2 Samuel 17:15-24

David Urged to Cross Over Jordan. 2 Samuel 17:15-24

15 Then said Hushai unto Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, Thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel; and thus and thus have I counseled.
16 Now therefore send quickly and tell David, saying, Lodge not this night in the plains of the wilderness, but speedily pass over; lest the king be swallowed up, and all the people that are with him.

17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed by Enrogel; for they might not be seen to come into the city: and a wench went and told them; and they went and told king David.
18 Nevertheless a lad saw them, and told Absalom: but they went both of them away quickly, and came to a man's house in Bahurim, which had a well in his court; whither they went down.
19 And the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth, and spread ground corn thereon; and the thing was not known.
20 And when Absalom's servants came to the woman to the house, they said, Where is Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said unto them, They be gone over the brook of water. And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.

21 And it came to pass, after they were departed, that they came up out of the well, and went and told king David, and said unto David, Arise, and pass quickly over the water: for thus hath Ahithophel counseled against you.
22 Then David arose, and all the people that were with him, and they passed over Jordan: by the morning light there lacked not one of them that was not gone over Jordan.

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 sepulcher of his father.

24 Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed over Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.

6.

What action did Hushai take? 2 Samuel 17:15

Hushai had been sent back to Jerusalem in order that he might have access to the court of Absalom and observe his activity. As soon as he learned that his counsel had been accepted by Absalom, he counseled with Zadok and Abiathar, the priests who had also been sent back to aid David's cause. Since time had been gained by Hushai's counseling of Absalom to wait until he could gather a large army, David would have opportunity to prepare for a major campaign. Hushai thought that David dare not stay in the plains of the Jordan river but should cross over into Gilead.

7.

Where was En-rogel? 2 Samuel 17:17

J. W. McGarvey found En-rogel to be the only unfailing well around Jerusalem when he visited there a century ago. This ancient well had seen the coming and going of a number of civilizations and peoples. It was known in the Old Testament and in the days of earliest Christian travelers as En-rogel, but after the Mohammedan invasion is was called the Well of Job by the Arabs. The Greek and Latin priests in Jerusalem called it the Well of Nehemiah from a tradition mentioned in 2Ma. 1:19-22. Dr. Barclay measured the well and found it to be 125 feet deep. Though the mouth of it was narrow, it was a very large well and had large collecting chambers near the bottom. In the winter time it frequently overflowed and sent a lively stream down the valley. Since it stood at the junction of the valley of Jehoshaphat and the valley of Hinnom, it had a very strategic location and made a good place for Jonathan and Ahimaaz, the sons of the high priests, to hide themselves and wait for word which they could carry to David.

8.

How was the message almost intercepted? 2 Samuel 17:18

A young man saw the young woman who carried the message from Zadok and Abiathar to their sons, Jonathan and Ahimaaz. The young maiden is called a wench, but there is no need to attach to her the disreputable character generally suggested by the word in our use today. The Septuagint translators used the same word to translate this word as they used to describe Ruth (Ruth 4:12). The young sons of the priests knew that they were observed; and they fled quickly to Bahurim, a little further away from the city and hid again in a well of a court in a man's house. The mouth of the well was covered with stalks of grain making it appear to be threshing floor, and the young men were not found.

9.

Was the woman justified in her lie? 2 Samuel 17:20

Absalom's servants came to the woman of the house where Jonathan and Ahimaaz were hiding and asked her where they were. She replied that they had gone over the brook of water. Her answer was not true for she was implying that they had gone over the little water brook which was nearby, but she was not making reference to the well where the men were hiding. Even though the standard of morality was not high in pre-Christian days, this woman should not be justified in her lie. She could have refused to answer and depended upon the hiding place to be secure.

10.

How did David escape? 2 Samuel 17:22

Jonathan and Ahimaaz were able to escape from the well where they were hiding, and they arrived safely at David's hideout. They informed him of the counsel of Ahithophel and the instructions given by Hushai. David arose and took the people with him, leading them across the Jordan river. By the next morning, every one of them had escaped into Gilead.

11.

Why did Ahithophel commit suicide? 2 Samuel 17:23

Ahithophel had shown himself to be a very wise counselor. He had directed David correctly and was attempting to do the same for Absalom. He knew that Absalom was taking the wrong step, and there was nothing but ruin ahead. Ahithophel probably foresaw that there was nothing but a traitor's end ahead for himself. When Hushai was taken completely into Absalom's confidence, he would be in a position to ask for Ahithophel's head. Suicide seemed the best escape for the discredited old counselor.

12.

Why did David go to Mahanaim? 2 Samuel 17:24

David's treatment of the men who had murdered Ish-bosheth would incline the people towards David in a favorable way. His friendship towards Mephibosheth would also strengthen his relationships with these people. More than this, David had shown himself a true friend of Abner. The people of the city were more than likely following Abner, not Ish-bosheth. All of this kindness toward them and their true leaders had completely won the hearts of the people of Mahanaim. Besides all this, Mahanaim was a well fortified city.