Joshua kept his word to the Gibeonites even when it was inconvenient. I also want you to see how warlike Saul was. I haven't been keeping up on things. We see in this little vignette that innocent people die; grief lingers forever; idolatry is committed; and the curse of famine continues; another harvest fails; and the land remains defiled; everything stinks of death. WebA famine lasting three years hit Israel during the earlier half of David 's reign at Jerusalem. But, he did not. Davids choice of victims reflects at least the covenant between him and Jonathan, if not also the one between him King Saul exhibited that hubris, that overweening pride in his own decisions and that unfounded confidence in his own good judgment that he brought certain and lasting disaster upon his own dynasty. Those who believe that they can outsmart, outflank or in any way outmaneuver our Enemy through cerebral strategies are doomed to the slavery and destruction heaped upon Saul and the Gibeonites. You're out of here!". The consequences are not the guilt. He says to watchbe aware, be awake, be vigilant; know what your spiritual state is. The Gibeonites deceived Israel, but God's people had really deceived themselves. Evidently, this is what Saul and most of his family was like, except Jonathan. God punished the whole nation for breaking the covenant. It causes a problem in the way that the next generation is formed. Nearly two-thirds of American professing Christians believe that their Savior sinned. God affirms that the famine is punishment for Sauls massacre of the Gibeonites, who had been protected by a treaty since the Israelites first invaded the Promised Land ( Joshua 9:127 ). This has become known as the "eye for an eye principle." I do not think that King David thought through the implications of this matter very well. So, give or take, 40 to 50 years have passed. There is nothing to give you any indication that God was involved in anything except the faminetrying to teach David a lesson. And David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done. And the LORD answered, "It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites." 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. This may have only been a couple of months later. 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? They did not inquire. It springs out when you are not ready. 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. We do not know when it happened. 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 And with what shall I make atonement, that you may bless the inheritance of the LORD?" He will not relent. All it is, was, "We want blood, and anyone from the house of Saul will do.". You are no longer fit to be king." THE STORY OF THE GIBEONITES - I am just going to start with the backdrop to the incident. 20, and still another between Saul and David in 1 Samuel 24. And when Saul saw any strong man or any valiant man, he took him for himself. He tried to come up with a compromise, and that was basically, "Whatever you want, you can have." Then, they went after Jericho, and it fell. Because of their peace treaty and their oath with the Gibeonites, which included these people. He was thinking about a lot of other things. 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 understood it. Other people do not carry the guilt for that person's sin. The Jewish Encyclopedia asserts that one group of rabbis felt that Saul's punishment at God's hands is a sign of his weak moral character whose only virtue was being tall and handsome. So you shall not pollute the land where you are [this is very important]; 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. Because of what had been going on, all the turmoil in this life and the kingdom, David was not spiritually prepared to face it. So, others besides Saul were guilty. ", "She's been doing that for six months? Clarify It has got to go. 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. 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. David did not make any counter demands. But what actually did Saul do to the Gibeonites? There is no biblical account of this escapade of Saul and his house against Gibeon. What might he have done? Why did he not seem to notice the first year and say to himself, "Hmm. But it does not say so here in so many words. Notice verse 2 says that Saul tried to strike them down in his zeal (also means jealously or envy) for the people of Israel and Judah. Rizpah, Lord Alfred Tennyson in 1878. He enslaved them all, and made them wood cutters and menial laborers at the Tabernacle. It is not pretty when we allow the people of the land to dictate to us. You cannot tell. However, the Gibeonites did. How do other hominoids (e.g homo erectus, homo neanderthalensis, etc.) Finally the light came on, and David said, "I had better ask what is going on here. So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. 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." This meant the latter harvest has passed, and maybe another month or so went by. They engaged in battle, and Israel won, but the people and king Saul said, "Look at all this nice livestock! Report, September 02 2013 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. For many today, this time period is ancient history. My reading between the lines concludes that King David was at a spiritual low point at this time. Now the Gibeonites were not of the people of Israel but of the remnant of the Amorites. How many wars were fought? Deceit and delusion are powerful spiritual weapons of destruction but they pale in potency compared to the creative and edifying Word of God come alive by faith in believers' hearts! Or as the Also, they were hanged on the hill before the Lord. Why did God allow the Gibeonites to put to death seven of Sauls sons? II Samuel 21:10-11 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. Is there something I'm missing? They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the tomb of Kish his father. What would be some verses from the Bible to save a marriage? Spiritual virtues and qualities are largely unseen yet are more real and potent in lasting effects than the most formidable nuclear pile. 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.. If people grow up in a society and culture that does not have God at their beck and call, they do whatever they wantwhatever comes naturally. There is no want to those who fear Him. The Gibeonites presented themselves to the invading Israelites, not as nearby neighbors, but as distant foreigners who lived in a far-off land. Deep and long lasting trouble for both parties - both the Israelites and the Gibeonites - was the fruit of this clever, but calamitous deception. It cut us off from God. Things were going wrong. It was not just Saul, but other members of his family. Even though the avenger of blood could kill the person if he caught him before he arrived at the city of refugewhat this verse is saying, here, is that if the nation follows through, and enlarges the lands by obeying God, He will designate more cities of refuge so that they are closer. And Agag, he's a nice guy! The scriptures are not very definitive as to why. When we read the history of skirmishes and battles between the Gibeonites and Israelites we get a And David sought the face of the Lord. And the Lord said, "There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he put the Gibeonites to death. In verse 7 we see the only thing in the entire situation that was any good at all. Before she married David, Abigail had been the wife of _____. Saul became a bit strange in the head after this, if you will remember. If, in the event the Israelis ever came their way, they would be servants to the people of Israel. WebThese lists are not concerned with the Gibeonites at Gibeon, but with the Benjaminite group which came to settle at Gibeon in the course of time. The Bible helps us in this way, because it is full of examples of flawed heroes of faith. If we were reading this quickly, and not really thinking about it, and not understanding God's own character, we might think that this says that God allows the guilt of sin to pass down three or four generations. Numbers 35:34 "Therefore do not defile the land which you inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel.'". What did David do to end the famine caused by Saul breaking a treaty with the Gibeonites? A person dies for his own sins, not those committed by someone else, whether father, son, or black sheep uncle. And how do I know this? And we bear the guilt with them for that. 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." Why was David so loyal to Saul after everything Saul had done to him? He made huge errors in judgment, both personally and in a larger sense. After that, they had their problems at Ai, and figured out that Achan was responsible for that. They have a discussion in the next few verses, and many Israelites want to go ahead and kill these Gibeonites for what they did. King David was probably huffing and puffing, "I can't lift this thing! They agree to the death of seven of Saul's descendants. Has the book of Amos been fulfilled or is it a reference to end times? The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit. How does this all connect with Ezekiel chapter 18? 2Samuel 21:1, There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.. Why are they where they were? WebThe alliance with the Gibeonites lasted for centuries, until Saul - in his zeal (21, 2) - decided that the ancient covenant was no longer binding. Moreover, Samuel said, "What have you done? "We don't want any money, for sure not Saul's money. We are not finished with that yet, because, who were the Gibeonites? Completely ignoring God's explicit command to spare the Gibeonites, Saul decreed it was time to remove them completely by exterminating them. (Mark 6:20). He apparently killed God extends blessings far farther into the future than He does the curses. ", So David went out and said, "There are some things that have needed to be done. Their representatives were not up front with the Israeli leaders. 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. How many died in sicknesses? And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites. And they took old sacks on their donkeys, old wineskins torn and mended, old and patched sandals on their feet, and old garments on themselves; and all the bread of their provision was dry and moldy. 0 responses Jonathan and Saul led the 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. The Lord told them they had made a commitment to these people and they had to stand by it. The Gibeonites remained enemies and aliens to the household of God forever after. WebOne of the mothers of the men hanged by the Gibeonites protected the bodies of Saul's sons from birds and wild beasts day and night. From the time of Joshua, throughout the long period of the Judges, the very presence of these deceitful people had not only been a thorn in the side of the Israelis; their position in the land was a dividing wedge that separated southern Judah from the rest of the Kingdom. What we do inherit of their sin is consequences. These conflicting views on Saul would continue long past the biblical era and into modern times. It is his sin. I know that he had other family problems because the prophecies said that he would. Therefore, this curse goes down until the gene pool is able to kick it outthree or four generations. He just weakly said, "Oh okay, whatever you want. It seems as though he was spiritually sleepwalking through this whole thing. The Israelite version was a whole lot less absolute. One other thing: Samuel said that God is not going to go back on His word. 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. Something is wrong, David. If you read 2Samuel 21 carefully, it seems possible that Saul and his house may have been trying to get the Gibeonites territory. 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. I want you to understand where Barry was coming from in writing the note. Hearing that Joshua was camped in their general neighborhood, after his devastating defeat of the strategic cities of Jericho and Ai, the Gibeonites sent a delegation to him at nearby Gilgal. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing. They were probably innocent of this particular crime. 21:1-11 ). David then goes to Gibeonites and asked to make amends. The cities of refuge were designed (among other things) to stop and prevent these feuds from happening. 0 responses Share 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? Saul and the Pharisees persecuted and killed the Christians, The sons of King Saul were killed as a result of this attempted genocide, The non-Christian inhabitants of Jerusalem were destroyed in AD70 Gods judgment on them for murdering his son and doubtless, the early Christians. THE STORY OF JOSEPH - (4:10). Should the explanation in Genesis on how God created plants before the sun affect the understanding of creation? Where have you been, David? Gibeon is only a few miles mostly north of Jerusalem. A brief, but important, reference to the Gibeonites can also be found in 2 Samuel 21:1-14. Saul was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for forty -two years over Israel. This famine has been going on for three years, year after year. I will break the pride of your power; I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze. Each generation had to live out its days as "hewers of wood and carriers of water". Saul, after having disqualified When the Gibeonites heard that the other nations were going to attack them, they sent a message to Joshua and the people, Help! Other Translations for 2 Samuel 21:1 Discussion for 2 Samuel 21 View All David did not come to this with any regal neutrality in the least. And it very seriously affected his judgment in this matter. There should have been payment for it. During the time of the judges, the Israelites had repeatedly turned away, leaving them corrupt and faithless. They do what their flesh tells them to dowhat Satan inspires them to want to doand they do it. Why were genealogies so important to Israel? 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