I would attack him while he is weary and weak. I would strike him with terror, and then all the people with him will flee. I would strike down only the king … - 2 Samuel 17:2

Today’s Scripture Reading (August 14, 2019): 2 Samuel 17

Wars can be fought in two ways. One is an indiscriminate attack of the enemy. Generally, this is the model of attack maintained by almost every terrorist organization in the world. The idea is to attack the enemy. It doesn’t matter who dies; it just matters that death occurs. Civilians and military combatants are both targets, and the hope is that terror would spread among the population. But the problem with this indiscriminate attack is that mobilizes everyone on the other side against you. Everyone is a target, and so everyone quickly becomes a threat.

The second model is a targeted attack. The hope in this model is to just take out military combatants and obstacles. The idea is that if you can remove the threat without collateral damage, then maybe you can win the battle without making everyone your enemy. Then, when you take the territory, eventually all of the inhabitants will accept you, or whoever you install as the leader, as the legitimate political authority in the land. And it is this second model that Ahithophel is hoping Absalom will adopt. The idea is that if only David is targeted, and if it is only David and maybe a few of his bodyguards and generals who will die in the attack, then the immediate result might be that those supporting David will be thrown into confusion. But in the end, many of them may become peaceful servants of King Absalom. Only then would Absalom, as the reigning monarch, be allowed to become the king of all of the people.

But Ahithophel also makes a slip of the tongue as he gives Absalom his advice. According to the reality of the day, David had been defeated and deposed. David was now in exile and Absalom was king over Israel. And yet Ahithophel makes this comment to Absalom; “I would strike down only the king.” It seems that even Ahithophel realizes that as long as David lives, he is the King.

Scholars believe that Ahithophel might have also been the grandfather of Bathsheba. If that is true, then he may have also had a personal interest in making sure that only David dies. He may view David as the enemy of his family, and at the same time, may have wanted to protect the life of his granddaughter. So it becomes even more critical to Ahithophel that only the king is struck down.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 41