“David continued up the road to the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went up, head covered and barefoot; and all the people with him had their heads covered and wept as they went up. One of them told David, ‘Achitofel is among the conspirators with Avshalom.’ David said, ‘Adonai, please! Turn Achitofel’s advice into foolishness!”-2 Samuel 15:30-31
After the Ark of the Covenant was taken care of, the weeping procession kept moving up the road called the Way of the Wild Olive Trees.
David and all his people walked barefoot with their heads covered.
That was their way of showing they were sorry for their sins and accepted that what was happening was God’s punishment.
But just when things couldn’t get any worse, David received even more heartbreaking news.
He was told His trusted advisor, Achitofel, had joined the traitors!
Recall, Achitofel was Bathsheba’s grandpa.
In response, David cried out to God, “Adonai, please, turn Achitofel’s advice into foolishness!”
In other words, David asked God to take the wise and smart advice Achitofel was known for…
And when that advice was given to Absalom…
To make it turn out badly instead.
There are a couple of key takeaways here.
First, notice that even amid deep pain, betrayal, and consequences for past sins, David didn’t stop reaching out and praying to the Lord.
He continued to cry out to God despite everything falling apart.
When disaster strikes our lives because of our sins, how many of us assume the Lord is done with us?
Listen, man, that’s never the case.
Your life isn’t over until it’s over and you breathe your last breath.
As long as you’re alive, there’s ALWAYS a chance for a comeback!
Ya feel me?
So, don’t forget you can still pray.
And that our Father in Heaven still hears.
Finally, don’t think it’s perverse or ungodly to ask the Lord to trip up your enemies.
That’s exactly what David did here when he begged Adonai to turn Achitofel’s advice into foolishness!
So don’t fall for the sentimental nonsense that it’s morally wrong to pray for the destruction of your enemies…especially when those enemies are out to destroy you.
This is usually because of a gross misinterpretation of Yeshua’s words when he said:
“But I tell you, love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of
your Father in heaven.
He causes his sun to rise on the evil
and the good, and sends rain
on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
Listen, homies, loving your enemies doesn’t mean letting them run you over.
It doesn’t mean pretending evil isn’t evil.
And it sure doesn’t mean you can’t cry out to God when people are plotting your downfall.
Yeshua wasn’t calling us to be passive punching bags.
He was calling us to rise above hate, not to surrender to it.
Praying for your enemies includes asking God to stop them cold if they’re doing wicked things.
You can want their repentance and their plans to fail at the same time.
So yes, love your enemies.
But don’t confuse love with silence.
Call on God.
Speak the truth.
And if needed, ask the Lord to turn your enemy’s strength into weakness.
Just like David did.
That’s not hate.
That’s faith.
Ya feel me?
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