Ahithophel

“Now David had been told, ‘Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.’ So David prayed, ‘O Lord, turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness.’” 2 Samuel 15:31
Yesterday we read about Absalom’s conspiracy, how he kissed up to the people of Israel, promising them justice that he implied his father David could not give them, and thus stole their hearts away. At the time he staged his coup against David, he specifically requested that Ahithophel come to him (2 Sam. 15:12). Ahithophel was considered to be very wise, and his advice was highly regarded (2 Sam. 16:23). In fact, David’s biggest concern was not Absalom, but Ahithophel.
Here David prays that God would negate the effect of Ahithophel’s counsel. In the very next verse we see God’s answer to this prayer, by sending Hushai (2 Sam. 15:32). As David was fleeing Jerusalem, he sent Hushai back to act as a counsellor to Absalom and contradict Absalom’s advice (2 Sam. 15:34). This was indeed what happened: the opportunity came for Hushai to offer contradictory advice, which Absalom took. It was the Lord who incited him to take Hushai’s advice rather than Ahithophel’s (2 Sam. 17:14). Ahithophel, either in disgust or in the realisation that Absalom’s course of action would result in failure, and that he himself would be executed for treason, took his own life (2 Sam. 17:23).
Ahithophel himself had a grudge against David. It’s not immediately obvious from the narrative, but by comparing various Scriptures (2 Sam. 11:3 and 2 Sam. 23:34), we find that Ahithophel was actually Bathsheba’s grandfather.