Ahithophel-His Tragic End II Sam. 15:12 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

Ahithophel was one of David’s counselors, 2 Sam 15:12.  His counsel was excellent as the oracle of God, 2 Sam 16:23 [in other words, just like God himself had spoken or written it Rom 3:2, Heb 5:12, 1 Pet 4:11].  Ahithophel counseled David and he counseled Absalom.

Yet, when he counseled Absalom, he counseled him against David.  In 2 Sam 16:21 Ahithophel counseled Absalom to go in to his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel [v.22, 2 Sam 12:11-12].  In 2 Sam 17:1-3 Ahithophel counseled Absalom to let him take 12,000 men and kill David in the wilderness when David had first escaped from Absalom in Jerusalem.  It was obviously something very personal with Ahithophel because his counsel was all in the first person singular.  Look at the personal pronouns in 2 Sam 17:1-3 “me”, “I”, v.2 “I”, “I” v.3 “I”.

David was very concerned that Ahithophel would give “good” counsel. So he prayed that God would turn his counsel into foolishness and he sent Hushai to defeat Ahithophel’s counsel 2 Sam 15:31-34.  Therefore, after Ahithophel gave his counsel, Hushai defeated Ahithophel’s counsel in v.5-14.

When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was defeated, he knew that David would win against Absalom.  After his exile, Ahithophel would be banished or killed.  So, he went home and hung himself [2 Sam 17:23].  What could have possibly gotten into Ahithophel to counsel against the king, to personally take upon himself the attack and then to kill himself when his counsel was defeated?

The answer is found in the list of names of David’s mighty men in 2 Sam 23:34.  Ahithophel was the father of one of David’s mighty men named Eliam.  And Eliam, as it turns out, was the father of Bathsheba in 2 Sam 11:3.

Ahithophel had for many years been carrying with him the bitterness of what David did to his granddaughter and grandson-in-law.  He waited for the perfect time to execute his vengeance on David and Absalom’s revolt was the perfect time.

Imagine all those years he had been advising David as the oracles of God.  It wasn’t apparent to anyone that he was carrying this revenge in his heart.  With some people their bitterness is very apparent; but not with him.  And in the end it consumed him in his very foolish involvement with Absalom and his eventual suicide.

There are two things to consider: If you are carrying a secret revenge you need to let it go tonight before the bitterness consumes you.  And remember that when bad things are done to you at the hands of others, God may not punish them at all to satisfy your desire for vengeance. Instead he may bless them, as in David’s case.  David and Bathsheba had a son named Solomon who was David’s successor on the throne and Ahithophel’s great-grandson.