Then 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 ordained to thwart the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the Lord might bring calamity on Absalom.

But if you return to the city, and say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king; as I have been your father’s servant in time past, so I will now be your servant,’ then you can thwart the counsel of Ahithophel for me.

Now someone told David, saying, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said, “O Lord, I pray, make the counsel of Ahithophel foolishness.”

The advice of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if one inquired of the word of God; so was all the advice of Ahithophel regarded by both David and Absalom.

He said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.”

But, indeed, for this reason I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth.

But Sihon king of Heshbon was not willing for us to pass through his land; for the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, in order to deliver him into your hand, as he is today.

As he was talking with him, the king said to him, “Have we appointed you a royal counselor? Stop! Why should you be struck down?” Then the prophet stopped and said, “I know that God has planned to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.”

But Amaziah would not listen, for it was from God, that He might deliver them into the hand of Joash because they had sought the gods of Edom.

“He frustrates the plotting of the shrewd,
So that their hands cannot attain success.

The Lord has made Himself known;
He has executed judgment.
In the work of his own hands the wicked is snared. Higgaion Selah.

For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.

Many plans are in a man’s heart,
But the counsel of the Lord will stand.

There is no wisdom and no understanding
And no counsel against the Lord.

Devise a plan, but it will be thwarted;
State a proposal, but it will not stand,
For God is with us.”

Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass,
Unless the Lord has commanded it?

“Though they hide on the summit of Carmel,
I will search them out and take them from there;
And though they conceal themselves from My sight on the floor of the sea,
From there I will command the serpent and it will bite them.

And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light.

For it is written,
I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.”

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, “He is the one who catches the wise in their craftiness”;

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Summary

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.

Good counsel

General references

Bible References

Appointed

For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.
Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass,
Unless the Lord has commanded it?
“Though they hide on the summit of Carmel,
I will search them out and take them from there;
And though they conceal themselves from My sight on the floor of the sea,
From there I will command the serpent and it will bite them.

To defeat

But if you return to the city, and say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king; as I have been your father’s servant in time past, so I will now be your servant,’ then you can thwart the counsel of Ahithophel for me.
The advice of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if one inquired of the word of God; so was all the advice of Ahithophel regarded by both David and Absalom.
“He frustrates the plotting of the shrewd,
So that their hands cannot attain success.
Many plans are in a man’s heart,
But the counsel of the Lord will stand.
There is no wisdom and no understanding
And no counsel against the Lord.
Devise a plan, but it will be thwarted;
State a proposal, but it will not stand,
For God is with us.”
For it is written,
I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.”
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, “He is the one who catches the wise in their craftiness”;

Good counsel

And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light.

General references

“He makes counselors walk barefoot
And makes fools of judges.
“For You have kept their heart from understanding,
Therefore You will not exalt them.

New American Standard Bible Copyright ©1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org

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