GOD’S PLAN WORKS THROUGH HIS PEOPLE

GOD’S PLAN WORKS THROUGH HIS PEOPLE

Time after time we have seen how God’s plan works through His people.  David’s story is no different.  It took many of the faithful following God’s Holy Spirit to save God’s anointed King named David. 

In the same process, God also used those who intended evil for good. God has this special way of turning things around for His servants. Each new situation of his flee from the treason of Absalom worked in King David’s favor. Here too we see how God’s plan works through His people.

Today we will see these plans play out in one self-serving prophet, two brave young priests, their loyal fathers, one unnamed servant girl, one brave and loyal descendant of Noah, and one unknown farmer and his wife. All of these characters, whether they understood what they were doing or not, worked together to save God’s anointed King. Total proof that God’s plan works through His people.

AHITHOPHEL’S FAILED ADVICE

Meanwhile, back in Jerusalem, Ahithophel was still giving more self-serving advice to Absalom.  This is what he told him, “I would choose twelve thousand men and set out tonight in pursuit of David. And I would attack him while he is weary and weak. I would strike him with terror, and then all the people with him would flee. And I would strike down only the king and bring all the people back to you. The death of the man you seek will mean the return of all; all the people will be unharmed.”

Notice how many times Ahithophel used the word “I.”  That was typical of Ahithophel’s advice. Everything Ahithophel did was always about Ahithophel getting all of the glory. He had been blessed by God with the gift of wisdom, but this constant idolatry of himself always managed to destroy his gifting.

ABSALOM CONSIDERS HIS NEXT MOVE

To be fair, perhaps Ahithophel WAS thinking of one other person. That is his granddaughter, Bathsheba. She is among the wives who are hiding with King David. Ahithophel wanted to be sure Absalom left all the other people (besides David) unharmed in this attack. We will give him that much credit. 

However, his association of Bathsheba had given Ahithophel the entrance into the royal palace. He still needed her power and influence to maintain his position among royalty. Getting rid of David would make that so much easier for him. So, even this noble gesture to save all of the people, including his granddaughter, might have been self-serving.

Of course, Absalom was guilty of the same character flaws as Ahithophel. He was all about himself. Anything showing him as the victor, the leader, the future king, appealed to his great vanity. Being the commander of 12,000 troops would appeal to his high self-esteem. God even uses these bad character flaws to help King David’s escape.

ABSALOM’S BITTERNESS

Absalom liked this plan which Ahithophel presented before him and the leaders of Israel. Think about that fact for a moment. Not only was Absalom pleased with a plan for taking the life of God’s anointed King, but he also did not hesitate to agree to the death of his own father. Again, Absalom surely seems like a type of the antichrist. He shows no respect for human life, only an unquenchable desire for power and control.

Our want-to-be king wanted to be sure he was victorious. God again used this in King David’s favor. So, Absalom summoned Hushai the Arkite for a second opinion. Absalom, Ahithophel, and Absalom’s other advisors explained the plan of Ahithophel to Hushai. Hushai did not agree with Ahithophel.

THE FAITHFUL HUSHAI

As a bit of background, it is interesting to know why Hushai was called Hushai the Arkite.  It was because he was from the area of a people group named Arkites. The Arkites are listed in the Table of Nations in Genesis 10:17 and 1 Chronicles 1:15, indicating their lineage from Canaan, the son of Ham, following the Flood. This positions them within the broader narrative of the descendants of Noah. Being a descendant of Noah, I would imagine Hushai had an instinctive knack for surviving anything. That was a good trait for his present task.

Hushai made sure Absalom noticed his presence. He had convinced Absalom he was faithful and loyal to him now. Of course, we know Hushai was actually living undercover in Jerusalem while working as a spy for David. This was a very time-sensitive task. Hushai’s work had to unravel specifically, carefully, and unnoticed as the true mission. As Ahithophel gave his counsel, Hushai was busy paying attention. He was on-spot and on time with all of the good answers. When asked to give his opinion of Ahithophel’s plan to Absalom, Hushai had much to say.

HUSHAI’S PLAN FOR ABSALOM

“The advice Ahithophel has given is not good this time. You know your father and his men. They are fighters and as fierce as a wild bear robbed of her cubs. Besides, your father is an experienced fighter. He will not spend the night with the troops. Even now, he is hidden in a cave or some other place. If he should attack your troops first, someone hearing about it will say, ‘There has been a slaughter among the troops that follow Absalom.’  Then even the bravest soldier, whose heart is like that of a lion, will melt with fear, for all Israel knows that your father is a fighter and that those with him are brave.”

“So I advise you: Let all Israel from Dan to Beersheba – as numerous as the sand on the seashore – be gathered to you, with you yourself leading them into battle. Then we will attack him, wherever he may be found, and we will fall on him as dew settles on the ground. Neither he nor any of his men will be left alive. If he withdraws into a city, then all Israel will bring ropes into that city, and we will drag it down into the valley, until not a pebble is left.”

FIGURATIVE SPEECH OF HUSHAI

When Hushai said “from Dan to Beersheba” he meant from the north of Israel all the way to the south of Israel. In other words, he is suggesting that Absalom would be using the whole nation’s complete military in this pursuit. When he said “as dew settles on the ground”, he was saying Israel’s military would be everywhere. Decisions for such actions are usually preserved only for kings. Again, this appealed to Absalom’s vanity.

However, such an enormous effort would take time to organize. This delay would give King David and his men time to re-group. The slight stall in pursuit would allow King David to be able cross the river before any attack, which would be to his advantage. 

HUSHAI’S WISE USE OF HIS TONGUE

If you are an astute bible student, you will notice the use of some familiar figurative language throughout Hushai’s advice to Absalom.  He describes David and his men as being “as fierce as a wild bear robbed of her cubs.” This is language often used in biblical narratives to describe a relentless foe. 

Again, Hushai mentions soldiers whose “hearts are like a lion.” This too is a common description of the day, indicating the bravest of the brave during the days of David. 

Also, right after the quote “from Dan to Beersheba,” Hushai uses another common description with culturally familiar words when he says, “as numerous as the sand on the seashore.” This phrase is figurative speech used many times in scriptures to describe all of the children of Abraham. In using this term of speech, Hushai was speaking about “the whole nation of Israel.”

It took an intense student of God’s Word to use such words. This did not go unnoticed by the rulers of Israel who knew the Torah by heart, from cover-to-cover.

GAINING THE RESPECT OF ISRAEL’S ADVISORS

These familiar phrases, as well as some other language which Hushai used, are found scattered all through the scriptures. Such phrases serve interpreters of wisdom almost like “biblical code.” Absalom’s men are looking for God’s advice through a prophet. They have heard all of Ahithophel’s “I would” statements. He wasn’t using any Torah language in his answers. Almost all of Hushai’s speech indicated that he was a Torah follower. Now they are listening closer to Hushai, leaning in and considering his words carefully.

With his quick-thinking and wisdom coupled with expert guidance from above, Hushai is showing the men of Absalom his knowledge and intelligence in the crafty use of his speech. Using these familiar and highly regarded phrases of the culture, Hushai is more able to hold their attention and gain their respect.

With this detailed answer of Hushai, David’s prayer for the advice of Ahithophel to be turned to foolishness is granted. Absalom and his men find the advice of Hushai to be better than Ahithophel’s advice.

Once a firm plan is established, Hushai sends word to David through the two priests named Zadock and Abiathar. His words to be delivered to the King are: ‘Do not spend the night at the fords in the wilderness; cross over without fail, or the king and all the people with him will be swallowed up.’

God uses Hushai to work out His plan for saving David.

TWO FAITHFUL WITNESSES

We have been noticing several types and shadows hiding within these stories of David’s flee from Absalom. Now I’m thinking that Jonathan and Ahimaaz, the two sons of Zadock and Abiathar, have many of the characteristics of The Two Witnesses spoken of in Revelation during end times.

Jonathan and Ahimaaz, the faithful sons of Zadock and Abiathar, are staying at En-Rogel. En-Rogel has a spring just outside the city. This spring provides water, cover, and quick access to the road east toward the Jordan where David is now camping.

A female servant is designated by Zadock and Abiathar to inform Jonathan and Ahimaaz of Absalom’s plot against David. Then the two men will go and tell King David the details of Absolam’s plan. The surveillance was handled in this way because Jonathan and Ahimaaz could not risk being seen entering the city.

God uses Zadock, Abiathar, Jonathan, Ahimaaz and an unnamed servant girl to help rescue King David.

THE UNNAMED SERVANT GIRL

The girl quickly made her way to Jonathan and Ahimaaz. She delivered their father’s message to them.

I couldn’t help but think of Peter sitting around the fire outside the prison on the night before Yeshua’s crucifixion. Here is another parallel in our story. It was also an unnamed servant girl who noticed Peter as a disciple of Jesus. She loudly accused him of such. This was the moment when Peter denied Jesus in the first of three times. 

Of course, this example of a servant girl pointing out Peter and putting him in danger is a lot like what eventually happened with this servant girl working with the priests. Unlike the servant girl who spotted Peter in the crowd, this girl going to Jonathan and Ahimaaz had no intention to give away where the servants of David were hiding. So this is like a reversed type and shadow. However, it was probably during her time of speaking with these two priests that they were spotted in the crowd, paralleling Peter’s story.

In today’s story the servant girl quickly delivered the message for Jonathan and Ahimaaz to pass on to King David. Then a young man saw Jonathan and Ahimaaz in the city. He told Absalom. So, Jonathan and Ahimaaz left at once. They went to the house of a man in Bahurim.

THE WELL IN BAHURIM

Bahurim is a city of great significance when it comes to matters in the life of King David. This is the city where the former King Saul gave his daughter married to David, Michal, to another man named Paltiel. David though on the run from Saul was still her husband. Yet Saul considered David dead. He paid no attention to the fact that his daughter was still married to David. 

Later, King David reclaimed his first wife. It all happened with great pomp and a grand procession through many cities, ending with returning her to Jerusalem. Michal’s stand-in husband of many years, Paltiel, followed the procession returning Michal to King David’s palace. The scriptures speak of Paltiel following in great sorrow and weeping all the way. Abner, David’s commander, led the procession. They walked the same roads which King David walked during this escape from Absalom which we have been studying.

Of course, if we look at this story about Bahurim deeper, we can see a shadow and type of the defiled wife of YHVH. Michal is like a picture of Israel. A once beloved but now soiled and blimished bride who was unfaithful. But those details are a discussion for another time.

A LINE IN THE SAND

In Paltiel’s sad story, the scriptures speak of the procession returning Michal arriving to the village of Bahurim. It is there that Abner tells Paltiel to go back. Paltiel, though annoying, had been allowed to follow them safely up to this point. In Baharim things change. The city is like an invisible line drawn in the sand.

There was a reason for Abner’s command to Paltiel. Bahurim was the last city of the Benjamites. For the rest of the journey, there would be no one who hailed from the family of King Saul. The next city on their journey to Jerusalem had declared its loyalty to King David. They were out of Benjamin’s aloted land and into the alotment of Judah now. All of the other cities beyond this point of Bahurim were loyal to David.  It would have been dangerous for Paltiel to follow any further. Men loyal to David might decide to kill him in order to show their loyalty to the King. 

So, Paltiel finally turns around in Bahurim. He will never to see Michal again. Paltiel was said to love Michal very much.

SHIMEI CAME FROM BAHURIM

Bahurim was also the home of Shimei. You may remember him. He was the man who cursed and threw rocks at David as he made his escape from Absalom. This happened as David was walking the road which wound through Bahurim. 

At first I wondered if Shimei and Paltiel were the same person. That just seemed logical. However, I could find no evidence of this. It did seem though, that many men on this road through Bahurim hated David. He had replaced their beloved King Saul, who was related to all of these people through the tribe of Benjamin.

Knowing that Bahurim was the city of the Benjamites and the previous home of Saul, one can better understand why men from this area were protesting David’s kingship. So many had loyal ties to King Saul whom David replaced. Saul was a Benjamite, the same as Shimei, who was throwing rocks and cursing David as he traveled along this road to his escape from Absalom.

Bahurim lies on the ascent of the Mount of Olives. The escaping King David, caught up in the emotional agony of treason and betrayal, traveled the same ridge the greater Son of David, Yeshua Messiah, traveled on a future date to His crucifixion. Both travelers were in a state of agony due to their own people’s rejection. God used His people in many various ways to protect both of them in a way that would fulfil their missions and their purposes. Looking back, it is all very evident. 

A CITY SPEAKING OF OBEDIENT SUFFERING

As we have already noted, King David took pity on Shimei and did not retaliate. He showed great humility and accepted his fate. Nor did our beloved Messiah, Yeshua retaliate against those who punished him wrongfully. His was the greatest example of humility ever shown to mankind as He too walked this same road many years later.

So, this village called Bahurim whispers of Yeshua Messiah’s humility. It speaks also of the ultimate triumph which follows obedient suffering. King David received one of his greatest test in this place. He chose to honor God with his humility. Later, Messiah conquered death and the grave by His own humility in this same location. David’s test was not easy. Messiah’s test was the hardest test anyone ever faced.

SAVED BY THE WELL

You can read about Jonathan and Ahimaaz’s escape from danger through the protection of a strategically located well when an unnamed woman covered for them in Bahurim. The passage is found in 2 Samuel 17: 17-21. As you read, you might notice the similarities from the story of the days of Rahab. She lived and worked along this same road which ran from The Mount of Olives to Jericho. Both stories are of how a brave and courageous woman helped God’s servants stay safe, then escape from danger.

In today’s story, a certain man from Bahurim had a well in his courtyard. Knowing they were in danger, Jonathan and Ahimaaz climbed down into it. The man’s wife took a covering and spread it over the opening of the well. She scattered a lot of grain over the covering. No one knew anything about the well with this disguise in place.

Absalom’s men showed up at the man’s house in Bahurim. They were anxiously looking for Jonathan and Ahimaaz. Absalom’s warriors asked the woman of the house, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” The woman said, “They crossed over the brook.”

 Absalom’s men searched that area but found no one.  Eventually they returned to Jerusalem.

DAVID CROSSES THE JORDAN

Once they knew it was safe, Jonathan and Ahimaaz climbed out of the well. Quickly, they went on their way to inform King David. These were their words to the king, “Set out and cross the river at once; Ahithophel has advised such and such against you.”

So, David and all the people with him set out and crossed the Jordan. By daybreak, no one was left from King David’s party who had not crossed the Jordan.

VERSE

Ephesians 4:29: Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

PRAYER

Father, you have shown us so many examples of how to live through the life of David. Today we have learned the importance of good words which promote loyalty and righteousness. You led Hushai to use them to protect David. Also, you gave wisdom to the words used by the wise woman who helped the King’s servants at the well in Bahurim. You have taught us that the words from our mouths are important. Help us to be as wise as those in these stories who speak with wisdom, humility and mercy. Let us never be like Shimei who cursed and spoke severely against Your Anointed King. 

SONG

LET THE WORDS OF MY MOUTH (PSALM 19:14, PHILLIPIANS 4:8) by Fernando Ortega

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