It was not just Saul, but other members of his family. 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. They agree to the death of seven of Saul's descendants. It looks to me like he tried to work out a political solution rather than a righteous one. David was Born Mar 2, 2022 A three-year famine occurs as a result of Sauls attack on the Gibeonites Mar 2, 2022. Notice the timing and the manner of the execution. And your strength shall be spent in vain; for your land shall not yield its produce, nor shall the trees of the land yield their fruit. He was tired of life, tired of war, tired of all the politics, tired of all the rebellion, tired of Joab. In 2 Samuel 21:1-14, we see that Saul committed an awful crime, and this caused famine in Israel. Saul also had sound state reasons for his action, for the Gibeonites were occupying an enclave in the very How far away was Gilgal from Gibeon? They had advance warning. the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the But they refused the offer. Only after three days did they discover that their "far-distant" allies were really next-door neighbors! For many today, this time period is ancient history. Our God has given us a law that says such and such, so this is what we are willing to do for you.". Perhaps trickery will be better than war for us.". 1316). When did Saul kill these Gibeonites? 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. Except for verse 21, there is very little mention of God in the whole episode. The stories of such people like Abel, Seth, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, and on through the chapter give us hope that like them we can overcome and be assured of entering the Kingdom of God. He did not do a thing that a king or judge should do. 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 who shall stand in his holy place? Only in one sense, there was a fall of man, but certainly not in the traditional sense. Deceit and delusion are powerful spiritual weapons of destruction but they pale in potency compared to the creative and edifying Word of God come alive by faith in believers' hearts! Based on what he knew, and what was available in God's law, David should have been much more judicious. The Gibeonites decided on a different strategy. Pagan cultures were killed because they were pagan cultures and they were making war on Gods people. WebThe designation Nethinim is derived from the Hebrew verb natan ("to give over"), which can mean devoting someone to cultic service. Although the people of Israel had sworn to spare them, Saul had sought to strike them down in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah. Does the Bible encourage the practice of Lent? 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. They were probably in middle age, 45-60. Eisenhower was still in office. 1. This incident of the famine took place rather late in David's life. 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. A lot can happen in two years. It does not seem to me that during this time of the three years of famine David was emulating the attitude that he wrote about in Psalm 34. He just simply rolled over. It provides the cities of refuge where he could go serve a type of prison sentenceif it was an accidental murderuntil the high priest died. The choice by Adam and Eve in the garden was a sin, and they paid for it through death. So you shall not pollute the land where you are [this is very important]; for blood defiles the land, and no atonement can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it. Deceit and delusion are powerful spiritual weapons of destruction but they pale in potency compared to the creative and edifying Word of God come alive by faith in believers' hearts! He got a little weird, throwing spears at David (and Jonathan too, once). Only when the Gibeonites were under siege from a common enemy and were calling in the marker on their mutual aid treaty did the Israelites turn to God for counsel and advice. It is in II Samuel 21. Instead of warfare and bloodshed, their weapons were guile and deceit. Spiritual virtues and qualities are largely unseen yet are more real and potent in lasting effects than the most formidable nuclear pile. 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. This incident appears in time sequence toward the end of his life. The Gibeonites were not Israelites, but the remnant of the Amorites, which Saul pursued from within Israel. They are two separate things. WebWhen God called Saul to be king, Israel was on the verge of collapse. King David was compelled to hand over his own people to the power of Israel's ongoing enemies. Then there are things of degeneracy. He does not live long past the end of II Samuel. You are getting later and later in David's life here. Certainly, after three years you would. Where are they from? But so did David. He was far from God during this time. 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. I am putting this all together from history. If He said that you are out of here, you are out of here. The rains did not come after the Days of Unleavened Bread when these seven men were executed. God is warning here that sin has consequences. Gibeon is only a few miles mostly north of Jerusalem. There was no negotiation; there was no calling them on anything. He was setting us an example of what we should be doing in a spiritual sense. Most, if not all, of those responsible were dead. I know that he had other family problems because the prophecies said that he would. These conflicting views on Saul would continue long past the biblical era and into modern times. It is tainted.". In addition, after this was the rebellion of Sheba, in which there were all kinds of disruptions until Sheba was killed. He was not thinking spiritually. WebThis points to their employment in the sanctuary; and possibly may shed some light on the massacre of the Gibeonites by Saul (2 Samuel 21:1). Matt 24:4/Mk 13:5/Lk 21:8. 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. God punished the whole nation for breaking the covenant. There was a covenant with those people that not only Joshua and the people honored, but also God Himself honored as well. However, this chapter drops a few hints about it. These are the two hints. They wanted blood by putting to death seven male descendants to die for the crimes of that house against the Gibeonites. It is not there in the Scriptures. King David was perhaps the only converted person in the entire nationmaybe besides the high priest of the time, but we do not know. & "Take heed that you be not deceived." And the king said, "I will give them.". Weba motive for Saul's attack on them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the people of Israel but of the remnant of the Amorites. It shows you just how far things had sunk in the land. I will break the pride of your power; I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze. There were big problems, and one of them was the consequences and effects of Saul and his bloodthirsty house. What is meaning of 2 Cor. 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. Joshua kept his word to the Gibeonites even when it was inconvenient. "Now therefore, you are cursed, and none of you shall be freed from being slaveswoodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God." 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. It springs out when you are not ready. And that is why God heeded the prayer of the land. He asked me, "How does this incident square with what God says in Ezekiel 18:19-20?". So he said, "Whatever you say, I will do for you." Two years is a long time. That is basically how it was. Saul's bones are still in Jabesh-Gilead. Deuteronomy 32:4. 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. We do know the Gibeonites were cutters of wood and drawers of water for the altar of God the tabernacle was at Gibeon. WebThe Philistines decided not to attack D. God gave Saul three options to choose from as he went out against the Philistines. 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. Joshua kept his word to the Gibeonites even when it was inconvenient. Finally the light came on, and David said, "I had better ask what is going on here. Joshua 9:25-27 "And now, here we are, in your hands; do with us as it seems good and right to do to us." At the time the Israelites under Joshua invaded the Promised Land of Canaan, most of the inhabitants rose up in arms against them. 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 WebThe LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites. Here we find the Gibeonites demand, and King David counter demandsNOT. Matt 24:4/Mk 13:5/Lk 21:8. 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 ). God!before the Lordin Gibeah of Saul. Yes, my lord, he answered. Moreover, Samuel said, "What have you done? Would it be a good alliance to have with these people from far away?". This famine has been going on for three years, year after year. Is that what happened?" It is his sin. Please ensure your answer MEETS all our guidelines. They were probably innocent of this particular crime. Some unfinished business here needs to be taken care of. Saul, Israel's first king thought he knew better than God. Now, turn to the episode of King David, which we introduced. He keeps his word even to his own disadvantage and does not change it [for his own benefit] (Psalm 15:1, 4; AMP). In 2 Samuel 21, we read of the tragic repercussion that followed when King Saul didnt honor the covenant and murdered some Gibeonites. It does not seem so. The prophet Zechariah asks a question that is forever pertinent to all spiritual considerations and decisions: "For who hath despised the day of small things?" Her actions made David realize that he had violated another of God's commands by leaving the bodies of Saul, Jonathan, and the seven other sons unburied. But, the others were Saul's grandsons. How did the spirit of God move upon the face of the waters in Genesis 1:2? Then Ishbi-Benob, who was one of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose bronze spear was three hundred shekels, who was bearing a new sword, thought he could kill David. By this time, Moses had died and was buried. It does not require at all times that a person guilty of bloodshed die. There should have been payment for it. We have all these things coming at the end time, which is very short. 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