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II Samuel
Chapter 15 (Continued)
20~~You
{Ittai} came only yesterday.
{Principal: It does not take long for a mature believer to prove his
worth to good leaders.}
Therefore,
today,
shall
I cause you to wander around with us
marching
with us
'when
I do not know where I am going?'
{idiom: "and, am I going . . . toward which . . . I am going?"
Principal: humility is 'thoughtfulness of others'.
Only humble people can think. A high IQ with arrogance
means the inability to think clearly.}
Go
back {an order}
in
grace and doctrine/truth . . .
and
take back your countrymen with you.
{Note: In this last sentence is the use of a famine singular pronoun 'you'. This creates a pause in the reading. The famine is use to indicate a responder to the male who is initiating. Here it means that David recognizes that Ittai is following him and recognizing his authority. David only tells Ittai to return and he knows Ittai's men will respond to Ittai's command to return. This brings out the principal of respect for authority. Finally, by adding in grace and in doctrine, David is telling Ittai that he is within doctrinal bounds by returning to Jerusalem - implying strongly that Ittai and his countrymen are believers and most likely mature believers.}
21~~But
Ittai replied to the king, and said,
"By
the life {chay} of Jehovah/God . . .
and
by the life {chay} of my lord the king
{Ittai recognizes his two main sources of authority. He will say it is
his right as a mature believer to say where is God's geographical
will for him. He has followed David in times of prosperity and wants
to stay with him in times of adversity.}
assuredly/'with
confidence'/dogmatically,
{idiom: literally 'if with' or 'for with' means 'dogmatically'}
in
whatever place my lord the king may be,
'whether
{it means to me} life or death'/'whether in death or life',
count
on it . . . your 'loyal servant' will be there.
{Note: Ittai is a mature believer. He is deciding for himself what the will of God is for him! David must be smiling when he sees how mature this man has become in a very short time. Ittai was also the son of Achish the king of Gad. Even as a gentile, he raised Ittai to be a man of integrity.}
{Note: There are three categories to the will of God. First, is the 'viewpoint will' - 'what does God want me to think about this situation?'. Second, 'geographic will' - 'where does God want me to be related to this situation?' (applicable here). And, three 'operational will of God' - 'what does God want me to do related to this situation?'}
22~~Consequently,
David said to Ittai,
"Move
out and cross over {the ford of Kidron}."
Then
Ittai the Gittite crossed over {the Kidron}
with
all his men,
and
all the families which were with him.
{Note: Ittai will stay and become one of David's three great corps commanders.}
23~~While
the countryside wept aloud
{the rural people understood what they lost when David's
establishment government was leaving - they risk their property,
their freedoms, and even their lives},
all
the people crossed over {the Kidron}.
Then
the king also crossed over the brook Kidron,
{David crossed last}
while
all the people crossed over before his face,
and
took the highway over the Mount of Olives
which
leads to the desert.
{this is the desert between the Mount of Olives and Jericho -
in Jesus' day this was called the road to Jericho}
{Note: RBT's translation follows the Ko-ra reading instead of the Ka-the-eve because it gives the full directions. David will go east away from Jerusalem over the fords of the River Jordan near Jericho. He will cross these fords and wind up at Mahanaim.}
{Intro
to David's Chief Counter-Intelligence Agent - the Co High Priest Zadok}
24a~~Now
behold . . . Zadok also,
{the priests had to come from the Levy family and from the line of
Aaron. Zadok was from the eldest son of Aaron, Eleazar. Under
David, Zadok was the co-High Priest with Abiathar (who is
descended from Ithamar - the youngest son of Aaron). Under
Solomon would be the sole High Priest since Abiathar joined the
revolt against Solomon's reign.}
and
all the Levites with him,
{the Levites who were NOT of the line of Aaron were the
administrators of spiritual affairs. They were the professional
singers and musicians, the caretakers of the tabernacle, curtains,
shewbread, and the custodian of the Ark of the Covenant}
bearing/carrying
{hard work}
the
Ark of the Covenant of 'Elohiym /Godhead
and
they set down the Ark of 'Elohiym /Godhead.
{on the slope of the Mount of Olives - they saw the Ark as they
crossed at the Kidron ford}
Meanwhile
Abiathar offered sacrifices {`alah} {in Jerusalem},
{the other co-High Priest stayed behind to minister to those who
could not leave}
until
all the people/stragglers
had
finished leaving the city.
{crossing over the Kidron}
25~~And
the king commanded Zadok,
"Return
the Ark of 'Elohiym/Godhead into the city.
{by
this command, David is recognizing this installment of Divine
Discipline from God. In 'cursing for discipline' the issue is sin. In
'cursing for blessing' (cursing has been turned into blessing after
rebound) the issue is grace.}
If
I shall find grace
{grace is the issue so David did rebound}
in
the eyes of Jehovah/God,
He
will restore me,
{David's faith is claiming the promise}
and
He will show me both it {the Ark},
and
His habitation {the tabernacle in Jerusalem}."
{Note: The Ark and the tabernacle were training aids for learning doctrine. David had so many wives and mistresses that he was distracted from doctrine. So, here he is making a vow to 'get back to doctrine'. This is a common vow in times of distress. It is in times of prosperity that most forget their need for doctrine in their lives. David is realizing he had failed the prosperity test.}
{David
Recognizing No One is Indispensable}
26~~But
if He would communicate thus/'in this manner',
"I
{God} have' 'been dissatisfied'/'not been pleased' with you.
{David knows he messed up. He has confessed his sin, but
installment discipline is continuing - God promoted David and can
demote him anytime - discipline means God wants to keep you on
- He will remove you under the sin unto death when your chances
are up. If a boss has to fire a person don't scold them first - just
get them out. If you want to keep them, then discipline them for
instruction purposes so they can improve and be of value to the
company in the future.}
'I
am ready for my punishment.'
{idiom: literally 'Behold, here am I'}
Let
Him do to me 'whatever seems best to Him'.
{idiom: literally 'whatever is good in His eyes'}
{Preparing
Zadok to be the Chief of Intelligence for David}
27~~Then
the king said to Zadok the priest {kohen}
{Zadok is actually the co-High Priest},
"Are
you not a 'prophet - writer of scripture type' {ra'ah}?
{this is the 'writer of scripture type of prophet so Zodak
needed to be in the city where the writing materials and a place
to write were}
Return
to the city in tranquility/prosperity.
{meaning no reason to be upset you can not go with David -
David will have a great purpose for him in the city - counter-
intelligence}
Both
Ahimaaz, your son, . . . and Jonathan, the son of Abiathar . . .
these
two sons . . . {take} with you.
{Note: Ra'ah is one of the three Hebrew words for 'prophet'. A ra'ah type prophet receives communication from God and writes scripture. RBT says Zadok is most likely the writer of II Samuel, II Kings, II Chronicles . . . finishing the work of Samuel after his death. (The other two types of 'prophets' are nabiy' which was a prophet similar to a pastor teacher in the Church Age - he taught doctrine from the written word (Aaron was a nabiy' according to Exodus 7:1). The last type was the chozeh. He received communication directly from God but it was only for the people of that day - his communication did not become part of the written word that lives and abides forever and ever. David wrote many of the Psalms so he also was a "ra'ah".}
28~~See
{ra'ah},
I
will wait at the 'fords of the desert',
until
there a word/communication/'an intelligence report' {dabar}
comes
from you {Zadok} to inform me {David}.
{Note: The 'fords of the desert' was a very famous caravan crossroads point. It was the fords over the Jordan River near where Jericho is. From there, David can go in a number of directions. He will wait for an intelligence report on the movements of Absalom's army before he decides the best direction to move.}
29~~Zadok,
therefore, because of Abiathar
{because Abiathar was back in the tabernacle in Jerusalem},
he
{Zadok} returned
{shuwb -3rd masculine singular - only Zadok did this}
the
Ark of 'Elohiym/Godhead to Jerusalem
and
they {Zadok and Abiathar}
remained/tarried
there.
30~~Then
David ascended
the
{forward} slope of {the Mount of} Olives,
and
weeping/'kept on crying' as he went up,
with
his head covered/veiled
{like with mosquito netting} . . .
marching
barefooted.
{a sign of many problems - but here is a sign of humility and
helplessness - the two pre-requisites for Getting with the Divine
Solution - 'God helps the helpless and makes war on the
arrogant'}
Therefore,
all the people who were with him
each
one covered his head,
and
went up, weeping as they ascended {the slope}.
{Note: To stop and cry would include the arrogance factor. David is marching on while he grieves about his situation. But he is continuing on - indicating his greatness. Going barefoot, David is making it clear that only God can deliver him. He does not want to mislead the people who go with him.}
{Note: What David was thinking at this time, might well have been the basis for Psalm 3.}
{Necessity
for Counter-Insurgency}
31~~Now
{an intelligence agent} reported to David, saying,
"Ahithophel
is among the conspirators with Absalom."
Then
David prayed,
"O
Jehovah/God, please/'I pray you',
frustrate
the counsel of Ahithophel."
{Note: Ahithophel is a genius and was David's former Secretary of State. He is the grandfather of Bathsheba who apparently despised David (possibly for raping Bathsheba and/or for murdering Uriah the Hittite). He is the true brains of the Absalom revolution.}
{Answer
to David's Prayer in Verse 31 - Hushai (II Samuel Chapter 17 is the
Full Story)}
32~~And
it came to pass,
{change in historical sequence}
that
when David ascended
to
the top of the mount {Mount of Olives},
where
people/heathen had worshipped 'elohiym/gods,
{RBT says this was the old site of a phallic cult false religion}
behold,
Hushai the Archite
{see I Chronicles 27:33 where Hushai is called the 'friend of the
king' He will remain loyal to David but be the worlds first 'CIA' type
agent}
meet
him with his 'valuable robe' torn/'ripped to shreads',
and
dust upon his head.
{Hushai was alert and left Jerusalem before the others and waited
for David.}
{Note: Hushai will have to be a counter-insurgent. This is one of the most difficult and confusing doctrines. To murder is sin. To kill in battle in defense of your nation is not. To lie is sin. To deceive in defense of appropriate authority is not sin. This was the same issue with Rahab the prostitute in Jericho. She had to lie to protect the Jewish spies. She was a believer and knew this was God's will so she lied. Hushai will be asked to deceive Absalom and gather intelligence for David. It takes great maturity and great humility to be able to violate your own norms and standards in defense of your nation. The only way to defeat revolutionaries is to fight dirty yet keeping your high set of norms and standards in your personal soul.}
33~~Then
David said to him,
"If
you march on with me,
then
you shall become a burden unto me.
{Note: Hushai is apparently an old man now with great genius and wisdom. But going along with David would mean he might fall behind and David would have to have men protect him or the chasing revolutionary army would take and kill him.}
{Counter-Espionage}
34~~But
if you return to the city,
and
say unto Absalom,
"I
will be your 'loyal servant', O king;
as
I have been your father's 'loyal servant' in the past . . .
now
I will also be your 'loyal servant'.
Therefore, you will help me by frustrating the counsel of Ahithophel.
{Note: So, Hushai was the answer to David's prayer to God. Hushai will have to fight an unconventional war and it is all condoned by God. Hushai will have to 'lie'. But to lie for your country, without the motivation of personal benefit, is not a sin. Just as killing in a war, is not murder. The principal is the same.}
35~~And
is there not with you there
Zadok
and Abiathar the priests {dual high priests}?
Therefore
it shall come to pass,
that
all imformation that you shall hear
from
the palace of the king,
you
shall report to Zadok
and
Abiathar the {high} priests.
{Note: this is a summary verse of the briefing David gave to Hushai. David told him of the two 'spies' already planted in
{Couriers}
36~~
Behold,
they
have there with them their two sons,
Ahimaaz
. . . Zadok's son, and Jonathan . . . Abiathar's son;
and
by them you will send to me all
the
information that you shall happen to hear.
37~~Now,
Hushai . . . David's friend came into the city . . .
just
as Absalom was arriving into Jerusalem.
{Note: This is Jesus Christ controlling history. The timing was just right for Hushai to arrive just as Absalom arrived.}
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