when did saul attack the gibeonites

Throughout the Scriptures warnings of spiritual dangers are signaled by the flash cards of attention getting words like: "Take heed" or "Consider". Another thing that God said to do was not done. How does this all connect with Ezekiel chapter 18? WebAnd the Lord answered, Saul and his family of murderers are the reason for the famine, because he killed the Gibeonites. 2 (The Gibeonites were not Israelites. They agree to the death of seven of Saul's descendants. Was John the Baptist conceived via an immaculate conception? He gets kicked down the societal ladder for his sin, and it takes three or four generations for the family to recover. They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed. And they sent them to Joshua at Gilgal. We have a very simple biblical principle here: God is just. Also David seems to have only spared Mephibosheth only because he made an oath, and not for the fact that he was only five years old and did not participate in killing the Gibeonites? We do not know when it happened. God affirms that the famine is punishment for Sauls massacre of the Gibeonites, who had been protected by a treaty since the Israelites first invaded the Promised Land ( Joshua 9:127 ). He will not relent. We have all followed in the same way of life as our first parents Adam and Eve. Much later, King Saul ignored this covenant of peace and killed some Gibeonites. Jew or gentile? But it does not say so here in so many words. Report He does not live long past the end of II Samuel. 0 responses Something is wrong. They had a more bloody and violent systemwhich often led to blood feuds that may not ever end until a whole family or generation was gone. Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints! Except for verse 21, there is very little mention of God in the whole episode. The Jewish Encyclopedia asserts that one group of rabbis felt that Saul's punishment at God's hands is a sign of his weak moral character whose only virtue was being tall and handsome. All I do know is that they do hold a solid place in world history and one of their offshoots or branches were the Gibeonites. There is another thing that needs to be thrown out there as a possible scenario, and this would have been the very worst and lowest that David could have sunk to. WebA famine lasting three years hit Israel during the earlier half of David 's reign at Jerusalem. 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. It does not require at all times that a person guilty of bloodshed die. And David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done. He was far from God during this time. ", "She's been doing that for six months? But Joshua had the final decision. It is very evident from verse 4 that somebody offered money, either from the palace or from the family of Saul. Now, we move forward, not very long in time, to Joshua 9. This was obviously later in his life and reign. What should we get out of this? Should the explanation in Genesis on how God created plants before the sun affect the understanding of creation? When God called Saul to be king, Israel was on the verge of collapse. During the time of the judges, the Israelites had repeatedly turned away, lea Deuteronomy 32:4. '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. And those two are questionable. They have a discussion in the next few verses, and many Israelites want to go ahead and kill these Gibeonites for what they did. If a person sins, he receives God's judgment for those sins. It's much too heavy any more!" Web2 Samuel 21:1 Context. And if He sinned, then He could not be our Savior. The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit. God would have said, "Kill them all!" This meant the latter harvest has passed, and maybe another month or so went by. 3. 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. He was setting us an example of what we should be doing in a spiritual sense. Only in one sense, there was a fall of man, but certainly not in the traditional sense. Notice God declares that the bloodguilt was not just on Saul, but also his house. King David was compelled to hand over his own people to the power of Israel's ongoing enemies. King David was perhaps the only converted person in the entire nationmaybe besides the high priest of the time, but we do not know. Verse 5 does not say that the guilt of a person extends to his great-great grandchildren. But it appears at least 40, maybe 50 years in the past. 0 responses "There was a famine in the days of King David for three years, year after year. Skeptic turned believer, Catholic, father of 3, ABC/DTS graduate, guitar music ministry Baptist church. Spiritual virtues and qualities are largely unseen yet are more real and potent in lasting effects than the most formidable nuclear pile. There is demotion. So, give or take, 40 to 50 years have passed. Lets read about David avenging the Gibeonites in 2 Samuel 21:1-14: 1 Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. It only says that God heeded the prayer of the land. They were a group of Amorites. The Gibeonites merely asked for a mutual help pact that would guarantee not only mercy and aid from Israel, but protection from their common enemies. Joshua kept his word to the Gibeonites even when it was inconvenient. 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. God!before the Lordin Gibeah of Saul. Completely ignoring God's explicit command to spare the Gibeonites, Saul decreed it was time to remove them completely by exterminating them. Even so, maybe there were even worse problems, perhaps, and David was blind to them for three years. 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]. 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. In fact, it can be read as if David approached it as only a minor administrative matter. He made huge errors in judgment, both personally and in a larger sense. He keeps his word even to his own disadvantage and does not change it [for his own benefit] (Psalm 15:1, 4; AMP). Gibeon is only a few miles mostly north of Jerusalem. There were no cell phones. Finally, after six or seven months, the rains came in their natural cycle. The Bible doesnt really say. This is taken from the book Antiquities of the Jews, pg. 7: AFTER this, when the country was greatly afflicted with a WebMany centuries later (the period from the exodus of Israel to the reign of Saul is generally considered to be about 400 years), Saul came to the throne in Israel. DESTRUCTION AND CORRUPTION Now the Gibeonites were not of the people of Israel but of the remnant of the Amorites. Just tell me and I will do it for you.. It cut us off from God. He was not really on the ball like he should have been. As Christians living amidst spiritual famine, we dare not compromise with the culture around us. Therefore, the world is full of sintheir own sin. Evidently, he thought that he could win back his kingdom if he zealously did God's will. And the LORD answered, "It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites." 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. This cultural thing about wanting our heroes flawed is so deeply ingrained in us that we cannot imagine anyone going through life without sin. The chronicler, herewhoever he wasis giving us a big hint that David's attention was elsewhere for three whole years. This is a major reason why the church of God does not subscribe to the traditional doctrine of "The Fall of Man." A snare is a trap. WebWe will attack Gibeon, because they have made peace with Joshua and the Israelites." He needed God to forgive him. THE STORY OF THE GIBEONITES - ", If you are on your spiritual game, and famine is occurring in your land, do you wait three years until thousands may have died? Why were genealogies so important to Israel? A good answer provides new insight and perspective. 2 So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. He came at this as though he were guilty with Saul; that all Israelites were guilty with Saul and his house. How much food did Jesus produce? And he gathered an army and attacked the Amalekites, and delivered Israel from the hands of those who plundered them. WebWhen Sauls agents came up, she pretended that David was ill and placed a household idol and a net of goats hair in his bed, as if her husband were still lying there (vv. They probably went from Gibeon by some circuitous route so they did not come directly from the west where they actually lived. So they performed all that the king commanded. The Israelites had taken an oath concerning them, but in his zeal for Israel and Judah, Saul had sought to kill them.) It won't do anybody any good lying here dead. Share There were not very many of them left. That is the background on the Gibeonites, and their relationship with Israel. Their special, if dishonest, dealings with the leaders of Israel gained them a notoriety that most of the tribes and clans of the ancient Mid-East never attained. He realized how often, and how far, he strayed from God's way of life. 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." 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. Spiritual virtues and qualities are largely unseen yet are more real and potent in lasting effects than the most formidable nuclear pile. He sees the hearts of men and the hidden actions of men. 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 It must have been a satisfactory solution from Gods point of view, because he sent the rain on the land after the measures had been taken. 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 [Merabsee margin of most Bibles] 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. 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. 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 LORD. Perhaps trickery will be better than war for us.". So he said, "Whatever you say, I will do for you." I know that is how I always read itas straight historyand I did not think about it very much. [And the answer is] Because the son has done what is lawful and right, and has kept all My statutes and observed them, he shall surely live. He tried to come up with a compromise, and that was basically, "Whatever you want, you can have." It takes into consideration things like accidental death, and premeditation. David was annonted by Sammuel Apr 10, 1035. 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. And after that God heeded the prayer for the land. Ezekiel 18 makes it clear that God punishes people for their own iniquity. They are two separate things. Over the years I've urged our Fellowship to check out, investigate and take to heart such biblical alarms. In verse 7 we see the only thing in the entire situation that was any good at all. All they wanted, they said, was a peace treaty with Israel; then they would return to their distant home. He allowed his actions to be dictated by the Gentile principle of retributionvengeancerather than God's law on such matters. I also want you to see how warlike Saul was. So the famine continued for another half a year. Gibeon was situated very close to Gibeah the home town of Sauls family. And these men, they need to be buried. Notice that I Kings begins not many chapters after this. Joshua 9:3-6 But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, they worked craftily [remember that], and went and pretended to be ambassadors. I am just going to start with the backdrop to the incident. He was tired of life, tired of war, tired of all the politics, tired of all the rebellion, tired of Joab. Vote Up You're out of here!". He did not perform any miracle, or any other thing to show that He was happy with the way that things turned out. WebThe Gibeonites Hang Saul's Descendants 21 While David was king, there were three years in a row when the nation of Israel could not grow enough food. It is his sin. 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. So, he kept his own covenant, but he did not go any further to figure out from God's law to know what should be done in this situation. There is a difference. There was a great deal of turmoil in Israel leading up to this time. This was a long time ago. Would it be a good alliance to have with these people from far away?". This traditional doctrine, as heard in a Catholic or Protestant church, would say that this sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden rests upon us still. Instead, they told a story that either ignored the truth completely or, at least, shaded the truth in such a way that it was full of guile and deceit. The Gibeonites remained enemies and aliens to the household of God forever after. And it would have been done quickly and easily. Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David inquired of the LORD. Why didnt Abraham bargain with God when it came to Isaac being offered as a burnt offering like he did when it came to Sodom and Gomorrah? If He said that you are out of here, you are out of here. If, in the event the Israelis ever came their way, they would be servants to the people of Israel. ", So David went out and said, "There are some things that have needed to be done. When He visits the iniquity upon successive generations, He is saying is that the results and curses that come automatically often go down a handful of generations. 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. With all the recent rebellions, he was probably worried that his alliances were going to fail, because he may have appeared to weaken. In reading the Psalms, on the other hand, we get an idea of just how grateful he was for God's forgiveness and grace, because I believe he was aware of just what a rotten individual he really was. And she did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day nor the beasts of the field by night. David did not make any counter demands. Then there is another thing. Eisenhower was still in office. Jesus Christ should be everyone's ultimate hero. God did not necessarily overlook all their sins, but He certainly forgave them. Were they participants in killing the Gibeonites? So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. So David asked the Lord for help, and the Lord answered, Saul and his family are guilty of murder, because he had the Gibeonites killed. fit into Creation? So, he spared Agag, and he spared a lot of the good stuff. Nevertheless, he names a few of them. It is very clear, and very simplejust two little verses. Vote Up They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the tomb of Kish his father. Some interesting similarities to New Testament times occur to me: The fact that David made a covenant with Jonathan regarding Jonathans house (1 Sam 20:14-16), would take precedence over all other reasons not to give up Mephibosheth, I would suppose. WebSaul, Israel's first king thought he knew better than God. And then King David inquired of the Lord. Web2 Samuel 21:2 indicates that King Saul pursued the Gibeonites and sought to kill them off "in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah" (2 Samuel 21:5). Finally, someone says to David, "Hey, did you know that Rizpah has been out on a rock for six months, sitting there day after day, protecting the corpses from birds and such, because the Gibeonites won't let her take them down and bury them? 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. Web16 And it happened at the end of three days, after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were their neighbors who dwelt near them. God punished the whole nation for breaking the covenant. In 2 Samuel 21, we read of the tragic repercussion that followed when King Saul didnt honor the covenant and murdered some Gibeonites. David asked. After that, God heeded the prayer of the land. After that, they had their problems at Ai, and figured out that Achan was responsible for that. Instead of warfare and bloodshed, their weapons were guile and deceit. 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. There is more space given to David's flaws than anyone else in the whole Bible. These conflicting views on Saul would continue long past the biblical era and into modern times. God required atonement to be made. A little further down, we read: II Samuel 21:2 . Yes, my lord, he answered. 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. he put the Gibeonites to death. Of course, a part of it is being able to look at ourselves and see how dirty, nasty, and rotten we are, and saying, "There is no way that anybody could live in this world without sin; even God's beloved Son.". Hearing that Joshua was camped in their general neighborhood, after his devastating defeat of the strategic cities of Jericho and Ai, the Gibeonites sent a delegation to him at nearby Gilgal. And we bear the guilt with them for that. Joshua 9:14 is the key to Israel's problem. And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites. It is not the sin of Adam and Eve; it is their own sin. The Gibeonites have the dubious distinction of having duped Joshua and the elders of Israel. Does the devil have power to make us sick? The Bible barely alludes to the king's mad scheme, but we know that Saul's plot miserably failed. With a careful reading and a bit of thought, you will begin to raise some questions. And that is why God heeded the prayer of the land. But, they like the dark one because he is moody, and doing things not for quite the right reasons. The world's arsenal is growing daily in material strength and sophisticated intimidation. When asked about the time of the end; when questioned about the signs that would precede His Second Coming, our blessed Lord instinctively cautioned: "Take heed that no man deceive you." This is certainly not the David of Psalm 34, where he wrote. As mentioned earlier, there was the rebellion of Absalom. II Samuel 21:1-2 Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David inquired of the LORD. ( v.1 ) So God sent a famine to punish a kingdom for something that a former king supposedly did. You can read about them for yourself in the Book of Joshua, chapters nine and ten. They got a couple of their men, maybe elders, and got them to appear like they came along distance. or who shall stand in his holy place? It is tainted.". It has got to go. Therefore, there was a different system of justice than what the Gentiles were used to. Weba motive for Saul's attack on them. Report, August 29 2022 He was not thinking spiritually. King David is mentioned by name as a hero of faith. They made their dust-covered clothes to look worn and ragged as if they had been on the road for many days, even months. And the Lord said, "There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he put the Gibeonites to death. There is no biblical account of this escapade of Saul and his house against Gibeon. In addition, after this was the rebellion of Sheba, in which there were all kinds of disruptions until Sheba was killed. Let's see what's in our bag of tricks. He did not do a thing that a king or judge should do. The midrash states that when Saul learned of this, he was angry with his daughter and demanded of her: Why did you deceive me and let my enemy escape? He just simply rolled over. God is just. Asked August 31 2013 God punished the whole nation for breaking the covenant. He simply folded, giving the Gibeonites everything they wanted. He had a body of law that he could have referred back to and come up with a solution. It was as if David earlier said, "Let's just get this out of the way. EVIL'S ULTIMATE END. WebThe consequences of Israels covenant with the Gibeonites were not short-term. He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. David did not come to this with any regal neutrality in the least. So this zeal may not have carried good connotations (cf John 2:17) it was not zeal for God but zeal for man, an ongoing problem with Saul. The rest of the Canaanites resented the defection of the Hivites which so greatly weakened the forces for defense, and, headed by Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem, they assembled to wreak vengeance on Gibeon. Perhaps if I go and kill all the Gibeonites like Joshua was supposed to do, maybe God will let me back into the chair.". He wanted to go do something else. They knew! And when Saul saw any strong man or any valiant man, he took him for himself. There was a covenant with those people that not only Joshua and the people honored, but also God Himself honored as well. Throughout the Scriptures warnings of spiritual dangers are signaled by the flash cards of attention getting words like: "Take heed" or "Consider". 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. That is basically how it was. It wouldnt be surprising if these people had become worshippers of God, from their exposure to the tabernacle and teaching. Saul and the heir to the throne, his son, Jonathan, were killed in a battle with the Philistines, and by popular acclamation, David became the King of Israel. Now, if they participated in his sin, then of course, they will bear the guilt for their participation in that sin. What is meaning of 2 Cor. But the massacre of the Gibeonites probably occurred after that. He was endangering the whole army by being out there, an old man trying to fight like a young man. He got a little weird, throwing spears at David (and Jonathan too, once).

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