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?" Later, during a wasting famine, David, attempting a political rather than a righteous solution, yielded to the Gibeonites' request that descendants of Saul be hanged to avenge the slaughter. If you read Psalm 51 it is very clear that he understood his own makeup. How long was the average lifespan at the time? Ezekiel 18:19-20 indicates that guilt for sin is not transferable, but the consequences can often touch several generations. Go coach! David did all this, it seems, off the top of his head. 20, and still another between Saul and David in 1 Samuel 24. 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! Those who believe that they can outsmart, outflank or in any way outmaneuver our Enemy through cerebral strategies are doomed to the slavery and destruction heaped upon Saul and the Gibeonites. Report, August 29 2022 The latter believed that Saul's desire was to destroy them utterly. Joshua realized he had been deceived, but he kept the letter of his covenant with the Gibeonites to let them live; however, he cursed and enslaved them as woodcutters and water-carriers. Saul later pursued the Gibeonites and sought to kill them off in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah. It is tainted.". Why did God allow the Gibeonites to put to death seven of Sauls sons? I think he was very low. To put it in a more modern time setting, a lot of people prefer Batman (the dark one), or Spiderman (the geek), to Superman for the very same reasons. There are references to the Lord, but they are not references in a spiritual sense. 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 will break the pride of your power; I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze. I am putting this all together from history. He just simply rolled over. 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 no want to those who fear Him. 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. Nevertheless, he names a few of them. They do what their flesh tells them to dowhat Satan inspires them to want to doand they do it. It comes as a snare, Christ says, on everybody. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.". We have our own sins to pay for; we do not pay for theirs. My supposition is that he may have been still questioning God about the way his reign seemed to have crumbled, and all he had was enemies around him. This meant the latter harvest has passed, and maybe another month or so went by. On the other hand, when people do well, like Abraham, and they live God's way of life, this allows God the leeway to show mercy unto thousands of generations of people. There is a very important difference. That is the bottom line. And the Lord said, "There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he put the Gibeonites to death. Ezekiel 18:19-20 Yet you say, 'Why should the son not bear the guilt of the father?' VERSE 2. However, there was a difference between Israel's version and the Gentiles' principle of vengeance or retribution. WebThe Philistines decided not to attack D. God gave Saul three options to choose from as he went out against the Philistines. Then they were able to pick up the pieces of their lives and move forward by the strength that God gave them to overcome and to grow, and to put on the mindthe characterof Christ. It is not there in the Scriptures. Share DESTRUCTION AND CORRUPTION WebA three years' famine in the days of David was attributed to God's anger at the unexpiated crime of Saul in slaying the Gibeonites. 3:6: "for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life"? 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." As mentioned earlier, there was the rebellion of Absalom. Why did Herod like to listen to John the Baptist, who criticized Herods lifestyle? He then tells David that he can't marry Michal until he brings Saul 100 Philistine foreskins, thinking that David will definitely die in this attempt. Here are guidelines to help facilitate a meaningful learning experience for everyone. He could have done several things differently, perhaps giving the Gibeonites their freedom as a way to repay them. This angered God and was only amended years later after sacrificing seven of Sauls sons to the Gibeonites by hanging them before Jehovah at Sauls hometown, Gibeah. After that, Gibeonites were no longer mentioned though there are some writers who believed that they were among the Nethinim, the ones selected to serve the temple. Share We still need some more background. Here we find the Gibeonites demand, and King David counter demandsNOT. Justice seems to have been served. 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. The Gibeonites were not Israelites, but the remnant of the Amorites, which Saul pursued from within Israel. WebWhen God called Saul to be king, Israel was on the verge of collapse. He had to plead to God for clearing and forgiveness, for cleaning up, because he knew it was not in himself to do that. And as the one righteous person in the whole nation, he could have cried out, God would have heard, and God would have saved. However, the Gibeonites did. Other Translations for 2 Samuel 21:1 Discussion for 2 Samuel 21 View All PHARAOH AND HAMAN - Probably what happened was that they put them on the top of the hill at Gibeah, so that God in the Tabernacle could "see" the execution being done. The Gibeonites decided on a different strategy. [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. THE BATTLES OF THE LORD Numbers 35:34 "Therefore do not defile the land which you inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel.'". Their representatives were not up front with the Israeli leaders. 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. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. Should the explanation in Genesis on how God created plants before the sun affect the understanding of creation? Had David been righteous and been crying out to God, God would have heard him. 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 keeps his word even to his own disadvantage and does not change it [for his own benefit] (Psalm 15:1, 4; AMP). Each generation had to live out its days as "hewers of wood and carriers of water". Please ensure your answer MEETS all our guidelines. 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. WebThe designation Nethinim is derived from the Hebrew verb natan ("to give over"), which can mean devoting someone to cultic service. This incident of the famine took place rather late in David's life. They are going to cause problems. "We don't want any money, for sure not Saul's money. David asked. Gibeon is only a few miles mostly north of Jerusalem. Why are they where they were? What is meaning of 2 Cor. he put the Gibeonites to death. 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 But so did David. Vote Up Therefore, one of the first things that Joshua and the Israelites do is they allow a big problem to linger in their midst. At the time the Israelites under Joshua invaded the Promised Land of Canaan, most of the inhabitants rose up in arms against them. David asked the Gibeonites what punishment would satisfy them and atone for (cover) Sauls sin of murder. 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. If we were reading this quickly, and not really thinking about it, and not understanding God's own character, we might think that this says that God allows the guilt of sin to pass down three or four generations. They were going to come in there and just exterminate. They are still there. After that, they had their problems at Ai, and figured out that Achan was responsible for that. Once again, God's anointed was compelled to humble himself and his nation before a delegation of these servile Gibeonites. Numbers 35:29-33 And these things shall be a statute of judgment to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings. Should we make a covenant with them? The person who commits a sin is guilty of that sin, and God punishes that person for that sin. God is not bloodthirsty, but He had told them what to do. 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? They handed their enemies hard, stale, moldy bread and told them it had been freshly baked when they left home. The world's arsenal is growing daily in material strength and sophisticated intimidation. So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. David didnt get the throne until Saul and Jonathon were both dead. David was anointed king many years before he took the throne. He had Saul tryin God is warning here that sin has consequences. There was a covenant with those people that not only Joshua and the people honored, but also God Himself honored as well. Samuel turns away; Saul grabs at him and only catches his robe, and tears it. 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. Webzeal of king Saul - who was a Benjaminite - against the Gibeonites. the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the But, he did not. I haven't been keeping up on things. Matt 24:4/Mk 13:5/Lk 21:8. 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 So they thought, "Hmm. 12 Saul said, Listen now, son of Ahitub.. David was annonted by Sammuel Apr 10, 1035. However there is nothing in the text that indicates he did this. I am just going to start with the backdrop to the incident. Therefore, they arrive in the camp of Israel, and say, "Where's your leader? And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites. WebThe LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites. Jerusalem is almost directly west a few miles, but it is quite high from the Jordan to the Jerusalem. Those who believe that they can outsmart, outflank or in any way outmaneuver our Enemy through cerebral strategies are doomed to the slavery and destruction heaped upon Saul and the Gibeonites. From the time of Joshua, throughout the long period of the Judges, the very presence of these deceitful people had not only been a thorn in the side of the Israelis; their position in the land was a dividing wedge that separated southern Judah from the rest of the Kingdom. So he did to them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, so that they did not kill them. What would be some verses from the Bible to save a marriage? They knew all the things God had stipulated about what they were to do when Israel was going to come into the land. I do not know. Where have you been, David? Good question. And the LORD answered, "It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites." Weba motive for Saul's attack on them. Now, if they participated in his sin, then of course, they will bear the guilt for their participation in that sin. The Israelite version was a whole lot less absolute. 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