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. 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. Unto whom David said, if thou passest on with me, then thou shalt be a burden unto me. 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 council of Ahithophel. And hast thou not there with thee, Zadok, and Abiathar the priests? Therefore, it shall be that what things soever thou shalt hear out of the king's house, thou shalt tell it to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests. Behold, they have there with them their two sons, Ahimeaz, Zadok's son, and Jonathan, Abiathar's son. And by them ye shall send unto me everything that ye can hear. So Hushai, David's friend, came into the city, and Absalom came into Jerusalem. Thus far the reading of God's holy word, 2 Samuel 15. May the Lord bless us in the reading and hearing of it, and now in consideration of its teachings. Verses 1 through 6, we have the arts Absalom used to insinuate himself in the people's affections. Notice, unlike what our pastor Black told us earlier concerning meekness, who is it that Absalom thinks ought to be great and glorified and honorable but himself? Verse 1 tells us he prepared chariots and horses. And not only so, but when he went somewhere, what did he need? 50 men prepare you the way for Absalom. He has justified his sins, his murder. He received no correction. He grows in self-confidence, in his pride and vanity and effeminacy. He demands 50 men to prepare the way for his greatness. Verses two and three describe Absalom's diligent flattery and usurpation. Now notice he got up early in the morning. He was diligent in his evil. It says, verse three, he would say to anyone who came, see thy matters are good and right. This is called flattery. You speak to people what you think they want to hear, good things about themselves and their causes so that you can get from them what you want. See thy matters are good and right, but oh, unlike your good cause and your good self, You know your king, he doesn't care about you. That's right, David hasn't deputed anyone. Nobody's here to answer your case. You see, slandering the king. Flattery and slander are often two sides of the same lawless coin. Beware of flatterers, for they are almost always slanderers. Do not be a flatterer nor a slanderer yourself. Do not hear their words and rebuke them whether they flatter you or others, or whether they slander you or others. Absalom said, verse four, moreover, oh, that I were made judge in the land. Here is the goal of the flatterer. Here is the goal of the slanderer. I'm going to get what I want by any means necessary. If I need smooth words, I'll use them. If I need cutting, biting words, I'll use them. He'll use both. It's to promote himself. Self love. And do you think that Absalom would give perfect justice to everyone? Do you think that would actually occur? But he says so. Oh, that I were made judge, so everyone could get justice. You mean even if two people disagreed with each other, they'd both get justice and everybody's matters were good and right? Does that make any sense? Completely and totally irrational. I note then that men will grow to wickedness and vile conduct because they trust themselves. How does Absalom come to this position of mutiny against his king? rebellion and slander and flattery. How does he get to that point? You know, by trusting in his own self. Solomon says he that trusteth in his own heart is a fool, but whoso puteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe. Absalom trusts in his own heart. Let us learn to see how evil our hearts are. to distrust ourselves, and rather to trust in God because of that, in His infallible Word, and to do what He has commanded us, and Absalom will not do these things. Notice verse 5. When any man came nigh to Him to do obeisance, that is, to bow before Him, show Him reverence, He put forth his hand and took him and kissed him. Isn't that sweet? Isn't Absalom such a sweet fatherly sort of person here? But no, he's stealing their hearts, stealing their minds, stealing their affections from their lawful king, his father, David. Verses seven through 12, Absalom's feigned vow and his real insurrection at Hebron with a strong conspiracy. It came to pass after 40 years, Some believe this is Absalom's age. Some believe 40 years from when David was anointed king. It does not stipulate. But after 40 years, he comes to his father and says, I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed unto the Lord in Hebron. Now the Bible mentions this because this is a, what we call aggravation to his sin. You can sin and do evil, And then there are times and occasions and other things you might do along with your sin that make your sin worse. Absalom is saying, I'm a pious man who keeps his vows to God. What is his intention in going to Hebron? to keep a vow to God, to be devoted to the service of the Lord. You know, God says to honor those to whom honor is due. He says to honor your father. He says to honor your king. Is he going to do that? No, he's going to use a religious mask so that he can disobey the law of God. He seeks a cloak in the worship of God for sinning against the fifth, the ninth and the third commandments. God says not to lie, he's lying about his intentions. God says not to take his worship in vain and use it for your own ends and that's what he's doing. God says to honor your authorities and he's not doing that. Remember how Absalom was perfect, without defect, from the bottom of his foot to the crown of his head? Well, notice, he is a spiritual and moral leper, filled with lawlessness and evil. Though, he's put a good outer show, hasn't he? He washed the outside of the cup and the platter. What's inside? Dead men's bones. Here, notice the beautiful vow that he vowed to the Lord. Verse 8, If the Lord shall bring me again, indeed, to Jerusalem, then I will rebel against the king, cast off his authority, seek to murder him. Is that what he says? No. I'm going to serve the Lord, you see? I mean it. I'm sincere. But it's pretended, it's feigned. He pretends piety and worship. But who is the Lord that Absalom will serve? Because he is going to serve his Lord. Who is his Lord? Himself. He is his own God. Do you remember that's what the devil said? You know, God doesn't want you to be wise. I have some good results for you. You will be just like God himself, knowing good and evil. You can make up your own universe. You can have your own truth. You can have your own reality. And to Him, He has His own reality and He is the God of it. Self-love. Self-seeking vanity. Let us beware of covering our sins with a cloak of piety. Let us repent if we use holy language to cover for impure desires or deeds. God does not accept using our liberty as a cloak for malice, as using grace for a license to sin. David then gives his blessing to his own overthrow. And Absalom goes to Hebron to execute his conspiracy through spies, popular rumor, and his master counselor Ahithophel, verses 9 through 12. David, in verses 13 through 31, flees Jerusalem. We read of his interviews with Ittai, with Zadok, and also his prayer. 13 through 15, David hears of this conspiracy. He plans an immediate retreat from the city, followed by all of his faithful servants. 16 and 17, David executes his plan, leaving behind only 10 concubines to guard the house. And then verse 18 tells us that all the Cherethites and all the Pelethites and all the Gittites, 600 men which came after him from Gath. Now remember, David in many ways is a type of our Lord Jesus Christ. Think of this. Who is rebelling against David but his own flesh and blood, his own household, the people of his kingdom, his son, Absalom? Who is it that is faithfully going along the side of David? Well, it's Gentiles. These men came from Gath. When David returned from Gath, these men came with him, the Cherethites, the Pelethites, and the Gittites. These men are loyal to him. Here we have in shadows and types, the call of the Gentiles, the bulk of the people. Jesus came unto his own and his own received him not. And so the light goes forth to the Gentiles. Exiles, aliens from their homeland in Gath, as we see in verse 19. Return to thy place and abide with the king, for thou art a stranger and also an exile. Serve Absalom, stay in Jerusalem, because if things go bad, he will not spare foreigners. He might spare his cousins, he might spare some relations, he might spare Joab, he's not going to spare you. Most certainly you will die. Then David wishes them mercy and truth. Though but Gentiles, yet partakers of God's glorious and sworn faithfulness. That's what the word mercy means. Chesed. When God makes a testament, when he makes a covenant, he keeps the terms. He's faithful and merciful. He is a true God. Believe his infallible truth. Mercy and truth be with thee, he wishes. Let us, though Gentiles, though strangers, though exiles, let us have God's sworn faithfulness with us. Let us confess and receive the blessed Son of David, Jesus Christ our Lord, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. Let us trust in the truth of God. Verse 21, surely in what place my Lord the King shall be, whether in death or life. Even there also will thy servant be. Notice the loyalty, the faithfulness, the duty. Regardless of personal costs, he's ready to do his duty. Ittai is. He loves his neighbor David even as himself. And Ittai is not just going by himself. He's all in. Who else is there with him? His little ones. He brings his household. The whole family is devoted to David. Everything's on the line for him, for the sake of David. And we'll see the same concerning our Lord Jesus Christ in our Gospel reading shortly, God willing. The king also passed over the brook Kidron, and all the people passed over toward the way of the wilderness. This brook Kidron our Lord passed over. It's on the way out of Jerusalem to the mouth of olives. The betrayer would come and find our Lord Jesus Christ there, and hear the betrayer Absalom driving his father out of Jerusalem. Lo, Zadok comes, it says, the co-high priest with Abiathar. The Levites, we are told in verse 24, come with him bearing the ark of the covenant of God. There you have the sign of gospel mercy, the mercy seat, the sprinkling of blood. There you have the law of God on the inside, assembling God's righteousness written on the hearts of his people. There you have the provision of God, the pot of manna. There you have the government of God in the rod that blossomed, the Ark of God's Testament. We see the allegiance of the priests to David as God's King. They shun Absalom who is like the Antichrist, the usurper of the seat of David. David commands the ark to return in hope that God will show grace and favor to him. Verse 25, if I shall find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me again and show me both it and his habitation. What is our hope? We are doomed without God's grace and favor. And with David, let us recognize this. Let us humbly, with David, beg God to show us mercy, grace, and favor. That he will show us his glory, his testament, his promises, his provision, his law and precepts. And if he say thus, David says, verse 26, I have no delight in thee. Behold, here am I. "'Let him do to me as seemeth good to him.'" Here you see the meekness of David. I will submit myself to God's decree, to his decision, to his providence. God has promised me good forever, but he has not promised that my life will be easy. Let him do with me as seemeth good to him. Let us humble ourselves with David, submitting to God's disposal, doing our duty and leaving our care to his most competent hands. Verses 27 and 28, David arranges for Zadok with his son Ahimeaz and Abiathar and his son Jonathan to be his spies within Absalom's court. David then sends the ark back. Zadok and Abiathar accompany the ark in verse 29. David goes up by the ascent of Mount Olivet. Do you remember where our Lord ascended up into heaven? It's the same place, the Mount of Olives. This is the place of his humiliation. This is the place of our Lord's exaltation. David weeps as he went, having his head covered. mourning over his own sins, over the misery that his sins have caused, covering his head for shame, even as remember Tamar when she was ashamed, what did she do? She covered her head, same thing, ashes and her hand upon her face, shamed and mourning. Ahithophel then, David is told, is among the conspirators with Absalom. Now Ahithophel, we will read in 16 verse 23. If you took counsel at his mouth, it's like you went and asked God, what should I do? And if God said, do this and you'll be successful, you'd be successful. So with Ahithophel, it was as the oracle of God. So now David recognizing the power of his counsel of Ahithophel's praise, O Lord, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness, that all of his genius will be folly, that all of his foresight will be dimmed, that all of the success that normally comes upon his counsel will fail. Let us turn to God in our troubles, as David did. let us call upon God who can defeat the wisest counselors by his wisdom. Verses 32 through 37, David sets Hushai the archite to defeat Ahithophel's council and end the conspiracy. David, when he came to the top of the Mount, verse 32 tells us, what did he do? Was he posting about it frantically on his cell phone? Was he talking to all of his pals about it? No, he's worshiping God in the midst of his troubles, calling upon the name of the Lord, seeking his grace and favor as an example to us. Not merely seeking out human means, although David does, but to beg God to bless our enterprise, to act for our salvation. David then meets Hushai, setting him again, as I mentioned, to defeat the council of Ahithophel. Verses 32 through 34. David arranges for Hushai to work in concert with Zadok and Abiathar and their sons, 35 and 36, and notice there verse 37, the Lord wisely setting the stage for what is to follow. Hushai, David's friend, came into the city and Absalom came into Jerusalem, the friend of David, the foe of David in one place, and thus far the exposition of God's holy word from the book of 2 Samuel chapter 15.