Now in those days the counsel that Ahithophel gave was as if one consulted the word of God; so was all the counsel of Ahithophel esteemed, both by David and by Absalom.
– 2 Samuel 16:23
Now, that verse sets the stage for the next chapter in the saga between Absalom and David. As Absalom has now rebelled against David and Ahithophel, who used to be King David’s trusted, wise counselor, and now he has switched to counsel Absalom. And I won’t go into the whole story of what happens in 2 Samuel 17, but I do want us to see and pray in light of the importance of good godly counsel that ultimately points us to the Word of God. The phrasing here in 2 Samuel 16:23 is so interesting. “In those days, the counsel that Ahithophel gave was as if one consulted the word of God.”
2 Samuel 16:23 teaches the importance of seeking God’s wisdom.
Well, that verse shouts to me. Well, first and foremost, consult the Word of God. And this is yet one more reason why you and I need the Word of God on a daily basis, speaking into our minds and our hearts, us hearing and meditating on his Word. Then specifically when we’re walking through situations where we need wisdom to first and foremost ask the question, what does God’s word say about this? And God’s Word doesn’t answer every question we might ask or address every single circumstance we might face, but to let our impulse be first place we go is the Word of God.
Does God’s Word say anything about this decision I’m making? Does God’s Word say anything about the circumstance? I’m facing this question I’m asking and really thinking through, okay, does God’s Word say anything? And then, well, I should add before even getting to others’ counsel to make sure in prayer you and I are seeking God, asking for his help by his Spirit, just like we see all throughout Scripture inquiring of the Lord.
So just spending concentrated time in prayer when we have a particularly significant decision to make, even to fast, to set aside food and say, God, more than I want my stomach to be filled. I want your wisdom. I need your guidance in this particular circumstance. So to pray fast, go to God’s Word.
2 Samuel 16:23 challenges us to seek God’s wisdom through other believers.
And then so now we get into this picture of a counselor, to go to people in your life who know God’s Word and who are walking in step with God’s Spirit to give you counsel.
We all need people like that in our lives. All throughout and specifically in this part of Scripture. We see disaster come about when people don’t seek and receive and act according to good, wise, godly counsel. And I just want to encourage you to make sure that significant decisions you make and circumstances you face, that you are surrounding yourself with good, wise counselors who are seeking God, walking with God in step with his Word and his Spirit.
We all need that. And for that matter, I want to lead us to pray that God would make us those kinds of people in others’ lives. So, God, we praise you as we read 2 Samuel 16. In this picture of counselor, we praise you first and foremost as our Counselor. We praise your Holy Spirit as the One who counsels us, who leads us, who guides us. We praise you that you don’t want us to go astray, that you promise to lead and guide and direct us.
Oh God, thank you. Just think of Psalm 32. You instruct us and teach us in the way we should go. You counsel us with your eye upon us. So, God, we pray for wisdom to seek your counsel. You alone are all wise. You alone know what is best in every single circumstance we face situation, we walk through question we have.
This verse reminds us to seek wisdom in Scripture first.
So God, teach us to seek you first and foremost, above all to know your Word, to seek your Word, to find wisdom we need in your Word. We pray that you’d help us to walk and step with your Spirit. And God, we pray for wise counselors around us who will help us when we need to make decisions and we don’t know what to do when your Word may not be clear on exactly what to do.
God, we pray for help from wise counselors, and we pray that you would help us to avoid unwise counsel. And God, we do pray that you would help us to be these kinds of counselors to others, though when people ask us for counsel that our first impulse would be to go to your Word and to walk and step with your Spirit and to pray it even fast with or for others in order to be good counselors in their lives.
Oh God, I pray this particularly over people right now who need counsel in their lives for decisions they’re making, situations they’re facing, that you would provide it through your Word, through your Spirit, and through people around them who give good, wise counsel that points them to your good will for their lives.
Prayer for the Bagirmi Fulani People
And oh God, we pray today for the Bagirmi Fulani people of the Central African Republic for 300,000 of them, who right now are in the dark on the greatest counsel in the world, how to have eternal life and relationship with you. God, we pray that the good news of your grace and love, your provision for our salvation, and your Spirit inside of us light God.
We pray that gospel light would spread to the Bagirmi Fulani people of the Central African Republic, that they might know you as the one who instructs and teaches them in the way they should go and counsels them with your eye upon them all the way to eternal life in your presence. God, help us as your people to wisely spread the gospel to the ends of the earth. In Jesus’ name, we pray all this according to your Word. Amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder of Radical, an organization that makes Jesus known among the nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Don’t Hold Back, and How to Read the Bible.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
