2 Samuel 15:29-37

David's Counterplot. 2 Samuel 15:29-37

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.

32 And it came to pass, that when David was come to the top of the mount, where he worshiped God, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat rent, and earth upon his head:

33 Unto whom David said, If thou passest on with me, then thou shalt be a burden unto me:
34 But if thou return to the city, and say unto Absalom, I will be thy servant, O king; as I have been thy father's servant hitherto, so will I now also be thy servant: then mayest thou for me defeat the counsel of Ahithophel.

35 And hast thou not there with thee Zadok and Abiathar the priests? therefore it shall be, that what thing soever thou shalt hear out of the king's house, thou shalt tell it to Zadok and Abiathar the priests.

36 Behold, they have there with them their two sons, Ahimaaz Zadok's son, and Jonathan Abiathar's son; and by them ye shall send unto me every thing that ye can hear.

37 So Hushai David's friend came into the city, and Absalom came into Jerusalem.

13.

Trace David's journey out of the city. 2 Samuel 15:30

David went with his head covered and his feet bare. Such actions were signs of sorrow. David knew of Ahithophel's going with Absalom. He feared his actions, for he was a wise man and could foresee very well how the rebellion would turn out.
Hushai, the Archite, met the company. Gladly would he have gone with David. David constrained him to turn back and enter into the city of Jerusalem. He was of much more help to David as a spy in Jerusalem than he would have been as a member of David's company in flight.
The company went over the mount of Olives in the direction of Jericho. The road, after it passes Bethany, leads down the slope of a hill. A valley comes between it and the opposite hill. Both hills are very steep and difficult to climb.
This route of the journey made it possible for Shimei to be above the company and cast stones at David. At the same time, he was out of reach of the company.
David took this humiliation as a punishment from the Lord. At the same time, he expected a blessing.

14.

What instructions did David give to Hushai? 2 Samuel 15:33

Since Absalom had the services of Ahithophel, a trusted counselor, David suggested that Hushai, an Archite, go back to Jerusalem and pretend to be loyal to Absalom. No town of Arka is known in Palestine. One by this name is found north of Tripoli in Phoenicia. A mention of the borders of Archi, near Bethel and Luz, is made in Joshua 16:2. David recognized Hushai as a trusted counselor, and the fact that he would be a burden to him in his flight indicated that he was a man of some years, unable to undergo the rigors of the life of a fugitive. David trusted him to find a way to outwit Ahithophel and defeat his counsels. These three menZadok, Abiathar, and Hushai were to do their best to undermine Absalom's plans. Jonathan, Abiathar's son, and Ahimaaz, Zadok's son, were to carry messages back and forth. This was David's scheme for putting down Absalom's rebellion.