Yes, my lord, he answered. It is not pretty when we allow the people of the land to dictate to us. And after that God heeded the prayer for the land. It would be the equivalent of an event somewhere between the Korean War and the Vietnam War. This has become known as the "eye for an eye principle." That is basically how it was. Once again, God's anointed was compelled to humble himself and his nation before a delegation of these servile Gibeonites. 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. It looks to me like he tried to work out a political solution rather than a righteous one. Saul became a bit strange in the head after this, if you will remember. Berean Literal Bible Acts 13:21. In fact, it can be read as if David approached it as only a minor administrative matter. Saul committed a great crime against Gibeon and the Gibeonites. All answers are REVIEWED and MODERATED. Perhaps he thought, "Hmm. He does not seem to have asked the priest who would know the law the best to find out what Scripture said about situations like this. He just let the natural cycles take their course. There are so many things I have got to do.". That is the bottom line. They agree to the death of seven of Saul's descendants. 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. When this righteous ruler turned to God, the Lord showed him that arrogant error of his predecessor. I Samuel 14:52 Now there was fierce war with the Philistines all the days of Saul. But, are these people telling the truth? These conflicting views on Saul would continue long past the biblical era and into modern times. 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. Then there are things of degeneracy. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown comments: It was a heathen practice to gibbet men with a view of appeasing the anger of the gods in seasons of famine, and the Gibeonites, who were a remnant of the Amorites, though brought to the knowledge of the true God, were not, it seems, free from this superstition. Back to the Gibeonitesmost people probably did not remember it. 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.. Saul tried to get back his throne from God by doing what he thought was right, what he thought was zealous for God, by getting rid of the foreignersincluding the Gibeonitesthat were among them. 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. 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? If what happened against Gibeon occurred during Saul's reign, even if it was in the latter half, it would mean it was at least (if we are in the last decade of King David's reign) that the massacre of Gibeonites occurred 40 or 50 years earlier. So they performed all that the king commanded. 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. King Saul (and his house?) David represents usJoe Church Membertrue Christians in a time of spiritual famine, much like what Amos describes in Amos 8:11, with the famine of the word. Why is it just now that you are waking up to this? 2 So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. During the time of the judges, the Israelites had repeatedly turned away, leaving them corrupt and faithless. What Saul did was commit another presumptuous sin. With all the recent rebellions, he was probably worried that his alliances were going to fail, because he may have appeared to weaken. Why did Herod like to listen to John the Baptist, who criticized Herods lifestyle? 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. We are getting toward the end of King David's life. He was far from God during this time. He was the king. In the economy of God's providence, however, such tiny events often matter much. 21:1-11 ). Skeptic turned believer, Catholic, father of 3, ABC/DTS graduate, guitar music ministry Baptist church. There was justice that was going to take place. God!before the Lordin Gibeah of Saul. That is how we overcome the dearth of the truth and the dearth of righteousness in our day. (Mark 6:20). . Joshua and that generation did not do their entire job, and so they were stuck. 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. Saul also had sound state reasons for his action, for the Gibeonites were occupying an enclave in the very Because David had been good friends with Jonathan, he at first allowed all of Sauls family to continue to live peaceably in the land. 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. They were the five sons of Merab, Saul's daughter. '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. But it does not say so here in so many words. However, the Gibeonites did. 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. Nearly two-thirds of American professing Christians believe that their Savior sinned. The "Man of Steel" is just too perfect, too smart, and too invincible. 1 Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. And as the one righteous person in the whole nation, he could have cried out, God would have heard, and God would have saved. We have all these things coming at the end time, which is very short. If you read 2Samuel 21 carefully, it seems possible that Saul and his house may have been trying to get the Gibeonites territory. 1316). They were a group of Amorites. Perhaps if I go and kill all the Gibeonites like Joshua was supposed to do, maybe God will let me back into the chair.". Throughout the Scriptures warnings of spiritual dangers are signaled by the flash cards of attention getting words like: "Take heed" or "Consider". & "Take heed that you be not deceived." Think about it. He came at this as though he were guilty with Saul; that all Israelites were guilty with Saul and his house. There were big problems, and one of them was the consequences and effects of Saul and his bloodthirsty house. Then there is another thing. God has torn the kingdom from you. Scripture has said this explicitly. Justice seems to have been served. Let his blood be on us and on our children., Perhaps the Gibeonites are a type of the inclusion of the gentiles Romans 9:22-24. 0 responses He had to sit there and judge people with all the little things they constantly brought up to him that seemed to need his decision on. We have an easier time identifying with the flawed, but heroic, Lancelot from the legends of King Arthur, because he is a lot more like ushe commits sin; he has faults. He says to watchbe aware, be awake, be vigilant; know what your spiritual state is. We have our own sins to pay for; we do not pay for theirs. Israel and Judah," who may have fretted at the inconvenience of having the Gibeonites among them. Therefore, your kingdom is taken away and given to another. 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. 2 And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them; (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the "We don't want any money, for sure not Saul's money. How did the spirit of God move upon the face of the waters in Genesis 1:2? Over the years I've urged our Fellowship to check out, investigate and take to heart such biblical alarms. The chronicler, herewhoever he wasis giving us a big hint that David's attention was elsewhere for three whole years. You might say a whole cycle of generations. He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. WebWhen God called Saul to be king, Israel was on the verge of collapse. It seems that modern Westerners want their heroes flawed. They had remembered it for 40 or 50 years. I am just going to start with the backdrop to the incident. We have a very simple biblical principle here: God is just. 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. 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 So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. They have a discussion in the next few verses, and many Israelites want to go ahead and kill these Gibeonites for what they did. God sent the rain, it says specifically, "from heaven," verse 10, "in the latter rains," which is their normal cycle. 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. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. Jesus Christ should be everyone's ultimate hero. This is a major reason why the church of God does not subscribe to the traditional doctrine of "The Fall of Man." You do not know. My reading between the lines concludes that King David was at a spiritual low point at this time. However, we have a great deal of trouble identifying with or understanding pure, innocent and perfect Galahad. And, that was that. The Gibeonites actually lived only a few miles from Jericho, the Twelve Tribes' designated entry point to Palestine. It won't do anybody any good lying here dead. I will break the pride of your power; I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze. Saul, after having disqualified Now, we move forward, not very long in time, to Joshua 9. How many died in sicknesses? WebSaul slew the Gibeonites, not simply as the son of Kish, but as the king of Israel, and therefore involved all Israel with him in the violation of the national oath; and hence, until the evil should be put away by the execution of the immediate offender or his representatives, all Israel must suffer. 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. ", If you are on your spiritual game, and famine is occurring in your land, do you wait three years until thousands may have died? But, very few people can relate to sinless perfection. Leviticus 26:18-20 And after all this, if you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. God required atonement to be made. They were probably innocent of this particular crime. If we would go through Luke 21:7-12, we would see that Jesus gave His disciples indications of what would happen if the time of the end began. Psalm 34:17-18 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. Because he may have been still depressed by Absalom's death. If a person sins, he receives God's judgment for those sins. Time to retire!" So Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them to let them live; and the rulers of the congregation swore to them. I know that is how I always read itas straight historyand I did not think about it very much. On the other hand, when people do well, like Abraham, and they live God's way of life, this allows God the leeway to show mercy unto thousands of generations of people. Here are guidelines to help facilitate a meaningful learning experience for everyone. 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. And, it certainly does not record that David took this to God for His solution to it. 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. It is easy to read this story blithely, and to think that David righted some longstanding wrongs that had happened, and then God happily sent rain to the parched land of Israel. 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]. What would be some verses from the Bible to save a marriage? Think of it as if it were today. It is not the sin of Adam and Eve; it is their own sin. 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. 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. Asked August 31 2013 God is just. However, if he did not lie in wait, but God delivered him into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee.". In addition, after this was the rebellion of Sheba, in which there were all kinds of disruptions until Sheba was killed. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. 5. Go back with me to Deuteronomy 7 and see the instruction that God gave to Israel about how to deal with these kinds of people. But, you would think that after two years you would get the idea that this was not breaking. But, he did not. They knew all the things God had stipulated about what they were to do when Israel was going to come into the land. Jeiel, Sauls great-grandfather, was the progenitor of the Gibeonites ( 1 Chron 8:29-33; 9:35-39 ), so Saul slaughtered his own relatives! They are still there. 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." Then we have verses 34 through 36. 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. Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! A little further down, we read: II Samuel 21:2 . Deep and long lasting trouble for both parties - both the Israelites and the Gibeonites - was the fruit of this clever, but calamitous deception. The higher the vote, the further up an answer is. 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. Israel was totally swindled and bamboozled. There was not a cloud in sight and you are the king. This was obviously later in his life and reign. Why did God allow the Gibeonites to put to death seven of Sauls sons? 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. This is interesting. Should we make a covenant with them? God said explicitly to destroy everything! King David is mentioned by name as a hero of faith. 2. They were appeasing their own god to send rain. Today, I want to visit one of King David's lesser-known black marks, and draw some lessons from it at the end. He gives them exactly what they want, and look at what happens. Report David didnt get the throne until Saul and Jonathon were both dead. David was anointed king many years before he took the throne. He had Saul tryin Therefore, one of the first things that Joshua and the Israelites do is they allow a big problem to linger in their midst. But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid, and struck the Philistine and killed him. Finally, after six or seven months, the rains came in their natural cycle. Vote Up He could have done several things differently, perhaps giving the Gibeonites their freedom as a way to repay them. He was endangering the whole army by being out there, an old man trying to fight like a young man. And with what shall I make atonement, that you may bless the inheritance of the LORD?" 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