2 Samuel 17:3 “Then all the people shall be at peace.”
Observation: David’s traitorous son Absalom is seeking counsel from one of Absalom’s most trusted advisors, Ahithophel. Absalom had proclaimed himself king, causing his father David to flee Jerusalem with a cohort of his most faithful followers while the great majority of the ever-fickle Hebrews had willingly accepted Absalom’s calumny and followed the usurper king Absalom.
Absalom’s rout of David had been complete, but even in hiding, David’s heart after God shone through. When one of his mighty men, Abishai, wanted to kill one of Saul’s relatives who was cursing and throwing stones at David during his retreat, David allowed no revenge or defense against the offender. Instead, David simply said, “If he curses, and if the Lord has told him, ‘Curse David’, then who shall say, “why have you done so?’” (v. 16:10) “Perhaps the Lord will look upon my affliction and return good to me this day instead of his cursing.”
Application: See how good was David’s response? Under immense pressure from pursuing enemies, he was able to rest in the knowledge of God’s good favor. Meanwhile Absalom, who could have rested in his ill-gained crown in Jerusalem, wasn’t satisfied; he wanted to execute his fleeing father. So he sought the counsel of Ahithophel who designed an evil strategy intended to result in David’s death. In defense of his proposed strategy, he assured Absalom that its success would “bring back all the people to you. The return of (David’s followers) depends on (the death of) the man you seek; then all the people shall be at peace.” (V 17:3)
Really? How could a throne gained through iniquity ever be at true peace? John 11:50 says that one man (Jesus) would die in my behalf for the salvation of the nation. But here the claim is made that the killing of David would bring peace to Absalom’s illegitimate reign.
How deceptive are the lies of the enemy of my soul. Down through the ages men have often found themselves living under illegitimate governing authority, but few have responded with the humility David displayed. At every level, whether husbands and fathers who lord it over families they are to cherish and lead in love, or corporate titans who lead by lusting after wealth and subjugation of others, or political systems led by those who lust after power and who lead by arrogance and deception, I am able to fall victim to the same misplaced counsel as Absalom: “Then all the people shall be at peace.” Indeed. My personal challenge in the face of surrounding tyranny is to constantly assess my own heart responses to the evil surrounding me, to try as best I can to respond from the same heart David displayed.
Prayer: Lord God, I long to have a heart like David’s, one that pursues you no matter the circumstances I’m facing. In the midst of cultural calumny, cause me to seek true peace that comes from a desire to manifest Jesus in every circumstance. In His name, Amen.