New Mercies Daily!
MESSAGE TITLE:
Betrayal Will Come, And Often, It Will Not Be From Strangers!
DATE: 10/02/25
BY: EFFIONG ETOK – CARRIER OF GOD’S WORD
SCRIPTURE TEXT:
“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.”
– 2 Samuel 15:31
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
“The pain of an outsider’s attack is one thing-but when the hand that betrays you is the one you once held in trust, it cuts deeper than any blade.”
MESSAGE
David, a man after God’s own heart, a warrior, a king, and a father, had seen many battles and endured many trials. He knew the sting of enemies’ swords, the weight of carrying a nation, and the burden of leading a people prone to rebellion. But nothing could have prepared him for the deepest wound of all-the betrayal of a friend.
Ahithophel was not just an advisor; he was David’s confidant, his counselor, his trusted voice in times of war and peace. When David sought wisdom, it was Ahithophel’s voice that guided him, his words carrying weight like those of an oracle from God. They had walked together, shared moments of counsel, and built strategies that protected the kingdom. Ahithophel knew David’s strengths, his vulnerabilities, his heart. Yet, when Absalom rebelled, he turned against the one who had trusted him the most.
When David heard the words:
“Ahithophel is among the conspirators…” (2 Samuel 15:31)
the weight of betrayal must have crushed him. Not him too. Not the man whose advice had shaped the course of David’s reign. Not the one who sat at his table, who knew the inner workings of his heart.
David had seen enemies rise, but this was different. This was personal. This was a knife driven not from across enemy lines, but from the very heart of his own counsel. The pain of an outsider’s attack is one thing-but when the hand that betrays you is the one you once held in trust, it cuts deeper than any blade.
Ahithophel did not merely betray David-he sought his destruction.
“Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night. And I will come upon him while he is weary and weak-handed, and will make him afraid.” (2 Samuel 17:1-2)
The very man who had once stood beside David in battle now plotted his downfall, calculated his weaknesses, and devised the strategy for his ruin. He did not hesitate. He did not remember the years of loyalty, of shared counsel, of brotherhood. Ahithophel turned his wisdom into a weapon against the one who once relied on it.
The betrayal was not just political-it was deeply personal. David, the mighty king, was now a fugitive, running not just from an ambitious son but from a friend who had become an enemy. And that is perhaps the cruelest pain of all-when those closest to you, those you have lifted, advised, and protected, become the architects of your downfall.
David’s response was not revenge but prayer:
“O LORD, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.” (2 Samuel 15:31)
Because what else can you do when the ones you trusted the most turn against you? What do you do when the ones you once protected now seek your destruction?
The lesson in David’s pain is clear: Betrayal will come, and often, it will not be from strangers, but from those who once walked beside you. Yet, the battle is not ours to fight.
So if today you carry the weight of betrayal, if a friend, a relative, or a trusted companion has turned against you, if the ones you trusted have become the ones plotting your fall-know that David’s God is your God. And just as He turned the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness, He will turn the plans of your enemies into nothing.
“The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer.” (Psalm 18:2)
PRAYER POINTS
1. Father, in the name of Jesus, I hand over every betrayal, every plot, and every conspiracy against me into Your hands. Turn every evil counsel spoken against me into foolishness, and let the plans of my enemies fail! (2 Samuel 15:31)
2. O Lord, You are my fortress and my defender! Deliver me from those who seek my downfall. Protect my destiny, expose every hidden agenda of the wicked, and let no weapon formed against me prosper! (Isaiah 54:17)
