Espionage


2 Samuel 16:15-23
15 Now Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem and Ahithophel with him.
16 And when Hushai the Archite, David’s friend, came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”
17 And Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?”
18 And Hushai said to Absalom, “No, for whom the Lord and this people and all the men of Israel have chosen, his I will be, and with him I will remain.
19 And again, whom should I serve? Should it not be his son? As I have served your father, so I will serve you.”
20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give your counsel. What shall we do?”
21 Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to your father’s concubines, whom he has left to keep the house, and all Israel will hear that you have made yourself a stench to your father, and the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened.”
22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof. And Absalom went in to his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.
23 Now in those days the counsel that Ahithophel gave was as if one consulted the word of God; so was all the counsel of Ahithophel esteemed, both by David and by Absalom.

One of the challenges to being a student of the Bible is that many of our moral sensibilities are affronted, and often times rightfully so. In today’s story about the life of King David, we come across just such an example. As Absalom, David’s son, seeks to usurp David as King and take his throne we see him advised to enter the harem of David and have sex with those 10 women whom David left behind. In those times, a king’s harem was “transferred” to the new king, as was all of the property of the dead or deposed king. We raise an eyebrow at this for several reasons because this is just not a part of our culture. Imagine if President George Bush had to leave Laura behind for Barack Obama! Yes, we’re a little offended by the idea. Now we see Absalom’s advisers telling him to act like a king and take the king’s harem. That will solidify his position in the eyes of the people and cause David to hate him. One of the things that offend us about this is that the women are merely pawns. Should David return, they will be cast aside by him and live out the rest of their lives as widows (which is indeed what happens). We remain affronted.

But we must put that aside for now. That was the culturally acceptable thing to do during that time in Jewish history. Now don’t jump to the conclusion that God approved. Nowhere in Scripture do we see God’s stamp of approval on treating anyone in this manner. The Jewish people got these practices by mimicking the nations around them, not from the Word of God. The fact that God remains silent does not signify approval. Our focus for today must be on the continuing drama between David and Absalom, whom David loved. At this point, Ahithophel (once David's adviser) has moved his loyalties from David to Absalom, and it would appear that Hushai has done so as well. Read the text again, looking closely at the words of Hushai. While it could be construed as loyalty to Absalom, he remains true to David. Absalom’s ego causes him to hear what he wants to hear from Hushai and thus Hushai rises to a place of trust in Absalom’s attempt to over-throw David’s government. But if you examine Hushai’s words you can see that he is very careful not to lie, but also to allow Absalom to believe in him. Cagey guy.

This leads us to our take home point for today; how often do we only hear what we want to hear rather than what is truly being said, especially when it comes to the voice of God? Our preconceived notions can quickly lead us into trouble when we assume that God is rubber stamping our activities. It is always a good idea to step back and examine our own motives and beliefs to check whether or not we are simply hearing what we want rather than what is being said. That time spent in self-examination is always a great idea. Allowing God to refine those motives will positively bring us to a place that disallows self-deception and enables God to refine our thinking. Then we are far less likely to be duped or lead astray by others or by our own egos. Even though he’s a bad guy, Absalom has much to teach us!

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