Mountain Top Life Daily Devotional 5 November 2021 By Dr. D.K Olukoya – Lessons From The Life Of Ahithophel
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TOPIC: Lessons From The Life Of Ahithophel (Mountain Of Fire and Miracle Ministries, MFM Devotional 5 November 2021)
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Luke 22; John 13
FIRE SCRIPTURE: 2 Samuel 15:31-34; 2 Samuel 17:1-14,23 (KJV)
2 Samuel 15:31-34:
31 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.
32 And it came to pass, that when David was come to the top of the mount, where he worshipped God, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat rent, and earth upon his head:
33 Unto whom David said, If thou passest on with me, then thou shalt be a burden unto me:
34 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 counsel of Ahithophel.
2 Samuel 17:1-14,23:
Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night:
2 And I will come upon him while he is weary and weak handed, and will make him afraid: and all the people that are with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only:
3 And I will bring back all the people unto thee: the man whom thou seekest is as if all returned: so all the people shall be in peace.
4 And the saying pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel.
5 Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear likewise what he saith.
6 And when Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom spake unto him, saying, Ahithophel hath spoken after this manner: shall we do after his saying? if not; speak thou.
7 And Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel hath given is not good at this time.
8 For, said Hushai, thou knowest thy father and his men, that they be mighty men, and they be chafed in their minds, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field: and thy father is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people.
9 Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or in some other place: and it will come to pass, when some of them be overthrown at the first, that whosoever heareth it will say, There is a slaughter among the people that follow Absalom.
10 And he also that is valiant, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, shall utterly melt: for all Israel knoweth that thy father is a mighty man, and they which be with him are valiant men.
11 Therefore I counsel that all Israel be generally gathered unto thee, from Dan even to Beersheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude; and that thou go to battle in thine own person.
12 So shall we come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew falleth on the ground: and of him and of all the men that are with him there shall not be left so much as one.
13 Moreover, if he be gotten into a city, then shall all Israel bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river, until there be not one small stone found there.
14 And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the Lord had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the Lord might bring evil upon Absalom.
23 And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose, and gat him home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.
MEMORY VERSE: “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.” – 2 Samuel 15:31
MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE:
Do not believe what the enemy says or thinks concerning your life; believe only the word of God.
PRAISE WORSHIP: Take a worship song as led by the Holy Spirit
PROPHETIC WORD FOR TODAY:
THE LORD WILL TURN THE COUNSEL OF YOUR ENEMIES TO FOOLISHNESS, IN THE NAME OF JESUS.
The MESSAGE:
Ahithophel was one of King David’s highly esteemed counsellors because of his wisdom. When Absalom rebelled against his father, David, and plotted to overthrow him, Ahithophel a trusted friend of David deserted him and supported Absalom. When David heard that Ahithophel was in support of Absalom, he sent one of his friends called Hushai to Absalom in order to counter the counsel of Ahithophel, just as David had prayed. If the counsel of Ahithophel was followed, Absalom would have slain his father and taken over the throne.
Also Read: Open Heaven 5 November 2021 – Topic: JEHOVAH JIREH
Ahithophel counselled Absalom and encouraged his rebellion against David but when his counsel was rejected and that of Hushai was preferred to his own, the Bible says he went home and hanged himself out of anger, jealousy and desperation for revenge (2 Samuel 17:23). The question is: why did Ahithophel give a wrong counsel to destroy his best friend, David? According to the Bible Ahithophel was a grandfather to Bathsheba with whom David committed adultery (2 Samuel 23:34, 2 Samuel 15:12, 2 Samuel 11:3). Eliam was the son of Ahithophel, the Gilonite. From the foregoing Bible passages, we can deduce that Ahithophel did not forgive David.
Unforgiving attitude is a terrible sin and can terminate a glorious and colourful destiny. It can lead to conspiracy as we can see in the case of Ahithophel and his friend, David (2 Samuel 15:31). He even counselled Absalom to sleep with his father’s concubines in the open, as a way of revenge against what David did to Bathsheba his granddaughter. Unforgiving and vengeful spirit terminated the glorious ministry of Ahithophel. The Bible says his counsel was as if a man had inquired at the oracle of God (2 Samuel 16:23).
Unforgiving spirit can ruin the assignment God has given to you. It is an evil partner of jealousy bitterness, hatred and envy. It will make you to judge others instead of allowing God to do the judgement Himself. Joseph’s brothers asked him to forgive them for what they did to him but he replied them: “Am I in the place of God?” (Genesis 50:19). That should be your attitude towards those who have wronged you. Allow God who is the right Judge to fight for you.
Ahithophel could not forgive David even when God had already forgiven him and this led to his destruction. It might be difficult to let go quickly but the faster you let go and let God, the better for you. God commands us to forgive and you must make conscious effort to do so. I pray that you will not end your glorious destiny like Ahithophel, in Jesus’ name. Forgive so that God will forgive you too.
PRAYER POINTS:
MORNING
- O Lord, scatter the counsel of the enemy concerning my life, in the name of Jesus Christ.
- Holy Spirit, confuse my enemies, in the name of Jesus Christ.
- Lord, make me wiser than my enemies, in the name of Jesus Christ.
EVENING
- Spirits of wisdom and understanding, my life is available, fall on me, in the name of Jesus Christ.
- You Unforgiving spirit, you shall not destroy me, in the name of Jesus Christ.
- Lord, arise and fight for me wherever conspirators gather against me, in the name of Jesus Christ.
- Holy Spirit, turn every counsel of the wicked against me to foolishness, in the name of Jesus Christ.
MOUNTAIN TOP LIFE is a daily devotional by Dr. D.K Olukoya (General Overseer, Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministries, Worldwide)