WHO ARE YOU?
2 Samuel 17:23 (ESV) When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he … set his house in order and hanged himself …
The kingdom was divided. King David’s son, Absalom, was trying to usurp the throne, having gathered a significant group of supporters to aid his cause. Momentum was on his side and his father was on the run. Even Ahithophel, David’s most trusted advisor, switched loyalties. Things were not looking good for David, so in a move of desperation he sent his friend Hushai as an undercover agent to win over Absalom’s trust and then give him faulty advice. This would be a tall order for Hushai, considering that he would have to convince Absalom of the ruse, and then somehow get him to take his bad advice over that of Ahithophel, for Ahithophel’s words were considered to be the word of the Lord. Somehow, he did it. Ahithophel’s advice was rejected and Hushai’s followed, setting in motion a stunning turn of events where Absalom’s army was routed and the kingdom restored to David (2 Sam 17:7,14).
But what of Ahithophel? Our text says he was so distraught that he committed suicide. I don’t know about you, but I’m surprised when someone actually takes my advice; so I have no grid for a guy who gets suicidal the first time he gets “blown off”. Someone’s advice was followed over his and it did him in. Why? The commentaries suggest that he realized Hushai’s advice was going to fail, in short, ending the coup and leading to his own execution. I’m sure that was part of it, but let me propose another theory. It’s not certain Ahithophel would have been executed, for David was known to have extreme mercy on his enemies, even treasonous ones; however, he probably would have lost his high ranking position. First, his counsel was rejected. Blow number 1. Second, he was facing a life of demotion, humiliation, and potential execution. Blow number 2. It was too much for him. He was the king’s most trusted advisor, his words considered God’s (2 Sam 16:23), and now he takes a back seat to an “amateur” whose loyalty is still in serious question. This was humiliation beyond repair, for his identity was in his position as a wise sage whose skills directed kings, all lost, from his perspective, in a moment.
I wonder how often we put our identity in our positions, titles, and apparent importance, all of which hold up our emotional well-being like an unstable crutch. The moment we are no longer able to fulfill the requirements of our position, or our title means less than it once did, or the moment our importance is no longer apparent, the crutch snaps and our emotional stability comes tumbling down. As followers of Jesus, this cannot be where our stability rests. We must look to more permanent markers, for instance, what Jesus says, and how He feels, about us. There is much treasure to be mined here, but consider one: Jesus says that God the Father loves us in the same way He loves His own Son (Jn 17:23). That, beloved, is who you are! That is your identity! You are loved by God, and no demotion, humiliation, or even execution can change that. Let us build our emotional security on this foundation, lest we be prone to crumble as quickly as Ahithophel.
