Lesson 12 - 2 Sam. 21:1-14 - GIBEONITE REVENCE
INTRODUCTION: Last week, in 2 Sam. 18:5-9, 15, 31-33, we covered the final battle that dealt with the rebellion of David's son, Absalom, which resulted in the destruction of the rebel army and Absalom's death. Before David's army departed, the king unequivocally commanded his three generals, Joab, Abishai, and Ittai to, "deal gently with Absalom for my sake" (18:5). This was crystal clear: Whatever happened in the forthcoming battle, David wanted his son spared from death, and he said this publicly so there could be no mistake. But as it turned out, Absalom's ragtag army was utterly defeated by David's professional soldiers and Joab, intentionally ignoring David instructions, personally killed Absalom and buried him on the spot. A series of tragic events, the death of Bethsheba's baby, the rape of Tamar by Amnon, the murder of Amnon by Absalom, and Absalom's rebellion against David, and finally, Absalom's death all stemmed from Nathan's prophecy that "the sword shall never depart your house" and "God will raise up evil against you in your own household" (2 Sam 12:10-11), which all followed as a consequence of David's sin with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah. The main point of application from this is that when God confronts us with the consequences of our sin, we must (2) submit to Him and (2) accept how he chooses to discipline us. And we should always bear in mind that even though God forgives our sin when we openly and humbly confess it, He does not necessarily remove the consequences, which (as shown by David's case) can be very severe. God's justice is always sure.
This week, in 2 Sam. 21:1-14, we will see another example of divine discipline, in this case a famine imposed on Israel by God because of sins committed by king Saul that occurred even before David became king. It is reported here because Chapters 21-24 of 2 Sam. comprise an appendix added later to the book which reports events that are not in chronological order with Chapter 20.
Read 2 Sam. 21:1-6 - A FAMINE IN THE DAYS OF DAVID
1 Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David sought the presence of the LORD. And the LORD said, "It is for Saul and his bloody house, because he put the Gibeonites to death." 2 So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them (now the Gibeonites were not of the sons of Israel but of the remnant of the Amorites, and the sons of Israel made a covenant with them, but Saul had sought to kill them in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah). 3 Thus David said to the Gibeonites, "What should I do for you? And how can I make atonement that you may bless the inheritance of the LORD?" 4 Then the Gibeonites said to him, "We have no concern of silver or gold with Saul or his house, nor is it for us to put any man to death in Israel." And he said, "I will do for you whatever you say." 5 So they said to the king, "The man who consumed us and who planned to exterminate us from remaining within any border of Israel, 6 let seven men from his sons be given to us, and we will hang them before the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the LORD." And the king said, "I will give them." 6 let seven men from his sons be given to us, and we will hang them before the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the LORD." And the king said, "I will give them."
Note: Chronologically, this incident appears to have occurred sometime between David's 'kindness' to Jonathan's son, Mephibosheth in Chapter 9 and Absalom's rebellion in Chapters 15-18.
v. 1a: Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David sought the presence of the LORD." - When David finally came to realization that the 3-year famine was a divine judgment, he went before the Lord to discover the cause for it.
v. 1b: "And the LORD said, "It is for Saul and his bloody house, because he put the Gibeonites to death." - This happened years before the events of Chapters 15-18. Saul, in his nationalistic zeal, broke the covenant that Joshua had made with the Gibeonites 400 years earlier (Josh. 9:15) and embarked on a campaign to exterminate them. Saul's action against the Gibeonites appears only here in Scripture seems to have occurred sometime shortly before Saul's death (1 Sam. 31:1-4). The Gibeonites occupied a territory later allotted to the tribe of Benjamin in Judah (see Gibeon on map).
vv. 2-3: "So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them (now the Gibeonites were not of the sons of Israel but of the remnant of the Amorites, and the sons of Israel made a covenant with them, but Saul had sought to kill them in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah). Thus David said to the Gibeonites, "What should I do for you? And how can I make atonement that you may bless the inheritance of the LORD?" - Even though he was in no way responsible for Saul's misguided actions, David knew that in order to end this famine, he would need to offer a just remedy that would atone for the wrong that had been done to these Gibeonites. The "Amorites," of which the Gibeonites were a sub-group, was a generic term for the non-Israelite inhabitants of Canaan. Since the covenant sworn to them had been violated, the Gibeonites could rightly call down God's curse on the land as "the inheritance of the LORD."
v. 4a: "Then the Gibeonites said to him, "We have no concern of silver or gold with Saul or his house, nor is it for us to put any man to death in Israel." - Monetary compensation for sins of the blood was common in the ancient Near East but was forbidden by the Law of Moses (Num. 35:31), and the Gibeonites appear to accepted the teachings of Torah Law (God-fearers?) Nor did the Gibeonites expect an eye-for-an-eye killing of Israelites.
v. 4b: "And he said, "I will do for you whatever you say." - In view of the fair-minded attitude of the Gibeonites, David was willing to unconditionally agree to whatever terms they specified in order to redress Saul's wrongdoings against them. Notice that David acted as a servant rather than a king.
v. 5: "So they said to the king, "The man who consumed us and who planned to exterminate us from remaining within any border of Israel," - Their complaint is against Saul, who perpetrated the wrongs committed against them. Indeed, many Gibeonites were murdered, but it appears that most of them were simply driven away from their homeland in the Israelite territory that had been granted to them under Joshua's covenant.
v. 6: "let seven men from his sons be given to us, and we will hang them before the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the LORD." - Saul, the one who broke the oath, is dead. So, the people of Gibeon do not want the name of Saul to live on in Israel, so they want his male children killed, hanged by the neck, and "seven" represents a perfect number. This can include sons or grandsons of Saul. The site specified, "Gilbeah," had been Saul's place of residence (a few miles SE of Gibeon on map).
v. 6b: And the king said, "I will give them." - David agreed to their terms with one exception (v. 7).
Read 2 Sam. 21:7-9 - THEY HANGED THEM IN THE MOUNTAIN BEFORE THE LORD
7 But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the oath of the Lord which was between them, between David and Saul's son Jonathan. 8 So the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, Armoni and Mephibosheth whom she had borne to Saul, and the five sons of Merab the daughter of Saul, whom she had borne to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite. 9 Then he gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the mountain before the LORD, so that the seven of them fell together; and they were put to death in the first days of harvest at the beginning of barley harvest.
v. 7: But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the oath of the LORD which was between them, between David and Saul's son Jonathan." - You'll recall Mephbosheth from our previous lesson in 2 Sam. 9:1-13. David specifically excepted him because of his covenant with Jonathan, Mephibosheth's father.
v. 8: "So the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, Armoni and Mephibosheth whom she had borne to Saul, and the five sons of Merab the daughter of Saul, whom she had borne to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite." - The second named Mephibosheth was a son of Saul by his concubine Rizpah. So, the victims would be two sons from Saul's concubine and five sons from Saul's daughter, Merab.
v. 9: "Then he gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the mountain before the LORD, so that the seven of them fell together; and they were put to death in the first days of harvest at the beginning of barley harvest." Except for the first Mephibosheth (v. 7), this effectively extinguishes Saul's bloodline. The Gibeonites were not bound by the law which forbade leaving a dead body to hang overnight (Deut. 21:22-23). The purpose of the Gibeonites was the leave the bodies hanging until God signaled his approach by ending the famine. This may seem barbaric to us but to the Gibeonites it served their perception of justice. Also, this is yet another prime example of sons being made to pay for the sins of their father.
Read 2 Sam. 21:10-14 - DAVID BROUGHT UP THE BONES OF SAUL AND JONATHAN
10 And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until it rained on them from the sky; and she allowed neither the birds of the sky to rest on them by day nor the beasts of the field by night. 11 When it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done, 12 then David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the open square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them on the day the Philistines struck down Saul in Gilboa. 13 He brought up the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from there, and they gathered the bones of those who had been hanged. 14 They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zela, in the grave of Kish his father; thus they did all that the king commanded, and after that God was moved by prayer for the land.
v. 10: "And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until it rained on them from the sky; and she allowed neither the birds of the sky to rest on them by day nor the beasts of the field by night." - Rizpah set up a shelter with "sackcloth" to watch over the hanging bodies of her two sons and the others, apparently to keep the scavenging birds and beasts away from them. This shows the great love of this mother for her sons. When the rains came, they would take the desiccated bones down, to be buried.
vv. 11-12: "When it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done, 12 then David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh-Gilead, who had stolen them from the open square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them on the day the Philistines struck down Saul in Gilboa." - Inspired perhaps by Rizpah's devotion to her sons, David ordered the remains of Saul and Jonathan to be transferred from their obscure graves in Jabesh-Gilead (approx. 52 mi. north of Jerusalem on the east side of the Jordan River. i.e., the middle of nowhere).
v. 13-14: "He brought up the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from there, and they gathered the bones of those who had been hanged. 14 They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zela, in the grave of Kish his father; thus they did all that the king commanded, and after that God was moved by prayer for the land." - David's final act towards Saul and Jonathan was a deed of deep respect for the king he had honored and the friend he loved. Although the location of Zela is uncertain, we know that Saul was a Benjaminite.
APPLICATION-Keeping Covenants (Promises)
1. Since God views keeping covenants (promises) very seriously, the breaking of a covenant can bring serious consequences. David's dealings with the Gibeonites, at its core, was is a matter of keeping a covenant. Israel had made a covenant with the Gibeonites, and even though it was 400 years old, it was still one that needed to be honored. Saul broke that covenant by trying to rid Israel of them. The breaking of that covenant had serious consequences. It cost Saul and his sons their lives. It brought a famine on the land of Israel. As a side-bar to this, David's covenant with Jonathan had to be honored so that Mephibosheth would not be handed over to the Gibeonites to be hanged.
2. God is our role model for keeping covenants (promises). We can thank God that He is a covenant keeper. Throughout Israel's history, His chosen people stiffened their necks and disobeyed the One who saved them from slavery in Egypt. How easy it would have been for God to wash His hands of this rebellious people. But God kept His covenant. He kept it by bringing adversity on His people when they sinned (such as the famine which came on Israel in David's time), but He also provided a Savior, who perfectly kept the Mosaic Covenant and fulfilled the Abrahamic and Davidic Covenants. He inaugurated the New Covenant, by which sinful men are saved through faith in Jesus Christ and His blood, which was shed to make an atonement for the sins of men.
End Note: Our text today foreshadows the gospel in many ways. Not only does it remind us that God relates to people by means of His covenants, but it speaks to in particular about a New Covenant. In our lesson, Saul's sins had to be atoned for or God's blessings (i.e., rain in this case) could not be enjoyed. Saul's sin brought adversity in the form of a famine, and you should notice that money could not atone for this sin, but only the shedding of blood. It was the shedding of the seven sons' blood that brought about atonement and satisfied both God and the Gibeonites.
