Bad Counsel

So yesterday was my birthday and I was so super grateful for the privilege of celebrating another year, and I had a splendid time and there was lots of cake. Last year had been traumatic and very emotional, but through it all God made me see the silver lining behind everything. Today I was reading 2 Samuel 10-14 and I learnt something from the incidents that occurred in the passage.

After David became King, he heard of the death of a friend, the King of Ammon, and so he sent some of his servants to pay condolence to the late king's son, Hanun, who had now become the new king of Ammon. However Hanun received bad counsel from his princes, they told him that David might have sent these servants to spy their land. Hanun did not only listen to this bad advice but he also acted on it, he took David's servants, shaved off half their beards and cut off their garments in the middle before sending them away.

This eventually led to a war in which the people of Ammon lost terribly to Israel.

The Israelites defeated the people of Ammon in battle (2 Samuel 10:14)

In chapter 11, I read about David and Bathsheba. David committed adultery with Uriah's wife, Bathsheba and when she discovered she was pregnant for David, David hatched up a devious scheme to cover his sins. He did not seek God for help or turn to God for forgiveness and divine direction, instead he did what he thought was wise in his own eyes.

David sent for Uriah who was at the battlefield, and tried to get him to go home to his wife, but Uriah refused to go home and rather slept at the gates of the Palace.

"And Uriah said unto David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing." 2 Smauel 11:11

So David wrote a letter to Joab, instructing him to set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and withdraw so that he might be killed in battle. He then gave the letter to Uriah to deliver to Joab, and Joab did exactly what was instructed and Uriah died. After David received news of Uriah's death, and Bathsheba completed her mourning, he sent for her and married her, and she gave birth to a son. But God was displeased with David.

Everything must have seemed perfect to David, he had gotten rid of the problem and even acquired not only a new wife but a son. Our own wisdom can mislead us into thinking we've found the perfect solution to our problems when we've only succeeded in making things worse.

God sent Nathan, the prophet to rebuke David and to pronounce His judgement on David and his household.

"Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house, because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to wife" 2 Samuel 12: 10

When we take decisions outside the will of God for our lives, we're despising God, and nothing good ever comes from despising our Creator. The son Bathsheba had given birth to, died as a result of David's actions.

David comforting Bathsheba after the death of their child. (2 Samuel 12: 24)

She later conceived and gave birth to another son, Solomon (2 Samuel 12: 24).

In chapter 13-14, David is still reaping the repercussions of his actions. One of his sons Amnon fell deeply in love with one of his daughers, Tamar the sister of Absalom. He was so besotted that his friend Jonadab gave him a bad advice. Jonadab advised him to lay down and make himself look sick, and when his father comes to see him, he should request for Tamar to come and prepare food for him and feed him.

Amnon listened to Jonadab's advice and did exactly what he was advised to do. David sent Tamar to Amnon's house, and Amnon tricked Tamar, overpowered her and raped her (2 Smauel 13: 8-15).

Two years later Absalom, Tamar's brother plotted to kill Amnon. He invited all the sons of the king out for an outing, and while they were out, Absalom ordered his men to kill Amnon for what he had done to his sister. (2 Samuel 13:22-29).

Absalom kills Amnon for what he had done to his sister (2 Samuel 13:29)

Bad counsel and bad advice are negative influences every believer must encounter. Identifying them no matter how well intended they may seem or no matter how harmless they appear is very important if you want to stay on the right path. Identifying bad counsel can also save your life or that of a loved one.

How do we recognize a bad counsel? or What is a bad counsel? For me, any act or decision that deviates from the word of God or pulls you away from God is bad counsel.

Acting or following bad counsel can not only compound your problems, it could even lead to bigger problems like we saw with Hanun, David, and Amnon. These three examples did not do what was right in the eyes of God but did what was wise in their own eyes, and they paid dearly for it.

Here are three notable things I've learnt from this passage:

1. Bad counsel can come in so many ways, it could come from people you admire and revere (2 Samuel 10:3), from a trusted friend (2 Samuel 13: 5-6), or even from your own mind (2 Samuel 11:6-15).

2. Bad counsel turns you away from God's word and further complicates your problems.

3. Bad counsel can only mislead you when you follow it, so when you receive an ungodly solution to any problem, refuse it and seek the face of God.

Prayer: Heavenly father, please help me identify bad counsel, give me the grace to always seek your guidance and direction in every area of my life in Jesus Name. Amen.