How does Hushai's strategy align with Romans 8:28's message of God's purpose? Setting the Scene • Absalom’s coup drives David from Jerusalem (2 Samuel 15:13–16). • Ahithophel, famed for razor-sharp counsel, sides with Absalom (15:31). • David prays, “O LORD, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel to foolishness!” (15:31). • Enter Hushai the Archite—David’s loyal friend—who volunteers to return to Jerusalem, pose as Absalom’s advisor, and frustrate Ahithophel (15:32–37). Hushai’s Strategic Counsel: A Closer Look 1. Wins Absalom’s trust (16:15–19). 2. Counters Ahithophel’s swift-strike plan with a stirring alternative: • Gather “all Israel from Dan to Beersheba” for a grand army. • Let Absalom personally lead, stroking his ego. • Warn that David and his warriors are fierce and enraged, sowing fear (17:7–13). 3. Outcome: “Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, ‘The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than that of Ahithophel.’ For the LORD had ordained to thwart the good counsel of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster upon Absalom” (17:14). 4. Secret messengers speed Hushai’s warning to David, giving him time to cross the Jordan and regroup (17:15–22). Connecting Hushai to Romans 8:28 “ And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.” —Romans 8:28 • David—“the man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14)—loved the LORD and was called to rule (2 Samuel 7:8–16). • God folds even treachery into His plan: – Ahithophel’s brilliance becomes the trigger for David’s prayer. – Hushai’s seemingly risky ruse becomes the very means God uses to answer that prayer. • 2 Samuel 17:14 explicitly ties the episode to divine intention: the LORD “had ordained” the outcome. • Romans 8:28 echoes through the narrative: – “All things”—betrayal, exile, deceit, delay—are woven for David’s ultimate good. – God’s purpose—preserving the messianic line through David—is untouched by human plotting (cf. Psalm 33:10–11; Proverbs 19:21). Practical Takeaways for Today • God’s sovereignty operates in real time; He can redirect counsel in any boardroom, battlefield, or family crisis. • Prayer aligns us with that sovereignty—David asked, and God answered through Hushai. • Delays that feel dangerous may be God’s strategy, buying time for His plan to unfold. • The failures of the seemingly unstoppable (Ahithophel) remind us “there is no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel against the LORD” (Proverbs 21:30). • Because Romans 8:28 is true, we can rest: the God who guarded His anointed King through Hushai guards all who love Him today. |
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