2 Samuel 17:22 - Meaning and Application

Here we see David and his men crossing the Jordan, following the advice he had received from his friends in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 17:22). He and all who were with him went over at night, whether by ferryboats or by the fords is not stated. A special note is made of this, none of them was missing. No one deserted David, though his distress was severe, no one stayed behind from sickness or weariness, and none were lost or swept away in the crossing.

Some have seen in this a picture of the Messiah, who said in a hard time, “Of all those you have given me, I have lost none.” After crossing the Jordan, David marched many miles on to Mahanaim, a city of the Levites in the tribe of Gad, near the far border of that tribe and not far from Rabbah, the chief city of the Ammonites. This was the city Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, had once made his royal city (2 Samuel 2:8), and David now made it his base (2 Samuel 17:24). There he had time to gather an army to oppose the rebels and meet them with force.

We also read of Ahithophel’s death (2 Samuel 17:23). He died by his own hand, a suicide, hanging himself because his advice had not been followed. He felt insulted, as though his wisdom had been rejected and his reputation badly damaged. He could not bear the thought that another man’s opinion was seen as better than his, and his pride grew into bitter resentment until he chose death rather than live with that humiliation.

He also thought his life was in danger. Since his counsel had not been taken, he assumed Absalom’s cause would fail, and then he believed that he, as a chief criminal and the man who had urged Absalom to lie with his father’s concubines, would be handed over to justice. So, to avoid public shame and execution, he took justice into his own hands. In doing so, he brought far greater disgrace on himself than Absalom’s council had done, and his name, Ahithophel, meaning “brother of a fool,” matched his end. Nothing shows folly more clearly than self-murder.

Notice how deliberately he acted. He did not do this in a sudden rage. He went home to his city and to his house to carry it out, and even took time to think it through. To show himself in his right mind when he did it, he first put his household in order, made his will, settled his estate, and balanced his accounts. Yet the man who had enough sense to do all that did not have enough sense to stop the sentence pride and passion had passed on himself, or even wait to see how Absalom’s rebellion would end.

In this, we see the wisdom of man brought low. The man known for policy above all others acted more foolishly than anyone. Let no wise person boast in wisdom when he sees a great counselor dying like a fool. We also see the justice of God honored. When the wicked are trapped by their own schemes and sink into the pit they dug, the Lord is known by the judgment he carries out, and we should mark it and reflect on it (Psalm 7:15-16).

We also see prayer answered, and an honest cause helped even by its enemies. As David had prayed, Ahithophel’s counsel was turned into foolishness for himself. Dr. Lightfoot thought David wrote Psalm 55 because of Ahithophel’s part in the plot, and that this was the man who had been David’s equal, guide, and close friend. If so, then Ahithophel’s end was an immediate answer to David’s prayer there, “Let death take them down quickly to the grave” (2 Samuel 17:13; Psalm 55:15). Ahithophel’s death also helped David’s cause, for if he had kept his bitterness and stayed beside Absalom, he might later have given dangerous advice against David. It was a mercy that that mouth was silenced and that mind removed, from which only harm could be expected.

It seems that self-murderers were not then denied burial, for Ahithophel was buried, most likely with honor, in his father’s tomb, though he deserved no better than the burial of a donkey. See (Ecclesiastes 8:10).

Next we see Absalom pursuing his father. He had now gathered all the men of Israel with him, as Hushai had advised, and he himself led them across the Jordan (2 Samuel 17:24). He was not satisfied with driving his good father to the edge of his kingdom, but wanted to chase him out of life itself. He camped in the land of Gilead with all his forces, ready to battle David (2 Samuel 17:26).

Absalom appointed Amasa as his commander (2 Samuel 17:25). Amasa’s father, Jether, was by birth an Ishmaelite (1 Chronicles 2:17), but by faith he was an Israelite, as he is called here Ithra. He was likely not only converted, but also, because he had married a close relative of David, made an Israelite by public recognition. Amasa’s mother was Abigail, David’s sister. Her sister Zeruiah was Joab’s mother (1 Chronicles 2:16), so Amasa stood to David much as Joab did. In honor to his family, even while he was fighting against his father, Absalom made him commander over all his troops. Jesse is here called Nahash, either because some people had two names, or because this was his wife’s name.

Finally, David found kindness even in this far country. Shobi, a younger brother of the royal family of the Ammonites, showed him kindness (2 Samuel 17:27). He had likely hated the shame his brother Hanun had brought on David’s messengers, and had received favors from David because of it, which he now returned. Those who feel most secure in their success do not know when they may need the kindness of people who are now under their power. That is one reason we should do good to all people whenever we have the chance, for the one who waters others will also be watered in return, when the time comes.

Machir, the son of Ammiel, was the man who had supported Mephibosheth, Saul’s grandson, until David later relieved him of that duty (2 Samuel 9:4). Now David, that generous man, seems to repay him for it, as he often acted like a helper to distressed princes. Barzillai will come up again later.

These men felt for David and his people, who were tired after a long march. So they brought supplies for his house, beds, bowls, and food for his table, such as wheat and barley (2 Samuel 17:28-29). David did not tax them or force them to provide for him, and he certainly did not plunder them. Instead, they gave freely, as a sign of their respect for him and their sincere concern in his trouble.

From this, we should learn to be generous and ready to help, according to what we can do, especially to people in distress. This is especially fitting for those in high positions, whose hardship is often heavier to bear, and for good people, who deserve better treatment. We also see how God sometimes makes up to his people, through strangers, the comfort they have been denied by their own families.