DCLM Daily Manna 2024: DCLM Daily Manna 20 November 2024: Upturning A Murderous COunsel
Text: 2 Samuel 15:28-31 (KJV)
28 See, I will tarry in the plain of the wilderness, until there come word from you to certify me.
29 Zadok therefore and Abiathar carried the ark of God again to Jerusalem: and they tarried there.
30 And David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot: and all the people that was with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up.
31 And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O LORD, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.
2 Samuel 17:14 (KJV)
14 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.
2 Samuel 17:23 (KJV)
And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose, and gat him home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.
KEY VERSE: 2 Samuel 15:31
“And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O LORD, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.”
Qu Yuan served as a high-ranking minister and advisor to the State of Chu. He was known for his loyalty and wisdom. He counseled the king of Chu to resist the influence and expansion of the powerful State of Qin as the Chu kingdom faced internal corruption and external threats from neighboring States. He advocated for alliances with other states to counter the rising power of Qin but the king often ignored his counsel. Frustrated, Qu Yuan fell into despair. Eventually, Qin forces conquered the capital of Chu. Upon hearing news of the fall of his beloved Chu, he decided to end his life. He waded into the Miluo River, holding a heavy stone and drowned himself.
Ahithophel was such a great and nationally famed counsellor to King David, whose counsel “…was as if a man had inquired at the oracle of God” (2 Samuel 16:23). Sadly, he sided with Absalom, who mutinied against his father, David, and, by extension, against God because Israel was then a theocratic nation. Realizing this inglorious treason while in exile, David prayed that God would “turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness” (2 Samuel 15:31). God answered and “had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel…” who later committed suicide.
We learn that our talents, resources, skills, and competencies are only useful when we lay them down for divine use. Once anyone uses them against divine purpose, he is certain to lose everything, including even his own life, just like Ahithophel. Believers should also realize that evil and murderous counsels against them can be upturned through prayers. God watches over His children who have come to take refuge under His mighty name.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Fighting God or His children results in calamitous end.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
2 Kings 18-19
Daily Manna 20 November 2024
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