All right, you can turn in your Bibles to 2 Samuel 16. 2 Samuel chapter 16.
Introduction and Context
Remember last week in chapter 15, Absalom takes the throne away from David in fulfillment of God's word through Nathan the prophet in 2 Samuel 12. Specifically in verse 11, Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house. So it's according to God's sovereign plan. Nevertheless, Absalom is responsible for this insurrection, or rebellion, or usurpation.
Remember that it starts off in chapter 15. He essentially works the crowd. He steals the hearts of Israel, and then he moves, or he gets David's sanction to go to Hebron. and then he launches or had launched this grand conspiracy to take the throne away from David. David gets wind of that and he departs from Jerusalem.
And in chapter 15, we see or we read of three friends or three persons that are kind to David. Those were Ittai, Zadok the priest, and Hushai. Remember, David called upon Hushai to go and to serve Absalom so that Hushai could give him bad counsel and try and disrupt him from his plan to take the crown. Well, in chapter 16, we find three enemies of David, and they are Ziba, Shimei, and Ahithophel.
And it's obvious that when David is on the run, even in the midst of these things, God sustains and supports him.
Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 16
So I want to read 2 Samuel 16, and then we'll look at this passage. When David was a little past the top of the mountain, there was Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, who met him with a couple of saddled donkeys, and on them 200 loaves of bread, 100 clusters of raisins, 100 summer fruits, and a skin of wine. And the king said to Ziba, What do you mean to do with these? So Ziba said, The donkeys are for the king's household to ride on, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for those who are faint in the wilderness to drink.
Then the king said, And where is your master's son? And Ziba said to the king, Indeed, he is staying in Jerusalem. For he said, Today the house of Israel will restore the kingdom of my father to me. So the king said to Ziba, here, all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours.
And Ziba said, I humbly bow before you, that I may find favor in your sight, my lord, O king. Now when King David came to Baharim, there was a man from the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gerah, coming from there. He came out cursing continuously as he came, and he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David. And all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left.
Also Shimei said thus when he cursed, Come out, come out, you bloodthirsty man, you rogue! The Lord has brought upon you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. And the Lord has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son. So now you are caught in your own evil, because you are a bloodthirsty man.
Then Abishai, the son of Zariah, said to the king, Why should this dead dog curse my lord, the king? Please, let me go over and take off his head. But the king said, What have I to do with you, you sons of Zariah? So let him curse, because the lord has said to him, Curse David.
Who then shall say, Why have you done so? And David said to Abishai and all his servants, see how my son who came from my own body seeks my life. How much more now may this Benjamite? Let him alone and let him curse, for so the Lord has ordered him.
It may be that the Lord will look upon my affliction and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing this day. And as David and his men went along the road, Shimei went along the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went, threw stones at him and kicked up dust. Now the king and all the people who were with him became weary, so they refreshed themselves there. Meanwhile, Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel was with him.
And so it was when Hushai the archite, David's friend, came to Absalom that Hushai said to Absalom, Long live the king. Long live the king. So Absalom said to Hushai, Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?
And Hushai said to Absalom, No, but whom the Lord and his people and all the men of Israel choose, his I will be, and with him I will remain. Furthermore, whom should I serve? Should I not serve in the presence of his son? As I have served in your father's presence, so will I be in your presence.
Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, Give advice as to what we should do. And Ahithophel said to Absalom, Go into your father's concubines, whom he has left to keep the house, and all Israel will hear that you are abhorred by your father. Then the hands of all who are with you will be strong. So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the top of the house, and Absalom went into his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.
Now, the advice of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if one had inquired at the oracle of God. So was all the advice of Ahithophel, both with David and with Absalom. Amen.
Introduction
Well, in Psalm 3, which we had cause to note last week, when David was on the run from Absalom, David penned Psalm 3. And he says this. He acknowledges the presence of many enemies. He says, Lord, how they have increased to trouble me. many are they who rise up against me, many are they who say of me, there is no help for him in God.
And so this obviously evidences that in David's movement out of Jerusalem into the wilderness, he meets along the way, these various persons that seek to trouble him further. And we'll notice that as we move along. But it is important for us to remember who we're dealing with. David is the rightful king of Israel.
David was appointed by God, chosen by God, put into office by God and sustained by the Lord. Now certainly David sinned, David committed adultery, committed murder, but nevertheless he was the rightful king. So everything that Absalom does, everything that Zeba, that Shimei does, that Ahithophel does, they're sinning not only against the king, but they're sinning against God, because God, Yahweh, had appointed this king to rule over Israel. As Davis says, David is both under Yahweh's election and under Yahweh's judgment, and yet remains Yahweh's appointed servant.
So never forget that. These things that are happening to David are happening contrary, ultimately, to the revealed will of God. It is an affront to God and a sin against Him.
Chapter Structure and Overview
Now, this chapter breaks down into two broad sections. First, in verses 1 to 14, we have David's departure from Jerusalem. And then the second half or the second portion of the chapter is 15 to 23. It's the arrival of Absalom in Jerusalem.
So we'll take it up in that order. In the first place, the departure of David from Jerusalem, we meet two enemies along the way.
Ziba's Manipulation of David
In the first place, we see the manipulation of Ziba in verses 1 to 4. And then secondly, the cursing by Shimei in verses 5 to 14. Now notice in chapter 16 verse 1, when David was a little past the top of the mountain, there was Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth. Now remember Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel chapter 9.
David wanted to extend kindness. He wanted to show loving kindness, steadfast kindness to the house of Saul. David was not a malicious man. He was not contrary to the house of Saul.
He spared Saul's life many times when Saul was seeking to destroy David. After Saul and his sons died, David laments over them. And so in chapter 9, David wants to return some kindness to the house of Saul, so he inquires of this man Ziba, and finds out that Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, is still alive. Now, Mephibosheth was lame, he was crippled, he was not able to walk, he was no ultimate threat in terms of the throne and whatnot.
So Ziba tells David about Mephibosheth, and David then extends kindness to Mephibosheth, and invites Mephibosheth to eat at his table. So Mephibosheth was given royal treatment by the king and looked upon by David as one of his own sons. So that's this particular Zeba, the servant of Mephibosheth. So he meets David with all of these supplies, these two donkeys with the bread. and the fruit and the wine and all these particulars.
And David says, what do you mean to do with these? So Ziba says, I brought them for you, I brought them for your family, I brought them for your men to get refreshment, to get strength, to get encouragement in your wandering through the wilderness. Now note that David then asks concerning Mephibosheth in verse 3, And where is your master's son? And Ziba said to the king, Indeed, he is staying in Jerusalem.
For he said, Today the house of Israel will restore the kingdom of my father to me. And then David makes this hasty decision. This is not accurate to do at this particular time. David makes a hasty decision and basically gives everything that belongs to Mephibosheth to Ziba.
He doesn't check the other side of the story. It's a fundamental principle in life that God commands in the book of Proverbs. The first to plead his cause seems right until his neighbor comes and examines him. If you act upon a matter before you hear both sides, you are sinning against God.
You're not supposed to do that. It happens pretty regularly in the church. Somebody will say something to someone, and that someone will get all upset about that other person, without ever going to the other person to verify and confirm the facts. You cannot operate that way, it is wrong.
Every fact is established on the basis of two or three witnesses is another principle. Proverbs 18 also says, whoever answers a matter before he hears it, it is shame and folly to him. And David hears this particular report concerning Mephibosheth and he doesn't check out the story. Now I believe that Ziba is capitalizing on David's problem.
David is in no position to check on Mephibosheth's story. Ziba is actually a manipulator in this particular instance who is seeking to get what is Mephibosheth. And I think that we see this clearly, or at least implicitly, it's made clearer later on in the book of 2 Samuel. But the king makes a hasty decision to give everything to Ziba.
Notice the servant humbly bows before David that he may find favor in his sight, my lord, O king. He says this in verse 4. incident. Just a couple of things we ought to consider. In the first place, the statement in verse 3 concerning Mephibosheth is contradicted by Mephibosheth himself in 2 Samuel 19.
When David meets Mephibosheth, Mephibosheth says, Ziba lied, Ziba deceived, Ziba was wrong. And I think that at least again, implicitly here in 16, this is evidenced. Notice that if Ziba is as pro-David as he claims to be, why doesn't he pony up and follow David into the wilderness? Ziba and his men remain in Jerusalem as well.
They remain on the farm. If he is a pro-David supporter, if he is indeed the sort of guy that calls David Lord and King, then put your money where your mouth is and follow along with them. As well, David, as I mentioned, does not verify the report by David. with Mephibosheth. And then the likely explanation is most likely that Ziba is manipulating David.
He wants what he's got. And this is a wretched assault upon a man that's in dire straits. Matthew Henry says, having by wiles gained his point, Ziba secretly laughed at the king's credulity. Ziba's not looking ultimately to help David.
If he does indeed help David with these donkeys full of supplies, it will only work to his benefit later. Ziba's in this for Ziba. Ziba's not in this for the good of David. If he was, he'd follow David, he'd throw in his support for David, and he would report accurately what's going on with Mephibosheth.
Again, in 1924-30, Mephibosheth says that he lied, he deceived, he did not represent things properly. As well, Mephibosheth could not possibly believe that the throne would be restored to the house of Saul at this particular time. It's just not in the cards for Mephibosheth to even think such a thing. Davis comments on Ziba.
He is a manipulator. He capitalizes on David's trouble in order to line his own pockets. What moved Ziba was not loyalty to Yahweh, Yahweh's king, but greed for his own gain. So it's just a brief section.
It's only four verses. David does benefit in terms of the donkeys and the supplies. But ultimately, David acts contrary to the principles of justice and judgment that were to characterize his reign. He's not supposed to operate the way that pagan kings operate.
He's not supposed to be arbitrary. He's not supposed to be capricious. He's not supposed to take Mephibosheth's property and give it over to Ziba without verifying whatsoever what Mephibosheth actually said. And so this is a hindrance upon the way that ultimately does not reflect well upon David.
Shimei's Cursing of David
Now note the cursing by Shimei in verses 5 to 14. First, his cursing. They're located by Baharim and a man from the family of the house of Saul. Remember the house of Saul is still not altogether happy with David.
Why is that? Because the house of Saul was the ruling party in the nation of Israel. Saul was the king until Saul died. David assumed power of the southern kingdom and then ultimately of the northern as well.
So there was still obviously with Shimei, you see this, there was still some bitterness and some anger and a failure to properly appreciate Yahweh's choice of David's fore-rule over Israel. That's sort of the backdrop. So Shemite comes out, cursing continuously as he came. Notice in verse 6, he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David, and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left.
Gil says, concerning the presence of David's men, I think this is a good observation, which is absurd, not so much to indicate the safety of David's person as the impudence and madness of Shimei to cast stones at David when so guarded. And this man's driven by rage. This man is driven by an anger and a bitterness. He's throwing stones at the king who has been rejected and usurped by his son.
He is cursing continuously, and that one, David, is surrounded by his mighty men. Shimei's not a happy camper in this particular section. Notice as well the reason for his actions, verses 7 and 8. He identifies David as a bloodthirsty man and calls him a rogue, literally a son of Belial, a worthless one.
I mean, this was quite an insult to use in Old Covenant Israel. He calls him bloodthirsty as well. And then note in verse 8, he says, the Lord has brought upon you all the blood of the house of Saul in whose place you have reigned. And the Lord has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son, so now you are caught in your own evil because you are a bloodthirsty man.
He's not playing games, is he? I mean, when it rains, it pours, brethren. We ought to at least step back for a moment, and from the vantage point of 2 Samuel 16 and Psalm 3, realize that when we enter that portal of trial, and it's a big one, like having been thrown off our throne and sent out of our country, that doesn't mean there aren't going to be attendant problems or trials as well. It's not like David can just say, well, I've already lost the throne, God, why are you sending all these, you know, these deadbeats into my life that are manipulating me and calling me bad names and whatnot.
Very often, brethren, when trial comes, it comes with great vehemence. Study the book of Job. We have the Sabaeans and then the wind, or the Sabaeans, the fire, the Chaldeans, and then the wind wipes out everything that Job possessed. Wave after wave after wave of trial.
And this may not be an encouraging thing on a Wednesday night for us to consider, but we need to steady ourselves, gird ourselves up, and realize that, my brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various, notice what James says, trials. plural. It's not typically the case that one thing is going to happen to us. And I'm not trying to be, you know, a harbinger of bad and evil for you or whatnot, but you need to appreciate the reality that sometimes when it rains, it does pour. And that is precisely what is happening here with David.
Shimmy is not a happy camper.
Shimei's Accusation Examined
Notice as well the folly of thinking that God's judgment was on David for the blood of the house of Saul. You see where Shimmy is wrong. Shimmy is absolutely, positively, patently wrong. In our studies of 1 and 2 Samuel, we have had many occasions to notice that the author has taken great pains to distance David from any bloodshed concerning the house of Saul.
David had opportunity to kill Saul when Saul was hunting David, and David didn't do it. Remember, David said, I'm not supposed to touch the Lord's anointed. He feared God, so he preserved Saul. When it comes to Saul's death, in battle it was against the Philistines.
It had no part with David whatsoever. Again, 2 Samuel 1, David laments the death of Saul and his sons. Brethren, I'm not sure if I was David, I would be that good or kind. I mean, Saul hunted David like he was a dog, and nevertheless, David lamented over his death.
And then as well, when Ish-bosheth ascends in the northern kingdom, David isn't responsible for the death of either Abner or Ish-bosheth. David was not guilty whatsoever of the blood of the house of Saul. This man is patently and obviously wrong. Henry says, see how forward malicious men are to press God's judgments into the service of their own passion and revenge.
That's what Shimei is doing. He is not concerned ultimately with justice and righteousness and God. He is concerned with blaspheming God by throwing stones and continuously cursing King David of Israel. And then, demonstrably, his argument here is just wrong.
All that was happening to David was a direct result of God's judgment upon David. Wouldn't God give or wouldn't God restore the kingdom to the house of Saul? It wouldn't be another Davidic king. It wouldn't be Absalom.
I mean, the man is just out to lunch with reference to his wickedness in this instance.
Abishai's Request to Strike Shimei
Note the request by Abishai. Abishai's had enough of this, okay? Abishai is one of David's swordsmen. And Abishai says what Abishai's say.
Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Please, let me go over and take off his head. Now, this wasn't going to be a surgical procedure. This wasn't going to be a kind procedure.
It was going to be a swift and bloody procedure. In the language of Dale Ralph Davis, Abishai proposes this because he has observed that people without heads do not curse." Abishai had had a belly full of Shimei's blood cursing and throwing stones at Abishai's king. Now notice the response by David. We'll slow down a little bit in this section because it's absolutely powerful.
David's Refuge in God's Sovereignty
Notice first of all, verse 10, the rejection of Abishai's plan. The king said, what have I to do with you, you sons of Zariah? So let him curse. Note the plural, sons of Zariah.
It's probably Abishai and Joab. Together they want to go remove shimmy of that volatile thing that's on the top of his neck that keeps spewing out hatred and enmity at their king. So he addresses the two, what do I have to do with you sons of Zariah? So let him curse, because Yahweh has said to him, curse David.
Who then shall say, why have you done so? So he rejects Abishai's plan and he seeks his refuge in the sovereignty of God. This is fundamental to understanding King David. David has his problems, I will grant that.
David has his problems in 2 Samuel 11 when he goes into Bathsheba and when he murders Uriah. David has his problems when he kowtows to a Ziba and gives away Mephibosheth's farm to Ziba. David has his issues along the way, but this is the sort of stuff that highlights the fact that David is a man after God's own heart. Given recourse to Abishai's sword or to Yahweh's sovereignty, he chooses Yahweh's sovereignty.
He puts himself in the lap of divine sovereignty. He sees God in this. Now when the text says, so let him curse, because Yahweh has said to him, curse David. We need to understand, along with John Gill, this is not by way of command or a precept of his.
Yahweh didn't tell Shimei, I want you to go curse David. This is my commandment for you. Gill goes on to say, for to curse the ruler of the people is contrary to the word and law of God. Exodus 22, 28. nor by any operation of His Spirit moving and exciting Him to it.
For the operations of the Spirit are to holiness and not to sin, but by the secret providence of God ordering, directing, and overruling all circumstances relative to this affair. We saw this in the instance of Absalom. What Absalom does is wicked. It is usurpation.
It is an affront to the throne and to the God who authorized that throne in Israel. Absalom is guilty of vile criminal activity. But it happens according to the plan and purpose of God. This is something that we as God's people have to appreciate.
Joseph's brothers sin vilely against Joseph. Joseph is able to announce, you meant this for evil, but God overruled it for good. Lawless hands crucified the Lord of glory, according to Peter in Acts 2.23. but it happened according to the predetermined plan of God. God authorizes, God sovereignly governs all His creatures and all their actions.
It does not remove the responsibility from Shimei, but it highlights the reality that God is the first cause, and then these means who operate, the Lord overrules, the Lord even uses the crooked acts of men to bring about His plan through their lives. That's what David acknowledges. David sees in all of this, one, he's not guilty of the bloodshed concerning the house of Saul, but two, David is guilty and David knows it. He shed the blood of Uriah.
He shed the blood of a man whose wife he had committed adultery with. This is why David assumes this posture. Yes, on the one hand, I have not violated the house of Saul, But you know what? What this man is saying, deep down inside, he's absolutely right.
And so David casts himself upon the sovereignty of God, rather than the sword of Abishai. Matthew Henry, I love this. He says, nothing more proper to quiet a gracious soul under affliction than an eye to the hand of God in it. That's what verse 10 is all about.
Because the Lord has said to him, curse David. Who then shall say, why have you done so?
David's Argument from the Greater to the Lesser
Now note David's second argument. He argues from the greater to the lesser. Essentially, he says to Abishai and to Joab, put your swords away. On the one hand, what Shimei is doing is of the Lord.
I do deserve this at a very fundamental level, because I have spilled innocent blood. But in the second place, he argues from the greater to the less. Verse 11, And David said to Abishai and all his servants, See how my son who came from my own body seeks my life? Listen to what he says.
This is the greater atrocity involving David at this particular time. His own son, the son of his love, the one who came from my body, he seeks my life. How much more now may this Benjamite I mean, this Benjamite, who's part of the house of Saul, who has seen the death and the fall of the Saulite empire, is probably going to be upset and bitter. David understands this.
Again, at a base level, David realizes that what Shimei is doing is what Shimeis do. I mean, it's legit as far as David is concerned. Let him alone and let him curse, for so the Lord has ordered him. It's not God whispering in his ear, I want you to do such and such an evil act.
But Shimei is responsible for the act itself. David is able to rightly see the hand of God in it, the same way that Job, after the wind, after the Sabians, after the fire, after the Chaldeans, says, the Lord gives and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Brethren, that is a practical faith in the sovereignty of God.
When we are able to see and trace through those things to the hand of God and what he is teaching and what he is orchestrating through that. But then notice thirdly with reference to David's telling those men to keep their swords and their sheaths.
David's Hope in God's Mercy
He hopes in God's mercy. So you see David's logic here. Don't cut his head off because it's of the Lord. Don't cut his head off because he's a Benjamite.
My own son has betrayed me and wants to kill me. I kind of understand why Benjamites want me dead as well. But in the third place, I hope in the mercy of God. Last week I suggested that 2 Samuel 15 verses 25 and 26 were a sort of Romans 8.28 in the Old Testament text.
Well, so is 1612. Note what David says here. It may be that the Lord will look on my affliction and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing this day. Isn't that faith?
What is our tendency if Shimei starts to cast stones at us and he starts to, you know, curse us and he starts to call us bloodthirsty men and women for crimes we didn't commit? See, this is where David typifies his greater son, who when he was reviled, reviled not. David is reviled here and he doesn't return it, but rather he hopes in the mercy and in the kindness of God most high. And note his acknowledgment of God's sovereignty.
He's not a prosperity theologian. He doesn't think, well, I'm the Lord's anointed. I'll get whatever good thing is coming to me. It may be that the Lord will do this, because he understood who the Lord was.
Yes, the Lord is fierce in His wrath, and in His justice, and in His judgment, but David has personally witnessed the goodness, and the kindness, and the graciousness, and the mercy of God toward David. So he says, it may be that the Lord will look on my affliction, and that the Lord will repay me with good for His cursing this day. That's faith. That is faith, to look up from the midst of the trial, to hear the sounds of a wicked man blaspheming God, cursing you, and nevertheless saying, let him keep his head, because it may be that the Lord will turn this affliction around, and it will be used for my blessing.
It will be used for my benefit. There's an interesting reading in the text as well. If you have the New King James, you'll notice some stuff going on in the margin. And as I've explained before, the original writings of Scripture, absolutely pure and perfect and good.
When scribes come to copy, sometimes variant readings entered into the tradition. And in this particular instance, the word for affliction and iniquity look very similar. look very similar, but the text below, or the margin, notice in verse 12, says it may be that the Lord will look on my affliction, and then in the margin it says, or my eyes. The Lord will look on my eyes. And then the second reading, or the tears of my eyes.
It's similar to affliction, right? Those three concepts are similar. Affliction, or eyes, or the tears of my eyes. You see where the eyes and the tears of my eyes sort of form one sort of a reading.
And if it's the tears of my eyes that David is suggesting, then it's his affliction. So that's a good translation. It's a good gloss. But as I said, affliction looks like iniquity in the Hebrew text.
And some have suggested that the original text said this, it may be that the Lord will look on my iniquity, my iniquity. And in this, he's casting himself upon the mercy of God, even in light of the sin that he had committed. He'd already tried and proven it, because after 2 Samuel chapter 11, what does Nathan say to him? The Lord has put away your sin.
And so David is suggesting, if this reading is correct, he's going to look upon my iniquity and he will repay me with good because he's that kind of a God. He is gracious. I deserved to die when Nathan came to reprove me with reference to Bathsheba and Uriah back in 2 Samuel 11. I'm out in this wilderness now as a result of that self-same iniquity.
And my hope and my trust and my confidence is, is that I will continue to experience the grace and the kindness and the mercy of God, and instead of His judgment, He will ultimately turn this around and bring me out of it and restore me to His favor. So, whatever the reading is, the theology is the same. He casts himself upon the lap of divine sovereignty. And brethren, again, I suggest that this is how we ought to view our particular situations.
We ought to trust in the sovereignty of God and not in the sword of Abishai. Now, there might be instances and seasons where we trust in the sword of Abishai. If somebody comes through my front door and they're going to cut my wife's head off, I'm going to trust in the sword of Abishai at that particular time. Vis-a-vis my Mossberg sitting in my gun cabinet.
So, there are instances. We exercise wisdom to be sure, but you see the drift in this particular section. David understands what is happening. David realizes that he's suffering under the chastening hand of God.
Ziba, and Shimei, and Ahithophel, and Absalom, and all this sort of cadre of enemies that David have, ultimately are under the hand of a sovereign God. And the Lord is chastening His servant, and David embraces and accepts that chastening, and David kisses the rod, even as it is applied to him. It may be that the Lord will look on my affliction and that the Lord will repay me with good for His cursing this day. Notice, Abishai and Joab put their swords away, David rests his head upon the bosom of divine sovereignty, and Shimei just keeps doing what he's doing.
He just keeps going. I mean, I see a kid, you know, he's throwing stones and kicking up dust, and he's just all kinds of upset and bitter and unhappy, but he's not attacking the servant of Yahweh. So the king and all the people get some rest and refreshment at that particular time,
Absalom's Arrival in Jerusalem
And that brings us to the arrival of Absalom in Jerusalem. Notice in verses 15 to 23. In the first place, the meeting with Hushai. Again, back in 15, David says to Hushai, I want you to go and I want you to offer your services to Absalom.
Because if he takes you in as a counselor, as a friend, you can give him bad counsel. You can give him confusing stuff. Because David knew that Absalom was wrong. David knew that Absalom had sinned against God, and David knew that the throne belonged to David.
And so he prays to God, God sends him Hushai in answer to the prayer, and then David tells Hushai, go and, you know, make your services available to Absalom. And so now Absalom comes into Jerusalem, and so does Hushai. Now notice in verse 16, specifically verses 16 and 18, how ambiguous Hushai is in his wording. And so it was when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, came to Absalom that Hushai said to Absalom, long live the king, long live the king.
Nody doesn't say, long live the King Absalom. Long live the King Absalom. He still could be showing his allegiance to David. He knows what he's doing, and the text is going to evidence to us that God blesses Ushai by confounding the counsel that Ahithophel gives.
Ahithophel ends up hanging himself as a result of that whole debacle. But here he says, long live the king, long live the king, no mention of Absalom. And then again in verse 18, no, but whom the Lord has, Lord and this people and all the men of Israel choose, his I will be and with him I will remain. Again, it's ambiguous enough such that Hushai could very well have David, king of Israel, in his mind.
But, of course, Absalom, being the egotist that he is, he doesn't read it that way. And in verse 17, he says, is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend? The friend there, of course, is David.
Why are you betraying David and coming over to my particular camp? Now, I think that Gil is absolutely right to note that Absalom is not displeased with this arrangement. Absalom is not unhappy here in verse 17. It's just a question.
He says that Absalom is overjoyed that such a trusty friend of David and a wise counselor of his had deserted him and come over to his party. And he also presses or highlights, Gil does, that Absalom is not upset with Hushai and he's not even suspicious because if he is, it's just a blight on Absalom. I mean, if Absalom says to Hushai, why in the world are you betraying David? Absalom, you just betrayed your own father.
Who do you think you are to say such a thing? So a betrayal by Hushai is not shocking to an Absalom. Absalom has, you know, set the benchmark for betrayal. So he's got no right or reason to question Hushai.
He's just asking him, is this the way you treat your friend? Or, you know, where's your loyalty to your friend? And of course, Hushai reiterates. And then in verse 19, Hushai indicates.
Furthermore, whom shall I serve, should I not serve in the presence of his son? As I have served in your father's presence, so will I be in your presence." So that's the meeting with Hushai. Later on, we see the plurals are used. So Hushai is there along with Ahithophel, who serve as David's counselors, or Absalom's counselors, with reference to how he should proceed.
Ahithophel's Counsel to Absalom
Now note the specific counsel of Ahithophel here. verses 20 to 23. Remember that Ahithophel at one time was one of David's counselors. 1512 and 1531 indicate that Ahithophel betrayed David and Ahithophel hitched his cart to the mule called Absalom. He joined up with him. And so they come back to Jerusalem and Absalom is a shrewd, political, savvy guy and he says, what should we do now that we're in Jerusalem?
It's a good question, isn't it? We've been to Hebron. We've consolidated power. The conspiracy has worked.
David and his family are gone. I'm now here in Jerusalem. What do I do? I mean, I think we get the point of what Absalom is doing here.
Now, note what Ahithophel says to him. Verse 21, go into your father's concubines. Now, a concubine had legal status. was sort of an additional wife along with the other wives, and they were protected by law, and they were looked after, and of course the king had several. It was sort of like what we might think of a harem, several women, that sort of thing.
So Ahithophel says to Absalom, go unto your father's concubines, whom he has left to keep the house, and all Israel will hear that you are abhorred by your father, then the hands of all who are with you will be strong. Now we might kind of raise an eyebrow at that particular bit of counsel for a whole host of reasons. I mean, he's telling him to go have sexual encounters with 10 women. Remember back in 1516, when David departs from Jerusalem, he leaves 10 concubines at his house to make sure, I don't know, the knickknacks don't get dusty.
I don't know why he left them there, but he leaves 10 concubines back at the house. So there are 10 women here. Ahithophel counsels that Absalom go in public and have sexual relations with each one of them. Again, we raise our eyebrows at the thought of such a thing.
And then we see Ahithophel saying that the hands of all who are with you will be strong. How in the world is this going to play out? How in the world will sexual sin be a means of unifying the people? Well, a couple of things we need to consider.
In the first place, cohabiting with the sexual consorts of a ruler is an assertion of having taken over all his prerogatives of dominion. So yes, it was sexual in nature, but it was also a royal lesson. Now that I have gone into the king's wives, I'm the king. So it is a flexing of one's royal power to do such and such a thing.
As well, in terms of the reason given, it says, and all Israel will hear that you are abhorred, literally, that you stink to your father. Then the hands of all who are with you will be strong. Now, you've got to remember that those following Absalom at this particular time understand something very well. They know that if Absalom and David reconcile, then they're going to be charged with treason.
Okay? It might be the case that when David and Absalom meet up together once again, David is going to be wooed with love for his son, and Absalom is going to put away his rebellion and his usurpation, and they're going to make peace and happy. But all those people that have followed Absalom are enemies of the state, because they usurp against the lawful king. it will strengthen the hands of Absalom's people to see there is no longer any chance of reconciliation. When Absalom ascends to that royal roof, and he has sexual relations with those ten consorts, he is making a public declaration, I am the king, there is no other, and there is no possible chance for reconciliation with David ever.
That's why Ahithophel says this will consolidate your power, this will bring support from the people, there will no longer be fear in their hearts that you're going to get back together again with David. It really is, in many respects, brilliant counsel that Ahithophel offers at this particular time. Now note the compliance by Absalom, verse 22. So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the top of the house, and Absalom went into his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.
Now, this is intriguing, and this is just another evidence to how beautiful our author has woven together the narrative. One man points out, the same prince who was full of indignation at his brother's sexual violence perpetrates a sexual crime against his father. I mean, it's just wretched. And then consider the usurper's sexual transgression of David's women takes place on the very palace roof from which his father first looked lustfully at Bathsheba.
You see, you're never supposed to forget what has gone before. You're never supposed to forget sort of the irony that's involved in some of these particular accounts. Absalom is outraged at Amnon, so he dispatches with him. But Absalom could care less about going in the tent of David's concubines. absolutely wicked on his part.
And then the reaction of Israel with reference to Ahithophel, verse 23. Now the advice of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if one had inquired at the oracle of God. So was all the advice of Ahithophel, both with David and with Absalom. I think that sets the stage for what follows later on.
When Ahithophel gives counsel, Hushai basically confounds it, and Ahithophel goes the way of all sinful flesh.
Application and Conclusion
Now, we ought to remember, as we conclude our study tonight, in the first place that what happens here even in verse 22 as unsavory as it is and as wicked as it is on the part of Absalom and on the part of Ahithophel who counseled him to do this, it was nevertheless in accordance with God's promise through the prophet Nathan that this would indeed be retribution for David's sin. Remember, 2 Samuel 10 to 12 basically controls the rest of the narrative. There will be a sword, the sword will never depart from your house, it will raise up adversity from within your own house, and your wives will be publicly violated in the sight of all Israel. Well, it's come to pass in this instance, and again, God sovereignly is orchestrating all events, but the responsibility lies squarely with Ahithophel and with Absalom.
In the second place, I think we ought to appreciate, when we read the psalms, the suffering behind the psalms. The suffering behind the psalms. I would hope everyone here reads psalms. I would hope everyone here sings psalms.
And I would hope everyone here loves the psalms. I mean, there's not a better collection of sacred poetry or songs that the church could sing and rehearse and delight in. But many of the psalms are psalms of lament. That means psalms of sorrow and heartache and hardship.
Well, when we understand the context of 1 and 2 Samuel, Psalm 3 makes absolute sense, doesn't it? We're not left wondering, you know, what is David talking about? He's not talking about in sort of vague, generic concepts that sort of happen out there. When he says, Lord, how they have increased who troubled me.
Many are they who rise up against me. Many are they who say of me, there is no help for him in God. But you, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head. I cried to the Lord with my voice, and he heard me from his holy hill." He does that, right?
He cries out for aid from the living God. God, I want Ahithophel to be confounded. And as soon as he comes up from prayer, as soon as he finishes Psalm 3, here comes Hushai the Archite. Brethren, that's the Psalms, it is fleshing out the life of David.
He says, I lay down and slept, I awoke, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. Arise, O Lord, save me, O my God, for you have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone, you have broken the teeth of the ungodly. Salvation belongs to the Lord, your blessing is upon your people.
So I suggest that as you read the Psalms, and they have a little superscription there that gives you the historical occasion, reflect back on that. Reflect back on these Wednesday night studies as we've gone through the life of David. When you read Psalm 3, consider what we are seeing here in 2 Samuel 15 and 16, the kinds of misery and trial and difficulty David underwent, and why he says what he says in these particular Psalms. And if David could find confidence, or solace rather, in the living and true God, in His sovereignty in the midst of such things, then that encourages us as Psalm readers to seek our help in that same God and to trust that He will afford it unto us as well.
We need to understand the Psalms in conjunction with their historical background. In the second place, we need to understand the sovereignty of God. David did not deny it. David understood it all too well.
In fact, someone called David a hyper-Calvinist or a fatalist when he launches into verse 10. when he says, the Lord put him up to this. Oh, David, you can't say that. You can't suggest that. Our God is in the heavens.
He does whatever he pleases. David understands absolute comprehensive sovereignty. He doesn't buck against it. He doesn't rage against it, but rather he seeks his comfort according to it.
David put his hope in the sovereignty of God ultimately. Again, verse 12. That's a Romans 8, 28 passage in the Old Testament. It may be that the Lord will look on my affliction and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing this day.
And then thirdly, we ought to appreciate the fulfillment of God's Word. Again, I think this is a touchy subject with some. They see Absalom doing his thing on that roof, and they see Ahithophel doing his thing and telling Absalom to do his thing on that roof. They see the likes of Shimei, and they hear David say, this is ultimately of the Lord, and they struggle.
They think, well, how in the world is it that God puts bad people up to bad things in order to do bad things? Well, we need to understand that God overrules all things to accomplish His purpose and His will. I think Davis helps explain this. He says, a reader can see that Ahithophel's advice that is meant to overthrow David's kingdom nevertheless carries out God's judgment upon David's sin.
Ahithophel's scheme to remove God's chosen king nevertheless fulfills God's previous word. That is why there is hope for God's people in this text, even though it depicts judgment upon the covenantal king. For the text is saying that the betrayer is yet in the hand of God. His act of treachery only executes Yahweh's word.
If anything, it demonstrates all the more that these men do not operate alone. There is no rogue sort of actor on the face of the earth. Everything is ultimately under God's sovereign purpose and plan, and such that anything that happens to us, good or ill, it's ultimately ordained by God for our good. Again, Romans 8.28.
I was with the old people today, and they're easy to talk to about trials and difficulties. You know, when you hit your 90s, you know something about trials. I told them, you could all teach this lesson a whole lot better than I could. I was doing the James 1 passage on, my brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials.
And just highlighting again with Romans 8.28, Paul does not mean they're all good things work for good. None of us would dispute finding a bag of money is a good thing. None of us would dispute a promotion at work is a good thing. None of us dispute that our children, you know, eating all their peas and going to bed on time is a good thing.
We all agree with that. We need to be convinced that God works all bad things out for our good. That's the purpose of Romans 8.28. That's the purpose of 2 Samuel 16.12.
It is to see when everything falls down around you that it may be that God will nevertheless overrule this and He will repay me with kindness rather than with wrath. That's the kind of faith that we need to exhibit. And then finally, the typical significance of David. We've already pointed it out.
The one who was betrayed submitted to the sovereignty of God. David was betrayed. Make no mistake about it. Everybody's betraying David, and yet he submits himself to the sovereignty of God.
Same with our Lord Jesus Christ. Same with the Lord Jesus Christ. And you see that as well. I've already mentioned, you know, these second causes.
Judas was the betrayer, wasn't he? The interesting thing is that the word that is used with reference to betray is the word that means to give over. We can see that, right? If I give you over to your enemy, then I've betrayed you.
Well, Judas gets the credit for having betrayed the Lord Jesus. But you know, Paul tells us that in Romans 8, in Romans 8.32, that God delivered up his son for us. Right? We see the absolute sovereignty even working through the wretched, wicked, vile acts of a betrayer like Judas.
And we need to understand that that's the relationship. So the one who was betrayed submitted to the sovereignty of God, and the one who was reviled did not revile in return. Van Hoy says, David's behavior is striking because it goes against the natural human inclination to retaliate against unjustified harassment. Brethren, if somebody's sitting in front of me at a red light, the light turns green, and they don't immediately get on that gas, I'm ready to rock and roll.
I don't know what I'd do if Shimmy was cursing at me and casting stones at me for something I didn't do. I don't know that I could just, at this point, I hope God would give me the grace to be a David in that situation. I'd say, Abishai, Joab, and every servant you have, take your swords over there and help him out. Teach him to no longer curse the Lord's anointed.
But listen, David's behavior is striking because it goes against the natural human inclination to retaliate against unjustified harassment. It reflects something of the behavior of Jesus. When swords are drawn against Jesus in the garden, Peter jumps to and cuts the ear off of Malchus. And what does Jesus say?
Don't do that! What does Peter later say concerning Jesus in 1 Peter chapter 2 with reference to Christ when He was reviled? He says, 1 Peter 2.23, who, when he was reviled, did not revile in return. When he suffered, he did not threaten, but committed himself to him who judges righteously.
Isn't that what David does in 2 Samuel 16? He is reviled. He is judged unrighteously. But rather than taking vengeance upon his enemies, he commits himself to him who judges righteously.
So in the midst of David's sin, in the midst of David's iniquity, please never forget that David was a man after God's own heart. He typified his greater son, who would be betrayed, would nevertheless commit himself to the living and true God, the one who would be reviled, but in return would not revile back, but would submit ultimately to the Father in order to save His people from their sins. Well, let us close in prayer.
Closing Prayer
Father, we thank You for Your Word, and we thank You for the life of David and for what it teaches us, and we thank You for the Psalms that that show us His heart in the midst of these sufferings and trials. And God, may we approach these things not just as a daily exercise just to read our Bibles, but may we seek to enter in and may we feed on these texts for the trials that we will certainly go through. May You uphold us, may You keep us, and may You cause us to always cast ourselves upon the sovereignty and the mercy and the kindness and the goodness of our God. We ask that you would go with us now.
Please bless Don and Joanne as they travel. I pray that you'd watch over them and keep them and protect them as they travel many miles. God, may you preserve them and bring them back to us refreshed, and may you just bless their visit away. And we ask these things through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.