2 SAMUEL 21
OPENS WITH KING DAVID AVENGING THE GIBEONITES
Verse 1 tells us A 3 YEAR FAMINE prompts David to seek God.
"Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David inquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, "It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites."
David WISELY sought God in the face of CHRONIC problems. David was concerned after the first year of famine, and even more after the second - but two years of famine did NOT make him look to a spiritual cause. Yet after three years of famine, David inquired of the LORD.
David did NOT see a spiritual reason in every problem; but he did NOT shut his eyes to the hand of God in circumstances.
It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites...
DID YOU KNOW, This massacre GOD told King David of, is NOT recorded in 1 Samuel, but David did NOT question that it happened. Apparently at some time during his reign Saul attacked and killed many of the Gibeonites.
TRAPP says it well, "The whole people suffered for Saul's sin; either because they approved it, or at least bewailed it not; neither did what they could to hinder it; whereby they became accessory."
KING SAUL killed the Gibeonites...
When David HEARD FROM GOD that it was because of an attack against the Gibeonites, a chill probably ran up his back. He knew they were a people especially wrong for Saul to attack and kill.
HOW DID KING DAVID KNOW?
WE ARE TOLD...In JOSHUA 9, in the days of Joshua - more than 400 years BEFORE David's time - Israel swore NOT to harm the Gibeonites, a neighboring tribe. God EXPECTED Israel to keep their promise, even though the Gibeonites tricked Israel into making the agreement. Saul's crime was NOT only in the killing of the Gibeonites but also in WILLINGLY AND KNOWINGLY breaking this ancient and important oath.
This emphasizes many important principles:
1. God expects us to keep our promises
2. God expects nations to keep their promises
3. Time does not diminish our obligation to promises
4. God's correction may come a long time after the offense
If God has such a high expectation that men keep their covenants, we can have great confidence that He WILL keep His covenant with us. There is an emerald rainbow around the throne of God to proclaim His REMEMBRANCE to His everlasting covenant with His people.
Verse 2 tells us David speaks to the Gibeonites.
"So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. 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."
David KNEW he had to do something about this and so he initiated a resolution with the Gibeonites.
Saul had sought to kill them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah...
We normally think of such of zeal as a GOOD thing. Yet Saul's misguided zeal was SELF-CENTERED, SELF-INTERESTED, AND a sin and brought calamity on Israel.
This is a good example of how good intentions do NOT excuse bad actions. We often excuse bad actions in our self and others because of what we think are good intentions. But God looks to both our intentions and our actions.
Verses 3-6 tells us David's AGREEMENT with the Gibeonites.
"Therefore David said to the Gibeonites, "What shall I do for you? And with what shall I make atonement, that you may bless the inheritance of the LORD?" 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." So he said, "Whatever you say, I will do for you." Then they answered the king, "As for the man who consumed us and plotted against us, that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the territories of Israel, let seven men of his descendants be delivered to us, and we will hang them before the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, whom the LORD chose." And the king said, "I will give them."
In resolving this matter with the Gibeonites, David did NOT dictate terms to them. He came to them as a servant, not as a king.
David felt that if the Gibeonites could bless Israel then the reconciliation would be complete and God's chastening of Israel would end.
The Gibeonites make it clear that they do NOT want money or direct retribution. Though Saul made a wholesale slaughter of the Gibeonites, they do NOT ask for the same among Israel.
Let seven men of his descendants be delivered to us...
In that day the request of the Gibeonites was considered reasonable. Instead of money or an "eye for an eye" they only ask for justice against Saul through his descendants. David agreed to this (I will give them).
I will give them...
David knew this was the RIGHT thing to do. Some believe he knew it was right because David knew that Saul's descendants helped in or benefited DIRECTLY from that massacre.
Obviously, we are not told everything about this incident; we must trust the principle stated by Abraham: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? in Genesis 18:25.
Verses 7-9 tells us David FULFILLS the agreement with the Gibeonites.
"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. 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. 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."
The king spared Mephibosheth...
Mephibosheth was the most notable living descendant of Saul and it made the most sense to put him as the first of the seven to be delivered to the Gibeonites for execution. Yet David promised to protect and bless Mephibosheth and he would not fulfill one promise at the expense of another.
They hanged them on the hill before the LORD...
David chose seven male descendants of Saul to give over the to the Gibeonites and they executed them by public hanging. The phrase before the LORD implies God APPROVED of their execution.
DID YOU KNOW...The method of death was also important because it fulfilled the promise of Deuteronomy 21:23, which says, "He who is hanged is accursed of God." These descendants of Saul bore the curse Saul deserved and so delivered Israel from the guilt of their sin against the Gibeonites.
This promise from Deuteronomy 21:23 explains WHY Jesus died the way He did.
Galatians 3:13 ALSO explains: "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree").
Verses 10-14a tells us Rizpah's vigil.
"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. And she did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day nor the beasts of the field by night. And David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done. 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 street of Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hung them up, after the Philistines had struck down Saul in Gilboa. 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. They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the tomb of Kish his father."
Spread it for herself on the rock … until the late rains poured on them from heaven...
Rizpah - the mother of two of the seven delivered for execution - held a vigil over the bodies until the late rains came. The coming of rain showed the famine was over, justice was satisfied, and Israel was delivered.
This shows that the bodies of these men were deliberately left unburied. This was to emphasize the fact that these men were executed as an act of judgment.
They gathered the bones...
David gave these seven a popular burial, together with the remains of Saul and Jonathan.
Verse 14b tells us The famine ends.
"So they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God heeded the prayer for the land."
They performed all that the king commanded..
WHY?
David directed all of this and he did it partly on the principle stated in Numbers 35:33, which says, "So you shall not pollute the land where you are; for blood defiles the land, and no atonement can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it."
The idea is that blood from UNPUNISHED murders DEFILES a land and God will one day require that blood from the nation.
After that God heeded the prayer for the land...
It was NOT as if from the time Saul massacred the Gibeonites until David's day that God did not answer any of Israel's prayers. Yet there came a time when God wanted to deal with this sin, and at that time He would NOT answer their prayers until they dealt with it.
THIS TEACHES US...There are many reasons for unanswered prayer and when we see our prayers not answered we should seek God to address the problem.
Verses 15-17 tells us David RETIRES from active duty.
"When the Philistines were at war again with Israel, David and his servants with him went down and fought against the Philistines; and David grew faint. Then Ishbi-Benob, who was one of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose bronze spear was three hundred shekels, who was bearing a new sword, thought he could kill David. But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid, and struck the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, "You shall go out no more with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel."
And David grew faint...
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
Even a great man of God grows old. As the years went on, David became unable to fight as he once did. In this battle against the Philistines David's life was endangered when he grew faint in battle against a DESCENDANT of Goliath.
What will the people do when they see weakness in their leader?
If it is a weakness that can be understood - such as David's increasing frailty in old age - then they should rally around their leader and supply what he cannot.
Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid...
When David's strength failed God protected him through the strength of others. God will allow at times ALLOW us to be in places where we NEED the strength of others.
REMEMBER ECCLESIASTES 4:9-12, which says, "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up … Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him."
You shall go out no more with us to battle...
In his advanced age, it was time for David to retire from the field of battle. His season as a warrior had passed.
Verses 18-22 tells us Killing THREE more Philistine giants.
"Now it happened afterward that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob. Then Sibbechai the Hushathite killed Saph, who was one of the sons of the giant. Again there was war at Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaare-Oregim the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. Yet again there was war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number; and he also was born to the giant. So when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea, David's brother, killed him. These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants."
Now it happened afterward...
This description of victory over Philistine giants shows that Israel could slay giants WITHOUT David.
Sibbechai … Elhanan … Jonathan...
These men accomplished heroic deeds when David was finished fighting giants. God will continue to raise up leaders when the leaders of the previous generation pass from the scene.
David's legacy lay not only in what he accomplished, but in what he left behind - a people prepared for victory. David's triumphs were meaningful not only for himself but for others who learned victory through his teaching and example.
Fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants...
Part of the idea is that David is conquering enemies now so it will be better for Solomon in the future. Our present victory is NOT only good for us now but it passes something important on to the next generation.
The defeat of these four giants is rightly credited to the hand of David and the hand of his servants. David had a role in this through his example, guidance, and influence.
MORGAN says it well of David, and of those who are love our Jesus, but are physically waning in strength..."Let those who after long service find themselves waning in strength, be content to abide with the people of God, still shining for them as a lamp, and thus enabling them to carry on the same Divine enterprises. Such action in the last days of life is also great and high service."