2 Samuel 16:18
And Hushai said unto Absalom, Nay; but whom the LORD, and this people, and all the men of Israel, choose, his will I be, and with him will I abide. And Hushai said unto Absalom, Nay; but whom the LORD, and this people, and all the men of Israel, choose, his will I be, and with him will I abide.
The verse belongs to the story of troubles in David's family in 2 Samuel 13 to 20, which grew out of David multiplying wives to himself, producing a large family of children by different wives marked by idleness, luxury, and jealousy and the development of unenviable characters. Its immediate setting revolves around Absalom the beautiful, whose ambitions were roused by fulsome flattery poured out upon a shrewd and handsome prince, together with Absalom's base conduct, the treachery of Ahithophel, the cursing of Shimei, the fear and flight of the king and his pathetic journey touching the hearts of his old friends, the defeat of Absalom, and the sorrow of his father over his wicked son's fate, and even here David's kindness to the house of Saul is still in evidence. The verse falls within the history in 2 Samuel 11-24 and 1 Kings 1-2 showing how completely Nathan's terrible denunciation was accomplished in the judgments and sorrowful retribution that came upon David and his own family after his great wickedness in the case of Uriah, by which he gave great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. The sacred writers do not cover up or excuse that transgression, while David himself placed on record for all future time a most humble confession of it. In sequence, the verse belongs to the account of David fleeing from Jerusalem and his war against Absalom, coming after his sin against Uriah and the disgrace and sorrow over Amnon and Absalom and before his victory over Absalom and his return to Jerusalem.
In the verse Hushai professes to serve Absalom as the one chosen by the LORD and the people and all Israel, while he remains David's friend working for David's deliverance. His counsel caused about three months delay between Absalom's occupation of Jerusalem and Absalom's death, which gave David time to number his adherents and thoroughly organize his army under experienced generals, and brought the counsel of Ahithophel to nothing. Though Absalom used the time rallying the people to his standard and had superiority of numbers, numbers counted for nothing against David's trained heroes because God was not with Absalom. The verse teaches the great lesson that no one can walk contrary to God's laws and not suffer, for though God may not openly reprove and may seem to wink at blindness, in every transgression of divine law there lies the inherent curse. Loud profession, large following, and flattering prospects end in certain failure when God is not in the movement, since majorities are not necessarily divine agencies.