Ahithophel’s counsel was so profound that those who sought it felt it had the sound of divinity. From this moment on, the reader is to witness the sovereignty of God on display for Ahithophel, who sounded God-like yet was filled with treachery, and God was going to use hearts full of treachery to fulfill His sovereign purpose.

Ahithophel’s Counsel (1-5)

Absalom asked Ahithophel for next-step counsel. Ahithophel advised Absalom to give him 12,000 troops. He would lead them into an immediate charge while David and his men were exhausted, sending them fleeing. He would then kill the king and use his diplomatic skill to win over those loyal to David (1-3). Absalom and his leaders felt good about the advice but wanted Hushai to consider the plan also before finalizing the details (4-5).

Ahithophel’s Counsel Frustrated (6-10)

Hushai noted that this time Ahithophel had not discerned David correctly. Hushai, seeking to give David time, claimed David's army was already hiding in caves, ready to pounce on any attack force. If Absalom’s army were to suffer an early defeat, it could be rumored that they were slaughtered, so even the valiant men might give in to desertion, and the rebellion would be destroyed before it even found footing (5-10).

Hushai’s Counsel (11-14)

Hushai pressed another plan, one advantageous to his friend David. Appealing to Absalom’s macho inclination, he told Absalom to muster a huge army, lead the operation himself, chase David into a city, and then dismantle the city and kill his father (11-13). Absalom and his young, glory-seeking leaders thought Hushai’s counsel superior to Ahithophel’s and followed it, not knowing God was seeking to defeat the counsel of Ahithophel (14). 

Hushai’s Counsel to Zadok (15-16) 

Hushai went to the Temple and told Zadok to send counsel to David to cross the Jordan immediately, lest Absalom revert to Ahithophel’s counsel (15-16).

Zadok’s Counsel to His Sons (17-20)

Zadok’s sons hid just outside Jerusalem at En-rogel in the Kidron Valley. The plan was to have a servant girl carry the message to them, and then they would tell David. While at En-rogel, the priest’s sons were spotted by a young man, who told Absalom. The priest’s sons then fled to Bahurim, and there, just as Absalom’s men arrived, the men lowered themselves into a well (17-18). The woman coerced the well with canvas and then scattered grain to make it look like she was drying it out. When the woman was questioned about the priest’s sons, she misdirected them. The soldiers, not finding the priest’s sons, returned to Jerusalem (19-20).

Zadok’s Sons’ Counsel to David (21-23) 

The priest’s sons rose and carried the counsel of Hushai to David, who immediately had everyone cross the Jordan River. While David and those with him crossed the Jordan, Ahithophel went home, put his house in order, and killed himself (21-23).

David’s Counsel to His Army (24-29)

While David was making his 30-mile trip north and a bit east, Absalom made Amasa his general in the post vacated by Joab when he left with David. Amasa was part Ishmaelite and an illegitimate cousin of Joab (24-25). David finally arrived at the former capital of Israel, Mahanaim, where Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, briefly reigned. Here, David was met by unlikely friends.

• Shobi, the Ammonite, was the half-brother of Hanun, who had humiliated the men David sent to grieve Hanun’s father’s death. Shobi was probably the one David placed on the throne who paid David tribute and was also most likely a pagan. 

• Machir was a part of the clan loyal to Saul and had provided a haven for Mephibosheth. 

• Barzillai was a wealthy, elderly man in his 80s.

David and his army, hungry, weary, and thirsty from the wilderness, were freshly supplied with food from these gentlemen who gave at great risk to their own lives, not knowing how the battle would turn out. God’s Kingdom, in this chapter, is seen as one under attack but also under protection. This demonstrates that when we think we are without loyal friends, God brings loyal friends to our side—in David’s case, a pagan, a former adversary, and an old man without future influence (26-29).