What other biblical examples show God thwarting human schemes like in 2 Samuel 17:13? Setting the Scene: 2 Samuel 17:13 “ ‘If he retreats to a city,’ Absalom’s advisor boasted, ‘all Israel will bring ropes to that city, and we will drag it into the valley until not even a pebble can be found there.’ ” In the very next verses God overturns this brash counsel through Hushai’s divinely-guided advice, protecting David and collapsing Absalom’s plot. Scripture is filled with similar moments where human schemes crash against the solid wall of God’s sovereignty. Classic Old Testament Snapshots • Genesis 11:1-9—Tower of Babel “Come, let Us go down and confuse their language…” (v. 7). The plan to build a city that reached the heavens dissolved into scattered nations. • Genesis 37; 50:20—Joseph’s brothers “You intended evil against me, but God intended it for good…” (50:20). Their conspiracy launched the very chain of events that saved their families. • Exodus 1-14—Pharaoh’s oppression Every tactic to curb Israel—infanticide, slave labor, chariots at the Red Sea—only magnified God’s power and led to Pharaoh’s ruin. • Numbers 22-24—Balaam hired to curse Israel “How can I curse those whom God has not cursed?” (23:8). Paid curses turned into prophetic blessings. • 1 Samuel 17—Goliath’s taunts The giant’s boasts ended with a stone in his forehead and the Philistines in flight. • 1 Samuel 18-26—Saul hunting David Repeated ambushes, spears, and armies could not override God’s promise: “The LORD delivered you into my hand today, but I would not stretch out my hand against the LORD’s anointed” (24:10). • Esther 3-7—Haman’s gallows The noose prepared for Mordecai became the instrument of Haman’s own execution. • Daniel 6—Plot against Daniel Scheming officials secured a lions’ den decree; God shut the lions’ mouths, and the conspirators were thrown in instead. New Testament Highlights • Matthew 26-28—The cross and resurrection Religious leaders and Rome thought they had silenced Jesus. “He is not here; He has risen, just as He said” (28:6). Their victory parade turned into the empty tomb. • Acts 5:17-20—Sanhedrin jails the apostles “During the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out” (v. 19). The very next morning they were preaching again. • Acts 12:1-11—Herod imprisons Peter Bound with chains between soldiers, yet “the chains fell off his wrists” (v. 7). Herod’s public execution plans evaporated. • Acts 23:12-24—Plot to assassinate Paul Forty conspirators vowed not to eat until Paul was dead; a nephew overheard, the commander intervened, and Paul was whisked away to safety. Thread That Ties Them Together • Human pride underestimates the Lord’s reach. • God often turns the very scheme itself into the means of His deliverance. • He preserves His covenant purposes—protecting the lineage of Messiah, guarding His people, advancing the gospel. • “What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). Living the Lesson The record is clear: whenever plans collide—human ambition versus divine purpose—God wins every time. Trust the One who “frustrates the plans of the peoples” yet “stands firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations” (Psalm 33:10-11). |
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