"Hushai told Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, 'Ahithophel has advised Absalom and the elders of Israel to do such and such, but I have advised them to do so and so. Now send a message at once to tell David, '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.'" (2 Samuel 17:15-16) In yesterday's passage we found Hushai giving Absalom advice that differed from that of Absalom's advisor Ahithophel. Absalom preferred Hushai's plan which took more time to put into action. During that time Hushai goes to the priests, Zadok and Abiathar, whom you'll recall wanted to leave Jerusalem with David but whom he sent back to the city so they could be of aid to him. The time has come for them to be of aid to him.
The priests get word to their two sons, whom David also sent back to the region around Jerusalem to work as spies for him, and these two men risk their lives to warn the king. "Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at En Rogel. A female servant was to go and inform them, and they were to go and tell King David, for they could not risk being seen entering the city. But a young man saw them and told Absalom. So the two of them left at once and went to the house of a man in Bahurim. He had a well in his courtyard, and they climbed down into it. His wife took a covering and spread it out over the opening of the well and scattered grain over it. No one knew anything about it." (2 Samuel 17:17-19)
David was passing through Bahurim when last we saw him. The roadway through that region is where he was cursed and pelted by stones by a man named Shimei, who was of the clan of the late King Saul. On that occasion David's nephew Abishai offered to cut off the man's head for assaulting and disrespecting the king but David showed Shimei mercy and passed on through without taking any action against him. He said perhaps the Lord would bless him for his mercy. I think in verses 17-19 David may be reaping the mercy he showed Shimei, for if he had allowed his men to slaughter Shimei of Bahurim, some of the people there might have turned against him and be on the lookout for spies getting messages to David. But as it is, the people of Bahurim are still on his side and are willing to risk the wrath of Absalom to protect men who are working for the king.
"When Absalom's men came to the woman at the house, they asked, 'Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?' The woman answered them, 'They crossed over the brook.' The men searched but found no one, so they returned to Jerusalem." (2 Samuel 17:20) This woman's bravery reminds me of the bravery of Rahab in Joshua 2. Rahab hid the two spies sent from Joshua to infiltrate her hometown of Jericho. She was from a heathen culture but feared the God of Israel and wanted to be on the right side of Him, so she hid the spies from their pursuers and saved their lives. We are not given the name of the woman who hides Ahimaaz and Jonathan in our current chapter. The reason we were given Rahab's name in Joshua 2 is likely because Rahab is an ancestress of Jesus of Nazareth. She appears in His genealogical record in Matthew 1:5.
As soon as Absalom's men are gone, Ahimaaz and Jonathan climb out of the well and continue on their mission, thanks to the unnamed woman of Bahurim. "After they had gone, the two climbed out of the well and went to inform King David. They said to him, 'Set out and cross the river at once; Ahithophel has advised such and such against you.'" (2 Samuel 17:21) Ahimaaz and Jonathan know that Absalom stated he preferred Hushai's plan over Ahithophel's plan, but these two men can't be certain which plan Absalom will actually follow when he has his troops amassed. Even under Hushai's plan it's imperative that David gets across the Jordan River as quickly as possible, for with thousands upon thousands of troops, Absalom will be capable of searching every cave and crevice all the way along the route from Jerusalem to the Jordan. Getting across the river will give David and those with him a huge advantage over Absalom because it will take a great deal of time for Absalom to move thousands of troops, their horses, their chariots, and all their equipment to the other side. Absalom will cross the Jordan later in Chapter 17 but by then David has a good head start on him. "So David and all the people with him set out and crossed the Jordan. By daybreak, no one was left who had not crossed the Jordan." (2 Samuel 17:22)
While the events of verses 15 to 22 have been taking place, Ahithophel dies by his own hand. "When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and set out for his house in his hometown. He put his house in order and then he hanged himself. So he died and was buried in his father's tomb." (2 Samuel 17:23) Ahithophel is used to having his advice followed as if he were a prophet of the Lord, according to what we were told in 2 Samuel 16:23. Having his advice disregarded makes him feel scorned and shamed. I think it seems certain to him that he will lose his position as Absalom's top advisor in favor of Hushai if Hushai's plan is successful. Or it could be that he suspects Hushai's plan will not be successful and that Absalom will lose his bid for the throne, in which case David can logically be expected to put Absalom and all his co-conspirators to death, including Ahithophel. However this situation turns out, Ahithophel has lost his exalted position as advisor to the king and, if things go wrong for Absalom, he may be charged with treason and executed. In his distress he sees no alternative to taking his life.
There are alternatives. We've found David to be a merciful person and it may be that Ahithophel could have repented for his betrayal of David and that he could have sought and been granted David's forgiveness. This may have saved his life, though not his position as chief advisor to the king. If Ahithophel is not sorry for his sins and not inclined to apologize for them, he could stand and be charged in David's courtroom when David is restored to his throne, admit his guilt, and accept his sentencing like a man. I suppose if Ahithophel wanted to take the cowardly way out, he could have fled the nation and lived in exile for the rest of his life, but I think he may have viewed this course of action as bringing more shame on his family than if he just ended his life.
The main thing to remember about Ahithophel is that if he had not betrayed his king he would not have found himself in such a terrible position. In betraying David he scorned the will of God who commanded David to be anointed king by the prophet Samuel. The Lord has made no announcement that He's changed His mind about David. The Lord has commanded no prophet or priest to anoint Absalom or anyone else to be king in David's place. Unless or until the Lord initiates a change in the royal house of Israel, no one has the right to declare anyone king but David. It won't be long until the Lord makes that very clear to all of those who betrayed their king and sinned against the Lord in the process.
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