2 Samuel 21 -- Beginning A Sad Ending For This Book

My commentary said, "The book closes with a record of two nation calamities -- a drought caused by King Saul's sin and a plague caused by King David's sin."  This chapter dealt with Saul's sin.

The Gibeonites had tricked the Israelites during Joshua's time, pretending to have traveled a great distance to sue for peace.  They settled in Benjamin near where Saul's family had land.  There is no record of the battle between Saul and members of the Gibeonites, but some thirty or so years prior to David's time Saul had ordered an ethnic cleansing to have them removed, according to my commentary.  Now, thirty years later, God was ready to have the nation pay for Saul's sin -- He caused a three-year drought.

David inquired of God and God answered with the Gibeonite story.  Money wouldn't cover Saul's sin.  It would take blood.  David finally agreed to the request of the Gibeonite people to have seven male descendants of Saul killed.  But David didn't offer Mephibosheth since he'd pledged Jonathan that he'd care for his sons with an oath to God.  

"The deaths of the seven men was not atonement but legal retribution," my commentary explained.

From April to October, the bodies of the seven men hung on public display until God broke the drought, blessing the Israelites with rain.  During that time, one of Jonathan's relatives, Rizpah, stayed on constant vigil over the bodies to keep wild animals and birds from defiling the bodies -- "an act of love and courage," my commentary said.

Father, please protect my family from making mistakes that would take this long to correct or overcome.  Help us to have hearts like Yours.

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford