Then follows three consecutive years of famine. One or two may have been simply because of drought, but David considered that three meant something more serious, so he inquired of The LORD. The LORD told him that it was because of Saul putting the Gibeonites to death. This was not recorded in 1 Samuel, so we don’t know when this happened, but David did not question The LORD. He obviously knew that it must have happened. Many years, more than 400 before David’s time, it was recorded for us in the book of Joshua 9, that Israel swore not to harm the Gibeonites even though they had tricked Israel into making an agreement.
Let’s just look back, briefly, at this event recorded in Joshua 9. The Gibeonites, who were not part of Israel, but were survivors of the Amorites, (v9) lied that they came from a far country. They asked to be their servants. They said they had heard of the fame of Joshua and the Israelites and had come seeking the LORD his God and come in His Name and they wanted to be followers of this God (v11); they profess a respect for the God of Israel. They had heard enough to convince them of the infinite power of the God of Israel,
They refer to events of Moses’ time, the news of which might easily had reached faraway places, the plagues of Egypt and the destruction of Sihon and Og, but craftily say nothing of the destruction of Jericho and Ai because they want the Israelites to think that they came from home long before those conquests were made.
There was a mixture of good and evil in their conduct. Their lies cannot be justified; we must not do evil that good may come of it. One lie leads to another and that to a third, and so on. The way of that sin is down-hill.
The men of Israel were completely taken in by the deception and made a fatal mistake in failing to ask The LORD for counsel (v14).It appeared that Israel had made the same mistake at their first attack of Ai. In this case there can be no doubt, for we are plainly told that they did not consult the LORD. Had they done so, He would no doubt have told them the truth and they would have destroyed the Gibeonites. Even Joshua didn’t — v15 he made peace and a covenant with them.
Three days later they heard that they had been deceived and that these people were near neighbours. (v16,17)
The Israelites grumbled because their leaders had made this allegiance with these people. They wanted to kill them but because of their oath before The LORD God they could not. One of the rare occasions when the Children of Israel wanted to obey God’s command that they should utterly wipe out their enemies but are prevented from doing so by their leaders who had been duped into a false allegiance. The people grumbled about their rulers (v18) but no use moaning about their leaders as none of them had sought God on this matter. The leaders felt that they had to stand by their promise (oath by The LORD God of Israel) and may not touch the Gibeonites, but they made them servants – woodcutters and water carriers. (v21)
It still happens today – people moan about their/our leaders, whether it be country or in the church, but what about our actions, our prayers? We are all responsible, each one of us. As Christians we all have access to Almighty God, and we all have a duty to obey.
That was the original event, but we are not told about Saul’s disobedience in killing them some years later.
Whatever the situation, we should beware of breaking promises, especially where God is concerned and sometimes, God may repay us a long time later if we do. The comforting assurance is that God always keeps His promises.
David, the king, called the Gibeonites to him and spoke to them and (v3) asked them what he could do for them to make atonement for Saul’s actions. Saul had sought to kill them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah (v2). We normally think of such zeal to be good. Saul’s misguided zeal was a sin and brought calamity on Israel. Always remember that God knows our minds, thoughts and intentions. David considered that if the Gibeonites could bless Israel as a result, the reconciliation would be complete, and God would remove the chastening. So, David tried to make amends and asked how he can make atonement. The Gibeonites answered 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.” (v4-6)
The Gibeonites did not ask for wholesale slaughter as Saul had done to them. They were not seeking total revenge. David agreed to the request, but he spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath he had taken before the LORD between David and Jonathan, son of Saul. (v7) He handed over Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Aiah’s daughter Rizpah, whom she had borne to Saul, together with the five sons of Saul’s daughter Michal, whom she had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite. (v8)
The Gibeonites hanged them and left their bodies on a hill before The LORD. Unburied, indicating that it was an act of judgment. All seven of them fell together; they were put to death during the first days of the harvest, just as the barley harvest was beginning. (v9)
It seems that God was well pleased with the action; which He would not have been, if David had done it without His command; for then it had been a sinful action of David’s, and contrary to a double law of God laid down in Deuteronomy 21:23; 24:16. The promise from Deuteronomy 21:23 explains why Jesus died the way He did. Galatians 3:13 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”).
Not unnaturally, Rizpah the daughter of Aiah and Saul’s concubine, mourned and put sackcloth on and even though it poured with rain upon the bodies, she kept the birds off them during the day and the wild animals during the night. (v10) When David was informed of this (v11) he went and retrieved the bones of Saul and Jonathan from Jabesh Gilead. They had taken them from Beth Shan, where they had been left in the open square after the Philistines had murdered them on Gilboa. They then buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan in Kish’s tomb (Saul’s father) in Kela in Benjamin. After they did as David commanded, God answered prayer on behalf of the land (v14).
Unpunished murders lead to punishment from God. Man is made in the image of God and the Gibeonites had been put to death unlawfully by Saul. It required David’s actions to appease God and He answered to end the famine. The land had been struck by famine for three years and as we saw at the beginning of this chapter David realised that it was because of sin.
These descendants of Saul bore the curse Saul deserved and so delivered Israel from the guilt of their sin against the Gibeonites. David showed his loyalty to Saul despite the past and gave him and his son Jonathan a proper burial.
2 Chronicles 7:14 – “If my people who are called by my Name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, Then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” These are words spoken by The LORD at the completion of the building of the temple. It is clear that The LORD answered their prayers regarding the treatment of the Gibeonites and the ensuing famine and answered on behalf of their land.
These words of The LORD are still true today and we need to obey in connection with our land. When our prayers don’t seem to be answered we need to humble ourselves, pray, seek God’s face and turn from our wicked ways. We need to pray for our nation’s leaders, as well as world leaders. We are living in perilous days.
Even though God had answered their prayers in this instance, it did not mean they could sit back and relax. The devil will not leave us alone when we do what God wants. In v15 we are told that the Philistines warred with Israel yet again. This time David did what he should and went down with his men to fight. No staying at home now. However, we read that he became exhausted. Even great men of God grow old and weary and as time went on he became unable to fight as he had done in the past. It seems that his life was in danger as he fought against one of Goliath’s descendants.
When they saw their leader to be weakening and frail, they decided to rally round him. Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid rescue him when Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, whose bronze spearhead weighed three hundred shekels and who was armed with a new sword, said he would kill David. He struck the Philistine down and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, saying, “You shall go out no more with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel.” (see v17). David was considered to be their lamp; without him they would be in darkness.
How important that we recognise that The LORD is our lamp and without Him we are in darkness.
Some time later there was another battle with the Philistines and Sibbechai the Hushethite killed Saph, a son of the giant. At the same place, Gob, there was another battle against the Philistines and Elhanan, son of Jaare-Oregim the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath. Still there was another war at Gath, where there was a giant, the son of a giant, who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. Jonathan the son Shimea, David’s brother, killed him (v18-22).
We often fear that there may be no-one to take our place. We need never fear for God is able to raise up leaders to fight the battles when we or the leaders of the past have passed or become unable to fulfil the role. These men named here fought giants when they may have thought that only David could. There is no doubt that they were inspired by David and God enabled them to follow in his footsteps. God is not limited to us.
Let us be thankful to God that He will send help to us and send others to take our place when we are not able to carry on. He knows our need. The battle is The LORD’s.
