Today started out with Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth meeting David. He brought him donkeys and food and wine. All of this was done because he wanted to have the house of his father given back. With that, the king told Ziba all that belonged to Mephibosheth would now be his. Ziba paid homage, and asked to find favor in his sight.
When King David got to Bahurim, a man came out and began cursing him. He threw stones at them and told them to, “Get out!” He told him, “The Lord has avenged on you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned, and the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, your evil is on you, for you are a man of blood.”
David did not mind that the man continued to curse him, because he hoped the Lord would repay this wrong doing to him and repay him with good.
At this point, Absalom came into Jerusalem, and Ahithophel was with him. I feel like I missed the part that said who this was, but the more I read I’m seeing he was some sort of counselor…
Anyway, Hushai who was David’s friend, came to Absalom to greet him and said, “Long live the king!” Even Absalom was a little surprised and questioned Hushai’s loyalty to David. Hushai said basically he was loyal to Israel, and whoever the men of Israel had chosen to be king was who he would serve. As he served David, now he would serve Absalom.
Ahithopel counseled Absalom and told him to go into his father’s concubines, because they had stayed in the city to keep the house. This way all of Israel would see that Absalom had become a stench to his father, and all the hands of who was with him would be strengthened.
Ahithophel said to Absalom that he should take twelve thousand men and pursue David that night. He would only take David and harm no one else, because they only wanted David anyway. This advice seemed right in the eyes of Absalom and all the elders of Israel.
Hushai was brought to Absalom and told him that the advice Ahithophel had given was not good. “David and his men were mighty men, and they were enraged, like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field.” He explained that David was an expert at war, and he would not be spending the night with his people.
His counsel to Absalom was that all Israel be gathered to attack. Absalom found the counsel of Hushai to be better than that of Ahithophel.
Hushai said to the priests to send quickly and tell David not to sleep in the wilderness that night, but to pass over or they would all be swallowed up. They went to a city, but were not to be seen entering it. Except they were seen by a young man who went and told Absalom they were there.
They hid inside a well, and a woman covered it up and scattered grain on it so anyone who passed by it would not know it was there. After the threat was gone, they climbed out of the well. David was told that Ahithophel had counseled against him and they were to cross the Jordan.
When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he went home to his own city. He set his house in order and then hung himself. He died and was buried in the tomb of his father.
Absalom also crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel. Absalom had set Amasa over the army instead of Joab. They all camped in the land of Gilead.