2 Samuel 17:23 

New International Version (NIV)

 When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and set out for his house in his hometown. He put his house in order and then hanged himself.

For Meditation

The story of Ahithophel is not just intriguing but also profoundly tragic. He was a man of excellent judgment and King David’s chief counselor. So, what led him to take his own life? To understand this, we must first explore why he abandoned David and joined Absalom. This inquiry may shed light on the tragic stories of people who ruin their lives over trivial matters they could have avoided. Two things are at play here: pride and revenge.

Pride destroys one’s reputation (Prov. 16:8) and plays a significant role in Ahithophel’s downfall. He had a national reputation for wisdom and believed that no one would ever reject his counsel. However, his ego suffered a blow when Absalom chose someone else’s advice over his. He considered himself a messenger of God to David and had never faced rejection before (2 Sam. 16:23). Absalom, aware of this, invited him to join his inner council. How could a young rebel like him prefer Hushai’s counsel over Ahithophel’s?

When people see themselves as the wisest among their peers, they deceive themselves and set themselves up for a fall. It is a precarious path on which many have stumbled. Such individuals believe that when they die, all wisdom will die with them and cannot see their impending downfall. Applause and affirmation blind them to their doom.

Revenge is another destructive tool Ahithophel fell prey to. He saw Absalom’s invitation as an opportunity to settle scores with David over his affair with Bathsheba, who, many scholars believe, was Ahithophel’s granddaughter. He gave Absalom two pieces of advice to support this claim. First, he suggested Jonathan pitch a tent on the rooftop where David saw Bathsheba naked and publicly sleep with his father’s concubines (2 Sam. 16:21). Nathan’s prophecy about this matter came true (12:11-12). God’s word never fails. Although God forgives when we confess (1 Jn. 1:9), the consequences of our sins remain as He determines.

Next, Ahithophel moves in for the kill—this time, to avenge Uriah’s death. His advice to Jonathan is excellent (17:1-14). Strike the iron while it is hot. The enemy is weakest when on retreat. The counsel sounds good to Absalom and the elders with him, but Hushai’s counsel disrupts Ahithophel’s victory fest.

Ahithophel is livid and broken. The premier counselor understands Absalom’s end has come. David would return as king, and what would be his fate? He had abandoned his friend, the king, and betrayed him. How could he live with himself?

Every betrayer of a friend can feel Ahithophel’s dilemma at this point—the guilt, the shame, the dread of the moment of confrontation, and the self-anger. They are enough to drive any Judas to take his own life, and that’s the course Ahithophel took (2 Sam. 17:23).

We serve an All-wise God. He knows how weak we become when we proudly set out on the path of revenge. So, He tenderly asks us to leave Him to take revenge (Rm. 12:19). This divine guidance calls for humility, which is the key to avoiding the destructive consequences of pride and revenge. 

However, in the face of even such divine wisdom, will our ego allow us to heed the call for humility?