The Conspirator

2 Samuel 15:31
“And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O LORD, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.”

The story from the verse above starts long before the incidents in this verse. This story starts when David committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband killed. What is often missed in this story is that Ahithophel is the grandfather of Bathsheba. Ahithophel was David’s contemporary, which means they were probably the same age. There is no doubt in my mind that Ahithophel despised David’s actions with his granddaughter and thought that God didn’t do enough to recompense him for his sin. I believe that the reason Ahithophel joined Absalom’s side was an act of bitterness to get even with David for what he did to his granddaughter.

Sadly, many people destroy their lives because they are bitter over the actions of another, and they don’t believe that God has done enough to recompense them for what they did. If you have been deeply hurt by someone like Ahithophel, you can certainly understand his desire to get even, but vengeance never removes the hatred that bitterness has placed in your heart. Let me share several thoughts that can help you not to become a conspirator to hurt someone who has hurt you.

First, God can do a much better job at recompensing a person for their wrong than you can. God says in Romans 12:19, “…Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” Trying to take matters into your own hand to recompense someone for what they have done is only going to cause you to have to face God’s judgment. You may not agree with God’s timing in His handling of the matter, but you must trust the providence of God in His handling of all matters. God knows best how to handle people who have hurt others.

Second, conspiring to hurt another who has hurt you is as evil as the hurt they have done to you. So someone hurt you deeply; that doesn’t give you a right to conspire to hurt them. One wrong never makes another wrong right. Just because someone else did wrong doesn’t make it right for you to do wrong to them. You cannot live in the world of revenge without experiencing the death of joy to the sword of bitterness. If you were able to hurt the other person to the degree that you think they deserve, you will find that it will never be enough. Bitterness is a cancer that continues to eat at you no matter how much hurt you are able to inflict on the person who hurt you.

Third, the only answer to the sword of bitterness is forgiveness. This may be one of the hardest things you will ever be able to accomplish, but with God’s help you can forgive the person who has wronged you. You will find that God will do more to help you if you will learn to forgive the individual who has inflicted hurt in your life. I’m not saying it will be easy to forgive, but forgiveness always comes after someone has been hurt.

Let me ask you; who is it that you have lived your life conspiring to get revenge for a hurt they have done to you? You will find that your joy will die to bitterness if you don’t forgive that person who has wronged you. Don’t let the bitter sword of revenge continue to rule your life. Ask God to help you forgive that person and leave the recompense of their sin up to God.

Author: Allen Domelle