Game of Thrones – Bad Advice for a Wanna-be King

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Scripture: 2 Samuel 16:15-23; 2 Samuel 17:1-14

Key Verses:
²⁰Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give us your advice. What should we do?”
²¹Ahithophel answered, “Sleep with your father’s concubines whom he left to take care of the palace. Then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself obnoxious to your father, and the hands of everyone with you will be more resolute.”
2 Samuel 16:20-21

Observations

Context

Previously, on Game of Thrones, Bible Edition:
- A massive rift grew between King David and his son Absalom.
- For years, Absalom plotted an insurrection at the gates of Jerusalem, under his father’s nose, where he garnered support of the commoners.
- He launched his rebellion from Hebron, David’s former capital city.
- Reading the tea leaves, David made a hasty escape from Jerusalem as Absalom’s forces approached.
- David’s top advisor, Ahithophel, turned traitor, throwing his support and counsel to Absalom.
- As he made his sorrowful retreat, David sent back his other trusted advisor, Hushai, to Jerusalem to pretend to have also switched loyalties.
David and his quite capable fighting men were on the run and likely outnumbered on the outskirts of Jerusalem.

Bad Personal Advice

Ahithophel’s first piece of advice is to sleep with David’s 10 concubines that he’d left behind to watch over the affairs of the palace.
He advises that Absalom do this in public as a sign of his power and his complete takeover of power from his father.
Absalom follows this advice and pitches a tent on the roof where all the city can visualize the atrocity.

Good and Bad Military Advice

Ahithophel suggests an instant strike to find and kill David swiftly and end the war before it begins.
Hushai, however, urges caution, while instead building an insurmountable army.
- Hushai is actually David’s spy and wants time to get word to David of Absalom’s plans.
- He tells Absalom’s that all of Israel will fall in line behind Absalom against David.
Hushai’s logic is heeded by Absalom, leaving Ahithophel so distraught that he takes his own life.
- Hushai’s very convincing (but deceptive) logic:
  - He harkens back to the days of Joshua, reminding Absalom about Israel’s defeat at the hands of the city of AI after a too-hasty attack.
  - David is crafty; a proven man of war with mighty warriors.
  - They might have orchestrated this retreat in order to lay in ambush.
  - One small defeat now would have a devastating effect on the people’s confidence in Absalom.
Verse 14b: For the Lord had determined to frustrate the good advice of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom.

Interpretation

Setting

The military stronghold and capital city of Jerusalem.

Genre

Narrative description.

Author

The author is unknown, but they had access to the records of the kings and possessed a thorough knowledge of the life and times of Samuel and the events surrounding the first kings of Israel.

Takeaways

Absalom was a very skilled politician, but completely lacking in wisdom.
- He chose the horrible advice of Ahithophel regarding David’s concubines. To sleep with them on the roof of the palace was an abomination to God and to any supporters of David who remained in Jerusalem.
  - There had to be a sense of retribution in Absalom’s heart to perform such a hateful act.
- He also chose the poor military advise of Hushai over Ahithophel’s good advice to end the war quickly.
  - Absalom was fooled by Hushai, not recognizing that he was a spy sent back by David.
  - Absalom was flattered by Hushai’s idea that he could build a massive army because all of Israel would fall in line behind him.
God was behind all of this.
- 2 Samuel 17:14 talks about how God was determined to frustrate Absalom’s efforts.
  - This tells me that from a military standpoint, Ahithophel’s plan was better, but God didn’t want Absalom to succeed.
  - David had prayed for this very thing from the Mount of Olives as he fled Jerusalem – for Ahithophel’s advice to be unproductive.
- 2 Samuel 16:23 says: Now in those days the advice Ahithophel gave was like that of one who inquires of God. That was how both David and Absalom regarded all of Ahithophel’s advice.
  - In other words, prior to this conflict, both Absalom and David regarded Ahithophel like an Oracle of God.
  - Yet in spite of this reverence, Absalom chose Hushai’s plan.

Imagine

Hushai was sent back to Jerusalem to pose as a turncoat to Absalom. How did he maintain his composure knowing he needed to contradict the instructions of the revered Ahithophel?

Correlation

John 11:50-51 – Referring to Jesus, the high priest Caiaphas made this prophecy: “It is better for you that one man die for the people than the whole nation perish.”

The justification for Ahithophel’s advice sounded a lot like Caiaphas. Strike quickly, hunt David down and kill him before he can get organized, and the war will be over before it starts. One man’s death will benefit us all.

Application

Generic Applications

How do we recognize bad advice?
- Ask if the advice directly contradicts any scriptural mandate.
- Ahithophel’s advice to take David’s concubines, in public, would certainly have not met that criteria.
- Was this action by Absalom the final straw that turned God against him? It certainly didn’t help. He could have just allowed his father to live in exile and avoided a war altogether.

Personalize it

What voices in my life do I give the most credence?
Are those people walking with God? If not, is there someone else I can seek out as a mentor?

Bible study methodology adapted from Searching the Scriptures with permission from Tyndale House:

Swindoll, Charles, Searching the Scriptures. Tyndale House Publishers, 2016.

Daniel P Warner