Today, we begin 2nd Samuel Chapter Eighteen.
For the Complete Jewish Bible, click HERE.
For the King James Version, click HERE.
In the opening verses of this chapter, the wisdom of Achitofel’s instructions to Absalom becomes apparent.
Recall what those instructions were.
He told Absalom to take 12,000 men and immediately pursue David, strike down only David himself, and bring all the people back in peace.
Why was this plan so superior?
Because of its speed and surprise.
A quick night attack with 12,000 fresh troops would have crushed David before he regrouped.
Achitofel’s plan also focused on killing only David.
By sparing the rest, Absalom could avoid alienating the nation and maintain Israel’s unity under his rule.
He also knew that if David were killed, his followers would almost certainly surrender.
Thus, the conflict would end quickly with minimal bloodshed.
However, to Achitofel’s disappointment, the narcissistic Absalom decided against his plan.
His ego blinded him to the wisdom of Achitofel’s instructions, which would’ve been a precision strike to decapitate the leadership and thus avoid a drawn-out campaign.
As a result, Achitofel’s worst nightmare came true.
What started as a minor rebellion turned into a full-scale civil war.
It’s one thing when a power-hungry rebel attempts to convince the crowd to either back him or just stay quiet.
That’s simply a political battle.
It’s just two dudes duking it out for the throne.
But when the nation splits itself in two?
That’s a whole different ballgame.
Now we’ve got one population backing the king.
And the other backing Absalom.
That’s not petty politics anymore.
That’s a full-blown cause.
And people will fight, bleed, and die for a cause.
Ya feel me here?
So, we see that David, despite his weaknesses, still had the backing of tribal leaders, top generals, and plenty of trained soldiers who respected him.
And since the Lord wasn’t done with David yet, the ending was set in stone.
So what takeaway can we extract from this?
Here’s what’s coming to me.
I’ve been in the business world for close to 25 years now.
As a recruiter and marketing consultant, I’ve supported executives who were former CEOs of some of the biggest corporations in the world.
I’ve also supported many small business owners.
Based on my experience, I’ve noticed one decisive weakness that caused their downfall or weakened their position in the market significantly.
What character flaw am I talking about?
It’s ignoring the advice of those who know better than you.
Or another way to put it:
It’s thinking your circumstances are so unique and different that an expert’s hard-earned wisdom and advice wouldn’t apply in your particular situation.
I witness this idiocy almost daily at every level in the business world.
John Carlton, one of history’s direct response marketing legends, put it well when he said:
“Seriously… what’s your ego done for you lately?
Except get you in trouble, and make people mad at you.”
The bottom line is that Absalom was truly an idiot of gargantuan proportions when he decided not to take Achitofel’s advice.
Achitofel was David’s former counselor and was known for wisdom so sharp that the Bible says his advice was “as if one had inquired at the oracle of God” (2 Sam. 16:23).
Now, I get that it was divine providence that caused Absalom to ignore Achitophel because the Lord had to protect his anointed king.
That’s not my point here.
My point is when you have the opportunity to get advice from folks who are proven experts in their fields…
Don’t be an idiot and ignore their counsel.
LISTEN to them, and take ACTION.
To close, lemme ask you this:
Who is the ultimate counselor you should listen to for every area of your life, whether personal or professional?
Is it not Adonai, the Lord of Hosts, and eternal protector of Israel?
Tragically, most people will go to their graves never having read His Word nor having a personal relationship with Him as Abraham, Jacob, and Isaac did.
But you know what’s even more tragic?
All of the believers who did read and study God’s Word…
And who did enter into a personal relationship with the Lord of Hosts…
But NEVER listened to Him.
Only God knows how many blessings they have forfeited due to their disobedience.
So think about that the next time you’re thinking of sleeping with your neighbor’s wife…
Stealing company property…
Or even biting into that ham sandwich.
I leave you with these words of wisdom from the book of Genesis:
“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying,
Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,
thou shalt not eat of it:
for in the day that thou eatest thereof
thou shalt surely die.”
-Genesis 2:16-17
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