What Does II Samuel 17:9 Mean?

Hushai paints a worst-case scenario: "Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or in some other place: and it will come to pass, when some of them be overthrown at the first, that whosoever heareth it shall say, There is a slaughter among the people that follow Absalom." The argument shifts from the danger of confronting David to the psychological impact of even a minor defeat. If the initial assault fails to find David and some of Absalom's men fall in the process, the news will spread panic throughout the rebel army.

Hushai understands Absalom's vulnerability: the rebellion's strength depends on momentum and morale, and a single reverse can shatter the confidence that was built over four years of gate-side campaigning. The people who followed Absalom because he appeared to be the inevitable winner will abandon him at the first sign that the tide has turned. The rebellion is a house of cards, and Hushai's strategy is to make Absalom afraid of the wind that could knock it down.

The Lord Jesus warned His disciples that the kingdom of God would face apparent setbacks but that the final outcome was never in doubt: "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." The morale of the church does not depend on the absence of defeats but on the certainty of the resurrection, and the confidence that sustains the people of God through every trial is the confidence that the King who was crucified is also the King who rose, and the kingdom He established will never be shaken.