Lord, I pray Thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. So David then, when he finds out that Ahithophel, It's with Absalom. He takes the time to pray, and he asks the Lord to confound Ahithophel, or at least turn his counsel into absolute foolishness. The second thing that David does that's vitally important, and you'll find it in the latter part of 2 Samuel 15, is that when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, comes to go with him, David said, look, if you pass on with me, you're just going to be a burden.

[John Weaver] You go back to the palace. You pretend to serve Absalom. And, of course, you have the high priest there. You have Zadok and you have Abiathar. And those men are priests. He said, anything you find out, you tell them. They have two sons, Ahimeaz as one of them and, of course, Abiathar the other one. And whatever they find out, they can tell their sons and the sons can come tell me.

[John Weaver] So you're going to do me more good if you stay and you hear what goes on and you relay the information to me. So Hushai, David's friend, of course, does indeed stay. And with that in mind, if you look in chapter 16 and verse 23, here Ahithophel and Absalom comes into Jerusalem. Well, not verse 23. Let's look at a little bit earlier. It's verse 17. And Absalom said to Hushai, is this thy kindness, thy friend? Why wentest thou not with thy friend? This is when they've come into Jerusalem. And of course, he wants to know what in the world is going on. Why did Hushai not go with him? Of course, Hushai did not tell them. Now, notice, if you would please, verse 23. And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counseled in those days, was if a man had inquired of the oracle of God, so was all the counsel of Ahithophel, both with David and with Absalom.

[John Weaver] Now, you could ask yourself this question. Why in the world would Absalom want Ahithophel with him? And the answer comes back. was because Ahithophel was very sagacious. He is very wise. He understood what was going on. And I'm going to tell you, there was not a greater compliment in one sense of the word that could be given a man as that is given to Ahithophel in verse 23. When the Bible says that the counsel that he gave was as one inquired at the oracle of God. I mean, when Ahithophel spoke, he spoke with knowledge and authority. as if God himself had spoken. And so Absalom certainly wanted Ahithophel with him. And so David and Ahithophel, or Absalom and Ahithophel and his men then come to Jerusalem. Now notice if you would please, in verse 20, after they get to Jerusalem, then said Absalom to Ahithophel, give counsel among you what we should do. And Ahithophel says, look, I'll tell you what to do.

[John Weaver] You spread a tent on top of the house. And here are the concubines that your father left to keep the palace. You go in unto them." And then he makes this astounding statement. He said, and then shall the hands of all them that are with thee be strong.

[John Weaver] Now, you say, wait a minute. We just read where the counsel of Ahithophel was if one inquired of the oracle of God. Why in the world would Ahithophel give counsel to Absalom like this? Although what Ahithophel counseled was wicked and wrong, and contrary to the 7th commandment, contrary to the 10th commandment, yet it was good counsel to accomplish a specific goal. What Absalom did accomplished the goal that he wanted to accomplish.

[John Weaver] When he went in to his father's concubines in the sight of all of Israel, here's what was happening. You see, Absalom was the king's son. Here's an insurrection. Here's a conspiracy. People's lives are on the line. And you know, the king is always going to be very forgiving to his own son, and all the people are thinking, uh-huh, yeah, I know what's going to happen. This thing's going to fail, this thing's going to flub, and Absalom's going to receive back, and they're going to kill us. But when Absalom went into his father's concubines, it was not only wicked, it was not only wrong, it was not only immoral, it was the greatest insult that he'd give to his father. And when he did that, everyone knew that the ties with his father had been severed.

[John Weaver] In other words, it came down to this. Absalom was going to kill his father. or his father was going to kill him. There was no backing up. There was no reversing the situation. And that's why Ahithophel said, you go in and then shall all the hands of those are with you will be strong. They'll be strengthened. They'll know that you mean business, that you're going to kill David. And by the way, if you would turn back in your Bibles very quickly to 2 Samuel chapter 12, you will find that what Absalom did was part and parcel of David's punishment for David's adultery with Bathsheba. If you look in 2 Samuel chapter 12, notice verse 9, God says, Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord to do evil in his sight? Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with a sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. Now therefore the sword shall never depart out of thine house, because thou hast despised me, and has taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.

[John Weaver] Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbor, and he shall lie with them in the sight of the sun. For thou didst it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun." So what Absalom did was part and punishment of David's sin. David was reaping what he had sown, and now Absalom has taken this final step.

[John Weaver] He has gone into them, and of course, all the ties are now severed. And if you look in chapter 17, this is done, there's no turning back, and now Absalom asks for counsel from Ahithophel. What in the world should we do? Now look in verse 1. Moreover, Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose out 12,000 men, And I will arise and pursue after David this night, and I will come upon him while he is weary and weak-handed, and will make him afraid, and all the people that are with him shall flee. And I will smite the king only, and I will bring back all the people unto thee. The man whom thou seekest is of all return, so the people shall be in peace. And the saying pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel." So here is Ahithophel's counsel. Let's strike right now.

[John Weaver] Get David before he has time to regroup, before he has time to gather instruments of war, before he has time to gather food. You get him right now. Now's the time to kill David. But you remember, David sent Hushai back into the capital. He sent Hushai back to the palace. You remember that David prayed, O Lord, defeat the council of Ahithophel. He knew that Ahithophel gave good counsel. Now, look in your Bibles, if you would, to 2 Samuel 17, and look at the counsel that Hushai gives. Verse 7. In fact, they ask in verse 5, let's begin there. Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai the archite, and let us hear likewise what he saith. And when Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom spake unto him, saying, Ahithophel hath spoken after this manner. Shall we do after his saying? If not, speak thou. And notice how wise Hushai was. And Hushai said in Absalom, the counsel that Ahithophel hath given is not good at this time. In other words, he did not try to tear Ahithophel apart.

[John Weaver] He didn't say the counsel is wicked and worthless and sordid. No, he said, it's good counsel, it's just not good at this time. And now he explains it. He says in verse 8, For Hushai said, Thou knowest that thy father is men, they be mighty men, and they be chafed in their minds as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field. And your father is a man of war.

[John Weaver] He's not going to lodge with the people. And he says, behold, now he's in some pit or in some other place. And it's going to come to pass when there's a fight, what's going to happen? Some of your people are going to get killed. And then he says there's going to be a rumor there's a slaughter among the people that follow Absalom. Here's what he goes on to say. He says, I'll tell you what let's do. Let's gather all of Israel from Dan to Beersheba. Now, Dan was the northernmost tribe. Beersheba was the southernmost city. Can you imagine how long it's going to take all the time to gather all the men from the northern part to the southern part of the land to get them together for a great vast army? He says, you gather them together and I tell you what Absalom, you march off at the head of that army. And I tell you what we'll do. We will fall upon David and those men as the dew falls upon the earth.

[John Weaver] We'll completely cover him. And if they get in some city, don't worry about that. We'll take the ropes. We'll pull down every stone. There'll be nothing left. We will kill every one of them.

[John Weaver] Now, Hushai's advice was wrong in every respect. Ahithophel's advice was the good advice. But Hushai's counsel appealed to Absalom's pride. And Absalom could just see himself leading and marching at the head of a vast army, going forth to conquer and to conquer. Oh, but what Hushai was doing was this. He was buying time for David and those men. He knew the men needed to regroup. He knew they needed weapons. He knew they needed food. He knew they needed everything. And so now, all of a sudden, David has the time to plan for the battle. What happens?

[John Weaver] Well, I want to show you. Look in verse 23 of 2 Samuel chapter 17. When all the men said, the council that Hushai has given is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. Look what Ahithophel does. Verse 23, And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass and arose and got him home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order and hanged himself and died and was buried in the sepulcher of his father. Wow. I want you to see There's wisdom on one hand. He set his house in order. There's foolishness on the other hand. He went out and hanged himself. On the one hand, he's rational. On the other hand, he's irrational. Ask yourself this question. Why in the world did Ahithophel go out and hang himself? Well, the answer to that is this. When he realized that his counsel was not being followed, he knew that it was all over.

[John Weaver] The cause was going to be lost. Absalom was going to be defeated. And he knew that when David came back into the city that he was going to be hanged as a traitor.

[John Weaver] Now, you've got to ask yourself this question. Why in the world then would Ahithophel go out and hang himself? Let me put it to you like this. All Israel had not even been gathered together yet. Let's say it's going to take a month to get the men together. Then the battle has not even been fought yet. Let's say it's going to take two weeks to get them together to the battlefield. And then there's the battle. So let's say there's going to be a six-week time period. Now, if you know that you're going to be killed, if you know that you're going to be hanged as a traitor by David, and you know there's possibly a six-week time span before you're hanged, why in the world would you go ahead and hang yourself? Why would you go ahead and kill yourself? Why would you not use that six weeks to enjoy yourself, enjoy your family? Why would you hurry up and take your own life?

[John Weaver] Let me show you something else that is very, very disturbing. You've got to remember something about Ahithophel. Ahithophel was a counselor. He was a diplomat. He was a politician. Kind of like our congressman. You know, he can sit around and tell everybody what to do. But let me show you something about Ahithophel. Look back in your Bibles to 2 Samuel chapter 17 verse 1.

[John Weaver] Now this is really amazing. Watch this. Moreover, Ahithophel said in the Absalom, let me now choose out 12,000 men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night. And I will come upon him while he's weary and weak-handed, and will make him afraid. And all the people that are with him shall flee, and I will smite the king only."

[John Weaver] Now, I've got a question to ask you. Why is a diplomat, why is a counselor willing to lead a guerrilla force at night? And why is he willing to personally kill David. Here's a man that would be a man of the office. He's not a man of the field. He's not a warrior. He's a diplomat. And yet he says, I personally will lead this force. I'll do it at night. I'll make sure that only David and David is killed and I'll make sure that I kill him myself. Ask yourself this question. Why was Ahithophel so eager, so willing, and so ready to join with Absalom? And why now is Ahithophel so eager, and so willing, and so ready to lead this force by night and personally kill David? What motivated him? What pushed him? What drove him? I want to show you what really pushed it hit the fan. I want you to turn in your Bibles.

[John Weaver] First of all, the second Samuel chapter 23 and look at verse 34, second Samuel 23 verse 34. When you have second Samuel 23, you have a listing of David's mighty men. These are warriors that fought with David. And there is one particularly named in verse 34. 2 Samuel 23, verse 34. There is Eliphelet, the son of Ahashabi, the son of Amalekithite. And then secondly in verse 34, there is Eliam, the son of Ahithophel, the Gilanite. Okay. So now we know that Ahithophel had a son named Eliam. And we know that Eliam was one of David's mighty men.

[John Weaver] Now someone's going to say, oh, I already know why Hithophel's so angry and so upset and so mad. Probably because Eliam was killed in battle and Hithophel's got it in for David. No, no. Listen, everybody knows that men die in battle. One dies just as well as another. There's more to it than that. You say, well, what is it? Well, go back in your Bibles. to 2 Samuel chapter 11.

[John Weaver] Let's see what is it that drove Ahithophel. Let's see why he was so revengeful, so bitter, and hated David so much. He hated David so much that he had rather die at his own hands than to let David kill him. He is willing to kill David, but he was not willing for David to kill him. So look at your Bibles there to 2 Samuel chapter 11, if you would, please.

[John Weaver] And notice, if you would, verse 1. Everyone knows this story. You've probably overlooked part of it, but here it is. And it came to pass after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him in all Israel, and they destroyed the children of Ammon and besieged Rabbah, but David tarried still at Jerusalem. It came to pass in the evening that David arose from off his bed and walked upon the roof of the king's house, and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself, and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. Everyone knows a story of David and Bathsheba, right? But look at verse three. And David sent and inquired after the woman. And one said, is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite. Bathsheba was Ahithophel's granddaughter. And what did David do? He seduced her. He committed adultery. He murdered her husband. He destroyed her life, her family, according to Hithophel.

[John Weaver] Now, let me try to explain some things and put things in perspective for you. And you're going to ask me, how does this message fit in with a missions conference? I'll explain it. But I want you to watch this. Why in the world did Ahithophel hate David so much? There were some things that were right about Ahithophel. One of those things is this, that Ahithophel viewed any crime or any sin against his family as a sin against himself. And that is true.

[John Weaver] You know what, if you came up to me and you told me, now Pastor Weaver, I love you, but I don't like your wife at all. Well, I'm sorry, you don't really love me. Because my wife and I are one and she is part of me. If you said, well, now Pastor, we love you and your wife, but we don't love your children at all. I'm sorry. Those are my children.

[John Weaver] They're an extension of me. They're an extension of my wife. So in one sense of the word, Ahithophel was right because he was viewing any sin against his family as a sin against himself. I had four daughters. And all my girls hunted. I took them deer hunting. And oftentimes, we would go down in the swamp. Each one of them had their rifle. They had their tree climber. I'd put them up a tree. I'd walk a hundred or two yards, put another one up a tree, Sometimes I would end up being 400 or 500 yards from my girls hunting.

[John Weaver] And I always gave them express counsel. I said, now girls, if a man comes along here and tries to bother you or harm you, and I can't get to you, here's what I want you to do. You shoot him. And when I get there, I'll question him and find out what his motives were. Now, I wasn't teasing. I meant that. I didn't want my girls hurt. Let me tell you something. I had a preacher tell me years ago, and I didn't understand it. But I had a preacher friend tell me years ago, he said, brother, you love your children, but you don't know what love is until you get grandchildren. And I thought, wow.

[John Weaver] Well, I remember when we got our first granddaughter. When she was about two, two and a half years old, I was riding a horse and I had her on the saddle in front of me. We'd been talking. And all of a sudden, we hadn't said anything for about 10 or 15 minutes. And then that little girl looked up at me and said, Papa, You're my very best friend. That little girl is 20 years old today.

[John Weaver] I call her on the phone, and she sees my number. She'll say, this is your very best friend answering. And if I leave a message, I'll say, your very best friend called. You talking about wrapping somebody around her little finger? I could stand here all night and tell you about my grandchildren. Do you not think, as beautiful as Bathsheba was, that she was not the heartstrings of her grandfather?

[John Weaver] And now all of a sudden, all of that has been destroyed by David. So Ahithophel was right in that sense of the word. He viewed any sin against his family. as a sin against himself. You know, the Bible says, children's children are the glory of an old man. And that's true. But secondly, let me point out this. Here is where Ahithophel began to go wrong. Ahithophel would not accept, he would not accede to, he would not bow to God's pardon and forgiveness of David. If you look back in your Bibles to 2 Samuel chapter 12, Now let me just tell you up front that David deserved to die. He deserved to die, number one, because he was an adulterer. And the wages for adultery in the Bible was death. So the death penalty was passed upon him for his adultery. Moreover, he deserved to die because he was a murderer, and he said to Joab, You put Uriah in the foremost front of the battle, and you retire from him, that he may die. And God charged David with killing Uriah with the sword of the children of Ammon.

[John Weaver] Although David did not take the sword and stick it through his heart, David made it possible for Uriah to die, and God charged him with the murder. And murderers are to be put to death. So there's two counts on which David was supposed to be put to death. And the only reason David was not put to death was because God sovereignly pardoned him. If you'll look in your Bibles to 2 Samuel chapter 12, notice if you would please, Verse 12, God said, For thou didst it secretly, but I will do this thing before Israel and before the Son. And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord hath also put away thy sin. Thou shalt not die, howbeit because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. The child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. Notice the only thing that saved David from the death penalty was that God sovereignly pardoned him. Marker down, David deserved to die.

[John Weaver] He merited the death penalty, but God sovereignly pardoned him. Now let me show you something. Here is where you and I go wrong. You and I have sinned against God. Everyone in this room has sinned against God. Some far more grievously than the other. If I were to ask you, How many sins does it take to merit death? What's the answer? One. The wages of sin is death.

[John Weaver] I don't care if you're an adulterer. I don't care if you're a murderer. I don't care if you're a whoremonger. I don't care if you're a thief. If you sin against God, you deserve the death penalty. When we sin, guess what? We come to God. We say, Oh God, have mercy upon us. Oh God, forgive us. Oh God, please, please Lord, have mercy upon us. We plead with God for mercy. We want forgiveness. But isn't it strange when people sin against us and hurt us? We don't want them forgiven. We want them dead. We want God to kill them. We want God to take them out of the world. Oh yeah, we're willing to have mercy for ourselves, and we're willing for God to show mercy to us, but we're not willing for God to show mercy to those who've sinned against us. So Ahithophel certainly was willing to have mercy himself, but he was not willing for God to forgive David. He wanted David dead, and he wanted to be able to kill him himself.

[John Weaver] Let me point out something. Thirdly, Ahithophel was wrong in the sense that he was not content with God's judgment upon David. Now, it is true that David committed adultery. It is true that David committed murder. It is true that David deserved to die. It is also true that God pardoned him. But simply because God pardoned him did not mean that he got away with his sin. What did God tell David?

[John Weaver] Because you've done this thing, the sword shall never depart out of your house. In other words, you're going to continually reap what you sow. And you've sown sin, and you're going to reap it, David. You're going to reap the consequences of it. And so here's Ahithophel. It did not faze him. It did not bother him. It did not satisfy him that the child that David had sired through Bathsheba died. I mean, listen, although he hated David, Bathsheba was his granddaughter that was still her child as well. It was not sufficient for him that the child died. It was not sufficient for him that later on that Amnon, one of David's own sons, turned and raped his own sister Tamar. No, that didn't satisfy him. And later on, guess what? Absalom then turned around and murdered his own brother Amnon for raping Tamar. And now Absalom has raised up in an insurrection and a conspiracy and has run David off the throne and trying to kill him. That still doesn't satisfy Ahithophel. He wants David dead.

[John Weaver] And he wants to be the one to kill him himself. So many times we don't think that God has judged our enemies sufficiently. We want to add to it. Let me point out fourthly that Ahithophel's unwillingness to forgive David led to his bitterness, his resentfulness, his hatred, his anger, and his ill will. Now I hope you see why Ahithophel was willing to kill David, but he was not willing to be killed by David. He'd rather hang himself. He hated David so much. He was not going to give David the opportunity to hang him. Do you realize, folks, it's our cold, hard, unforgiving hearts that always lead to our bitterness and our resentment? I want you to hold a second, Samuel, but turn in your Bibles, first of all, to the book of Romans chapter 12. Look very quickly. Romans chapter 12.

[John Weaver] Notice, if you would, what the Bible says, beginning there with verse 17. Romans chapter 12, verse 17. Notice what the Bible says. Romans 12, verse 17. God says, recompense no man evil for evil. That is, don't pay evil for evil. Recompense no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men, if it be possible. As much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Now look what he says, Now what does God say? God says, look, if somebody does you wrong, you don't have to take it upon yourself to get them back. You don't have to take it upon yourself to get revenge. Why?

[John Weaver] God says, vengeance is mine, saith the Lord, I will repay. Do you know why we do not see God's vengeance upon our enemies the way we should? I'll tell you why. Because God is absolutely just. And oftentimes what we do is we want to take vengeance upon them ourselves. We can't wait. And since God is just, he's not going to execute vengeance twice. If we take it, why should he take it? What we've done, and I'll point out a little bit later, we've just stolen God's authority. We've stolen God's throne. And let me tell you something, folks. God can clean our enemy's plows a whole lot better than we can and a whole lot quicker than we can. But God said, if you want me to take vengeance, you don't harbor vengeance in your heart. You don't harbor bitterness and resentment in your heart.

[John Weaver] If somebody treats you wrong, you treat them right. Be not overcome. with evil, but overcome evil with good. He said, If thou find any hunger, feed him. If thou thirst, give him drink. For in doing so, thou shalt eat coals of fire upon his head." That means he can't stand being treated rightly and righteously. One of my favorite stories is about the woman who came to the pastor and she was complaining about her husband.

[John Weaver] Oh, he didn't do this, and he didn't do that, and he did this, and he did that. And went on for 30 minutes talking about her husband.

[John Weaver] Finally, the pastor kind of smiled, said, well, have you tried heaping coals of fire upon his head? Of course, he meant treating him good when he treated her bad. She said, no, but I tried hot water and that don't work either. I mean, you know, we missed the point. God says don't render evil for evil, but you render good for evil.

[John Weaver] Now, let me tell you what our problem is. Listen carefully. You know what the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 7, verse 1? Listen now. The Bible says, having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit, perfecting holiness, the fear of God. I don't imagine we have too many whoremongers in this room tonight. I don't imagine we have too many murderers. I don't imagine we have too many thieves. We may have one or two, but not many. But let me tell you something, folks. Listen carefully. That which kills God's people is not adultery and whoremongering because we don't do that. It's not murdering because we don't do that. It's not thieving because we don't do that. That which kills us are the sins of the Spirit. What did He say? Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves not only from all filthiness of flesh but of the Spirit.

[John Weaver] The bitterness, the anger, the ill will, the unforgiving attitude. We harbor those in our hearts. And we're doing exactly what Ahithophel did. I want you to note fifthly, because Ahithophel was unwilling to forgive David, because he was unwilling to accept God's chastisement of David, he took it upon himself to punish David as he desired. Ahithophel, could care less what God wanted, Ahithophel wanted what he wanted. We get into trouble when we try to play God. We get into trouble when we try to assume God's role as vindicator and avenger.

[John Weaver] You know what the Bible said in Hebrews 10 in verse 30? Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord, I will repay, and the Lord again shall punish his people. What? Yes. Even Christians get chastened. Even Christians get... If I were to come to your house, and here your children are acting ugly, and you go to discipline them, and I look at you and say, now brother, I wouldn't do that if I were you. Come on now, you don't need... You know what you would do? You would look at me and say, wait a minute, Brother Weaver. These are my children. I'm only raising them the way I believe God would have me to, I will discipline them the way God would have me. You would be very upset if I tried to tell you how to discipline your own children. Do you not think that it affects God when you tell God how you want Him to discipline His children? Well, of course.

[John Weaver] God knows exactly what it takes to break our rebellious wills and our hard hearts and our stiff necks. And that's exactly what God is going to do. And God's not going to take our advice and go beyond that. And God's not going to take our advice and go less than that. We cannot assume His throne rights. Vengeance is His. And He punishes His children as He sees fit.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to listen to this. Ahithophel's revenge and bitterness and resentment led to his own destruction. To the destruction of his family. Are you listening? And to the destruction of the nation. You see, I preached on Sunday morning on the purpose of Scripture. Then what is coming to Christ? And then the primacy of preaching. And then why God does not hear most of our prayers.

[John Weaver] And then last one on keeping the heart. How can this message tonight fit in with a missions conference? Are you listening? The Bible says in Romans 14 verse 7, no man liveth to himself and no man dieth to himself. That means whatever you do affects others. It not only affects your family, it affects your church, it affects your nation, it affects mission. Listen, the Bible says in 1st Timothy chapter 5, that he that does not take care of his own house is worse than an infidel, he's denied the faith. If you're not going to do what is right towards your own people, how can you do right to those who are outside and away from you? If you will not give your brothers and sisters in this congregation and your pastor in this congregation the respect and the Christian attitude that each one deserves, how in the world are you going to deal with those who are outside of this congregation?

[John Weaver] Let me show you what I mean. I want you to turn in your Bibles to 2 Samuel chapter 18. I said that Ahithophel's sin not only destroyed himself, but also his family. He went out and hanged himself. Let me ask you a question as you turn to 2 Samuel chapter 18. How do you think Mrs. Ahithophel felt after her husband hanged himself? How do you think Bathsheba felt? How do you think any other children might have felt?

[John Weaver] Well, I know one thing for sure. It not only affected him, it not only affected his family, because no man lived to himself and no man died to himself, but I want to show you how many were killed because of him. In 2 Samuel chapter 18, if you'll begin reading there verse 7, the battle now has taken place. Absalom and all of his troops have been defeated.

[John Weaver] Look in verse 7, wherefore the people of Israel were slain before the servants of David, and there was a great slaughter that day of 20,000 men. Now watch this. not only have been 20,000 men slain, but verse 8 says, for the battle was there scattered over the face of all the earth, and the wood devoured more people that day than the sword devoured. Now, I don't know if the 20,000 includes verse 8.

[John Weaver] It may or may not. If it doesn't, it means over 40,000 were killed. Why? Because one man had a wicked unforgiving, hateful, hard heart, who was full of ill will and bitterness and resentment. Probably over 40,000 men died because Ahithophel hated David so much. You say, Brother Weaver, what in the world does this mean? Here's what it means. We live in a dying society, in a dying world.

[John Weaver] Not everybody in this room can go to the mission field. Not everybody in this room can spend thousands of bucks supporting ministries overseas. But I'll tell you something that everybody in this room can do, by God's grace. Do you remember that passage in Genesis chapters 18 and 19, when our Lord came with his angels to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah? Do you remember how Abraham pleaded with the Lord? He said, Lord, if I find 50 righteous, would you spare it? Yes, said God. Oh, said Abraham, now I've taken upon myself to talk to the Lord. Would you spare it for 40's sake? Yes, said God, I would. Lord, how about 20? Yes, said the Lord, I'll spare it if you can find me twenty righteous." Finally, Abraham got him down to ten. And the Lord said, I'll spare Sodom and Gomorrah for ten. Have you ever wondered why Abraham stopped at ten? Have you?

[John Weaver] Because there was Lot and his wife, and his daughters, that's plural, And his sons-in-laws, that's plural, if he only had two daughters, that would be four. Two sons-in-law would be six, plus the children. So he knew that Lot probably had a minimum of ten or over ten in his family. And he stopped at ten. And there were not ten righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah. There's more than 10 people in this room.

[John Weaver] It is so vitally important that you learn to keep your heart. It is so vitally important that you learn not to be bitter and resentful and hateful and haughty and high-minded and proud and arrogant. It is so important. If you want God to have mercy upon this ministry, and mercy upon this state, and mercy upon this country, and mercy upon the missionaries everywhere else, the least you can do by God's grace is live biblically and righteously. I want to show you one verse. Look in your Bibles to Proverbs 28 and verse 4. Proverbs 28 verse 4.

[John Weaver] You say, I can't do much. I can tell you what you can do. And I'm going to show it to you from the Scripture. Look in Proverbs 28 and verse 4. The Bible says, they that forsake the law, that's God's law, they that forsake the law praise the wicked. When you violate God's Word, when you go contrary to Scripture, you are praising the wicked. But look what else he says. They that forsake the law praise the wicked, but such as keep the law, contend with them. And the word contend means to fight against. God says when you keep His Word, when you bring your life in obedience to His Word, you're fighting against the wicked. If you want to fight against wickedness, you learn to obey God. If you want to honor God, you bring your life in conformity to His Word. Here's the question. Are you an Ahithophan? Are you the one that would destroy the work of God and the people of God just so you could have your own revenge and keep your own bitterness and resentment.

[John Weaver] Don't be an Ahithophel. Serve God, obey Him, and be as holy and godly as you can by the grace of God. Bring your wife into conformity to His Word. Let's pray. Father, help us, speak to our hearts, build us up in the most holy faith, make us holy, godly, and righteous. And may we never be in a hithafell. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.

Ahithophel and the Destruction of the Nation

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	Ktl98Ui95nY
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Proverbs: Kingship, Household Wisdom, and Warning
Genre	Sermon
Date	2012-01-27
Dictation Name
Book	Book 084: Proverbs: Kingship, Household Wisdom, and Warning — Chapter 4
Source Timed Segments	74

Formatted Transcript

Opening

I want you to open your Bibles, if you would please, to 2 Samuel, chapter 15. We're going to be reading several passages. 2 Samuel, chapter 15. We're going to begin with verse 31. We'll also read from chapter 16 and 17. But notice, if you would please, 2 Samuel, chapter 15, and notice verse 31. And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O Lord, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. And it came to pass that when David was come to the top of the mount where he worshipped God, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat rent and earth upon his head. And unto whom David said, If thou passest on with me, then thou shalt be a burden unto me. But if thou return to the city and say unto Absalom, I will be thy servant, O king, as I have been thy father's servant hitherto, so will I now also be thy servant. Then mayest thou for me defeat the counsel of Ahithophel.

And hast thou not there with thee Zadok and Abiathar the priests? Therefore it shall be that what things soever they shall hear out of the king's house, thou shalt tell it unto Zadok and Abiathar the priests. Behold, they have there with them their two sons, Ahimaaz, Zadok's son, and Jonathan, Abiathar's son. And by them you shall send unto me everything that you can hear. So Hushai, David's friend, came into the city, and Absalom came into Jerusalem.

Now skip down to chapter 16 and verse 15. Chapter 16, verse 15. And Absalom and all the people of the men of Israel came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. And it came to pass when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, was come to Absalom, that Hushai said unto Absalom, God save the king, God save the king. And Absalom said unto Hushai, Is this thy kindness to thy friend? Why wentest thou not with thy friend? And Hushai said unto Absalom, Nay, but whom the Lord and this people and all the men of Israel choose, his will I be, and with him will I abide.

And again, whom should I serve? Should I not serve in the presence of his son, as I have served in his father's presence? So will I be in thy presence. Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give counsel, I pray you, what we shall do. And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father's concubines, which he hath left to keep the house, and all Israel shall hear that thou art abhorred of thy father.

Then shall the hands of all them that are with thee be strong. So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house. And Absalom went in unto his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel. And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counseled in those days, was as if a man had inquired at the oracle of God. So was all the counsel of Ahithophel, both with David and with Absalom. Moreover, Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night. And I will come upon him while he is weary and weak-handed, and will make him afraid, and all the people that are with him shall flee, and I will smite the king only. And I will bring back all the people unto thee: the man whom thou seekest is as if all returned; so all the people shall be in peace. And the saying pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel.

Notice if you would please verse 5. Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear likewise what he saith. And when Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom spake unto him saying, Ahithophel hath spoken after this manner: Shall we do after his saying? If not, speak thou. And Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel hath given is not good at this time. For said Hushai, Thou knowest thy father and his men, that they be mighty men, and they be chafed in their minds, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field, and thy father is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people. Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or in some other place, and it will come to pass, when some of the people be overthrown at first, that whosoever heareth it will say, There is a slaughter among the people that follow Absalom.

And he also that is valiant, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, shall utterly melt. For all Israel knoweth that thy father is a mighty man, and they which be with him are valiant men. Therefore I counsel that all Israel be generally gathered unto thee, from Dan even to Beersheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude, and that thou go to battle in thine own person. So shall we come upon him in some place, where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew falleth on the ground. And of him and all the men that are with him, there shall not be left so much as one. Moreover, if he be gotten into a city, then shall all Israel bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river, until there be not one small stone found there. 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. One last verse, look now in verse 23 of 2 Samuel chapter 17. 2 Samuel 17 verse 23, And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass and arose and got him home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.

Introduction to Ahithophel

Ahithophel is introduced as the 'Judas of the Old Testament,' a complex figure of wisdom and foolishness who betrayed David and later hanged himself.

Ahithophel. Ahithophel is a name that is not very well known, and sometimes it's not easily pronounced either. But Ahithophel is known as the Judas of the Old Testament. As Judas in the New Testament betrayed his master and went out and hanged himself, so Ahithophel betrayed his master, David, and then of course went out and hanged himself. Ahithophel is a very complex character. In fact, he's very perplexing in and of himself. On the one hand, he was a man of wisdom. On the other hand, he was also a man of absolute foolishness. He was a man who personified common sense and rationality and stability on one hand, and on the other hand, he was absolutely unstable and absolutely wicked and rebellious. He was really and truly an enigma in Scripture until the full light is brought upon him.

The Setting: Absalom's Rebellion

The narrative context is Absalom's conspiracy against David, including Absalom's political maneuvering and David's flight from Jerusalem.

Now, let me just tell you that the setting for what I just read for you is found in 2 Samuel chapter 15 and I want you to turn back there and let's look at the first 14 verses because this whole setting is set in the backdrop of the rebellion of Absalom when Absalom ran his father David off the throne and of course sought to kill him. But in 2 Samuel chapter 15 beginning with verse 1, And it came to pass after this that Absalom prepared him chariots and horses and fifty men to run before him. 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. And Absalom said unto him, See, thy matters are good and right, but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee. And Absalom said moreover, O that I were made judge in the land, that every man which had any suit or cause might come to me, and I would do him justice. Let me point out something. While Absalom is saying, O that I were judge, if any man came to me with a problem, I would do him justice. While he's saying that, he's doing an injustice to his father, to his family, and to the nation. Notice verse 5. And it was so that when any man came nigh to him, to Absalom, note what he did, to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand and took him and kissed him.

He was a consummate politician. And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel. And it came to pass, after forty years, that Absalom said unto the king, I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow, which I vowed unto the Lord in Hebron. For thy servant vowed a vow while I abode in Geshur in Syria, saying, If the Lord shall bring me again indeed to Jerusalem, then I will serve the Lord. And the king said unto him, Go in peace. So he arose and went to Hebron. But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then you shall say, Absalom reigneth in Hebron. And with Absalom went two hundred men out of Jerusalem that were called. And they went in their simplicity. They knew not anything. And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counselor, from his city, even from Giloh, while he offered sacrifices, and the conspiracy was strong, for the people increased continually with Absalom.

And there came a messenger to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom. And David said unto all his servants that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee, for we shall not else escape from Absalom. Make speed to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly, and bring evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword. Now, I find it absolutely amazing, not only that Absalom rebelled against his father, but I find it exceedingly strange that in his rebellion, he sent for Ahithophel. Now I want you to note that Ahithophel is specifically called David's counselor. Why in the world would Absalom call for his father's counselor? Why in the world would Absalom even assume that Ahithophel would join him in the conspiracy? And the interesting thing is, when you read the story, you find out that Ahithophel was not only willing to join Absalom, but he was eager and ready to join Absalom. He wanted the conspiracy to succeed. In fact, the conspiracy is so strong now that David and his household have to flee from Jerusalem.

David's Response: Prayer and Strategy

Upon learning of Ahithophel's involvement, David prays for God to turn Ahithophel's counsel into foolishness and sends Hushai back as a spy.

But at any rate, the conspiracy is so strong that David and his entire household has to flee. Now, I want you to note that as David flees, he does two very important things. If you look in chapter 15 and verse 31 of 2 Samuel, And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O Lord, I pray Thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. So David then, when he finds out that Ahithophel is with Absalom, he takes the time to pray, and he asks the Lord to confound Ahithophel, or at least turn his counsel into absolute foolishness. The second thing that David does that's vitally important, and you'll find it in the latter part of 2 Samuel 15, is that when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, comes to go with him, David said, look, if you pass on with me, you're just going to be a burden.

You go back to the palace. You pretend to serve Absalom. And, of course, you have the high priest there. You have Zadok and you have Abiathar. And those men are priests. He said, anything you find out, you tell them. They have two sons, Ahimaaz is one of them and, of course, Jonathan the other one. And whatever they find out, they can tell their sons and the sons can come tell me.

Ahithophel's Counsel and Its Purpose

Ahithophel advises Absalom to sleep with David's concubines to sever ties and strengthen the conspirators, fulfilling God's judgment on David.

You spread a tent on top of the house. And here are the concubines that your father left to keep the palace. You go in unto them. And then he makes this astounding statement. He said, and then shall the hands of all them that are with thee be strong.

Now, you say, wait a minute. We just read where the counsel of Ahithophel was as if one inquired of the oracle of God. Why in the world would Ahithophel give counsel to Absalom like this? Although what Ahithophel counseled was wicked and wrong, and contrary to the 7th commandment, contrary to the 10th commandment, yet it was good counsel to accomplish a specific goal. What Absalom did accomplished the goal that he wanted to accomplish.

When he went in to his father's concubines in the sight of all of Israel, here's what was happening. You see, Absalom was the king's son. Here's an insurrection. Here's a conspiracy. People's lives are on the line. And you know, the king is always going to be very forgiving to his own son, and all the people are thinking, uh-huh, yeah, I know what's going to happen. This thing's going to fail, this thing's going to flub, and Absalom's going to be received back, and they're going to kill us. But when Absalom went in to his father's concubines, it was not only wicked, it was not only wrong, it was not only immoral, it was the greatest insult that he could give to his father. And when he did that, everyone knew that the ties with his father had been severed.

In other words, it came down to this. Absalom was going to kill his father, or his father was going to kill him. There was no backing up. There was no reversing the situation. And that's why Ahithophel said, you go in and then shall all the hands of those that are with you be strong. They'll be strengthened. They'll know that you mean business, that you're going to kill David. And by the way, if you would turn back in your Bibles very quickly to 2 Samuel chapter 12, you will find that what Absalom did was part and parcel of David's punishment for David's adultery with Bathsheba. If you look in 2 Samuel chapter 12, notice verse 9, God says, Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord to do evil in his sight? Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. Now therefore the sword shall never depart out of thine house, because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.

The Competing Counsels of Ahithophel and Hushai

Ahithophel advises an immediate strike against David; Hushai counters with a plan to gather all Israel, buying David time. Absalom chooses Hushai's counsel.

Get David before he has time to regroup, before he has time to gather instruments of war, before he has time to gather food. You get him right now. Now's the time to kill David. But you remember, David sent Hushai back into the capital. He sent Hushai back to the palace. You remember that David prayed, O Lord, defeat the counsel of Ahithophel. He knew that Ahithophel gave good counsel. Now, look in your Bibles, if you would, to 2 Samuel 17, and look at the counsel that Hushai gives. Verse 7. In fact, they ask in verse 5, let's begin there. Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai the Archite, and let us hear likewise what he saith. And when Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom spake unto him, saying, Ahithophel hath spoken after this manner. Shall we do after his saying? If not, speak thou. And notice how wise Hushai was. And Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel hath given is not good at this time. In other words, he did not try to tear Ahithophel apart.

He didn't say the counsel is wicked and worthless and sordid. No, he said, it's good counsel, it's just not good at this time. And now he explains it. He says in verse 8, For Hushai said, Thou knowest that thy father and his men, they be mighty men, and they be chafed in their minds as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field. And your father is a man of war. He's not going to lodge with the people. And he says, behold, now he's in some pit or in some other place. And it's going to come to pass when there's a fight, what's going to happen? Some of your people are going to get killed. And then he says there's going to be a rumor there's a slaughter among the people that follow Absalom. Here's what he goes on to say. He says, I'll tell you what let's do. Let's gather all of Israel from Dan to Beersheba. Now, Dan was the northernmost tribe. Beersheba was the southernmost city. Can you imagine how long it's going to take all the time to gather all the men from the northern part to the southern part of the land to get them together for a great vast army? He says, you gather them together and I tell you what Absalom, you march off at the head of that army. And I tell you what we'll do. We will fall upon David and those men as the dew falls upon the earth.

We'll completely cover him. And if they get in some city, don't worry about that. We'll take the ropes. We'll pull down every stone. There'll be nothing left. We will kill every one of them.

Now, Hushai's advice was wrong in every respect. Ahithophel's advice was the good advice. But Hushai's counsel appealed to Absalom's pride. And Absalom could just see himself leading and marching at the head of a vast army, going forth to conquer and to conquer. Oh, but what Hushai was doing was this. He was buying time for David and those men. He knew the men needed to regroup. He knew they needed weapons. He knew they needed food. He knew they needed everything. And so now, all of a sudden, David has the time to plan for the battle. What happens?

Ahithophel's Suicide and Its Motivation

When his counsel is rejected, Ahithophel hangs himself, knowing the cause is lost and he would be executed as a traitor, but his deeper motive is hatred for David.

Well, I want to show you. Look in verse 23 of 2 Samuel chapter 17. When all the men said, The counsel that Hushai has given is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. Look what Ahithophel does. Verse 23, And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass and arose and got him home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order and hanged himself and died and was buried in the sepulchre of his father. Wow. I want you to see there's wisdom on one hand. He set his house in order. There's foolishness on the other hand. He went out and hanged himself. On the one hand, he's rational. On the other hand, he's irrational. Ask yourself this question. Why in the world did Ahithophel go out and hang himself? Well, the answer to that is this. When he realized that his counsel was not being followed, he knew that it was all over.

The cause was going to be lost. Absalom was going to be defeated. And he knew that when David came back into the city that he was going to be hanged as a traitor. Now, you've got to ask yourself this question. Why in the world then would Ahithophel go out and hang himself? Let me put it to you like this. All Israel had not even been gathered together yet. Let's say it's going to take a month to get the men together. Then the battle has not even been fought yet. Let's say it's going to take two weeks to get them together to the battlefield. And then there's the battle. So let's say there's going to be a six-week time period. Now, if you know that you're going to be killed, if you know that you're going to be hanged as a traitor by David, and you know there's possibly a six-week time span before you're hanged, why in the world would you go ahead and hang yourself? Why would you go ahead and kill yourself? Why would you not use that six weeks to enjoy yourself, enjoy your family? Why would you hurry up and take your own life?

The Root of Ahithophel's Hatred: Bathsheba

Ahithophel's bitterness stems from David's adultery with Bathsheba, Ahithophel's granddaughter, and the murder of her husband Uriah.

Now, I've got a question to ask you. Why is a diplomat, why is a counselor willing to lead a guerrilla force at night? And why is he willing to personally kill David? Here's a man that would be a man of the office. He's not a man of the field. He's not a warrior. He's a diplomat. And yet he says, I personally will lead this force. I'll do it at night. I'll make sure that only David is killed and I'll make sure that I kill him myself. Ask yourself this question. Why was Ahithophel so eager, so willing, and so ready to join with Absalom? And why now is Ahithophel so eager, and so willing, and so ready to lead this force by night and personally kill David? What motivated him? What pushed him? What drove him? I want to show you what really pushed Ahithophel. I want you to turn in your Bibles.

First of all, to 2 Samuel chapter 23 and look at verse 34. 2 Samuel 23 verse 34. When you have 2 Samuel 23, you have a listing of David's mighty men. These are warriors that fought with David. And there is one particularly named in verse 34. 2 Samuel 23, verse 34. There is Eliphelet, the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maachathite. And then secondly in verse 34, there is Eliam, the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite. Okay. So now we know that Ahithophel had a son named Eliam. And we know that Eliam was one of David's mighty men.

Now someone's going to say, oh, I already know why Ahithophel's so angry and so upset and so mad. Probably because Eliam was killed in battle and Ahithophel's got it in for David. No, no. Listen, everybody knows that men die in battle. One dies just as well as another. There's more to it than that. You say, well, what is it? Well, go back in your Bibles to 2 Samuel chapter 11.

Let's see what is it that drove Ahithophel. Let's see why he was so revengeful, so bitter, and hated David so much. He hated David so much that he had rather die at his own hands than to let David kill him. He is willing to kill David, but he was not willing for David to kill him. So look at your Bibles there to 2 Samuel chapter 11, if you would, please. And notice, if you would, verse 1. Everyone knows this story. You've probably overlooked part of it, but here it is. And it came to pass after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the children of Ammon and besieged Rabbah, but David tarried still at Jerusalem. And it came to pass in the evening that David arose from off his bed and walked upon the roof of the king's house, and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself, and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. Everyone knows the story of David and Bathsheba, right? But look at verse three. And David sent and inquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? Bathsheba was Ahithophel's granddaughter. And what did David do? He seduced her. He committed adultery. He murdered her husband. He destroyed her life, her family, according to Ahithophel.

Ahithophel's Errors: Unforgiveness and Vengeance

Ahithophel refused to accept God's pardon of David, was not content with God's judgments, and took vengeance into his own hands, leading to his destruction.

And now all of a sudden, all of that has been destroyed by David. So Ahithophel was right in that sense of the word. He viewed any sin against his family as a sin against himself. You know, the Bible says, children's children are the glory of an old man. And that's true. But secondly, let me point out this. Here is where Ahithophel began to go wrong. Ahithophel would not accept, he would not accede to, he would not bow to God's pardon and forgiveness of David. If you look back in your Bibles to 2 Samuel chapter 12, now let me just tell you up front that David deserved to die. He deserved to die, number one, because he was an adulterer. And the wages for adultery in the Bible was death. So the death penalty was passed upon him for his adultery. Moreover, he deserved to die because he was a murderer, and he said to Joab, You put Uriah in the foremost front of the battle, and you retire from him, that he may die. And God charged David with killing Uriah with the sword of the children of Ammon.

Although David did not take the sword and stick it through his heart, David made it possible for Uriah to die, and God charged him with the murder. And murderers are to be put to death. So there's two counts on which David was supposed to be put to death. And the only reason David was not put to death was because God sovereignly pardoned him. If you'll look in your Bibles to 2 Samuel chapter 12, notice if you would please, verse 12, God said, For thou didst it secretly, but I will do this thing before Israel and before the sun. And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord hath also put away thy sin. Thou shalt not die, howbeit because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. The child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. Notice the only thing that saved David from the death penalty was that God sovereignly pardoned him. Mark it down, David deserved to die.

He merited the death penalty, but God sovereignly pardoned him. Now let me show you something. Here is where you and I go wrong. You and I have sinned against God. Everyone in this room has sinned against God. Some far more grievously than the other. If I were to ask you, How many sins does it take to merit death? What's the answer? One. The wages of sin is death.

I don't care if you're an adulterer. I don't care if you're a murderer. I don't care if you're a whoremonger. I don't care if you're a thief. If you sin against God, you deserve the death penalty. When we sin, guess what? We come to God. We say, O God, have mercy upon us. O God, forgive us. O God, please, please Lord, have mercy upon us. We plead with God for mercy. We want forgiveness. But isn't it strange when people sin against us and hurt us? We don't want them forgiven. We want them dead. We want God to kill them. We want God to take them out of the world. Oh yeah, we're willing to have mercy for ourselves, and we're willing for God to show mercy to us, but we're not willing for God to show mercy to those who've sinned against us. So Ahithophel certainly was willing to have mercy himself, but he was not willing for God to forgive David. He wanted David dead, and he wanted to be able to kill him himself.

Let me point out something. Thirdly, Ahithophel was wrong in the sense that he was not content with God's judgment upon David. Now, it is true that David committed adultery. It is true that David committed murder. It is true that David deserved to die. It is also true that God pardoned him. But simply because God pardoned him did not mean that he got away with his sin. What did God tell David?

Because you've done this thing, the sword shall never depart out of your house. In other words, you're going to continually reap what you sow. And you've sown sin, and you're going to reap it, David. You're going to reap the consequences of it. And so here's Ahithophel. It did not faze him. It did not bother him. It did not satisfy him that the child that David had sired through Bathsheba died. I mean, listen, although he hated David, Bathsheba was his granddaughter; that was still her child as well. It was not sufficient for him that the child died. It was not sufficient for him that later on that Amnon, one of David's own sons, turned and raped his own sister Tamar. No, that didn't satisfy him. And later on, guess what? Absalom then turned around and murdered his own brother Amnon for raping Tamar. And now Absalom has raised up in an insurrection and a conspiracy and has run David off the throne and trying to kill him. That still doesn't satisfy Ahithophel. He wants David dead.

And he wants to be the one to kill him himself. So many times we don't think that God has judged our enemies sufficiently. We want to add to it. Let me point out fourthly that Ahithophel's unwillingness to forgive David led to his bitterness, his resentfulness, his hatred, his anger, and his ill will. Now I hope you see why Ahithophel was willing to kill David, but he was not willing to be killed by David. He'd rather hang himself. He hated David so much. He was not going to give David the opportunity to hang him. Do you realize, folks, it's our cold, hard, unforgiving hearts that always lead to our bitterness and our resentment? I want you to hold 2 Samuel, but turn in your Bibles, first of all, to the book of Romans chapter 12. Look very quickly. Romans chapter 12.

Notice, if you would, what the Bible says, beginning there with verse 17. Romans chapter 12, verse 17. Notice what the Bible says. Romans 12, verse 17. God says, Recompense no man evil for evil. That is, don't pay evil for evil. Recompense no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men, if it be possible. As much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Now look what he says, Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath. For it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink. For in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. Now what does God say? God says, look, if somebody does you wrong, you don't have to take it upon yourself to get them back. You don't have to take it upon yourself to get revenge. Why?

The Destructive Consequences of Bitterness

Ahithophel's unforgiveness led to his suicide, family devastation, and the deaths of over 20,000 men in battle, illustrating that no one lives to himself.

And then last one on keeping the heart. How can this message tonight fit in with a missions conference? Are you listening? The Bible says in Romans 14 verse 7, No man liveth to himself and no man dieth to himself. That means whatever you do affects others. It not only affects your family, it affects your church, it affects your nation, it affects missions. Listen, the Bible says in 1st Timothy chapter 5, that he that does not take care of his own house is worse than an infidel, he's denied the faith. If you're not going to do what is right towards your own people, how can you do right to those who are outside and away from you? If you will not give your brothers and sisters in this congregation and your pastor in this congregation the respect and the Christian attitude that each one deserves, how in the world are you going to deal with those who are outside of this congregation?

Let me show you what I mean. I want you to turn in your Bibles to 2 Samuel chapter 18. I said that Ahithophel's sin not only destroyed himself, but also his family. He went out and hanged himself. Let me ask you a question as you turn to 2 Samuel chapter 18. How do you think Mrs. Ahithophel felt after her husband hanged himself? How do you think Bathsheba felt? How do you think any other children might have felt?

Well, I know one thing for sure. It not only affected him, it not only affected his family, because no man liveth to himself and no man dieth to himself, but I want to show you how many were killed because of him. In 2 Samuel chapter 18, if you'll begin reading there verse 7, the battle now has taken place. Absalom and all of his troops have been defeated. Look in verse 7, Wherefore the people of Israel were slain before the servants of David, and there was a great slaughter that day of 20,000 men. Now watch this. Not only have been 20,000 men slain, but verse 8 says, For the battle was there scattered over the face of all the earth, and the wood devoured more people that day than the sword devoured. Now, I don't know if the 20,000 includes verse 8.

It may or may not. If it doesn't, it means over 40,000 were killed. Why? Because one man had a wicked unforgiving, hateful, hard heart, who was full of ill will and bitterness and resentment. Probably over 40,000 men died because Ahithophel hated David so much. You say, Brother Weaver, what in the world does this mean? Here's what it means. We live in a dying society, in a dying world.

Application: Personal Holiness and National Blessing

Believers must guard against bitterness and live righteously, as personal obedience contends against wickedness and invites God's mercy on the nation.

Not everybody in this room can go to the mission field. Not everybody in this room can spend thousands of bucks supporting ministries overseas. But I'll tell you something that everybody in this room can do, by God's grace. Do you remember that passage in Genesis chapters 18 and 19, when our Lord came with his angels to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah? Do you remember how Abraham pleaded with the Lord? He said, Lord, if I find 50 righteous, would you spare it? Yes, said God. Oh, said Abraham, now I've taken upon myself to talk to the Lord. Would you spare it for 40's sake? Yes, said God, I would. Lord, how about 20? Yes, said the Lord, I'll spare it if you can find me twenty righteous. Finally, Abraham got him down to ten. And the Lord said, I'll spare Sodom and Gomorrah for ten. Have you ever wondered why Abraham stopped at ten? Have you?

Because there was Lot and his wife, and his daughters, that's plural, and his sons-in-law, that's plural. If he only had two daughters, that would be four. Two sons-in-law would be six, plus the children. So he knew that Lot probably had a minimum of ten or over ten in his family. And he stopped at ten. And there were not ten righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah. There's more than 10 people in this room.

It is so vitally important that you learn to keep your heart. It is so vitally important that you learn not to be bitter and resentful and hateful and haughty and high-minded and proud and arrogant. It is so important. If you want God to have mercy upon this ministry, and mercy upon this state, and mercy upon this country, and mercy upon the missionaries everywhere else, the least you can do by God's grace is live biblically and righteously. I want to show you one verse. Look in your Bibles to Proverbs 28 and verse 4. Proverbs 28 verse 4.

You say, I can't do much. I can tell you what you can do. And I'm going to show it to you from the Scripture. Look in Proverbs 28 and verse 4. The Bible says, They that forsake the law, that's God's law, they that forsake the law praise the wicked. When you violate God's Word, when you go contrary to Scripture, you are praising the wicked. But look what else he says. They that forsake the law praise the wicked, but such as keep the law contend with them. And the word contend means to fight against. God says when you keep His Word, when you bring your life in obedience to His Word, you're fighting against the wicked. If you want to fight against wickedness, you learn to obey God. If you want to honor God, you bring your life in conformity to His Word. Here's the question. Are you an Ahithophel? Are you the one that would destroy the work of God and the people of God just so you could have your own revenge and keep your own bitterness and resentment?

Don't be an Ahithophel. Serve God, obey Him, and be as holy and godly as you can by the grace of God. Bring your life into conformity to His Word. Let's pray. Father, help us, speak to our hearts, build us up in the most holy faith, make us holy, godly, and righteous. And may we never be an Ahithophel. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

The Danger of Unforgiveness and Bitterness

Summary: Ahithophel's refusal to forgive David led to deep bitterness, resentment, and ultimately his own destruction and the deaths of many.

Evidence: Ahithophel's hatred for David was so intense that he preferred suicide over being killed by David, and his actions led to a great slaughter.

God's Sovereignty in Judgment and Mercy

Summary: God sovereignly pardoned David from the death penalty, but also brought judgment upon him through family turmoil; Ahithophel rejected God's right to both.

Evidence: David deserved death for adultery and murder, but God put away his sin; Ahithophel would not accept this pardon.

The Corporate Impact of Individual Sin

Summary: Ahithophel's personal sin of bitterness contributed to a national catastrophe, showing that no one lives or dies to himself.

Evidence: Over 20,000 men died in battle because of Ahithophel's unforgiving heart, affecting the entire nation.

The Necessity of Personal Holiness for Corporate Blessing

Summary: Believers must keep their hearts from bitterness and live righteously to contend against wickedness and invite God's mercy on the church and nation.

Evidence: Proverbs 28:4 shows that keeping God's law contends with the wicked; personal obedience is a form of spiritual warfare.

The Folly of Assuming God's Role as Avenger

Summary: Ahithophel took vengeance into his own hands, usurping God's prerogative; believers are commanded to leave vengeance to God.

Evidence: Romans 12:19 says vengeance belongs to God; Ahithophel's self-appointed vengeance led to his ruin.

Key Arguments

Ahithophel's wisdom was nullified by his unforgiveness.

Summary: Though Ahithophel's counsel was as the oracle of God, his personal bitterness made him a fool, leading to his suicide.

Evidence: Ahithophel's counsel was highly esteemed, yet he hanged himself when it was rejected, showing irrationality born of hatred.

Ahithophel's hatred was rooted in David's sin against his family.

Summary: Ahithophel's granddaughter Bathsheba was violated by David, and her husband murdered, fueling a personal vendetta.

Evidence: 2 Samuel 11:3 identifies Bathsheba as the daughter of Eliam, Ahithophel's son, making her his granddaughter.

Ahithophel rejected God's pardon of David.

Summary: While David was forgiven by God, Ahithophel could not accept this and sought David's death, revealing a heart that wanted mercy for himself but not for others.

Evidence: Nathan declared the Lord had put away David's sin, but Ahithophel still sought to kill him.

Ahithophel was not satisfied with God's judgments on David.

Summary: Despite the death of David's child, the rape of Tamar, and Absalom's rebellion, Ahithophel wanted more punishment, showing an unappeasable vengefulness.

Evidence: The sword never departed from David's house, yet Ahithophel remained unsatisfied and wanted to kill David personally.

Personal bitterness can destroy families and nations.

Summary: Ahithophel's sin led to his suicide, family shame, and the deaths of thousands in civil war, demonstrating the far-reaching consequences of an unforgiving heart.

Evidence: 2 Samuel 18:7-8 records 20,000 slain and more devoured by the forest, all stemming from the rebellion Ahithophel fueled.

Believers must leave vengeance to God and overcome evil with good.

Summary: Romans 12 commands not to repay evil for evil but to trust God's justice; personal vengeance usurps God's role and hinders His work.

Evidence: Romans 12:17-21 instructs believers to feed enemies and leave vengeance to God.

Scripture References

2 Samuel 15:31

Context: David prays for God to turn Ahithophel's counsel into foolishness upon learning he joined Absalom.

2 Samuel 16:15-23

Context: Ahithophel advises Absalom to sleep with David's concubines; his counsel is likened to the oracle of God.

2 Samuel 17:1-4

Context: Ahithophel proposes to lead 12,000 men to kill David immediately.

2 Samuel 17:5-14

Context: Hushai counters Ahithophel's counsel, and Absalom and the elders prefer Hushai's plan; God defeats Ahithophel's good counsel.

2 Samuel 17:23

Context: Ahithophel hangs himself after his counsel is rejected.

2 Samuel 15:1-6

Context: Absalom steals the hearts of Israel by promising justice at the gate.

2 Samuel 15:7-12

Context: Absalom's conspiracy grows; he sends for Ahithophel, and David flees Jerusalem.

2 Samuel 12:9-12

Context: God pronounces judgment on David: the sword will never depart from his house, and his wives will be taken publicly.

2 Samuel 23:34

Context: Eliam, son of Ahithophel, is listed among David's mighty men.

2 Samuel 11:1-3

Context: David's adultery with Bathsheba, identified as the daughter of Eliam, Ahithophel's son.

2 Samuel 12:13-14

Context: Nathan tells David the Lord has put away his sin; he will not die, but the child will die.

Romans 12:17-21

Context: Believers are commanded not to avenge themselves but to leave vengeance to God and overcome evil with good.

2 Corinthians 7:1

Context: Cleanse yourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, including bitterness and unforgiveness.

Hebrews 10:30

Context: Vengeance belongs to God; He will judge His people.

Romans 14:7

Context: No man lives or dies to himself; our actions affect others.

1 Timothy 5:8

Context: He who does not care for his own house is worse than an infidel; personal conduct affects ministry.

2 Samuel 18:7-8

Context: The battle results in 20,000 slain, and the forest devours more; the consequence of Ahithophel's bitterness.

Genesis 18-19

Context: Abraham intercedes for Sodom; God would spare the city for ten righteous, illustrating the power of a righteous remnant.

Proverbs 28:4

Context: Those who keep God's law contend with the wicked; personal obedience is a form of spiritual warfare.

Historical References

Ahithophel as the 'Judas of the Old Testament'

Context: Ahithophel is compared to Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed his master and hanged himself.

David's flight from Absalom

Context: David fled Jerusalem rather than fight his son, reflecting his love for Absalom and possibly unpreparedness.

Absalom's death and David's lament

Context: Joab killed Absalom against David's orders; David mourned deeply, saying 'O my son Absalom.'

David's adultery with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah

Context: The root of Ahithophel's hatred: David's sin with Bathsheba, Ahithophel's granddaughter, and the arranged death of Uriah.

The rape of Tamar and murder of Amnon

Context: Part of God's judgment on David's house: Amnon raped Tamar, and Absalom killed Amnon, yet Ahithophel remained unsatisfied.

Important Quotes

Ahithophel is known as the Judas of the Old Testament.

Significance: Establishes the parallel between Ahithophel and Judas, both betrayers who hanged themselves.

The counsel of Ahithophel, which he counseled in those days, was as if a man had inquired at the oracle of God.

Significance: Highlights the exceptional wisdom and authority of Ahithophel's advice, making his later folly more striking.

He hated David so much that he had rather die at his own hands than to let David kill him.

Significance: Reveals the depth of Ahithophel's bitterness and his desire for control even in death.

Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

Significance: Key biblical principle that Ahithophel violated by taking revenge into his own hands.

No man liveth to himself and no man dieth to himself.

Significance: Emphasizes the corporate impact of individual sin, as Ahithophel's bitterness led to national disaster.

They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them.

Significance: Shows that personal obedience is a form of spiritual warfare against wickedness.

Discussion Questions

In what ways can unforgiveness and bitterness manifest in a believer's life, and how can we guard against them?

Context: The sermon warns that sins of the spirit like bitterness are more common and destructive than outward sins.

How does Ahithophel's refusal to accept God's pardon of David mirror our own struggles to forgive others?

Context: Ahithophel wanted mercy for himself but not for David; we often want forgiveness for ourselves but not for those who wrong us.

What does it mean to 'leave vengeance to God,' and how can we practically do this when we have been deeply hurt?

Context: Romans 12:19 commands us not to avenge ourselves; the sermon explains that taking vengeance usurps God's role.

How can personal holiness and obedience to God's Word impact the spiritual health of a church or nation?

Context: Proverbs 28:4 says keeping the law contends with the wicked; the sermon connects personal righteousness to corporate blessing.

Why is it dangerous to be dissatisfied with God's discipline of others, and how can we cultivate contentment with His justice?

Context: Ahithophel was not satisfied with God's judgments on David and wanted more; we often think God hasn't punished our enemies enough.

Applications

Guard your heart against bitterness and unforgiveness.

Summary: Believers must actively cleanse themselves from sins of the spirit like bitterness, which can destroy them and others.

Evidence: 2 Corinthians 7:1 calls for cleansing from filthiness of the spirit; Ahithophel's bitterness led to his suicide and national disaster.

Leave vengeance to God and overcome evil with good.

Summary: Instead of seeking revenge, trust God's justice and respond to wrongs with kindness, as commanded in Romans 12.

Evidence: Romans 12:17-21 instructs believers to feed enemies and not repay evil for evil; Ahithophel's vengeance destroyed him.

Accept God's forgiveness of others as you desire forgiveness for yourself.

Summary: Just as we plead for God's mercy on our sins, we must extend that same grace to those who sin against us.

Evidence: Ahithophel could not accept God's pardon of David, though he likely wanted mercy for himself; we often do the same.

Live righteously to contend against wickedness in society.

Summary: Personal obedience to God's Word is a powerful force against evil and invites God's mercy on the church and nation.

Evidence: Proverbs 28:4 says keeping the law contends with the wicked; Abraham's intercession shows the power of a righteous remnant.

Recognize the far-reaching consequences of personal sin.

Summary: No one lives to himself; unforgiveness and bitterness can harm families, churches, and even nations.

Evidence: Ahithophel's sin led to his suicide, family shame, and the deaths of over 20,000 men in battle.

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Clean Transcript

Ahithophel and the Destruction of the Nation

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I want you to open your Bibles, if you would please, to 2 Samuel, chapter 15. We're going to be reading several passages. 2 Samuel, chapter 15. We're going to begin with verse 31. We'll also read from chapter 16 and 17. But notice, if you would please, 2 Samuel, chapter 15, and notice verse 31. And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O Lord, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. And it came to pass that when David was come to the top of the mount where he worshipped God, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat rent and earth upon his head. And unto whom David said, If thou passest on with me, then thou shalt be a burden unto me. But if thou return to the city and say unto Absalom, I will be thy servant, O king, as I have been thy father's servant hitherto, so will I now also be thy servant. Then mayest thou for me defeat the counsel of Ahithophel.
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And hast thou not there with thee Zadok and Abiathar the priests? Therefore it shall be that what things soever they shall hear out of the king's house, thou shalt tell it unto Zadok and Abiathar the priests. Behold, they have there with them their two sons, Ahimaaz, Zadok's son, and Jonathan, Abiathar's son. And by them you shall send unto me everything that you can hear. So Hushai, David's friend, came into the city, and Absalom came into Jerusalem.
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Now skip down to chapter 16 and verse 15. Chapter 16, verse 15. And Absalom and all the people of the men of Israel came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. And it came to pass when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, was come to Absalom, that Hushai said unto Absalom, God save the king, God save the king. And Absalom said unto Hushai, Is this thy kindness to thy friend? Why wentest thou not with thy friend? And Hushai said unto Absalom, Nay, but whom the Lord and this people and all the men of Israel choose, his will I be, and with him will I abide.
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And again, whom should I serve? Should I not serve in the presence of his son, as I have served in his father's presence? So will I be in thy presence. Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give counsel, I pray you, what we shall do. And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father's concubines, which he hath left to keep the house, and all Israel shall hear that thou art abhorred of thy father.
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Then shall the hands of all them that are with thee be strong. So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house. And Absalom went in unto his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel. And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counseled in those days, was as if a man had inquired at the oracle of God. So was all the counsel of Ahithophel, both with David and with Absalom. Moreover, Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night.
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And I will come upon him while he is weary and weak-handed, and will make him afraid, and all the people that are with him shall flee, and I will smite the king only. And I will bring back all the people unto thee: the man whom thou seekest is as if all returned; so all the people shall be in peace. And the saying pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel.
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Notice if you would please verse 5. Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear likewise what he saith. And when Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom spake unto him saying, Ahithophel hath spoken after this manner: Shall we do after his saying? If not, speak thou. And Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel hath given is not good at this time. For said Hushai, Thou knowest thy father and his men, that they be mighty men, and they be chafed in their minds, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field, and thy father is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people. Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or in some other place, and it will come to pass, when some of the people be overthrown at first, that whosoever heareth it will say, There is a slaughter among the people that follow Absalom.
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And he also that is valiant, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, shall utterly melt. For all Israel knoweth that thy father is a mighty man, and they which be with him are valiant men. Therefore I counsel that all Israel be generally gathered unto thee, from Dan even to Beersheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude, and that thou go to battle in thine own person.
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So shall we come upon him in some place, where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew falleth on the ground. And of him and all the men that are with him, there shall not be left so much as one. Moreover, if he be gotten into a city, then shall all Israel bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river, until there be not one small stone found there. 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. One last verse, look now in verse 23 of 2 Samuel chapter 17. 2 Samuel 17 verse 23, And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass and arose and got him home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.
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Ahithophel. Ahithophel is a name that is not very well known, and sometimes it's not easily pronounced either. But Ahithophel is known as the Judas of the Old Testament. As Judas in the New Testament betrayed his master and went out and hanged himself, so Ahithophel betrayed his master, David, and then of course went out and hanged himself. Ahithophel is a very complex character. In fact, he's very perplexing in and of himself.
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On the one hand, he was a man of wisdom. On the other hand, he was also a man of absolute foolishness. He was a man who personified common sense and rationality and stability on one hand, and on the other hand, he was absolutely unstable and absolutely wicked and rebellious. He was really and truly an enigma in Scripture until the full light is brought upon him.
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Now, let me just tell you that the setting for what I just read for you is found in 2 Samuel chapter 15 and I want you to turn back there and let's look at the first 14 verses because this whole setting is set in the backdrop of the rebellion of Absalom when Absalom ran his father David off the throne and of course sought to kill him. But in 2 Samuel chapter 15 beginning with verse 1, And it came to pass after this that Absalom prepared him chariots and horses and fifty men to run before him. 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?
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And he said, Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel. And Absalom said unto him, See, thy matters are good and right, but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee. And Absalom said moreover, O that I were made judge in the land, that every man which had any suit or cause might come to me, and I would do him justice. Let me point out something. While Absalom is saying, O that I were judge, if any man came to me with a problem, I would do him justice. While he's saying that, he's doing an injustice to his father, to his family, and to the nation. Notice verse 5. And it was so that when any man came nigh to him, to Absalom, note what he did, to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand and took him and kissed him.
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He was a consummate politician. And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel. And it came to pass, after forty years, that Absalom said unto the king, I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow, which I vowed unto the Lord in Hebron. For thy servant vowed a vow while I abode in Geshur in Syria, saying, If the Lord shall bring me again indeed to Jerusalem, then I will serve the Lord. And the king said unto him, Go in peace. So he arose and went to Hebron. But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then you shall say, Absalom reigneth in Hebron. And with Absalom went two hundred men out of Jerusalem that were called. And they went in their simplicity. They knew not anything. And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counselor, from his city, even from Giloh, while he offered sacrifices, and the conspiracy was strong, for the people increased continually with Absalom.
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And there came a messenger to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom. And David said unto all his servants that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee, for we shall not else escape from Absalom. Make speed to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly, and bring evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword. Now, I find it absolutely amazing, not only that Absalom rebelled against his father, but I find it exceedingly strange that in his rebellion, he sent for Ahithophel. Now I want you to note that Ahithophel is specifically called David's counselor. Why in the world would Absalom call for his father's counselor? Why in the world would Absalom even assume that Ahithophel would join him in the conspiracy? And the interesting thing is, when you read the story, you find out that Ahithophel was not only willing to join Absalom, but he was eager and ready to join Absalom. He wanted the conspiracy to succeed. In fact, the conspiracy is so strong now that David and his household have to flee from Jerusalem.
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Now, David certainly was a mighty man of war. Someone asked, well, why in the world did David flee? Why did he not fight it out there in Jerusalem? Well, it could be that David was not prepared to fight it out, or it could be that David was not willing to fight with his son Absalom. Do you remember later on in 2 Samuel chapter 18 when Joab and all the other captains had the fight with Absalom? David gave them specific orders that Absalom was not to be harmed. And yet Joab found Absalom hanging from an oak tree by the hair of his head, and stuck three darts through his heart and killed him. And when the word got to David that Absalom was dead, the Bible tells us that David said, O my son, Absalom, O my son, Absalom, would to God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son. So in all probability, the reason David did not fight it out was David just simply did not want to fight with his own son.
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But at any rate, the conspiracy is so strong that David and his entire household has to flee. Now, I want you to note that as David flees, he does two very important things. If you look in chapter 15 and verse 31 of 2 Samuel, And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O Lord, I pray Thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. So David then, when he finds out that Ahithophel is with Absalom, he takes the time to pray, and he asks the Lord to confound Ahithophel, or at least turn his counsel into absolute foolishness. The second thing that David does that's vitally important, and you'll find it in the latter part of 2 Samuel 15, is that when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, comes to go with him, David said, look, if you pass on with me, you're just going to be a burden.
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You go back to the palace. You pretend to serve Absalom. And, of course, you have the high priest there. You have Zadok and you have Abiathar. And those men are priests. He said, anything you find out, you tell them. They have two sons, Ahimaaz is one of them and, of course, Jonathan the other one. And whatever they find out, they can tell their sons and the sons can come tell me.
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So you're going to do me more good if you stay and you hear what goes on and you relay the information to me. So Hushai, David's friend, of course, does indeed stay. And with that in mind, if you look in chapter 16 and verse 23, here Ahithophel and Absalom come into Jerusalem. Well, not verse 23. Let's look at a little bit earlier. It's verse 17. And Absalom said to Hushai, Is this thy kindness to thy friend? Why wentest thou not with thy friend? This is when they've come into Jerusalem. And of course, he wants to know what in the world is going on. Why did Hushai not go with him? Of course, Hushai did not tell them. Now, notice, if you would please, verse 23. And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counseled in those days, was as if a man had inquired at the oracle of God, so was all the counsel of Ahithophel, both with David and with Absalom.
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Now, you could ask yourself this question. Why in the world would Absalom want Ahithophel with him? And the answer comes back: it was because Ahithophel was very sagacious. He is very wise. He understood what was going on. And I'm going to tell you, there was not a greater compliment in one sense of the word that could be given a man as that is given to Ahithophel in verse 23. When the Bible says that the counsel that he gave was as if one inquired at the oracle of God. I mean, when Ahithophel spoke, he spoke with knowledge and authority, as if God himself had spoken. And so Absalom certainly wanted Ahithophel with him. And so David and Ahithophel, or Absalom and Ahithophel and his men then come to Jerusalem. Now notice if you would please, in verse 20, after they get to Jerusalem, then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give counsel among you what we should do. And Ahithophel says, look, I'll tell you what to do.
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You spread a tent on top of the house. And here are the concubines that your father left to keep the palace. You go in unto them. And then he makes this astounding statement. He said, and then shall the hands of all them that are with thee be strong.
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Now, you say, wait a minute. We just read where the counsel of Ahithophel was as if one inquired of the oracle of God. Why in the world would Ahithophel give counsel to Absalom like this? Although what Ahithophel counseled was wicked and wrong, and contrary to the 7th commandment, contrary to the 10th commandment, yet it was good counsel to accomplish a specific goal. What Absalom did accomplished the goal that he wanted to accomplish.
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When he went in to his father's concubines in the sight of all of Israel, here's what was happening. You see, Absalom was the king's son. Here's an insurrection. Here's a conspiracy. People's lives are on the line. And you know, the king is always going to be very forgiving to his own son, and all the people are thinking, uh-huh, yeah, I know what's going to happen. This thing's going to fail, this thing's going to flub, and Absalom's going to be received back, and they're going to kill us. But when Absalom went in to his father's concubines, it was not only wicked, it was not only wrong, it was not only immoral, it was the greatest insult that he could give to his father. And when he did that, everyone knew that the ties with his father had been severed.
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In other words, it came down to this. Absalom was going to kill his father, or his father was going to kill him. There was no backing up. There was no reversing the situation. And that's why Ahithophel said, you go in and then shall all the hands of those that are with you be strong. They'll be strengthened. They'll know that you mean business, that you're going to kill David. And by the way, if you would turn back in your Bibles very quickly to 2 Samuel chapter 12, you will find that what Absalom did was part and parcel of David's punishment for David's adultery with Bathsheba. If you look in 2 Samuel chapter 12, notice verse 9, God says, Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord to do evil in his sight? Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. Now therefore the sword shall never depart out of thine house, because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
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Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbor, and he shall lie with them in the sight of the sun. For thou didst it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun. So what Absalom did was part and punishment of David's sin. David was reaping what he had sown, and now Absalom has taken this final step.
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He has gone in unto them, and of course, all the ties are now severed. And if you look in chapter 17, this is done, there's no turning back, and now Absalom asks for counsel from Ahithophel. What in the world should we do? Now look in verse 1. Moreover, Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose out 12,000 men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night, and I will come upon him while he is weary and weak-handed, and will make him afraid, and all the people that are with him shall flee. And I will smite the king only, and I will bring back all the people unto thee. The man whom thou seekest is as if all returned, so the people shall be in peace. And the saying pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel. So here is Ahithophel's counsel. Let's strike right now.
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Get David before he has time to regroup, before he has time to gather instruments of war, before he has time to gather food. You get him right now. Now's the time to kill David. But you remember, David sent Hushai back into the capital. He sent Hushai back to the palace. You remember that David prayed, O Lord, defeat the counsel of Ahithophel. He knew that Ahithophel gave good counsel. Now, look in your Bibles, if you would, to 2 Samuel 17, and look at the counsel that Hushai gives. Verse 7. In fact, they ask in verse 5, let's begin there. Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai the Archite, and let us hear likewise what he saith. And when Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom spake unto him, saying, Ahithophel hath spoken after this manner. Shall we do after his saying? If not, speak thou. And notice how wise Hushai was. And Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel hath given is not good at this time. In other words, he did not try to tear Ahithophel apart.
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He didn't say the counsel is wicked and worthless and sordid. No, he said, it's good counsel, it's just not good at this time. And now he explains it. He says in verse 8, For Hushai said, Thou knowest that thy father and his men, they be mighty men, and they be chafed in their minds as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field. And your father is a man of war.
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He's not going to lodge with the people. And he says, behold, now he's in some pit or in some other place. And it's going to come to pass when there's a fight, what's going to happen? Some of your people are going to get killed. And then he says there's going to be a rumor there's a slaughter among the people that follow Absalom. Here's what he goes on to say. He says, I'll tell you what let's do. Let's gather all of Israel from Dan to Beersheba. Now, Dan was the northernmost tribe. Beersheba was the southernmost city. Can you imagine how long it's going to take all the time to gather all the men from the northern part to the southern part of the land to get them together for a great vast army? He says, you gather them together and I tell you what Absalom, you march off at the head of that army. And I tell you what we'll do. We will fall upon David and those men as the dew falls upon the earth.
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We'll completely cover him. And if they get in some city, don't worry about that. We'll take the ropes. We'll pull down every stone. There'll be nothing left. We will kill every one of them.
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Now, Hushai's advice was wrong in every respect. Ahithophel's advice was the good advice. But Hushai's counsel appealed to Absalom's pride. And Absalom could just see himself leading and marching at the head of a vast army, going forth to conquer and to conquer. Oh, but what Hushai was doing was this. He was buying time for David and those men. He knew the men needed to regroup. He knew they needed weapons. He knew they needed food. He knew they needed everything. And so now, all of a sudden, David has the time to plan for the battle. What happens?
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Well, I want to show you. Look in verse 23 of 2 Samuel chapter 17. When all the men said, The counsel that Hushai has given is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. Look what Ahithophel does. Verse 23, And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass and arose and got him home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order and hanged himself and died and was buried in the sepulchre of his father. Wow. I want you to see there's wisdom on one hand. He set his house in order. There's foolishness on the other hand. He went out and hanged himself. On the one hand, he's rational. On the other hand, he's irrational. Ask yourself this question. Why in the world did Ahithophel go out and hang himself? Well, the answer to that is this. When he realized that his counsel was not being followed, he knew that it was all over.
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The cause was going to be lost. Absalom was going to be defeated. And he knew that when David came back into the city that he was going to be hanged as a traitor.
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Now, you've got to ask yourself this question. Why in the world then would Ahithophel go out and hang himself? Let me put it to you like this. All Israel had not even been gathered together yet. Let's say it's going to take a month to get the men together. Then the battle has not even been fought yet. Let's say it's going to take two weeks to get them together to the battlefield. And then there's the battle. So let's say there's going to be a six-week time period. Now, if you know that you're going to be killed, if you know that you're going to be hanged as a traitor by David, and you know there's possibly a six-week time span before you're hanged, why in the world would you go ahead and hang yourself? Why would you go ahead and kill yourself? Why would you not use that six weeks to enjoy yourself, enjoy your family? Why would you hurry up and take your own life?
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Let me show you something else that is very, very disturbing. You've got to remember something about Ahithophel. Ahithophel was a counselor. He was a diplomat. He was a politician. Kind of like our congressman. You know, he can sit around and tell everybody what to do. But let me show you something about Ahithophel. Look back in your Bibles to 2 Samuel chapter 17 verse 1.
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Now this is really amazing. Watch this. Moreover, Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose out 12,000 men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night. And I will come upon him while he's weary and weak-handed, and will make him afraid. And all the people that are with him shall flee, and I will smite the king only.
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Now, I've got a question to ask you. Why is a diplomat, why is a counselor willing to lead a guerrilla force at night? And why is he willing to personally kill David? Here's a man that would be a man of the office. He's not a man of the field. He's not a warrior. He's a diplomat. And yet he says, I personally will lead this force. I'll do it at night. I'll make sure that only David is killed and I'll make sure that I kill him myself. Ask yourself this question. Why was Ahithophel so eager, so willing, and so ready to join with Absalom? And why now is Ahithophel so eager, and so willing, and so ready to lead this force by night and personally kill David? What motivated him? What pushed him? What drove him? I want to show you what really pushed Ahithophel. I want you to turn in your Bibles.
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First of all, to 2 Samuel chapter 23 and look at verse 34. 2 Samuel 23 verse 34. When you have 2 Samuel 23, you have a listing of David's mighty men. These are warriors that fought with David. And there is one particularly named in verse 34. 2 Samuel 23, verse 34. There is Eliphelet, the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maachathite. And then secondly in verse 34, there is Eliam, the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite. Okay. So now we know that Ahithophel had a son named Eliam. And we know that Eliam was one of David's mighty men.
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Now someone's going to say, oh, I already know why Ahithophel's so angry and so upset and so mad. Probably because Eliam was killed in battle and Ahithophel's got it in for David. No, no. Listen, everybody knows that men die in battle. One dies just as well as another. There's more to it than that. You say, well, what is it? Well, go back in your Bibles to 2 Samuel chapter 11.
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Let's see what is it that drove Ahithophel. Let's see why he was so revengeful, so bitter, and hated David so much. He hated David so much that he had rather die at his own hands than to let David kill him. He is willing to kill David, but he was not willing for David to kill him. So look at your Bibles there to 2 Samuel chapter 11, if you would, please.
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And notice, if you would, verse 1. Everyone knows this story. You've probably overlooked part of it, but here it is. And it came to pass after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the children of Ammon and besieged Rabbah, but David tarried still at Jerusalem. And it came to pass in the evening that David arose from off his bed and walked upon the roof of the king's house, and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself, and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. Everyone knows the story of David and Bathsheba, right? But look at verse three. And David sent and inquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? Bathsheba was Ahithophel's granddaughter. And what did David do? He seduced her. He committed adultery. He murdered her husband. He destroyed her life, her family, according to Ahithophel.
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Now, let me try to explain some things and put things in perspective for you. And you're going to ask me, how does this message fit in with a missions conference? I'll explain it. But I want you to watch this. Why in the world did Ahithophel hate David so much? There were some things that were right about Ahithophel. One of those things is this, that Ahithophel viewed any crime or any sin against his family as a sin against himself. And that is true.
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You know what, if you came up to me and you told me, now Pastor Weaver, I love you, but I don't like your wife at all. Well, I'm sorry, you don't really love me. Because my wife and I are one and she is part of me. If you said, well, now Pastor, we love you and your wife, but we don't love your children at all. I'm sorry. Those are my children.
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They're an extension of me. They're an extension of my wife. So in one sense of the word, Ahithophel was right because he was viewing any sin against his family as a sin against himself. I had four daughters. And all my girls hunted. I took them deer hunting. And oftentimes, we would go down in the swamp. Each one of them had their rifle. They had their tree climber. I'd put them up a tree. I'd walk a hundred or two yards, put another one up a tree. Sometimes I would end up being 400 or 500 yards from my girls hunting.
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And I always gave them express counsel. I said, now girls, if a man comes along here and tries to bother you or harm you, and I can't get to you, here's what I want you to do. You shoot him. And when I get there, I'll question him and find out what his motives were. Now, I wasn't teasing. I meant that. I didn't want my girls hurt. Let me tell you something. I had a preacher tell me years ago, and I didn't understand it. But I had a preacher friend tell me years ago, he said, brother, you love your children, but you don't know what love is until you get grandchildren. And I thought, wow.
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Well, I remember when we got our first granddaughter. When she was about two, two and a half years old, I was riding a horse and I had her on the saddle in front of me. We'd been talking. And all of a sudden, we hadn't said anything for about 10 or 15 minutes. And then that little girl looked up at me and said, Papa, you're my very best friend. That little girl is 20 years old today.
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I call her on the phone, and she sees my number. She'll say, this is your very best friend answering. And if I leave a message, I'll say, your very best friend called. You talking about wrapping somebody around her little finger? I could stand here all night and tell you about my grandchildren. Do you not think, as beautiful as Bathsheba was, that she was not the heartstrings of her grandfather?
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And now all of a sudden, all of that has been destroyed by David. So Ahithophel was right in that sense of the word. He viewed any sin against his family as a sin against himself. You know, the Bible says, children's children are the glory of an old man. And that's true. But secondly, let me point out this. Here is where Ahithophel began to go wrong. Ahithophel would not accept, he would not accede to, he would not bow to God's pardon and forgiveness of David. If you look back in your Bibles to 2 Samuel chapter 12, now let me just tell you up front that David deserved to die. He deserved to die, number one, because he was an adulterer. And the wages for adultery in the Bible was death. So the death penalty was passed upon him for his adultery. Moreover, he deserved to die because he was a murderer, and he said to Joab, You put Uriah in the foremost front of the battle, and you retire from him, that he may die. And God charged David with killing Uriah with the sword of the children of Ammon.
#48 | 34:31 to 35:46 | cleaned
Although David did not take the sword and stick it through his heart, David made it possible for Uriah to die, and God charged him with the murder. And murderers are to be put to death. So there's two counts on which David was supposed to be put to death. And the only reason David was not put to death was because God sovereignly pardoned him. If you'll look in your Bibles to 2 Samuel chapter 12, notice if you would please, verse 12, God said, For thou didst it secretly, but I will do this thing before Israel and before the sun. And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord hath also put away thy sin. Thou shalt not die, howbeit because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. The child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. Notice the only thing that saved David from the death penalty was that God sovereignly pardoned him. Mark it down, David deserved to die.
#49 | 35:46 to 36:49 | cleaned
He merited the death penalty, but God sovereignly pardoned him. Now let me show you something. Here is where you and I go wrong. You and I have sinned against God. Everyone in this room has sinned against God. Some far more grievously than the other. If I were to ask you, How many sins does it take to merit death? What's the answer? One. The wages of sin is death.
#50 | 36:49 to 37:11 | cleaned
I don't care if you're an adulterer. I don't care if you're a murderer. I don't care if you're a whoremonger. I don't care if you're a thief. If you sin against God, you deserve the death penalty. When we sin, guess what? We come to God. We say, O God, have mercy upon us. O God, forgive us. O God, please, please Lord, have mercy upon us. We plead with God for mercy. We want forgiveness. But isn't it strange when people sin against us and hurt us? We don't want them forgiven. We want them dead. We want God to kill them. We want God to take them out of the world. Oh yeah, we're willing to have mercy for ourselves, and we're willing for God to show mercy to us, but we're not willing for God to show mercy to those who've sinned against us. So Ahithophel certainly was willing to have mercy himself, but he was not willing for God to forgive David. He wanted David dead, and he wanted to be able to kill him himself.
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Let me point out something. Thirdly, Ahithophel was wrong in the sense that he was not content with God's judgment upon David. Now, it is true that David committed adultery. It is true that David committed murder. It is true that David deserved to die. It is also true that God pardoned him. But simply because God pardoned him did not mean that he got away with his sin. What did God tell David?
#52 | 38:24 to 38:53 | cleaned
Because you've done this thing, the sword shall never depart out of your house. In other words, you're going to continually reap what you sow. And you've sown sin, and you're going to reap it, David. You're going to reap the consequences of it. And so here's Ahithophel. It did not faze him. It did not bother him. It did not satisfy him that the child that David had sired through Bathsheba died. I mean, listen, although he hated David, Bathsheba was his granddaughter; that was still her child as well. It was not sufficient for him that the child died. It was not sufficient for him that later on that Amnon, one of David's own sons, turned and raped his own sister Tamar. No, that didn't satisfy him. And later on, guess what? Absalom then turned around and murdered his own brother Amnon for raping Tamar. And now Absalom has raised up in an insurrection and a conspiracy and has run David off the throne and trying to kill him. That still doesn't satisfy Ahithophel. He wants David dead.
#53 | 38:53 to 40:02 | cleaned
And he wants to be the one to kill him himself. So many times we don't think that God has judged our enemies sufficiently. We want to add to it. Let me point out fourthly that Ahithophel's unwillingness to forgive David led to his bitterness, his resentfulness, his hatred, his anger, and his ill will. Now I hope you see why Ahithophel was willing to kill David, but he was not willing to be killed by David. He'd rather hang himself. He hated David so much. He was not going to give David the opportunity to hang him. Do you realize, folks, it's our cold, hard, unforgiving hearts that always lead to our bitterness and our resentment? I want you to hold 2 Samuel, but turn in your Bibles, first of all, to the book of Romans chapter 12. Look very quickly. Romans chapter 12.
#54 | 40:04 to 41:21 | cleaned
Notice, if you would, what the Bible says, beginning there with verse 17. Romans chapter 12, verse 17. Notice what the Bible says. Romans 12, verse 17. God says, Recompense no man evil for evil. That is, don't pay evil for evil. Recompense no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men, if it be possible. As much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Now look what he says, Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath. For it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink. For in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. Now what does God say? God says, look, if somebody does you wrong, you don't have to take it upon yourself to get them back. You don't have to take it upon yourself to get revenge. Why?
#55 | 41:21 to 41:59 | cleaned
God says, Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord, I will repay. Do you know why we do not see God's vengeance upon our enemies the way we should? I'll tell you why. Because God is absolutely just. And oftentimes what we do is we want to take vengeance upon them ourselves. We can't wait. And since God is just, he's not going to execute vengeance twice. If we take it, why should he take it? What we've done, and I'll point out a little bit later, we've just stolen God's authority. We've stolen God's throne. And let me tell you something, folks. God can clean our enemy's plow a whole lot better than we can and a whole lot quicker than we can. But God said, if you want me to take vengeance, you don't harbor vengeance in your heart. You don't harbor bitterness and resentment in your heart.
#56 | 42:16 to 43:04 | cleaned
If somebody treats you wrong, you treat them right. Be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good. He said, If thine enemy hunger, feed him. If he thirst, give him drink. For in so doing, thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head. That means he can't stand being treated rightly and righteously. One of my favorite stories is about the woman who came to the pastor and she was complaining about her husband.
#57 | 43:05 to 43:29 | cleaned
Oh, he didn't do this, and he didn't do that, and he did this, and he did that. And went on for 30 minutes talking about her husband.
#58 | 43:29 to 43:36 | cleaned
Finally, the pastor kind of smiled, said, well, have you tried heaping coals of fire upon his head? Of course, he meant treating him good when he treated her bad. She said, no, but I tried hot water and that don't work either. I mean, you know, we missed the point. God says don't render evil for evil, but you render good for evil.
#59 | 43:37 to 43:57 | cleaned
Now, let me tell you what our problem is. Listen carefully. You know what the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 7, verse 1? Listen now. The Bible says, Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. I don't imagine we have too many whoremongers in this room tonight. I don't imagine we have too many murderers. I don't imagine we have too many thieves. We may have one or two, but not many. But let me tell you something, folks. Listen carefully. That which kills God's people is not adultery and whoremongering because we don't do that. It's not murdering because we don't do that. It's not thieving because we don't do that. That which kills us are the sins of the Spirit. What did He say? Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves not only from all filthiness of flesh but of the Spirit.
#60 | 43:57 to 44:50 | cleaned
The bitterness, the anger, the ill will, the unforgiving attitude. We harbor those in our hearts. And we're doing exactly what Ahithophel did. I want you to note fifthly, because Ahithophel was unwilling to forgive David, because he was unwilling to accept God's chastisement of David, he took it upon himself to punish David as he desired. Ahithophel could care less what God wanted. Ahithophel wanted what he wanted. We get into trouble when we try to play God. We get into trouble when we try to assume God's role as vindicator and avenger.
#61 | 44:51 to 45:39 | cleaned
You know what the Bible said in Hebrews 10 in verse 30? Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord, I will repay, and the Lord again shall punish his people. What? Yes. Even Christians get chastened. Even Christians get... If I were to come to your house, and here your children are acting ugly, and you go to discipline them, and I look at you and say, now brother, I wouldn't do that if I were you. Come on now, you don't need... You know what you would do? You would look at me and say, wait a minute, Brother Weaver. These are my children. I'm only raising them the way I believe God would have me to. I will discipline them the way God would have me. You would be very upset if I tried to tell you how to discipline your own children. Do you not think that it affects God when you tell God how you want Him to discipline His children? Well, of course.
#62 | 45:39 to 46:47 | cleaned
God knows exactly what it takes to break our rebellious wills and our hard hearts and our stiff necks. And that's exactly what God is going to do. And God's not going to take our advice and go beyond that. And God's not going to take our advice and go less than that. We cannot assume His throne rights. Vengeance is His. And He punishes His children as He sees fit.
#63 | 46:48 to 47:21 | cleaned
Now, I want you to listen to this. Ahithophel's revenge and bitterness and resentment led to his own destruction. To the destruction of his family. Are you listening? And to the destruction of the nation. You see, I preached on Sunday morning on the purpose of Scripture. Then what is coming to Christ? And then the primacy of preaching. And then why God does not hear most of our prayers.
#64 | 47:21 to 47:57 | cleaned
And then last one on keeping the heart. How can this message tonight fit in with a missions conference? Are you listening? The Bible says in Romans 14 verse 7, No man liveth to himself and no man dieth to himself. That means whatever you do affects others. It not only affects your family, it affects your church, it affects your nation, it affects missions. Listen, the Bible says in 1st Timothy chapter 5, that he that does not take care of his own house is worse than an infidel, he's denied the faith. If you're not going to do what is right towards your own people, how can you do right to those who are outside and away from you? If you will not give your brothers and sisters in this congregation and your pastor in this congregation the respect and the Christian attitude that each one deserves, how in the world are you going to deal with those who are outside of this congregation?
#65 | 47:58 to 49:11 | cleaned
Let me show you what I mean. I want you to turn in your Bibles to 2 Samuel chapter 18. I said that Ahithophel's sin not only destroyed himself, but also his family. He went out and hanged himself. Let me ask you a question as you turn to 2 Samuel chapter 18. How do you think Mrs. Ahithophel felt after her husband hanged himself? How do you think Bathsheba felt? How do you think any other children might have felt?
#66 | 49:13 to 49:39 | cleaned
Well, I know one thing for sure. It not only affected him, it not only affected his family, because no man liveth to himself and no man dieth to himself, but I want to show you how many were killed because of him. In 2 Samuel chapter 18, if you'll begin reading there verse 7, the battle now has taken place. Absalom and all of his troops have been defeated.
#67 | 49:41 to 49:59 | cleaned
Look in verse 7, Wherefore the people of Israel were slain before the servants of David, and there was a great slaughter that day of 20,000 men. Now watch this. Not only have been 20,000 men slain, but verse 8 says, For the battle was there scattered over the face of all the earth, and the wood devoured more people that day than the sword devoured. Now, I don't know if the 20,000 includes verse 8.
#68 | 49:59 to 50:27 | cleaned
It may or may not. If it doesn't, it means over 40,000 were killed. Why? Because one man had a wicked unforgiving, hateful, hard heart, who was full of ill will and bitterness and resentment. Probably over 40,000 men died because Ahithophel hated David so much. You say, Brother Weaver, what in the world does this mean? Here's what it means. We live in a dying society, in a dying world.
#69 | 50:27 to 51:19 | cleaned
Not everybody in this room can go to the mission field. Not everybody in this room can spend thousands of bucks supporting ministries overseas. But I'll tell you something that everybody in this room can do, by God's grace. Do you remember that passage in Genesis chapters 18 and 19, when our Lord came with his angels to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah? Do you remember how Abraham pleaded with the Lord? He said, Lord, if I find 50 righteous, would you spare it? Yes, said God. Oh, said Abraham, now I've taken upon myself to talk to the Lord. Would you spare it for 40's sake? Yes, said God, I would. Lord, how about 20? Yes, said the Lord, I'll spare it if you can find me twenty righteous. Finally, Abraham got him down to ten. And the Lord said, I'll spare Sodom and Gomorrah for ten. Have you ever wondered why Abraham stopped at ten? Have you?
#70 | 51:21 to 52:30 | cleaned
Because there was Lot and his wife, and his daughters, that's plural, and his sons-in-law, that's plural. If he only had two daughters, that would be four. Two sons-in-law would be six, plus the children. So he knew that Lot probably had a minimum of ten or over ten in his family. And he stopped at ten. And there were not ten righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah. There's more than 10 people in this room.
#71 | 52:33 to 53:11 | cleaned
It is so vitally important that you learn to keep your heart. It is so vitally important that you learn not to be bitter and resentful and hateful and haughty and high-minded and proud and arrogant. It is so important. If you want God to have mercy upon this ministry, and mercy upon this state, and mercy upon this country, and mercy upon the missionaries everywhere else, the least you can do by God's grace is live biblically and righteously. I want to show you one verse. Look in your Bibles to Proverbs 28 and verse 4. Proverbs 28 verse 4.
#72 | 53:12 to 53:54 | cleaned
You say, I can't do much. I can tell you what you can do. And I'm going to show it to you from the Scripture. Look in Proverbs 28 and verse 4. The Bible says, They that forsake the law, that's God's law, they that forsake the law praise the wicked. When you violate God's Word, when you go contrary to Scripture, you are praising the wicked. But look what else he says. They that forsake the law praise the wicked, but such as keep the law contend with them. And the word contend means to fight against. God says when you keep His Word, when you bring your life in obedience to His Word, you're fighting against the wicked. If you want to fight against wickedness, you learn to obey God. If you want to honor God, you bring your life in conformity to His Word. Here's the question. Are you an Ahithophel? Are you the one that would destroy the work of God and the people of God just so you could have your own revenge and keep your own bitterness and resentment?
#73 | 53:54 to 55:09 | cleaned
Don't be an Ahithophel. Serve God, obey Him, and be as holy and godly as you can by the grace of God. Bring your life into conformity to His Word. Let's pray. Father, help us, speak to our hearts, build us up in the most holy faith, make us holy, godly, and righteous. And may we never be an Ahithophel. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.
#74 | 55:12 to 55:47 | cleaned

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T23:11:44Z

Ahithophel and the Destruction of the Nation

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

Pastor John Weaver examines the character of Ahithophel, the counselor who betrayed King David and joined Absalom's rebellion. He highlights Ahithophel's wisdom, his bitter unforgiveness toward David for the sin against Bathsheba (his granddaughter), and how his resentment led to his own suicide and the deaths of thousands. The sermon applies this to the Christian life, warning against bitterness and emphasizing that personal holiness and forgiveness are essential for God's blessing on families, churches, and nations.

Opening

Introduction to Ahithophel

Ahithophel is introduced as the 'Judas of the Old Testament,' a complex figure of wisdom and foolishness who betrayed David and later hanged himself.

The Setting: Absalom's Rebellion

The narrative context is Absalom's conspiracy against David, including Absalom's political maneuvering and David's flight from Jerusalem.

David's Response: Prayer and Strategy

Upon learning of Ahithophel's involvement, David prays for God to turn Ahithophel's counsel into foolishness and sends Hushai back as a spy.

Ahithophel's Counsel and Its Purpose

Ahithophel advises Absalom to sleep with David's concubines to sever ties and strengthen the conspirators, fulfilling God's judgment on David.

The Competing Counsels of Ahithophel and Hushai

Ahithophel advises an immediate strike against David; Hushai counters with a plan to gather all Israel, buying David time. Absalom chooses Hushai's counsel.

We'll completely cover him. And if they get in some city, don't worry about that. We'll take the ropes. We'll pull down every stone. There'll be nothing left. We will kill every one of them.

Ahithophel's Suicide and Its Motivation

When his counsel is rejected, Ahithophel hangs himself, knowing the cause is lost and he would be executed as a traitor, but his deeper motive is hatred for David.

The Root of Ahithophel's Hatred: Bathsheba

Ahithophel's bitterness stems from David's adultery with Bathsheba, Ahithophel's granddaughter, and the murder of her husband Uriah.

Ahithophel's Errors: Unforgiveness and Vengeance

Ahithophel refused to accept God's pardon of David, was not content with God's judgments, and took vengeance into his own hands, leading to his destruction.

The Destructive Consequences of Bitterness

Ahithophel's unforgiveness led to his suicide, family devastation, and the deaths of over 20,000 men in battle, illustrating that no one lives to himself.

Application: Personal Holiness and National Blessing

Believers must guard against bitterness and live righteously, as personal obedience contends against wickedness and invites God's mercy on the nation.

Ahithophel and the Destruction of the Nation

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	Ktl98Ui95nY
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Proverbs: Kingship, Household Wisdom, and Warning
Genre	Sermon
Date	2012-01-27
Dictation Name
Book	Book 084: Proverbs: Kingship, Household Wisdom, and Warning — Chapter 4
Source Timed Segments	74

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction to Ahithophel: Ahithophel is introduced as the 'Judas of the Old Testament,' a complex figure of wisdom and foolishness who betrayed David and later hanged himself.
The Setting: Absalom's Rebellion: The narrative context is Absalom's conspiracy against David, including Absalom's political maneuvering and David's flight from Jerusalem.
David's Response: Prayer and Strategy: Upon learning of Ahithophel's involvement, David prays for God to turn Ahithophel's counsel into foolishness and sends Hushai back as a spy.
Ahithophel's Counsel and Its Purpose: Ahithophel advises Absalom to sleep with David's concubines to sever ties and strengthen the conspirators, fulfilling God's judgment on David.
The Competing Counsels of Ahithophel and Hushai: Ahithophel advises an immediate strike against David; Hushai counters with a plan to gather all Israel, buying David time. Absalom chooses Hushai's counsel.
Ahithophel's Suicide and Its Motivation: When his counsel is rejected, Ahithophel hangs himself, knowing the cause is lost and he would be executed as a traitor, but his deeper motive is hatred for David.
The Root of Ahithophel's Hatred: Bathsheba: Ahithophel's bitterness stems from David's adultery with Bathsheba, Ahithophel's granddaughter, and the murder of her husband Uriah.
Ahithophel's Errors: Unforgiveness and Vengeance: Ahithophel refused to accept God's pardon of David, was not content with God's judgments, and took vengeance into his own hands, leading to his destruction.
The Destructive Consequences of Bitterness: Ahithophel's unforgiveness led to his suicide, family devastation, and the deaths of over 20,000 men in battle, illustrating that no one lives to himself.
Application: Personal Holiness and National Blessing: Believers must guard against bitterness and live righteously, as personal obedience contends against wickedness and invites God's mercy on the nation.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Ahithophel's wisdom was nullified by his unforgiveness.

Though Ahithophel's counsel was as the oracle of God, his personal bitterness made him a fool, leading to his suicide.

Ahithophel's counsel was highly esteemed, yet he hanged himself when it was rejected, showing irrationality born of hatred.

Ahithophel's hatred was rooted in David's sin against his family.

Ahithophel's granddaughter Bathsheba was violated by David, and her husband murdered, fueling a personal vendetta.

2 Samuel 11:3 identifies Bathsheba as the daughter of Eliam, Ahithophel's son, making her his granddaughter.

Ahithophel rejected God's pardon of David.

While David was forgiven by God, Ahithophel could not accept this and sought David's death, revealing a heart that wanted mercy for himself but not for others.

Nathan declared the Lord had put away David's sin, but Ahithophel still sought to kill him.

Ahithophel was not satisfied with God's judgments on David.

Despite the death of David's child, the rape of Tamar, and Absalom's rebellion, Ahithophel wanted more punishment, showing an unappeasable vengefulness.

The sword never departed from David's house, yet Ahithophel remained unsatisfied and wanted to kill David personally.

Personal bitterness can destroy families and nations.

Ahithophel's sin led to his suicide, family shame, and the deaths of thousands in civil war, demonstrating the far-reaching consequences of an unforgiving heart.

2 Samuel 18:7-8 records 20,000 slain and more devoured by the forest, all stemming from the rebellion Ahithophel fueled.

Believers must leave vengeance to God and overcome evil with good.

Romans 12 commands not to repay evil for evil but to trust God's justice; personal vengeance usurps God's role and hinders His work.

Romans 12:17-21 instructs believers to feed enemies and leave vengeance to God.

Scripture References

2 Samuel 15:31: David prays for God to turn Ahithophel's counsel into foolishness upon learning he joined Absalom.
2 Samuel 16:15-23: Ahithophel advises Absalom to sleep with David's concubines; his counsel is likened to the oracle of God.
2 Samuel 17:1-4: Ahithophel proposes to lead 12,000 men to kill David immediately.
2 Samuel 17:5-14: Hushai counters Ahithophel's counsel, and Absalom and the elders prefer Hushai's plan; God defeats Ahithophel's good counsel.
2 Samuel 17:23: Ahithophel hangs himself after his counsel is rejected.
2 Samuel 15:1-6: Absalom steals the hearts of Israel by promising justice at the gate.
2 Samuel 15:7-12: Absalom's conspiracy grows; he sends for Ahithophel, and David flees Jerusalem.
2 Samuel 12:9-12: God pronounces judgment on David: the sword will never depart from his house, and his wives will be taken publicly.
2 Samuel 23:34: Eliam, son of Ahithophel, is listed among David's mighty men.
2 Samuel 11:1-3: David's adultery with Bathsheba, identified as the daughter of Eliam, Ahithophel's son.
2 Samuel 12:13-14: Nathan tells David the Lord has put away his sin; he will not die, but the child will die.
Romans 12:17-21: Believers are commanded not to avenge themselves but to leave vengeance to God and overcome evil with good.
2 Corinthians 7:1: Cleanse yourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, including bitterness and unforgiveness.
Hebrews 10:30: Vengeance belongs to God; He will judge His people.
Romans 14:7: No man lives or dies to himself; our actions affect others.
1 Timothy 5:8: He who does not care for his own house is worse than an infidel; personal conduct affects ministry.
2 Samuel 18:7-8: The battle results in 20,000 slain, and the forest devours more; the consequence of Ahithophel's bitterness.
Genesis 18-19: Abraham intercedes for Sodom; God would spare the city for ten righteous, illustrating the power of a righteous remnant.
Proverbs 28:4: Those who keep God's law contend with the wicked; personal obedience is a form of spiritual warfare.

Historical References

Ahithophel as the 'Judas of the Old Testament': Ahithophel is compared to Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed his master and hanged himself.
David's flight from Absalom: David fled Jerusalem rather than fight his son, reflecting his love for Absalom and possibly unpreparedness.
Absalom's death and David's lament: Joab killed Absalom against David's orders; David mourned deeply, saying 'O my son Absalom.'
David's adultery with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah: The root of Ahithophel's hatred: David's sin with Bathsheba, Ahithophel's granddaughter, and the arranged death of Uriah.
The rape of Tamar and murder of Amnon: Part of God's judgment on David's house: Amnon raped Tamar, and Absalom killed Amnon, yet Ahithophel remained unsatisfied.

Important Quotes

Ahithophel is known as the Judas of the Old Testament.

Establishes the parallel between Ahithophel and Judas, both betrayers who hanged themselves.

The counsel of Ahithophel, which he counseled in those days, was as if a man had inquired at the oracle of God.

Highlights the exceptional wisdom and authority of Ahithophel's advice, making his later folly more striking.

He hated David so much that he had rather die at his own hands than to let David kill him.

Reveals the depth of Ahithophel's bitterness and his desire for control even in death.

Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

Key biblical principle that Ahithophel violated by taking revenge into his own hands.

No man liveth to himself and no man dieth to himself.

Emphasizes the corporate impact of individual sin, as Ahithophel's bitterness led to national disaster.

They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them.

Shows that personal obedience is a form of spiritual warfare against wickedness.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

In what ways can unforgiveness and bitterness manifest in a believer's life, and how can we guard against them?

[Context]

The sermon warns that sins of the spirit like bitterness are more common and destructive than outward sins.

[Question]

How does Ahithophel's refusal to accept God's pardon of David mirror our own struggles to forgive others?

[Context]

Ahithophel wanted mercy for himself but not for David; we often want forgiveness for ourselves but not for those who wrong us.

[Question]

What does it mean to 'leave vengeance to God,' and how can we practically do this when we have been deeply hurt?

[Context]

Romans 12:19 commands us not to avenge ourselves; the sermon explains that taking vengeance usurps God's role.

[Question]

How can personal holiness and obedience to God's Word impact the spiritual health of a church or nation?

[Context]

Proverbs 28:4 says keeping the law contends with the wicked; the sermon connects personal righteousness to corporate blessing.

[Question]

Why is it dangerous to be dissatisfied with God's discipline of others, and how can we cultivate contentment with His justice?

[Context]

Ahithophel was not satisfied with God's judgments on David and wanted more; we often think God hasn't punished our enemies enough.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T14:19:21Z