2 Samuel 21

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2 Samuel 21:4-6, The Gibeonites answered him, “We have no right to demand silver or gold from Saul or his family, nor do we have the right to put anyone in Israel to death.”

“What do you want me to do for you?” David asked.

 They answered the king, “As for the man who destroyed us and plotted against us so that we have been decimated and have no place anywhere in Israel, let seven of his male descendants be given to us to be killed and their bodies exposed before the Lord at Gibeah of Saul—the Lord’s chosen one.”

So the king said, “I will give them to you.”

I’m struggling with this chapter.  Let me say that from the start.  There is famine in the land, three years worth, and King David is concerned.  Thus, he inquires of the Lord what is causing the issue.  One year of drought and poor food production would not be unusual for that part of the world but three years is unusual.  David obviously suspects that this was a curse for something the nation of Israel had done.  Remember, the law given to Moses and Israel included 613 laws, both blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. 

God confirms that this famine was a result of something Saul did during his reign, when he slaughtered all the Gibeonites.  Who were the Gibeonites? They were descendants of the Amorites, a group of people from Canaan who deceived the people of Israel.  Read through Joshua 9 to get the full story but essentially the Amorites pretended to be people from a distant land to get the Israelites to make a treaty with them; the treaty ensured that the Amorites would not be harmed.  Remember, this was at the time that God’s people were conquering one group after another in order to claim the promised land. When it turns out the Amorites were simply part of the people of Canaan, there was not much the Israelites could do.  An oath had been made.  Thus, the Amorites were spared but became subject to the people of Israel. 

Saul, in his “zest” for Israel, decides to slaughter the Amorites’ descendants, the Gibeonites.  This means that Saul broke the oath, something which very much displeased God.  Thus, the curse of the famine was God’s response.  As a way to atone for the deaths of the many Gibeonites who were killed, David promises to kill seven descendants of Saul.  The men chosen were sons of one of Saul’s concubines and sons of one of Saul’s daughters. 

In the eyes of Torah-believing Jews, this was fair.  An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.  These men sacrificed their lives so that things could be made right.  And I struggle with this.  I struggle with reading about one of the mothers, Rizpah, mourning her boys.  I struggle with why God would allow this. 

And then I think about Jesus Christ.  God himself gave his life as a sacrifice for us.  In doing so, this system of blessings and curses could be done away with forever.  We can rest in the forgiveness and grace of Jesus.  I think I have to simply rest in that. 

Let’s pray…Jesus, Thank you for the new covenant.  Thank you for your sacrifice, for your grace, for your love.  There is much we don’t understand, so much that we struggle with, but help us simply rest in you. We give you all the glory and praise.  Amen.