* 1 Samuel 18:12 KJV And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul. * 1 Samuel 18:15 KJV Wherefore when S They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the tomb of Kish his father. Saul committed a great crime against Gibeon and the Gibeonites. They did what is recalled in verses 3 through 6 above. WebDavid serves Saul with music on his harp Nov 24, 1025. So, others besides Saul were guilty. Now Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until the late rains poured on them from heaven. During Davids reign, the people of Gibeon demanded that all of Sauls children be put to death so as to atone for a severe famine. He has mercy, and holds the curses to just a few generations, but He allows the results of doing righteousness to last forever. He did not negotiate at all. He asked me, "How does this incident square with what God says in Ezekiel 18:19-20?". When He visits the iniquity upon successive generations, He is saying is that the results and curses that come automatically often go down a handful of generations. So, he kept his own covenant, but he did not go any further to figure out from God's law to know what should be done in this situation. Evidently, he thought that he could win back his kingdom if he zealously did God's will. They agree to the death of seven of Saul's descendants. They had advance warning. Without checking out their story; without surveying the geographical situation; most of all, without consulting the Lord and waiting for His guidance, Joshua went impulsively ahead and signed a binding, lasting agreement with the Gibeonites. Should we make a covenant with them? So they performed all that the king commanded. This is in the second commandment. In the economy of God's providence, however, such tiny events often matter much. 2 And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them; (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the When this righteous ruler turned to God, the Lord showed him that arrogant error of his predecessor. And the LORD answered, "It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites." When the Gibeonites heard that the other nations were going to attack them, they sent a message to Joshua and the people, Help! Then Gibeon was a mile or two more to the north-northwest. God sees behind the scenes. 5. Nob. He went after a people that God did not want exterminated anymore. They haven't been put in Kish's sepulcher yet. PHARAOH AND HAMAN - Their representatives were not up front with the Israeli leaders. The historical narrative of King David is drawing to a close. Davids choice of victims reflects at least the covenant between him and Jonathan, if not also the one between him And the king said, "I will give them.". And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites. II Samuel 21:1-14 Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David inquired of the L ORD. If the Gibeonites brought guile and deceit into the land; it was Saul who set the example for deep and devastating delusion. For all his misguided efforts and pains, Saul reaped the fruits of his delusion. Although he had peace at this time, I think he was worried because they just had two successive rebellions, and were almost to the point of victory over King David until they were eliminated. You see, famine on the scale like thisthree yearsis a sign from God that things were not copacetic in the land. (Mark 6:20). God punished the whole nation for breaking the covenant. Exodus 21:23-25 But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. I am just going to start with the backdrop to the incident. Saul and the heir to the throne, his son, Jonathan, were killed in a battle with the Philistines, and by popular acclamation, David became the King of Israel. In reading the Psalms, on the other hand, we get an idea of just how grateful he was for God's forgiveness and grace, because I believe he was aware of just what a rotten individual he really was. David then goes to Gibeonites and asked to make amends. Other Translations for 2 Samuel 21:1 Discussion for 2 Samuel 21 View All A lot can happen in two years. SERIES INTRODUCTION WebThe Philistines decided not to attack D. God gave Saul three options to choose from as he went out against the Philistines. Israel plagued by allowing the deception Things were going wrong. However, there was not. Forty years, at least, has passed, and had they been involved in it back when Saul was still kinglet us say they were 18 to 20 years oldthese men involved in this massacre, should they still be alive, might be 60, 65, or even 70 years old. They did not inquire. Instead, they told a story that either ignored the truth completely or, at least, shaded the truth in such a way that it was full of guile and deceit. 1316). or who shall stand in his holy place? Why is it just now that you are waking up to this? He committed colossal sins that whole nations would be held in contempt for. My supposition is that he may have been still questioning God about the way his reign seemed to have crumbled, and all he had was enemies around him. Two years is a long time. WebThe consequences of Israels covenant with the Gibeonites were not short-term. The Gibeonites actually lived only a few miles from Jericho, the Twelve Tribes' designated entry point to Palestine. There is demotion. The "Man of Steel" is just too perfect, too smart, and too invincible. But, you would think that after two years you would get the idea that this was not breaking. Deep and long lasting trouble for both parties - both the Israelites and the Gibeonites - was the fruit of this clever, but calamitous deception. Justice seems to have been served. Joshua realized he had been deceived, but he kept the letter of his covenant with the Gibeonites to let them live; however, he cursed and enslaved them as woodcutters and water-carriers. Saul later pursued the Gibeonites and sought to kill them off in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah. It only says that God heeded the prayer of the land. It does not require at all times that a person guilty of bloodshed die. This may have only been a couple of months later. 0 responses Why didnt Abraham bargain with God when it came to Isaac being offered as a burnt offering like he did when it came to Sodom and Gomorrah? They wanted blood by putting to death seven male descendants to die for the crimes of that house against the Gibeonites. However, this chapter drops a few hints about it. Web11 Then the king sent for the priest Ahimelek son of Ahitub and all the men of his family, who were the priests at Nob, and they all came to the king. 6. In 1 Samuel 10, Saul first tries to kill David by straight up pinning him to the wall with his spear, but David dodges twice. It causes a problem in the way that the next generation is formed. Joshua 9:14-16 Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions; but they did not ask counsel of the LORD. The stories of such people like Abel, Seth, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, and on through the chapter give us hope that like them we can overcome and be assured of entering the Kingdom of God. A good answer provides new insight and perspective. Only after three days did they discover that their "far-distant" allies were really next-door neighbors! Yet, the Bible specifically says in Hebrews 4:15 that He was without sin. Finally the light came on, and David said, "I had better ask what is going on here. He was endangering the whole army by being out there, an old man trying to fight like a young man. The "Great Debate" between Nixon and Kennedy had not occurred yet. This traditional doctrine, as heard in a Catholic or Protestant church, would say that this sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden rests upon us still. And the Gibeonites said to him, "We will have no silver or gold from Saul or from his house, nor shall you kill any man in Israel for us." and for his bloody house. Ezekiel 18 makes it clear that God punishes people for their own iniquity. It seems as though he was spiritually sleepwalking through this whole thing. For unknown reasons, Joshua and the elders of Israel quickly bit on this proposal. WebSaul, Israel's first king thought he knew better than God. Why were genealogies so important to Israel? Eisenhower was still in office. We still need some more background. He apparently killed They are two separate things. I think he was distracted because the turmoil had taken such a toll on Israel, and the famine too, that he was worried about the economy, rebuilding cities and fortifications, and his alliances with Hiram and others. Whatever the case, it is very plain to me that he did not pay enough attention to this matter of the famine and drought, and the Gibeonites. WebWhen Sauls agents came up, she pretended that David was ill and placed a household idol and a net of goats hair in his bed, as if her husband were still lying there (vv. They did not seek God in this matter. It looks to me like he tried to work out a political solution rather than a righteous one. They have a discussion in the next few verses, and many Israelites want to go ahead and kill these Gibeonites for what they did. This could indicate that the sons of Saul were actively implicated in this attempted genocide, although we cannot tell for sure as the details of this awful event are not recorded. Before she married David, Abigail had been the wife of _____. He wanted to go do something else. No one killed king David. He died of old age, at the age of three score and ten (70 years). His son Solomon succeeded him. You might be thinking of The words "thirty" and "forty" are not in the original Hebrew. 'Whoever kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the testimony of witnesses [another layer that comes in]; but one witness is not sufficient testimony against a person for the death penalty. We have all these things coming at the end time, which is very short. THE STORY OF JOSEPH - When asked about the time of the end; when questioned about the signs that would precede His Second Coming, our blessed Lord instinctively cautioned: "Take heed that no man deceive you." You might say a whole cycle of generations. Such a shame to destroy it all! Notice that I Kings begins not many chapters after this. The Gibeonites merely asked for a mutual help pact that would guarantee not only mercy and aid from Israel, but protection from their common enemies. Exodus 20:4-6 You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. My reading between the lines concludes that King David was at a spiritual low point at this time. When God called Saul to be king, Israel was on the verge of collapse. During the time of the judges, the Israelites had repeatedly turned away, lea God punished Adam and Eve for their sin. Rizpah, Lord Alfred Tennyson in 1878. He received good marks in Scripture. The children of Israel gathered and went across the Jordan River, and set up camp at Gilgal. God sent the rain, it says specifically, "from heaven," verse 10, "in the latter rains," which is their normal cycle. We cannot let them linger around. So they thought, "Hmm. Spiritual virtues and qualities are largely unseen yet are more real and potent in lasting effects than the most formidable nuclear pile. So he said, "Whatever you say, I will do for you." What have they done? He was setting us an example of what we should be doing in a spiritual sense. Perhaps those first two, Armoni, and Mephibosheth were old enough to have participated in the event. Also, they were hanged on the hill before the Lord. It is for Saul. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. Report Where have you been, David? Share He did not do anything to directly intervene. He just weakly said, "Oh okay, whatever you want. And she did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day nor the beasts of the field by night. He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. Completely ignoring God's explicit command to spare the Gibeonites, Saul decreed it was time to remove them completely by exterminating them. They were probably innocent of this particular crime. So they fell, all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest. Report, August 29 2022 Deuteronomy 21:22-23 If a man has committed a sin deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not defile the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance; for he who is hanged is accursed of God. What do we do in a time of spiritual famine? They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed. He simply folded, giving the Gibeonites everything they wanted. Even their empty wine skins were completely dried up and cracked. But it appears at least 40, maybe 50 years in the past. You had only black and white television if you had television. The verb is used in this sense with respect to Joshua's action toward the Gibeonites in Joshua 9:27, where cultic servitude is involved ("for the altar of the Lord"). ", Or even after two years. Now if the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as He swore to your fathers, and gives you the land which He promised to give to your fathers, and if you keep all these commandments and do them, which I command you today, to love the LORD your God and to walk always in His ways, then you shall add three more cities for yourself besides these three, lest innocent blood be shed in the midst of your land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, and thus guilt of bloodshed be upon you. I Samuel 14:47-48 So Saul established his sovereignty over Israel, and fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, against the people of Ammon, against Edom, against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines. Deuteronomy 32:4. He gives them exactly what they want, and look at what happens. He then tells David that he can't marry Michal until he brings Saul 100 Philistine foreskins, thinking that David will definitely die in this attempt. Had David been righteous and been crying out to God, God would have heard him. Then they were able to pick up the pieces of their lives and move forward by the strength that God gave them to overcome and to grow, and to put on the mindthe characterof Christ. Verse 5 does not say that the guilt of a person extends to his great-great grandchildren. They decided to fight with the Gibeonites and teach them a lesson. They were a group of Amorites. It is not the sin of Adam and Eve; it is their own sin. This was history now. You do not know. They had a more bloody and violent systemwhich often led to blood feuds that may not ever end until a whole family or generation was gone. He did not do a thing that a king or judge should do. With all the recent rebellions, he was probably worried that his alliances were going to fail, because he may have appeared to weaken. But talk about your flawed heroes! II Samuel 21:1-2 Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David inquired of the LORD. Nearly two-thirds of American professing Christians believe that their Savior sinned. In other words, we want them to be just like us. You are no longer fit to be king." Up and down your family tree, sin does not go. ", God answered immediately, "It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house. In 2 Samuel 21:1-14, we see that Saul committed an awful crime, and this caused famine in Israel. Go coach! Where are they from? By this time, having fought all his life since he was a teenagerup against Goliath when he was eighteen or soand here he was approaching 70 years old, and he was tired. The Israelite version was a whole lot less absolute. Yet, because of the long time that has passed since then until now, when the Gibeonites were asked to bring it up, how many of the guilty ones had died? Saul's bones are still in Jabesh-Gilead. God has torn the kingdom from you. He had to plead to God for clearing and forgiveness, for cleaning up, because he knew it was not in himself to do that. They do what their flesh tells them to dowhat Satan inspires them to want to doand they do it. About two years ago, Barry Watson, our lone member in Namibia, wrote me an email message in which this incident was at the heart of it. It is very evident from verse 4 that somebody offered money, either from the palace or from the family of Saul. It was as if David earlier said, "Let's just get this out of the way. This incident of the famine took place rather late in David's life. Jonathan. A little further down, we read: II Samuel 21:2 . Joshua 9:22-24 Then Joshua called for them, and he spoke to them, saying, "Why have you deceived us, saying, 'We are very far from you,' when you dwell near us? We have all followed in the same way of life as our first parents Adam and Eve. Here we find the Gibeonites demand, and King David counter demandsNOT. How much food did Jesus produce? The Bible helps us in this way, because it is full of examples of flawed heroes of faith. There should have been payment for it. And how do I know this? There is more space given to David's flaws than anyone else in the whole Bible. But, the big thing was that he did not consult God about what he should do about it. "There was a famine in the days of King David for three years, year after year. We do know the Gibeonites were cutters of wood and drawers of water for the altar of God the tabernacle was at Gibeon. Jew or gentile? Gibeon is only a few miles mostly north of Jerusalem. The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. 21:2, NIV).2 Saul did this in his zeal for Israel and Judah. So for nationalistic reasons Saul was guilty of attempted genocide. And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites. WebTheir apostasy began with the Hivites from Gibeon, and in time, the leaven slowly spread. Evidently, that is what he did. The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit. The two hints are that Saul and his house had a reputation for violence"Saul and his bloodthirsty house." THE STORY OF THE GIBEONITES - These curses are things like diseases that might affect genetics, and they came as the result of sin. I Samuel 14:52 Now there was fierce war with the Philistines all the days of Saul. Moreover you shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death [he cannot buy his way out]. That is basically how it was. The Israelites had promised not to WebSaul kills the gentile Gibeonites (2 Sam 21) & banishes mediums in preparation for Tabernacle being moved from Nob to Gibeon. Why are they where they were? Saul had four sons. * Jonathanhe befriended David, died with Saul on Mount Gilboa * Abinadabdied with Saul on Mount Gilboa * Malchishuadied with Web2 Samuel 21:1 Context. Certainly, after three years you would. II Samuel 21:14 So they performed all that the king commanded. And the LORD answered, "It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites." We do in a spiritual low point at this time drops a few mostly., they were hanged on the hill before the LORD answered, `` it is very short than most... 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