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<TITLE>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible [Second Samuel, Chapter XVII].</TITLE>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1708)
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<!-- (Begin Body) -->
<CENTER>
<BR><FONT SIZE=+3><B>S E C O N D &nbsp; S A M U E L</B></FONT>
<BR>
<BR><FONT SIZE=+2>CHAP. XVII.</FONT>
<HR SIZE=1 WIDTH=50>
</CENTER>
<FONT SIZE=-1>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
The contest between David and Absalom is now hasting towards a crisis.
It must be determined by the sword, and preparation is made accordingly
in this chapter.
I. Absalom calls a council of war, in which Ahithophel urges despatch
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:1-4">ver. 1-4</A>),
but Hushai recommends deliberation
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:5-13">ver. 5-13</A>);
and Hushai's counsel is agreed to
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:14">ver. 14</A>),
for vexation at which Ahithophel hangs himself,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:23">ver. 23</A>.
II. Secret intelligence is sent to David (but with much difficulty) of
their proceedings,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:15-21">ver. 15-21</A>.
III. David marches to the other side Jordan
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:22-24">ver. 22-24</A>),
and there his camp is victualled by some of his friends in that country,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:27-29">ver. 27-29</A>.
IV. Absalom and his forces march after him into the land of Gilead on
the other side Jordan,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:25,26">ver. 25, 26</A>.
There we shall, in the next chapter, find the cause decided by a
battle: hitherto, every thing has looked black upon poor David, but now
the day of his deliverance begins to dawn.</P>
</FONT>
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<A NAME="2Sa17_2"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Sa17_4"> </A>
<A NAME="2Sa17_5"> </A>
<A NAME="2Sa17_6"> </A>
<A NAME="2Sa17_7"> </A>
<A NAME="2Sa17_8"> </A>
<A NAME="2Sa17_9"> </A>
<A NAME="2Sa17_10"> </A>
<A NAME="2Sa17_11"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Sa17_14"> </A>
<A NAME="Sec1"> </A>
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Hushai's Counsel.</I></FONT></TD>
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 1023.</TD></TR>
<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
</TABLE>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<FONT SIZE=+1>1 Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose out
twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this
night:
&nbsp; 2 And I will come upon him while he <I>is</I> weary and weak handed,
and will make him afraid: and all the people that <I>are</I> with him
shall flee; and I will smite the king only:
&nbsp; 3 And I will bring back all the people unto thee: the man whom
thou seekest <I>is</I> as if all returned: <I>so</I> all the people shall
be in peace.
&nbsp; 4 And the saying pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of
Israel.
&nbsp; 5 Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let
us hear likewise what he saith.
&nbsp; 6 And when Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom spake unto him,
saying, Ahithophel hath spoken after this manner: shall we do
<I>after</I> his saying? if not; speak thou.
&nbsp; 7 And Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel
hath given <I>is</I> not good at this time.
&nbsp; 8 For, said Hushai, thou knowest thy father and his men, that
they <I>be</I> mighty men, and they <I>be</I> chafed in their minds, as a
bear robbed of her whelps in the field: and thy father <I>is</I> a man
of war, and will not lodge with the people.
&nbsp; 9 Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or in some <I>other</I> place:
and it will come to pass, when some of them be overthrown at the
first, that whosoever heareth it will say, There is a slaughter
among the people that follow Absalom.
&nbsp; 10 And he also <I>that is</I> valiant, whose heart <I>is</I> as the heart
of a lion, shall utterly melt: for all Israel knoweth that thy
father <I>is</I> a mighty man, and <I>they</I> which <I>be</I> with him <I>are</I>
valiant men.
&nbsp; 11 Therefore I counsel that all Israel be generally gathered
unto thee, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, as the sand that <I>is</I> by
the sea for multitude; and that thou go to battle in thine own
person.
&nbsp; 12 So shall we come upon him in some place where he shall be
found, and we will light upon him as the dew falleth on the
ground: and of him and of all the men that <I>are</I> with him there
shall not be left so much as one.
&nbsp; 13 Moreover, if he be gotten into a city, then shall all Israel
bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river,
until there be not one small stone found there.
&nbsp; 14 And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of
Hushai the Archite <I>is</I> better than the counsel of Ahithophel.
For the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> had appointed to defeat the good counsel of
Ahithophel, to the intent that the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> might bring evil upon
Absalom.
</FONT></P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
Absalom is now in peaceable possession of Jerusalem; the palace-royal
is his own, as are <I>the thrones of judgment, even the thrones of the
house of David.</I> His good father reigned in Hebron, and only over
the tribe of Judah, above seven years, and was not hasty to destroy his
rival; his government was built upon a divine promise, the performance
of which he was sure of in due time, and therefore he waited patiently
in the mean time. But the young man, Absalom, not only hastens from
Hebron to Jerusalem, but is impatient there till he has destroyed his
father, cannot be content with his throne till he has his life; for his
government is founded in iniquity, and therefore feels itself tottering
and thinks itself obliged to do every thing with violence. That so
profligate a wretch as Absalom should aim at the life of so good a
father is not so strange (there are here and there monsters in nature);
but that the body of the people of Israel, to whom David had been so
great a blessing in all respects, should join with him in his attempt,
is very amazing. But their fathers often mutinied against Moses. The
best of parents, and the best of princes will not think it strange if
they be made uneasy by those who should be their support and joy, when
they consider what sons and what subjects David himself had.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
David and all that adhered to him must be cut off. This was resolved,
for aught that appears, <I>nemine contradicente</I>--<I>unanimously.</I>
None durst mention his personal merits, and the great services done to
his country, in opposition to this resolve, nor so much as ask,
"<I>Why, what evil has he done</I> to forfeit his crown, much less his
head?" None durst propose that his banishment should suffice, for the
present, nor that agents should be sent to treat with him to resign the
crown, which, having so tamely quitted the city, they might think he
would easily be persuaded to do. It was not long since that Absalom
himself fled for a crime, and David contented himself with his being an
exile, though he deserved death, nay, he mourned and longed for him;
but so perfectly void of all natural affection is this ungrateful
Absalom that he eagerly thirsts after his own father's blood. It is
past dispute that David must be destroyed; all the question is how he
may be destroyed.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
I. Ahithophel advises that he be pursued immediately, this very night,
with a flying army (which he himself undertakes the command of), that
the king only be smitten and his forces dispersed, and then the people
that were now for him would fall in with Absalom of course, and there
would not be such a long war as had been between the house of Saul and
David: <I>The man whom thou seekest is as if all returned,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:1-3"><I>v.</I> 1-3</A>.
By this it appears that Absalom had declared his design to be upon
David's life, and Ahithophel concurs with him in it. <I>Smite the
shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered,</I> and be an easy prey to
the wolf. Thus he contrives to include the war in a little compass, by
fighting neither with small nor great but the king of Israel only, and
to conclude it in a little time, by falling upon him immediately.
Nothing could be more fatal to David than the taking of these measures.
It was too true that he was weary and weak-handed, that a little thing
would make him afraid, else he would not have fled from his house upon
the first alarm of Absalom's rebellion; it was probable enough that
upon a fierce attack, especially in the night, the small force he had
would be put into confusion and disorder, and it would bean easy thing
to <I>smite the king only,</I> and then the business would be done, the
whole nation would be reduced, of course, and <I>all the people,</I>
says he, <I>shall be in peace.</I> See how a general ruin is called by
usurpers a <I>general peace;</I> but thus the devil's palace is in
peace, while he, as a strong man armed, keeps it. Compare with this the
plot of Caiaphas (that second Ahithophel) against the Son of David, to
crush his interest by destroying him. Let that <I>one man die for the
people,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Joh+11:50">John xi. 50</A>.
<I>Kill the heir, and the inheritance shall be ours,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mt+21:38">Matt. xxi. 38</A>.
But the counsel of them both was turned into foolishness. Yet the
children of light may, in their generation, learn wisdom from the
children of this world. What our hand finds to do let us do quickly,
and with all our might. It is prudence to be vigorous and expeditious,
and not to lose time, particularly in our spiritual warfare. If Satan
flee from us, let us follow our blow. Those that have quarrelled with
crowned heads have generally observed the decorum of declaring only
against their evil counsellors, and calling them to an account (<I>The
king himself can do no wrong,</I> it is they that do it); but Absalom's
bare-faced villany strikes at the king directly, nay, at the king only;
for (would you think it?) this saying, <I>I will smite the king
only,</I> pleased Absalom well
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:4"><I>v.</I> 4</A>),
nor had he so much sense of humor and virtue left him to pretend to
startle at it or even to be reluctant in this barbarous and monstrous
resolution. What good can stand before the heat of a furious
ambition?</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
II. Hushai advises that they be not too hasty in pursuing David, but
take time to draw up all their force against him, and to overpower him
with numbers, as Ahithophel had advised to take him by surprise. Now
Hushai, in giving this counsel, really intended to serve David and his
interest, that he might have time to send him notice of his
proceedings, and that David might gain time to gather an army and to
remove into those countries beyond Jordan, in which, lying more remote,
Absalom had probably least interest. Nothing would be of greater
advantage to David in this juncture than time to turn himself in; that
he may have this, Hushai counsels Absalom to do nothing rashly, but to
proceed with caution and secure his success by securing his strength.
Now,</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
1. Absalom gave Hushai a fair invitation to advise him. All the elders
of Israel approved of Ahithophel's counsel, yet God overruled the heart
of Absalom not to proceed upon it, till he had consulted Hushai
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:5"><I>v.</I> 5</A>):
<I>Let us hear what he saith.</I> Herein he thought he did wisely (two
heads are better than one), but God taketh the wise in their own
craftiness. See Mr. Poole's note on this.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
2. Hushai gave very plausible reasons for what he said.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
(1.) He argued against Ahithophel's counsel, and undertook to show the
danger of following his advice. It is with modesty, and all possible
deference to Ahithophel's settled reputation, that he begs leave to
differ from him,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:7"><I>v.</I> 7</A>.
He acknowledges that the counsel of Ahithophel is usually the best, and
such as may be relied on; but, with submission to that noble peer, he
is of opinion that his counsel is not good at this time, and that it is
by no means safe to venture so great a cause as that in which they are
now engaged upon so small a number, and such a hasty sally, as
Ahithophel advises, remembering the defeat of Israel before Ai,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jos+7:4">Josh. vii. 4</A>.
It has often proved of bad consequence to despise an enemy. See how
plausibly Hushai reasoned.
[1.] He insisted much upon it that David was a great soldier, a man of
great conduct, courage, and experience; all knew and owned this, even
Absalom himself: "<I>Thy father is a man of war</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:8"><I>v.</I> 8</A>),
<I>a mighty man</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:10"><I>v.</I> 10</A>),
and not so weary and weak-handed as Ahithophel imagines. His retiring
from Jerusalem must be imputed, not to his cowardice, but his
prudence."
[2.] His attendants, though few, were mighty men
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:8"><I>v.</I> 8</A>),
valiant men
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:10"><I>v.</I> 10</A>),
men of celebrated bravery and versed in all the arts of war.
Ahithophel, who perhaps had worn the gown more than the sword, would
find himself an unequal match for them. <I>One of them would chase a
thousand.</I>
[3.] They were all exasperated against Absalom, who was the author of
all this mischief, were chafed in their minds, and would fight with the
utmost fury; so that, what with their courage, and what with their
rage, there would be no standing before them, especially for such raw
soldiers as Absalom's generally were. Thus did he represent them as
formidable as Ahithophel had made them despicable.
[4.] He suggested that probably David and some of his men would lie in
ambush, in some pit, or other close place, and fall upon Absalom's
soldiers before they were aware the terror of which would put them to
flight; and the defeat, though but of a small party, would dispirit all
the rest, especially their own consciences at the same time accusing
them of treason against one that, they were sure, was not only God's
anointed, <I>but a man after his own heart,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:9"><I>v.</I> 9</A>.
"It will soon be given out that there is a slaughter among Absalom's
men, and then they will all make the best of their way, and the heart
of Ahithophel himself, though now it seems like the heart of a lion,
will utterly melt. In short, he will not find it so easy a matter to
deal with David and his men as he thinks it is; and, if he be foiled,
we shall all be routed."</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
(2.) He offered his own advice, and gave his reasons; and,
[1.] He counselled that which he knew would gratify Absalom's proud
vain-glorious humour, though it would not be really serviceable to his
interest. <I>First,</I> He advised that all Israel should be gathered
together, that is, the militia of all the tribes. His taking it for
granted that they are all for him, and giving him an opportunity to see
them all together under his command, would gratify him as much as any
thing. <I>Secondly,</I> He advises that Absalom go to battle in his own
person, as if he looked upon him to be a better soldier than
Ahithophel, more fit to give command and have the honour of the
victory, insinuating that Ahithophel had put a slight upon him in
offering to go without him. See how easy it is to betray proud men, by
applauding them, and feeding their pride.
[2.] He counselled that which seemed to secure the success, at last,
infallibly, without running any hazard. For, if they could raise such
vast numbers as they promised themselves, wherever they found David
they could not fail to crush him. <I>First,</I> If in the field, they
should fall upon him, as the dew that covers the face of the ground,
and cut off all his men with him,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:12"><I>v.</I> 12</A>.
Perhaps Absalom was better pleased with the design of cutting off all
the men that were with him, having a particular antipathy to some of
David's friends, than with Ahithophel's project of smiting the king
only. Thus Hushai gained his point by humouring his revenge, as well as
his pride. <I>Secondly,</I> If in a city, they need not fear conquering
him, for they should have hands enough, if occasion were, to draw the
city itself into its river with ropes,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:13"><I>v.</I> 13</A>.
This strange suggestion, how impracticable soever, being new, served
for an amusement, and recommended itself by pleasing the fancy, for
they would all smile at the humour of it.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
(3.) By all these arts, Hushai gained not only Absalom's approbation of
his advice, but the unanimous concurrence of this great counsel of war;
they all agreed that the counsel of Hushai was better than the counsel
of Ahithophel,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:14"><I>v.</I> 14</A>.
See here,
[1.] How much the policy of man can do; If Hushai had not been there,
Ahithophel's counsel would certainly have prevailed; and, though all
had given their opinion, nothing could be really more for Absalom's
interest than that which he advised; yet Hushai, with his management,
brings them all over to his side, and none of them are aware that he
says all this in favour of David and his interest, but all say as he
says. See how the unthinking are imposed upon by the designing part of
mankind; what tools, what fools, great men make of one another by their
intrigues; and what tricks there are often in courts and councils,
which those are happiest that are least conversant with.
[2.] See how much more the providence of God can do. Hushai managed the
plot with dexterity, yet the success is ascribed to God, and his agency
on the minds of those concerned: <I>The Lord had appointed to defeat
the good counsel of</I> Ahithophel. Be it observed, to the comfort of
all that fear God, he turns all men's hearts as the rivers of water,
though <I>they know not the thoughts of the Lord. He stands in the
congregation of the mighty,</I> has an overruling hand in all counsels
and a negative voice in all resolves, and laughs at men's projects
against his anointed.</P>
<A NAME="2Sa17_15"> </A>
<A NAME="2Sa17_16"> </A>
<A NAME="2Sa17_17"> </A>
<A NAME="2Sa17_18"> </A>
<A NAME="2Sa17_19"> </A>
<A NAME="2Sa17_20"> </A>
<A NAME="2Sa17_21"> </A>
<A NAME="Sec2"> </A>
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Information Sent to David.</I></FONT></TD>
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 1023.</TD></TR>
<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
</TABLE>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<FONT SIZE=+1>15 Then said Hushai unto Zadok and to Abiathar the priests,
Thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of
Israel; and thus and thus have I counselled.
&nbsp; 16 Now therefore send quickly, and tell David, saying, Lodge
not this night in the plains of the wilderness, but speedily pass
over; lest the king be swallowed up, and all the people that
<I>are</I> with him.
&nbsp; 17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed by En-rogel; for they might
not be seen to come into the city: and a wench went and told
them; and they went and told king David.
&nbsp; 18 Nevertheless a lad saw them, and told Absalom: but they went
both of them away quickly, and came to a man's house in Bahurim,
which had a well in his court; whither they went down.
&nbsp; 19 And the woman took and spread a covering over the well's
mouth, and spread ground corn thereon; and the thing was not
known.
&nbsp; 20 And when Absalom's servants came to the woman to the house,
they said, Where <I>is</I> Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said
unto them, They be gone over the brook of water. And when they
had sought and could not find <I>them,</I> they returned to Jerusalem.
&nbsp; 21 And it came to pass, after they were departed, that they
came up out of the well, and went and told king David, and said
unto David, Arise, and pass quickly over the water: for thus hath
Ahithophel counselled against you.
</FONT></P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
We must now leave David's enemies pleasing themselves with the thoughts
of a sure victory by following Hushai's counsel, and sending a summons,
no doubt, to all the tribes of Israel, to come to the general
rendezvous at a place appointed, pursuant to that counsel; and we next
find David's friends consulting how to get him notice of all this, that
he might steer his course accordingly. Hushai tells the priests what
had passed in council,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:15"><I>v.</I> 15</A>.
But, it should seem, he was not sure but that yet Ahithophel's counsel
might be followed, and was therefore jealous lest, if he made not the
best of his way, the king would be <I>swallowed up, and all the people
that were with him,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:16"><I>v.</I> 16</A>.
Perhaps, as he was called in to give advice
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:5"><I>v.</I> 5</A>),
so he was dismissed before they came to that resolve
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:14"><I>v.</I> 14</A>)
in favour of his advice, or he feared they might afterwards change
their mind. However, it was good to provide against the worst, and
therefore to hasten those valuable lives out of the reach of these
destroyers. Such strict guards did Absalom set upon all the avenues to
Jerusalem that they had much ado to get this necessary intelligence to
David.
1. The young priests that were to be the messengers were forced to
retire secretly out of the city, by <I>En-rogel,</I> which signifies,
as some say, <I>the fountain of a spy.</I> Surely it went ill with
Jerusalem when two such faithful priests as they were might not be seen
to come into the city.
2. Instructions were sent to them by a poor simple young woman, who
probably went to that well under pretence of fetching water,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:17"><I>v.</I> 17</A>.
If she carried the message by word of mouth, there was danger of her
making some mistake or blunder in it; but Providence can make an
ignorant girl a trusty messenger, and serve its wise counsels by the
foolish things of the world.
3. Yet, by the vigilance of Absalom's spies, they were discovered, and
information was brought to Absalom of their motions: <I>A lad saw them
and told him,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:18"><I>v.</I> 18</A>.
4. They, being aware that they were discovered, sheltered themselves
in a friend's house in Bahurim, where David had refreshed himself but
just before,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+16:14"><I>ch.</I> xvi. 14</A>.
There they were happily hidden in a well, which now, in summer time,
perhaps was dry,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:18"><I>v.</I> 18</A>.
The woman of the house very ingeniously covered the mouth of the well
with a cloth, on which she spread corn to dry, so that the pursuers
were not aware that there was a well; else they would have searched it,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:19"><I>v.</I> 19</A>.
Thus far the woman did well; but we know not how to justify her further
concealing them with a lie,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:20"><I>v.</I> 20</A>.
We must not do evil that good may come of it. However, hereby the
messengers were protected, and the pursuers were defeated and returned
to Absalom without their prey. It was well that Absalom did not
hereupon fall upon their two fathers, Zadok and Abiathar, as Saul on
Ahimelech for his kindness to David: but God restrained him. Being
thus preserved, they brought their intelligence very faithfully to
David
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:21"><I>v.</I> 21</A>),
with this advice of his friends, that he should not delay to pass over
Jordan, near to which, it seems, he now was. There, as some think, he
penned the
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+42:1-11,Ps+43:1-5">42nd and 43rd Psalms</A>,
looking back upon <I>Jerusalem from the land of Jordan,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+42:6">Ps. xlii. 6</A>.</P>
<A NAME="2Sa17_22"> </A>
<A NAME="2Sa17_23"> </A>
<A NAME="2Sa17_24"> </A>
<A NAME="2Sa17_25"> </A>
<A NAME="2Sa17_26"> </A>
<A NAME="2Sa17_27"> </A>
<A NAME="2Sa17_28"> </A>
<A NAME="2Sa17_29"> </A>
<A NAME="Sec3"> </A>
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Ahithophel's Death; Absalom's Pursuit of David.</I></FONT></TD>
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 1023.</TD></TR>
<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
</TABLE>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<FONT SIZE=+1>22 Then David arose, and all the people that <I>were</I> with him,
and they passed over Jordan: by the morning light there lacked
not one of them that was not gone over Jordan.
&nbsp; 23 And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed,
he saddled <I>his</I> ass, and arose, and gat him home to his house,
to his city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself,
and died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.
&nbsp; 24 Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed over Jordan,
he and all the men of Israel with him.
&nbsp; 25 And Absalom made Amasa captain of the host instead of Joab:
which Amasa <I>was</I> a man's son, whose name <I>was</I> Ithra an
Israelite, that went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister
to Zeruiah Joab's mother.
&nbsp; 26 So Israel and Absalom pitched in the land of Gilead.
&nbsp; 27 And it came to pass, when David was come to Mahanaim, that
Shobi the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and
Machir the son of Ammiel of Lodebar, and Barzillai the Gileadite
of Rogelim,
&nbsp; 28 Brought beds, and basons, and earthen vessels, and wheat,
and barley, and flour, and parched <I>corn,</I> and beans, and
lentiles, and parched <I>pulse,</I>
&nbsp; 29 And honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kine, for
David, and for the people that <I>were</I> with him, to eat: for they
said, The people <I>is</I> hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the
wilderness.
</FONT></P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
Here is,
I. The transporting of David and his forces over Jordan, pursuant to
the advice he had received from his friends at Jerusalem,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:22"><I>v.</I> 22</A>.
He, and all that were with him, went over in the night, whether in
ferryboats, which probably always plied there, or through the fords,
does not appear. But special notice is taken of this, that there lacked
not one of them: none deserted him, though his distress was great, none
staid behind sick or weary, nor were any lost or cast away in passing
the river. Herein some make him a type of the Messiah, who said, in a
difficult day, <I>Of all that thou hast given me have I lost none.</I>
Having got over Jordan, he marched many miles forward to Mahanaim, a
Levites' city in the tribe of Gad, in the utmost border of that tribe,
and not far from Rabbah, the chief city of the Ammonites. This city,
which Ishbosheth had made his royal city
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+2:8"><I>ch.</I> ii. 8</A>),
David now made his head-quarters,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:24"><I>v.</I> 24</A>.
And now he had time to raise an army wherewith to oppose the rebels and
give them a warm reception.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
II. The death of Ahithophel,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:23"><I>v.</I> 23</A>.
He died by his own hands, <I>felo de se</I>--<I>a suicide.</I> He hanged
himself for vexation that his counsel was not followed; for thereby,
1. He thought himself slighted, and an intolerable slur cast upon his
reputation for wisdom. His judgment always used to sway at the
counsel-board, but now another's opinion is thought wiser and better
than his. His proud heart cannot bear the affront; it rises and swells,
and the more he thinks of it the more violent his resentments grow,
till they bring him at last to this desperate resolve not to live to
see another preferred before him. All men think him a wise man, but he
thinks himself the only wise man; and therefore to be avenged upon
mankind for not thinking so too, he will die, that wisdom may die with
him. The world is not worthy of such an oracle as he is, and therefore
he will make them know the want of him. See what real enemies those
are to themselves that think too well of themselves, and what mischiefs
those run upon that are impatient of contempt. That will break a proud
man's heart that will not break a humble man's sleep.
2. He thought himself endangered and his life exposed. He concluded
that, because his counsel was not followed, Absalom's cause would
certainly miscarry, and then, whoever would find David's mercy, he
concluded that he, who was the greatest criminal, and had particularly
advised him to lie with his father's concubines, must be sacrificed to
justice. To prevent therefore the shame and terror of a public and
solemn execution, he does justice upon himself, and, after his
reputation for wisdom, by this last act puts a far greater disgrace
upon himself than Absalom's privy-council had put upon him, and answers
his name <I>Ahithophel,</I> which signifies, <I>the brother of a
fool.</I> Nothing indicates so much folly as self-murder. Observe, How
deliberately he did it, and of malice prepense against himself; not in
a heat, but he went home to his city, to his house, to do it; and,
which is strange, took time to consider of it, and yet did it. And, to
prove himself <I>compos mentis--in his senses,</I> when he did it, he
first put his household in order, made his will as a man of sane memory
and understanding, settled his estate, balanced his accounts; yet he
that had sense and prudence enough to do this had not consideration
enough to revoke the sentence his pride and passion had passed upon his
own neck, nor so much as to suspend the execution of it till he saw the
event of Absalom's rebellion. Now herein we may see,
(1.) Contempt poured upon the wisdom of man. He that was more renowned
for policy than any man played the fool with himself more abundantly.
<I>Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,</I> when he sees him that
was so great an oracle dying <I>as a fool dies.</I>
(2.) Honour done to the justice of God. When the wicked are thus
<I>snared in the work of their own hands, and sunk in a pit of their
own digging, the Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth,</I>
and we must say, <I>Higgaion, Selah;</I> it is a thing to be marked and
meditated upon,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+7:15,16">Ps. vii. 15, 16</A>.
(3.) Prayer answered, and an honest cause served even by its enemies.
Now, as David had prayed, Ahithophel's counsel was <I>turned into
foolishness to himself.</I> Dr. Lightfoot supposes that David penned
the
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+55:1-23">55th Psalm</A>
upon occasion of Ahithophel's being in the plot against him, and that
he is the man complained of
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:13"><I>v.</I> 13</A>)
that had been <I>his equal, his guide, and his acquaintance;</I> and,
if so, this was an immediate answer to his prayer there
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:15"><I>v.</I> 15</A>):
<I>Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quickly into
hell.</I> Ahithophel's death was an advantage to David's interest; for
had he digested that affront (as those must resolve often to do that
will live in this world), and continued his post at Absalom's elbow, he
might have given him counsel afterwards that might have been of
pernicious consequence to David. It is well that that breath is stopped
and that head laid from which nothing could be expected but mischief.
It seems, it was not then usual to disgrace the dead bodies of
self-murderers, for Ahithophel was <I>buried,</I> we may suppose
honourably buried, <I>in the sepulchre of his father,</I> though he
deserved no better than the <I>burial of an ass.</I> See
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ec+8:10">Eccl. viii. 10</A>.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
III. Absalom's pursuit of his father. He had now got all the men of
Israel with him, as Hushai advised, and he himself, at the head of
them, <I>passed over Jordan,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:24"><I>v.</I> 24</A>.
Not content that he had driven his good father to the utmost corner of
his kingdom, he resolved to chase him out of the world. He <I>pitched
in the land of Gilead</I> with all his forces, ready to give David
battle,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:26"><I>v.</I> 26</A>.
Absalom made one Amasa his general
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:25"><I>v.</I> 25</A>),
whose father was by birth Jether, an Ishmaelite
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ch+2:17">1 Chron. ii. 17</A>),
but by religion Ithra (as he is here called), an Israelite; probably he
was not only proselyted, but, having married a near relation of
David's, was, by some act of the state, naturalized, and is therefore
called an Israelite. His wife, Amasa's mother, was Abigail, David's
sister, whose other sister, Zeruiah, was Joab's mother
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ch+2:16">1 Chron. ii. 16</A>),
so that Amasa was in the same relation to David that Joab was. In
honour to his family, even while he was in arms against his father,
Absalom made him commander-in-chief of all his forces. Jesse is here
called <I>Nahash,</I> for many had two names; or perhaps this was his
wife's name.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
IV. The friends David met with in this distant country. Even Shobi, a
younger brother of the royal family of the Ammonites, was kind to him,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:27"><I>v.</I> 27</A>.
It is probable that he had detested the indignity which his brother
Hanun had done to David's ambassadors, and for that had received
favours from David, which he now returned. Those that think their
prosperity most confirmed know not but, some time or other, they may
stand in need of the kindness of those that now lie at their mercy, and
may be glad to be beholden to them, which is a reason why we should, as
we have opportunity, <I>do good to all men,</I> for <I>he that watereth
shall be watered also himself,</I> when there is occasion. Machir, the
son of Ammiel, was he that maintained Mephibosheth
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+9:4"><I>ch.</I> ix. 4</A>),
till David eased him of that charge, and is now repaid for it by that
generous man, who, it seems, was the common patron of distressed
princes. Barzillai we shall hear of again. These, compassionating David
and his men, now that they were weary with a long march, brought him
furniture for his house, <I>beds and basins,</I> and provision for his
table, <I>wheat and barley,</I> &c.,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+17:28,29"><I>v.</I> 28, 29</A>.
He did not put them under contribution, did not compel them to supply
him, much less plunder them; but in token of their dutiful affection to
him, and their sincere concern for him in his present straits, of their
own good will they brought in plenty of all that which he had occasion
for. Let us learn hence to be generous and open-handed, according as
our ability is, to all in distress, especially great men, to whom it is
most grievous, and good men, who deserve better treatment; and see how
God sometimes makes up to his people that comfort from strangers which
they are disappointed of in their own families.</P>
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