Hushai had been encouraged by David to remain in Jerusalem
and offer himself as a counselor to Absalom in order to spy upon the
proceedings and, if possible, to thwart the counsel of Ahitophel. Ahitophel gave counsel to Absalom to press
the attack immediately against David, kill him and then all Israel will fall
into line behind Absalom as king. Hushai
is called that he might respond to this advice and he counters with a different
plan in order to buy time for David and also to put Absalom personally into the
fray where Ahitophel had counseled that Absalom remain at home while he,
Ahitophel, led out the armies. Hushai’s
counsel appealed to the vanity of the young man and so Ahitophel’s counsel was
set aside. There is a quality in the
story of the men being hidden by a woman on the Israeli side of the Jordan
which is reminiscent of the story of Hagar hiding the spies long before. The whole story, with Hushai creating the
image of David as a mighty man and the men with him as valiant and mighty that
also reminds of the first episode of spying out the land. Ahitophel determines
to leave and goes home and hangs himself in disgrace, perhaps he knew it wasn’t
going to go well for Absalom.
If Jesus can do nothing on His own why would we ever think
we could? He says that He judges only
because He hears the voice of the Father first, and that His judgment is just
because He isn’t seeking His will but the Father’s. I fear that we can be like these to whom Jesus
is speaking. We can be biblicists and
forget that the Bible points to Him, a person, not a set of rules, stories,
etc. In the end, what we make of Jesus
is all that matters and if we don’t see Him in the entire Word, which, at the
time He speaks, points only to the Old Testament, then we don’t see Him rightly
or read the Word well. If we would know
the Father, we must receive the one He sent, the Son. For Jesus to make such a claim is
breathtaking in its audacity if it isn’t true and He points to multiple
attestations to this truth. Hearing His
voice is paramount in every situation in our lives.
Paul’s argument is clear, no one is or can be justified
under the Law because no one keeps it all perfectly. Scrupulosity like that of the Pharisees is
fine so far as it goes but it doesn’t go far enough to be perfect. Only one, Jesus, has ever kept the Law, so
the righteous live by faith. Sometimes
we overlook that term, “the righteous” in that little phrase. Faith isn’t the only thing that is important
there, we are called to righteousness as well as faith but that righteousness
is never to be the ground of our faith, only His righteousness. David had faith not in Hushai and the priests
who were also spies on his behalf, he had faith in God, that His will would be
done in all things. God used these men
for His purposes but ultimately only the Lord receives credit for delivering
David from Absalom. We are always, in
all things, dependent on faith in the only one who is eternally faithful, who
has revealed Himself and true righteousness in the face of His Son.
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