Devotions on F.I.R.E. Year OneSample

And David said, “O LORD, I pray, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness!" (2 Samuel 15:31).

Do you turn to prayer when you are overmatched?

Ahithophel’s council is renowned. “Now the advice of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if one had inquired at the oracle of God. So was all the advice of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom” (2 Samuel 16:23). This is why David petitions the Lord to “turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.” Why does Ahithophel betray David? It seems that Ahithophel is Bathsheba’s grandfather. “Eliam [is] the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite” (2 Samuel 23:34). Connect this with 2 Samuel 11:3, “Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” Nonetheless God honors David’s prayer and the counsel of Ahithophel is rejected for the advice of Hushai (2 Samuel 17:1-14) that spares David’s life from Absalom and his conspirators. Sadly, Ahithophel kills himself (2 Samuel 17:23).

Employment Point: Pray for God’s intervention when you are overwhelmed.