Throughout this series, we have followed the life of Ahitophel of Giloh.
We have seen his extraordinary reputation. We have examined his remarkable counsel. We have seen Scripture compare his advice to consulting the oracle of God. We have watched him correctly assess Absalom’s rebellion and propose the exact strategy that would likely have secured victory.
Yet his story ends in tragedy.
As we have seen throughout this series, the Bible teaches leadership through examples.
1 Corinthians 10 (KJ2000)
11 Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come.
Romans 15 (KJ2000)
4 For whatsoever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
The final chapter of Ahitophel’s life was preserved for our learning.
And the lesson is not what many people assume.
The Day Ahitophel Saw the End
After hearing the counsel of Ahitophel and Hushai, Absalom chose Hushai’s advice.
Scripture records what happened next.
2 Samuel 17 (KJ2000)
23 And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose, and got 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.
Many readers conclude that Ahitophel killed himself because his advice was rejected. They suggest that he felt so humiliated that he opted for suicide.
The text never says that.
In fact, the actions that follow suggest something else.
He went home.
He settled his affairs.
He put his household in order.
These are not the actions of a man having an emotional outburst.
These are the actions of a man rationally preparing for an outcome he believed was inevitable.
Ahitophel Understood What Others Did Not
Remember what we learned in the previous article.
Ahitophel’s strategy was correct.
Scripture itself calls it “the good counsel of Ahithophel.”
He knew David was vulnerable.
He knew delay would help David.
He knew Hushai’s strategy would give David time to recover.
The moment Absalom rejected his advice, Ahitophel could see the future.
David would survive.
David would regroup.
David would return.
Absalom would fall.
The rebellion was finished.
Others celebrated Hushai’s speech.
Ahitophel saw a funeral procession.
The Wrong Side of History
One of the most sobering truths in the entire story is this:
Ahitophel was right. Absalom was wrong. Hushai’s strategy was weaker and doomed for failure.
Yet Ahitophel still lost.
Why?
Because he had attached himself to the wrong cause.
His analysis was correct.
His strategy was correct.
His conclusions were correct.
But he was working against the man God had chosen.
That is a frightening thought.
A person can possess wisdom and still find himself opposing God’s purpose.
A person can correctly read the situation and still be on the wrong side.
A person can understand strategy and completely misunderstand what God is doing.
Wisdom Cannot Replace Alignment
Many people assume wisdom is the highest leadership virtue.
The story of Ahitophel says otherwise.
Wisdom is powerful.
But alignment with God is more powerful.
A brilliant strategy that opposes God’s purpose is still a losing strategy.
A wise counsellor who joins the wrong cause is still on the wrong side.
Ahitophel reminds us that wisdom alone is not enough.
You must also ask:
“What side am I helping to advance?”
Ahitophel, Balaam and Judas
Scripture contains several gifted men who used their gifts in service of the wrong cause.
Balaam possessed genuine spiritual insight. Yet he aligned himself with those opposing God’s people.
Judas spent years walking with Jesus. Yet he ultimately sided against Him.
Ahitophel possessed extraordinary wisdom. Yet when the defining moment came, he cast his lot with Absalom rather than David.
All three men had gifts.
All three men possessed unusual abilities.
All three men ended tragically.
Their problem was not a lack of ability. Their problem was alignment.
The Danger for Leaders
This lesson applies directly to leadership.
Leaders often admire intelligence.
They admire competence.
They admire strategic thinking.
They admire results.
All of those things matter.
But none of them answer the most important question.
Is this person helping advance what God wants done?
A brilliant adviser can still lead you into trouble if his wisdom is disconnected from God’s purpose.
The most dangerous counsel is not foolish counsel.
It is wise counsel directed toward the wrong objective.
That was Ahitophel’s tragedy.
Solving The Wrong Problem
Management thinker Peter Drucker once observed:
“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”
Ahitophel illustrates that principle perfectly.
No one could fault his strategy.
No one could fault his analysis.
No one could fault his understanding of the situation.
His problem was not competence.
His problem was the cause he had chosen to serve.
He was helping Absalom accomplish something that God had already determined would fail.
In that sense, Ahitophel may be one of the greatest examples in Scripture of a man solving the wrong problem.
He was trying to remove David. God was preserving David.
He was trying to secure Absalom’s throne. God had already rejected Absalom’s claim.
Every step of Ahitophel’s reasoning was logical.
Every step of God’s purpose was irresistible.
Leadership lessons do not get much more sobering than that.
It is possible to be efficient, effective, intelligent, strategic, respected, and completely wrong about the objective.
The first question a leader should ask is not, “Can this be done?”
The first question is, “Should this be done?”
And for believers, the question goes even deeper:
“Is this aligned with what God is doing?”
The Greater David
There is another lesson hidden in this story.
David was God’s chosen king.
Ahitophel joined a rebellion against him.
In doing so, he found himself fighting against God’s established purpose.
Many years later, the Son of David would be rejected, opposed, betrayed, and abandoned.
Yet God’s purpose would still stand.
The kingdoms of men rise and fall.
The plans of men succeed and fail.
But God’s purpose always prevails.
That was true in David’s day.
It remains true today.
Conclusion
The life of Ahitophel begins with one of the greatest compliments ever given to a counsellor.
His advice was like consulting the oracle of God.
It ends with one of the saddest scenes in Scripture.
A brilliant man goes home and prepares for death.
His tragedy was not that he lacked wisdom.
His tragedy was that he placed his wisdom in service of the wrong kingdom.
That is the final lesson of Ahitophel.
It is not enough to be wise.
It is not enough to be gifted.
It is not enough to be right.
You must also be aligned with what God is doing.
Because the wisest man in Israel still lost when he found himself fighting against God’s purpose.
Continue in grace!