In this chapter, David’s kingdom is experiencing a crisis. For three consecutive years, the land was plagued with famine and David needed a solution. As always, he inquired of the Lord. God told him the plague was because of Saul killing the Gibeonites.
Back during the conquest of Canaan, Israel had made a covenant with Gibeon – to make peace with them and not kill them. The Gibeonites deceived the Israelites to establish the covenant, but it was a promise made nonetheless, and a promise made in the name of the Lord. Thus, Saul killing the Gibeonites was a grave transgression of this covenant, and God held the nation of Israel accountable for it.
David therefore asked the Gibeonites how he might make atonement. They requested 7 of Saul’s sons to be put to death before the Lord. David agreed, but now he had to choose which of them to hand over to the Gibeonites. The bible tells us he spared Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth due to his oath with Jonathan.
From these two examples we see the faithfulness with which God and David kept their covenants – even a covenant that God did not sanction in the first place. Even though the Gibeonites were not part of the Israelites, God still honoured the promise made to them. In David’s case, things were perhaps a little simpler, since Jonathan was his close friend and he was committed to keeping his oath with him.
The chapter then mentions what Rizpah did after her two sons were executed. She kept close vigil over her sons’ bodies day and night, not allowing the birds or beast to rest on them.
Before becoming king, David was always conscious of the fact that Saul was God’s anointed. He refused to harm him when he had the chance, and he also put to death the man who ended Saul’s life and reported it to him. We don’t know if David had forgotten about them after all this time, or maybe he thought his affairs with Saul were already at a close. But Rizpah’s actions could have reminded him of how he treated Saul and Jonathan in the past – should he let God’s anointed and his bosom friend remain in dishonour now that he was king?
Once David recovered their remains and buried them with their fathers, the bible tells us that God heard the prayer for the land, an indication the God was pleased with what David had done.
Reflection Questions
How seriously do we take our promises we make to God and to others?
