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Through the Bible Study 2 Samuel 21-24

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Through the Bible Study 2 Samuel 21-24 THROUGH THE BIBLE STUDY 2 SAMUEL 21-24 Chronologically, 2 Samuel ends with chapter 20. David’s rebellious boy, Absalom, is dead. His coup de’tat thwarted. David is back on the throne. There’s more to come in the story of David… his succession and death. But that’s the subject matter for 1 Kings. The last four chapters of 2 Samuel form an appendix to the book that provides a few flashbacks to fill in the record… 2 Samuel 21, “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 recognizes that sometimes – not all times, but sometimes – physical calamity does have a spiritual cause. David senses this is the case, so he asks God about the famine. He’s told it’s the result of Saul’s injustice to the Gibeonites. Here’s what had happened… When Joshua led Israel into Canaan he made a covenant with the Gibeonites. Saul ignored Joshua’s covenant and tried to wipe them out. God takes promises seriously - and because Saul didn’t - Israel was suffering a 3 year famine. David’s duty was to rectify Saul’s greedy mistake. Here are four lessons to be learned from this story… First, God takes promises seriously. He expects us to keep our promises. !1 Second, God isn’t just serious about individual promises. He cares about promises made by nations. Third, time does not diminish a person’s obligation to keep his or her promise. There is no statue of limitations on a promise made. Fourth, God’s correction may come at a time, long after the infraction. “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. 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?" What can I do to make things right. We want to eat! “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." The phrase “before the LORD” implies “with the Lord’s approval.” This was no arbitrary execution. And the king said, "I will give them." The Gibeonites ask to slay 7 of Saul’s sons. David no doubt, picks 7 deserving of death, and he turns them over... !2 “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.” David promised to be kind to Jonathan’s sons. So the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth (another 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 (the five sons sired by her first husband), 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.” The five sons of Michal were actually David’s stepsons he had hung. You hope David didn’t have some personal motivation in picking out these five. “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.” Or in the spring of the year. Verse 10 “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.” The coming of the late rains indicated the famine was over. Retribution had been made and justice had been restored in the land of Israel. Rizpah, mother of two of the men executed, held a vigil for at least weeks. During that time the bodies of her sons remained unburied and exposed. This brought further shame on Israel, but it was the !3 Gibeonite’s way to show that the crimes committed against Gibeon by Saul had finally been vindicated. And for the whole time the bodies lay exposed. Rizpah “did not allow the birds of the air (the vultures) 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.” Her vigilance was admired. It was a show of respect toward Saul’s dynasty. It had been chosen of God, and it needed to be given some dignity. And David started thinking that he too should show Saul the respect a king of Israel deserved… “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.” Saul and Jonathan’s bones never had a decent burial. Their bodies were cremated, but their bones were buried under a tree at Jabesh. David digs them up and takes them to the family burial site in Benjamin. “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. So they performed all that the king commanded.” Saul was a king chosen of God, and David was very careful to give him appropriate honor. “And after that God heeded the prayer for the land.” God blessed David and Israel for tying up these loose ends… Let !4 me ask you, are you missing out on a blessing because of some loose ends you’ve yet to tie up? Some promises you made, but never kept? Hey, if God brings it to mind - take care of it tonight! Verse 15 “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.” David got dizzy. It happens to us all. His blood sugar was low. You just hope it doesn’t happen in battle. David got light-headed, and he was about to collapse. “Then Ishbi-Benob, who was one of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose bronze spear was 300 shekels…” Ish- Benob was a strong dude. His spearhead weighed 9 pounds. “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.” Abishai had David’s back. 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." Let me say David is not the last spiritual leader who became dizzy and weak. Everyone has his moments. That’s why we all need a friend watching our back. After this near miss, David’s men insisted that he no longer go to battle. As they put it, “lest you quench the lamp of Israel…” Let’s not lose our leader. This insistence could’ve been what kept David home in 2 Samuel 11, and set him up for his affair with Bathsheba. The irony was that David was far safer in the will of God fighting giants, than he was outside of the will of God, at home idle. !5 It’s been said, “Our greatest enemy is not the giant that comes against us, but the sin that’s lurking within us.” Ish- Benob was nothing compared to Bathsheba. These verses mention several clashes where David and his men end up in combat with giants. Philistine freaks. The Hebrew word translated “giant” is “rephaim” – it’s used in Genesis 6 for the mutant beings before the flood. When the sons of God – or fallen angels – crossed appropriate boundaries and engaged sexually with the daughters of men – it produced a race of humanoids. This was why God wiped out the world before the flood. They appeared again in Canaan when Joshua entered the land. This is why God told the Hebrews to take no prisoners - show no mercy - wipe out men, women, and children. God wanted to use Israel to eradicate a demonic pollution of the human race. And the last place these giants show up was in Philistine country. Verse 18 “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.” Note Goliath had a brother.
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