ManageYourEmotionsBook8.5x5.5_RevJULY.indd

by offering sacrifices to God (2 Samuel 15:12). This comes as no surprise, since our churches are full of many who worship God outwardly while nursing a root of bitterness. I can tell by the looks on people’s faces that something is amiss in their lives. Often times, resentment has played a part in sculpting those expressions. Note, too, that Ahithophel was a counselor. “Great leaders have always surrounded themselves with good counselors and David was no exception.Ahithophel was one of the men David trusted for advice and direction as he governed the nation of Israel.” 35 “The Advice of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if one inquired of the word of God” (2 Samuel 16:23). To David,Ahithophel was not only a counselor, but also a friend. In Psalm 41, which looks back on Ahithophel’s downfall, David calls him “My close friend in whom I trusted,Who ate my bread” (vs. 9).We know from the relationship with Jonathan earlier in his life, that David valued friends.Ahithophel filled that honorable need for a season. It was a wonderful and fruitful relationship which worked until it didn’t. I can tell you from experience there’s nothing quite like the pain that comes when those you’ve grown to love and trust turn against you. Even with maturity and experience, it doesn’t get any easier or hurt any less. David surely felt the sting when the person that he’d grown so fond of “Lifted up his heel against” him (Psalm 41:9).Tragically, the constructive run that had held so long for Ahithophel spiraled downward on a destructive life. Ahithophel is viewed by many as an OldTestament symbol of Judas Iscariot, which becomes clear when this counselor turns conspirator.As we learn from this disciple who betrayed Jesus, what appears on the outside doesn’t always reveal the true condition of a person’s heart. Such was the case with Ahithophel.When David’s son Absa-

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