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Text: 2 Samuel 15:12,31,16:20-23,17:1-5,23
Why are you still holding that grudge?
Ahithophel was a wise, well-respected counselor in 2 Samuel 15:12 and 16:23. Ahithophel was David’s friend and confidante. Ahithophel had a son named Eliam who was among David’s mighty men (2 Samuel 23:34). These families were very close. Turns out that Bathsheba was the daughter of Eliam (2 Samuel 11:3). When David committed adultery with Bathsheba, then had Uriah her husband killed in battle, and destroyed the marriage of Ahithophel’s grandaughter grandson-in-law, Ahithophel never got over it. He was furious at David and he never got over it. And I’m not saying that David was forgiven by God therefore Ahithophel should just suck it up and forgive David. The injustice was real. The sin was real.
Your grudge is no respecter of persons
- 2 Samuel 15:12
- Ahithophel is an intelligent man. He’s not ignorant. But sin doesn’t care about your intelligence.
- Notice Ahithophel is also still a religious man. He’s offering sacrifices.
- Here is the epitome of a man keeping the law, offering sacrifices, and “serving God”, with a bad spirit. Except that’s not serving God when done with a bad spirit. God tries the hearts. He weighs the spirit of the man. Ahithophel comes to the altar to offer his gifts, but the Lord says if you have ought against your brother, first deal with that, then come offer your gifts.
- Serving God in Ahithophel’s life doesn’t look like “keeping the law”, it looks like getting the bitterness out of his heart and trusting the LORD with the injustice.
Your conversation is filthy because it’s consumed by hatred
- 2 Samuel 16:20-23
- Now, do you know why this piece of disgusting advice is given? To publicly humiliate David just like Ahithophel felt when David committed adultery with his granddaughter Bathsheba.
- Bitterness becomes all-consuming and spiteful. But what Ahithophel says to do works the way he says it will work. He understands human behavior and psychology. And he uses that information to hurt David.
- Ahithophel became close to Absalom in order to get to David.
- Ahithophel didn’t really care whether Absalom was the king or not.
Your grudge is full of Satanic wrath
- 2 Samuel 17:1-4
- You can sniff out the weakness of the person you hate and you know just where to strike. And this is what occupies your thoughts.
- The devil like a roaring lion goes about seeking who he may devour. He’s looking for weak spots. He wants to terrify and isolate and destroy.
- Your thoughts are not good thoughts; they are malicious, vengeful, and predatory.
God’s not going to honor your grudge
- 2 Samuel 17:5-7
- Hushai is David’s friend who will wisely destroy the wisdom of Ahithophel.
- You aren’t going to find grace in your grudge.
Even if your grudge is justified, it won’t end well
- 2 Samuel 17:23
- People usually destroy their lives to nurse an injustice done in or to their family.
- Ahithophel didn’t ask for his granddaughter to commit adultery with king David. He lost a good son-in-law in Uriah during this horrible episode. He lost a great-grandson, the baby, that died as a result of the sin of David.
- Ahithophel had every right to be mad at David.
- You may not have asked for this, but you’ll be the one holding it if you choose to. Someone handed you an injustice, but it’s your decision to carry it around or not.
- People do this with God. They get mad at him and it only hurts them.
Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good
- You need to be a partaker of God’s divine nature who when he was reproached he reproached not.
