And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the LORD had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring evil upon Absalom.
And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, 'Hushai the Archite's advice is better than Ahithophel's advice.' For the LORD had planned to defeat Ahithophel's good counsel, so that the LORD might bring disaster upon Absalom.
God worked behind the scenes to make sure Absalom chose bad advice instead of good advice, which would ultimately lead to Absalom's downfall.
📚 Historical Context
This occurs during Absalom's rebellion against his father King David. Ahithophel, David's former trusted counselor, had joined Absalom and given excellent military advice that could have quickly defeated David. However, David's loyal friend Hushai had infiltrated Absalom's court and deliberately gave appealing but strategically poor advice. The narrator reveals that God was sovereignly working through these human decisions to protect David and ensure Absalom's rebellion would fail.
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