WHEN WE
RECEIVE CONFLICTING ADVICE PRAY
PROCLAMATION
“And Hushai said unto Absalom, ‘The
counsel that Ahithophel hath given is not good at this time. For,’ said
Hushai, ‘thou knowest thy father and his men, that they be mighty men … and thy
father is a man of war …’ ” 2 Samuel 17:7-8 (KJV)
EXPLANATION
These words were written under the
influence of The Holy Spirit of God after the death of the prophet Samuel by
Nathan the prophet and Gad the seer. After King David fled from Jerusalem
and Absalom had occupied the city, Absalom first sought the advice of Ahithophel,
who had been David’s advisor. He advised Absalom to take two thousand men
and attack David now while he is weary. (2 Samuel 17:1-3) Then he sought
the advice of Hushai, who had been David’s friend. He advised Absalom to
gather all the men of Israel and then lead the attack on David from a position
of superior numbers because David and his men were mighty men of war. (2 Samuel
17:4-13) Absalom liked the plan proposed by Ahithophel (2 Samuel
17:4) until he heard the plan offered by Hushai. (2 Samuel
17:14) From a military perspective, the advice of Hushai was better
than the advice from Ahithophel, but it was also better for David because it
gave him more time to prepare for the battle.
APPLICATION
We should be very careful regarding who
we listen to or seek advice from. Almost everyone has an opinion,
and advice is readily available everywhere from multiple sources, some of
it is good and some not so good. However,
when the well-respected experts disagree on a matter and offer us different
advice, we need to give the matter prayerful consideration. The
“good advice” which we receive may very well benefit someone
else. More importantly, good advice is only “good” if we have asked
the right question when we seek it. That is why we need to take
everything to The Lord in prayer. (Ephesians 6:18)
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