Christ says, Luke 21:34-35 "But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. Vote Up God told Joshua to get rid of all these foreigners in the land. Notice that I Kings begins not many chapters after this. So let seven of Sauls sons or grandsons be handed over to us, and we will execute them before the Lord at Gibeon, on the mountain of the Lord.. Some interesting similarities to New Testament times occur to me: The fact that David made a covenant with Jonathan regarding Jonathans house (1 Sam 20:14-16), would take precedence over all other reasons not to give up Mephibosheth, I would suppose. They handed their enemies hard, stale, moldy bread and told them it had been freshly baked when they left home. Summary:2 Samuel Chapter 212 Samuel 21 Avenging the Gibeonites A. David avenges the Gibeonites. Then we have the explanations of which we just went over. WebNow, when they heard that the Gibeonites had made a special treaty with the Israelites they got very angry. By deluding himself that he could solve any problem; by presuming that the end justifies the means; by deliberately countermanding clear and specific orders from the Most High God; Saul not only failed to remove an evil people from the land, he also guaranteed the ultimate destruction of his own family. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing. Your threshing shall last till the time of vintage, and the vintage shall last till the time of sowing; you shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. We are getting toward the end of King David's life. King David was probably huffing and puffing, "I can't lift this thing! You see, famine on the scale like thisthree yearsis a sign from God that things were not copacetic in the land. All it is, was, "We want blood, and anyone from the house of Saul will do.". Saul was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for forty -two years over Israel. With a careful reading and a bit of thought, you will begin to raise some questions. And they went to Joshua, to the camp at Gilgal, and said to him and to the men of Israel, "We have come from a far country; now therefore, make a covenant with us. Share One of the things He specifically mentions is famine, which happens to be the third sealphysical famine, but we remember from Amos that there is a spiritual famine as well. It is very evident from verse 4 that somebody offered money, either from the palace or from the family of Saul. He wanted to go do something else. The Israelite version was a whole lot less absolute. This is pretty clear. They were a group of Amorites. And your strength shall be spent in vain; for your land shall not yield its produce, nor shall the trees of the land yield their fruit. Eisenhower was still in office. However, we have a great deal of trouble identifying with or understanding pure, innocent and perfect Galahad. King David, for example, made huge errors in judgment and committed colossal sins. A good answer provides new insight and perspective. ESV - We would like to make a covenant with you.". ", So David went out and said, "There are some things that have needed to be done. He did not negotiate at all. These curses are things like diseases that might affect genetics, and they came as the result of sin. Joshua 9:14 is the key to Israel's problem. A lot can happen in two years. That would be such a carnal thing to dojust let the Gibeonites kill seven of Saul's kids who could claim the Israelite throne and get them out of the way. There is not much wiggle room in all this. 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. When this righteous ruler turned to God, the Lord showed him that arrogant error of his predecessor. Web2 Samuel 21:1 Context. I do not know. For all his misguided efforts and pains, Saul reaped the fruits of his delusion. WebThis points to their employment in the sanctuary; and possibly may shed some light on the massacre of the Gibeonites by Saul (2 Samuel 21:1). They made their dust-covered clothes to look worn and ragged as if they had been on the road for many days, even months. WebWhich city did Saul destroy when he found that its priests had given David's men provision? Deep and long lasting trouble for both parties - both the Israelites and the Gibeonites - was the fruit of this clever, but calamitous deception. And David sought the face of the Lord. Where have you been, David? II Samuel 21:8-9 So the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul; and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite; and he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the hill before the LORD. In effect, what they wanted to do was hang the bodies of Saul's family in Saul's hometown in sight of Jerusalem. This was a long time ago. The "Great Debate" between Nixon and Kennedy had not occurred yet. God is not bloodthirsty, but He had told them what to do. 0 responses Based on what he knew, and what was available in God's law, David should have been much more judicious. 2 Samuel 21:2 At this, David summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Report, August 29 2022 Perhaps the Scriptures are contrasting the faithless actions of Saul and his house in regard to the covenant with the Gibeonites, with the faithful actions of David in regard to the covenant with Jonathan. What have they done? Spiritual virtues and qualities are largely unseen yet are more real and potent in lasting effects than the most formidable nuclear pile. Therefore, the world is full of sintheir own sin. Saul, after having disqualified Why was David so loyal to Saul after everything Saul had done to him? The Israelites had taken an oath concerning them, but in his zeal for Israel and Judah, Saul had sought to kill them.) Ezekiel 18:19-20 indicates that guilt for sin is not transferable, but the consequences can often touch several generations. and for his bloody house. It would have been the answer. Ezekiel 18:19-20 indicates that guilt for sin is not transferable, but the consequences can often touch several generations. And it happened at the end of three days, after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were their neighbors who dwelt near them. 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. WebThe Gibeonites Hang Saul's Descendants 21 While David was king, there were three years in a row when the nation of Israel could not grow enough food. In Rizpahs case, her husband, King Saul, broke his promise that the Israelites would spare the Gibeonites in battle; he ordered the Israelites to annihilate them. That the famine continued indicates God displeasure with David's decision and inner motives. You had to go up quite a bit. 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? Here are guidelines to help facilitate a meaningful learning experience for everyone. 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. But talk about your flawed heroes! He is able to judge justly. Their representatives were not up front with the Israeli leaders. But the consequences of their sinswhat it means to us; what happened because of their sinstill affects us today. And David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done. And they sent them to Joshua at Gilgal. Let me ask God about this. The consequences are not the guilt. 3:6: "for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life"? Over the years I've urged our Fellowship to check out, investigate and take to heart such biblical alarms. It was as if David earlier said, "Let's just get this out of the way. One other thing: Samuel said that God is not going to go back on His word. Also, they were hanged on the hill before the Lord. Joshua did try to make lemonade out of his lemons. Each generation had to live out its days as "hewers of wood and carriers of water". Now, we move forward, not very long in time, to Joshua 9. It said earlier that they wanted them to be hung before the Lord in Gibeah of Saul. He could have done several things differently, perhaps giving the Gibeonites their freedom as a way to repay them. 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 PHARAOH AND HAMAN - 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. Share So they thought, "Hmm. The Bible implicitly hints at something which caused a feud which was settled only by the blood of Sauls descendants. WebVetus Testamentum 24:1 (January 1974):1-7.] WebThe Lord answered, Saul and his family of murderers are the reason for this shortage, because he killed the Gibeonites. 2 Samuel 21:1 American Standard Version (ASV) 1 And there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David sought the face of Jehovah. They did what is recalled in verses 3 through 6 above. They were probably in middle age, 45-60. They haven't been put in Kish's sepulcher yet. Here we find the Gibeonites demand, and King David counter demandsNOT. The Gibeonites left their mark on Israel's history in another wretched incident involving 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." If you look at a map in the back of your Bible which has something to do with the conquest of Israel, you will see that Gilgal is right over the Jordan River, just on the eastern side of the land. 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. Israel and Judah," who may have fretted at the inconvenience of having the Gibeonites among them. 0 responses The breach of contract was serious enough that God sent the famine in response. As we get to about verse 32 in Hebrews 11, Paul says that he does not have time to get to all the other heroes of faith that the Bible gives us. Exodus 21:12-13 "He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death. God would have said, "Kill them all!" Report. During the time of the judges, the Israelites had repeatedly turned away, leaving them corrupt and faithless. What I am trying to show you by going through these different places is that there is plenty of law that King David could have looked back on. In 2 Samuel 21, we read of the tragic repercussion that followed when King Saul didnt honor the covenant and murdered some Gibeonites. We had before that the episode with Amnon and Tamar. He went after a people that God did not want exterminated anymore. And David sought the face of the Lord. ", "She's been doing that for six months? Some unfinished business here needs to be taken care of. I will break the pride of your power; I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze. Back in I Samuel 15, Saul was told by God through Samuel to go up against the Amalekites, and to destroy everything in sight, do not spare anything; exterminate them. They do what their flesh tells them to dowhat Satan inspires them to want to doand they do it. We are talking about the possibility of only two of the seven even remotely having any guilt in this matter whatsoever. It is after Absalom's rebellion. 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. He was humble and relied on God, and was granted many victories over Israels enemies. Things started to go downhill over time however, as Saul became presumptuous and arrogant; he ignored several direct commands of God, and the last straw came when he interfered in offering a sacrifice to God, in direct contravention of what hed been told to do. Only in one sense, there was a fall of man, but certainly not in the traditional sense. 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. They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the tomb of Kish his father. 5. Luke 21:36 "Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.". Vote Up The Gibeonites presented themselves to the invading Israelites, not as nearby neighbors, but as distant foreigners who lived in a far-off land. The choice by Adam and Eve in the garden was a sin, and they paid for it through death. The time had passed. It seems that modern Westerners want their heroes flawed. THE STORY OF JOSEPH - He decided to let the Gibeonites dictate everything. Guilt for sin is not hereditary. It provides the cities of refuge where he could go serve a type of prison sentenceif it was an accidental murderuntil the high priest died. This would be in the spring during or after the Days of Unleavened Bread. He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. Or as the Gibeonites said Saul consumed them and tried to destroy them a people Israel had entered into a covenant with 400 years earlier. What might he have done? by LeRoy Gardenier This famine has been going on for three years, year after year. That is basically how it was. Because of their peace treaty and their oath with the Gibeonites, which included these people. So 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. God!before the Lordin Gibeah of Saul. Share But, are these people telling the truth? He was not thinking spiritually. We do not know how long before II Samuel 21 this incident happened. Now it came to pass, when Adonizedec king of David asked. The Gibeonites presented themselves to the invading Israelites, not as nearby neighbors, but as distant foreigners who lived in a far-off land. They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed. Turn to Exodus 20 and see that right in the Ten Commandments it sounds like it could mean that sin does travel down the family tree. Berean Literal Bible Acts 13:21. I know that is how I always read itas straight historyand I did not think about it very much. Why wasn't I told about this?" ( v.1 ) So God sent a famine to punish a kingdom for something that a former king supposedly did. He had a body of law that he could have referred back to and come up with a solution. They were appeasing their own god to send rain. God spared them as a people, but His nation condemned them to endless servitude. There are things like destruction for their sin, and the family takes that long to recover from that destruction. 17 Then the children of Israel journeyed and came to their cities on the third day. God said explicitly to destroy everything! Later, during a wasting famine, David, attempting a political rather than a righteous solution, yielded to the Gibeonites' request that descendants of Saul be hanged to avenge the slaughter. WebSaul, Israel's first king thought he knew better than God. These are the two hints. 1 Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. 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]. VERSE 2. That is that he could have gone along with the Gibeonite's demands in order to get rid of seven possible contenders for his throne. God is warning here that sin has consequences. What should we get out of this? Ezekiel 18:19-20 Yet you say, 'Why should the son not bear the guilt of the father?' Joshua 9:25-27 "And now, here we are, in your hands; do with us as it seems good and right to do to us." King David was perhaps the only converted person in the entire nationmaybe besides the high priest of the time, but we do not know. There was a covenant with those people that not only Joshua and the people honored, but also God Himself honored as well. Now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; the children of Israel had sworn protection to them, but Saul had sought to kill them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah. He just let matters continue naturally and let it rub in for another six or seven months. There are references to the Lord, but they are not references in a spiritual sense. Therefore, they arrive in the camp of Israel, and say, "Where's your leader? The Bible doesnt really say. This is taken from the book Antiquities of the Jews, pg. 7: AFTER this, when the country was greatly afflicted with a 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. This is very, very important for this vignette in King David's life. Who are the twenty four elders that John foresaw? Matt 24:4/Mk 13:5/Lk 21:8. In fact, it can be read as if David approached it as only a minor administrative matter. He was not really on the ball like he should have been. He apparently killed 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. Gibeon was situated very close to Gibeah the home town of Sauls family. WebWhen God called Saul to be king, Israel was on the verge of collapse. A little further down, we read: II Samuel 21:2 . We are starting to get some of the atmosphere around this event now. And the king said, "I will give them.". Perhaps those first two, Armoni, and Mephibosheth were old enough to have participated in the event. Finally the light came on, and David said, "I had better ask what is going on here. Moreover, the Gibeonites who survived remembered, and they wanted blood when they were asked. Evidently, this is what Saul and most of his family was like, except Jonathan. There is more space given to David's flaws than anyone else in the whole Bible. I think he was distracted by all the cares of his office of being king. But, he did not. 2 And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them; (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the For unknown reasons, Joshua and the elders of Israel quickly bit on this proposal. But, the big thing was that he did not consult God about what he should do about it. He was tired of life, tired of war, tired of all the politics, tired of all the rebellion, tired of Joab. Wherever he turned, he harassed them. 21:2, NIV).2 Saul did this in his zeal for Israel and Judah. So for nationalistic reasons Saul was guilty of attempted genocide. How many wars were fought? The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. But the king spared Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the LORD's oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. He resolved properlynot without a lot of death, with 70,000 dead in that plague, but at least he had the repentant attitude by the time it was over. The midrash states that when Saul learned of this, he was angry with his daughter and demanded of her: Why did you deceive me and let my enemy escape? There was a great deal of turmoil in Israel leading up to this time. 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Unleavened bread but, are these people so loyal to Saul after everything Saul had done that! A pure heart ; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully to they... Time, to Joshua 9 I 've urged our Fellowship to check out, investigate and to...
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