“And Absalom, and all the people 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 unto Absalom, that Hushai said unto Absalom, God save the king, God save the king. And Absalom said to 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 thy father's presence, so will I be in thy presence. Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give counsel among 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 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 counselled 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” (2 Samuel 16:15-23).
Introduction
We read here of the immediate consequences of Absalom taking the throne and pretending to be the true king of Israel. He does not begin with righteousness but instead reveals how ruthless and sinful he is going to be. Though his initial act of wickedness is part of the fulfilment of Nathan’s prophecy, it is nonetheless a terrible sin to commit against David (2 Samuel 12:11-12).
False adoration
Absalom knew that Hushai was a loyal friend of his father, so he was surprised to find him honouring him. Hushai realised that he would be under suspicion for exactly the same reason and figured that he must put on a good act to convince Absalom that he had defected and accepted him as king. By adding the Lord’s name to his supposed allegiance he manages to get Absalom to believe that he was anointed of God and was the rightful heir. Because of his flattering speech he was accepted as one of Absalom’s chief counsellors. We note that Absalom does not call David his father to avoid any semblance of affection for him, and it is a sign that he is purposely trying to wipe him from his thoughts.
Hushai was both false with his actions and with his words. His display of praise for Absalom was obviously insincere, for as we have already seen, he was following David’s orders rather than God’s command (2 Samuel 15:32-34). Absalom was being deceived, but then he was only reaping the consequences of his own sin and rebellion. He had come into power by flattering the people, now he was proving that he was susceptible to it too. “The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee” (Obadiah :3).
Frightful abomination
Absalom was deceived by Hushai’s false adoration and later by Ahithophel’s advice to commit a fearful abomination. Ahithophel was considered to be very wise and was honoured as though he was a prophet of God. He may have been a man of great reputation but his heart was wicked and void of any common decency or morality. This was probably the first cabinet meeting of the newly elected government under Absalom and it is certain that they did not have the good of the people in mind as heads of state.
Ahithophel knew exactly how to get at David, for being Bathsheba’s grandfather. His advice was engineered to create a situation which resembled what David had done regarding his granddaughter. He also was clever enough to suppose that there would be no reconciliation between David and Absalom once this evil deed had been performed, so in effect he was acting against his new leader too. Basically, he hated David and all that belonged to him. “This was Ahithophel's cursed policy, which bespoke him rather an oracle of devil than of God” (Matthew Henry).
Absalom’s sin would have been like a dagger in David’s heart when he received news about what had taken place on the palace roof, and would have brought back the memories of his own sin in that exact place. It also reveals Absalom’s disrespect for his father and women. He was treating the concubines as slaves. The sin was very public so we can assume that all of the good people in Jerusalem would have been shocked and dismayed at his unashamed immorality. “Thou refusedst to be ashamed” (Jeremiah 3:3).
Absalom’s acceptance of Ahithophel’s advice was nothing more than a clear sign to David and Israel; for he could have taken any woman he wanted. As for Absalom's compliance with this counsel, “It entirely suited his lewd and wicked mind, and he delayed not to put it in execution” (Matthew Henry). Ahithophel claimed that this abomination would strengthen Absalom’s loyal followers, but how can immorality or any sin make a person strong? It was also a signal to the people of what to expect under his leadership. His immorality was designed to belittle and humiliate David before everyone and break any loyalty that might exist among them for his father.
Conclusion
Absalom’s sin was not done secretly behind closed doors, but was celebrated openly for all to see. It would have been bad enough if he was just a street trader or a farmhand, but he is supposed to be the leader of the nation. He had the morals of someone lower than the most uncivilised of pagans. “It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife” (1 Corinthians 5:1). His actions were opening the door to spiritual pollution in Israel. We must see this as Satan’s attempt to destroy God’s plan to bring in the Messianic reign of Christ in the future, for if David is removed and the people so wicked that God has to punish them, then in his thinking God had failed.
© 12/7/2010