The Foolishness of God and the Wisdom of Men Text: 2 Samuel 17:1-14
Introduction: A Tale of Two Counsels
We come now to the hinge point of Absalom's rebellion. Everything turns on the counsel given in the usurper's war room. The kingdom hangs in the balance, and the decision rests on the advice of two men. On one side, you have Ahithophel, whose counsel was esteemed as if a man had inquired at the oracle of God. His advice was shrewd, swift, and deadly. On the other side, you have Hushai, David's plant, a man tasked with the unenviable job of outwitting the wisest counselor in Israel. This is a high-stakes game of political chess, but we must see that the hands moving the pieces are not merely human. The true conflict here is not between Ahithophel and Hushai, or even between Absalom and David. The conflict is between the wisdom of this world and the sovereign, ordaining counsel of Almighty God.
This world believes in experts. It trusts in stratagems, in political savvy, in military might, and in pragmatic solutions. And from a purely worldly perspective, Ahithophel's plan was brilliant. It was the smart move. It was efficient, targeted, and would have ended the conflict with minimal bloodshed for the nation, securing Absalom's throne overnight. But God had other plans. Our text concludes with one of the most explicit statements of divine providence in all of Scripture: "For Yahweh had ordained to thwart the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that Yahweh might bring calamity on Absalom."
This is the central lesson for us. God's people are often outmatched, outmaneuvered, and out-resourced by the world. The enemies of the Church frequently possess a cunning that is, by all human standards, superior. Their plans are often "good counsel" in the way the world measures such things. But we serve a God who delights in taking the wisdom of the wise and turning it into gibberish. He snares the crafty in their own craftiness. This passage is a dramatic exhibition of how God works all things, including the foolishness of prideful rebellion and the cleverness of worldly wisdom, to accomplish His own righteous ends. He is the master strategist, and the war councils of men are but a stage for the display of His sovereign power.
The Text
Then Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Please let me choose 12,000 men that I may arise and pursue David tonight. And I will come upon him while he is weary with his hands falling limp and throw him into utter fright, so that all the people who are with him will flee. Then I will strike down the king alone, and I will cause all the people to return to you. The return of everyone depends on the man you seek; then all the people will be at peace." And the word was right in the eyes of Absalom and all the elders of Israel. Then Absalom said, "Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear what is also in his mouth." Then Hushai came to Absalom. And Absalom spoke to him, saying, "Ahithophel has spoken thus. Shall we carry out his word? If not, you speak." And Hushai said to Absalom, "This time the counsel that Ahithophel has counseled is not good." Then Hushai said, "You know your father and his men, that they are mighty men and they are bitter of soul, like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. And your father is a man of war, and will not spend the night with the people. Behold, he has now hidden himself in one of the caves or in another place; and it will be when he falls on them at the first attack, that whoever hears it will say, 'There has been a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom.' And even the one who is a man of valor, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will utterly melt; for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man and those who are with him are men of valor. But I counsel that all Israel be utterly gathered to you, from Dan even to Beersheba, as the sand that is by the sea in abundance, and that you personally go into battle. So we shall come to him in one of the places where he can be found, and we will set down on him as the dew falls on the ground; and of him and of all the men who are with him, not even one will be left. If he withdraws into a city, then all Israel shall carry ropes to that city, and we will drag it into the valley until not even a small stone is found there." Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, "The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel." For Yahweh had ordained to thwart the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that Yahweh might bring calamity on Absalom.
(2 Samuel 17:1-14 LSB)
The Devil's Lightning Strike (vv. 1-4)
We begin with the counsel of Ahithophel, which was as shrewd as it was wicked.
"Then Ahithophel said to Absalom, 'Please let me choose 12,000 men that I may arise and pursue David tonight. And I will come upon him while he is weary... Then I will strike down the king alone...'" (2 Samuel 17:1-2)
Ahithophel's plan is a model of military efficiency. He correctly assesses David's condition: he is weary, his followers are demoralized, and they are vulnerable. He proposes a swift, targeted strike, a special forces operation under the cover of darkness. He asks for 12,000 men, a significant but manageable force, representing the twelve tribes of Israel. His goal is surgical: "strike down the king alone." He understands the principle of decapitation. Cut off the head, and the body will fall. He even frames it as an act of mercy to the nation: this will prevent a protracted civil war and bring all the people to Absalom in peace. It is a clean, quick, and pragmatic solution.
And notice, "the word was right in the eyes of Absalom and all the elders of Israel" (v. 4). Of course it was. It made perfect sense. It was good counsel. This is how the wisdom of the world operates. It is logical, it is persuasive, and it is often very effective. This is the kind of advice a CEO would pay top dollar for. It is the logic of Caiaphas: "it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish" (John 11:50). The problem is not that the counsel was tactically flawed; the problem is that it was aimed at destroying God's anointed. Wickedness can be, and often is, highly intelligent.
The Divine Stalling Tactic (vv. 5-13)
Just when the evil plan is about to be ratified, Absalom hesitates. This hesitation is the first crack in the wall, the first sign of God's invisible hand at work.
"Then Absalom said, 'Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear what is also in his mouth.'" (2 Samuel 17:5)
Why does he do this? From a human perspective, it is the vanity of a new king. Absalom is puffed up with his success. He has the great Ahithophel, and now he has David's old counselor, Hushai, as well. He wants to parade his new acquisitions. He wants a second opinion not because he doubts the first, but because he delights in having a full stable of wise men. Pride is the hook God puts in Absalom's jaw. He thinks he is displaying his power, but in reality, he is opening the door for God to unravel his rebellion.
Hushai is then brought in and delivers a masterful piece of reverse psychology. He does not directly attack Ahithophel's wisdom. Instead, he begins by acknowledging its usual quality but says, "This time the counsel that Ahithophel has counseled is not good" (v. 7). He then proceeds to play on Absalom's two greatest weaknesses: his vanity and his fear.
First, he appeals to fear. He paints a terrifying picture of David and his men. They are not weary travelers; they are "mighty men," "bitter of soul, like a bear robbed of her cubs" (v. 8). David is not a tired old man; he is a "man of war" who will not be caught sleeping. Hushai creates the specter of a guerilla campaign, with David hiding in caves, launching surprise attacks, and causing panic. He knows that a single early defeat, even a small one, would shatter the morale of Absalom's populist army. "Even the one who is a man of valor, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will utterly melt" (v. 10). This is psychological warfare, and it is brilliant.
Second, having stoked Absalom's fear, he now appeals to his vanity. His counter-proposal is the polar opposite of Ahithophel's surgical strike. It is a grand, glorious, overwhelming display of force. "I counsel that all Israel be utterly gathered to you, from Dan even to Beersheba, as the sand that is by the sea in abundance" (v. 11). This is not a mission for a subordinate; this is a campaign for a great king. And who should lead this magnificent host? "And that you personally go into battle." Ahithophel's plan made Ahithophel the hero. Hushai's plan makes Absalom the hero. He paints a picture of Absalom at the head of an invincible army, descending on David "as the dew falls on the ground," an image of silent, irresistible force. He even adds a flourish of hyperbole: if David hides in a city, they will bring ropes and drag the entire city into the valley. It is absurd, but it is epic. It is bad military strategy, but it is fantastic political theater. It appeals directly to the pompous heart of the usurper.
The Lord's Ordination (v. 14)
The climax of the scene is the decision. And the reason for the decision is laid bare for all to see.
"Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, 'The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel.' For Yahweh had ordained to thwart the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that Yahweh might bring calamity on Absalom." (2 Samuel 17:14)
The rebels choose the foolish, flamboyant, and ultimately fatal plan. And the Holy Spirit does not leave us guessing as to why. It was not because Hushai was a better orator. It was not because Absalom was a fool, though he was. It was because "Yahweh had ordained it." This is the doctrine of divine providence in its raw and potent form. God is not a passive observer of human history. He is the author. He ordains outcomes. He works through secondary causes, like Hushai's clever speech and Absalom's pride, but He is the ultimate cause.
Notice the language carefully. The counsel of Ahithophel is explicitly called "good counsel." The Bible acknowledges its tactical brilliance. God did not defeat a stupid plan; He defeated a good plan. He did this in order to bring about His own purpose, which was the judgment of Absalom. God is so sovereign that He can take a strategically sound piece of advice, place it next to a piece of flattering nonsense, and cause a room full of rebels to choose the nonsense. He hardens hearts. He clouds minds. He gives men over to their own delusions because their destruction is a part of His righteous plan. As Proverbs says, "There is no wisdom and no understanding and no counsel against the LORD" (Proverbs 21:30).
Conclusion: Our Confidence in Providence
What does this high-level political maneuvering in ancient Israel have to do with us? Everything. We live in a world that is in rebellion against God's true anointed King, the Lord Jesus Christ. And the counselors of this world are very shrewd. They devise clever schemes to undermine the church, to marginalize the faithful, and to build their secular utopias. Their counsel often seems "good." Their arguments are sophisticated. Their power is immense.
We can be tempted to despair, or to try to fight fire with fire, adopting the world's manipulative methods for our own ends. But this passage calls us to a different kind of confidence. Our trust is not in our ability to outwit the Ahithophels of our day. Our trust is in the God who ordains the thwarting of their plans. David was miles away, fleeing for his life, completely unaware of this debate. His fate was being decided in the enemy's camp, and he was powerless to affect it. But his God was not. David's prayer in this crisis was simple: "O Yahweh, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness" (2 Samuel 15:31). And God answered.
This is our recourse. We are to be faithful. We are to work, to speak, to build. But ultimately, we are to pray and trust in the God who holds the hearts of kings, and rebels, in His hand. The story of Absalom is a preview of the ultimate rebellion. The rulers of the earth took counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, "Let us burst their bonds apart" (Psalm 2:2-3). They had the best counsel of Rome and the Sanhedrin. They had the power of the state. And their plan to kill the King seemed to succeed. But in crucifying the Lord of glory, God was thwarting their "good counsel" in the most spectacular way imaginable, turning their greatest victory into their ultimate defeat. He used their wicked plans to bring about the salvation of the world.
Therefore, do not fear the wisdom of this age. Do not be intimidated by the plans of ungodly men. Their counsel will come to nothing. Pray that God would turn their wisdom to foolishness, and then stand back and watch Him work. For He has ordained to thwart all counsel that is raised against His Christ, so that He might bring His promised kingdom to its glorious consummation.