Apparently My Intimate, But A Traitor

BIBLE STUDY #821- CHUCH IN TH HOUSES TUESDAY, JULY 8 – 14, 2014

Topic: “Apparently My Intimate, But A Traitor” Psalms 55:12-14 “If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God.” (Psalms 55:12-14) There is nothing greater than the reproaches of our intimates, those closest whom we trust, those betraying reproaches hurt us the most. Our intimates are the ones who know well our peculiarities and weaknesses. They are the ones who rise and touch our most sensible spots and speak in a way that hurts us most. The Bible shows us two men, Shimei and Ahithophel, who were close to David and reproached and spoke of him negatively. Those men were distinct in their behavior with their king. We can tolerate Shimei, but we cannot suffer Ahithophel. Let us get to know well Shimei and Ahithophel: both rose against David. The first, Shimei, was poor, crazy and envious (2 Samuel 16:5-8). He was a crazy man ignorant of the truth. He was not aware of what David was going through, he did not have clear knowledge of what David had suffered with Saul. Then, he judged by what his bitterness and craziness had dictated him. In reality Shimei’s opinion was based on his ambition, he thought David had taken away what belonged to Saul, who was his relative. He was not capable of understanding that it was not David who took away from Saul but rather God. David took him as a poor ignorant tormented with the insanity of his ignorance. 2 Samuel 16:12-13 “It may be that the Lord will see my distress and repay me with good for the cursing I am receiving today.” So David and his men continued along the road while Shimei was going along the hillside opposite him, cursing as he went and throwing stones at him and showering him with dirt.” The second man is Ahithophel, David’s advisor. (2 Samuel 15:12 “While Absalom was offering sacrifices he also sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, to come from Giloh, his hometown. And so the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom’s followers kept on increasing.”) This advisor so close to David joined David’s son Absalom to conspire against David. HE CAME TO AN AGREEMENT WITH ABSALOM TO TAKE FROM HIM THE KINGDOM! He schemed against his king; he plotted against him with all his wisdom, intelligence and capacity. As his confidential advisor he knew what the kingdom was, it seems he desired that throne. Through Ahithophel the conspiracy became powerful. And David heard of the evilness of Ahithophel towards him (2 Samuel 15:31). Then, David prayed to God: “O Lord, turn Ahithophel’s council into foolishness.” (2 Samuel 16:23 “Now in those days the advice Ahithophel gave was like that of one who inquires of God. That was how both David and Absalom regarded all of Ahithophel’s advice.” Ahithophel had so much influence that his words passed as if the Word of God was consulted. But, God heard David’s prayer and frustrated the evil intensions of Ahithophel. (2 Samuel 17:14 “Absalom and all the men of Israel said; the advice of Hushai the Arkite is better than that of Aithophel. For the Lord had determined to frustrate the good advice of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom.” Ahithophel’s advice was correct and convenient, well already the weariness of the night with 12,000 men he could defeat David. All the people, tired, would escape and leave David alone and then Ahithophel would kill him (2 Samuel 17:1, 2). But, God confused that advice so that evil would come upon Absalom and not David, his chosen. (2 Samuel 17:23 “When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed he saddled his donkey and set out for his house in his hometown. He put his house in order and then hanged himself. So he died and was buried in his father’s tomb.”) Ahithophel hanged himself because David’s good friend Hushai, (1 Chronicles 27:33 “…Hushai the Arkite was the king’s friend.”) gave Absalom another advice favoring the king. Psalms 55:12 “If a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him.” If our arrogant enemies brag about us we can offer them resistance. But, when those who make us believe that they love us look at us with despise, where will we go? That was how Judas, a becoming disciple of Jesus, gave him his worse disenchantment and infidelity. With how much love Jesus told him “My friend, you kiss me and you sell me!” If Judas Iscariot would not have been ten times a son of hell he would have renounced to his infamous purpose! Psalms 55:14 “…and we walked with the throng at the house of God” There is a measure of impiety of a detestable character in the deception that diminishes the union and friendship of men who have made profession of mercy. Is God’s altar to be tarnished by hypocrisy? Are the temples assemblies to be contaminated by the presence of treason? All this was true in Ahithophel and in Judas! Traitors united like friends with the saints in respect to the faith, in the most holy, in carrying out the message of the grace. Judas’ apparent cooperation with Jesus was to serve his abominable purposes; that marks him as a first born from hell. It would have been better if he was never born! From the den of the serpent there are still some vipers left that bite the hand that caress them and sell for silver those who have lifted them into a position where they can become abominable traitors. Death will surprise them! There is no life in them. The earth is contaminated with its footsteps. They stalk on betrayal. Even in the vigor of life they will sink in the grave. We pray for them as creatures, but they are abhorred as enemies of God. Let us love, truly love, always love, let us be real and faithful; let us care for our heart so it will never lie or betray the ones we love. Amen.