Text -- 2 Samuel 21:10 (NET)

21:10 Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest until the rain fell on them, she did not allow the birds of the air to feed on them by day, nor the wild animals by night.

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)

Wesley: 2Sa 21:10

As a tent to dwell in: being informed that their bodies were not to be taken away speedily, as the course of the law was in ordinary cases, but were to continue there until God was intreated, and removed the present judgment.

Wesley: 2Sa 21:10

In some convenient place in a rock, near adjoining.

Wesley: 2Sa 21:10

Until they were taken down: which was not to be done 'till God had given rain as a sign of his favour, and a mean to remove the famine, which was caused by the want of it. Thus she let the world know, that her sons died not for any sin of their own, not as stubborn and rebellious sons, whose eye had despised their mother: but for their father's sin, and therefore her mind could not be alienated from them by their hard fate.

JFB: 2Sa 21:10

She erected a tent near the spot, in which she and her servants kept watch, as the relatives of executed persons were wont to do, day and night, to scare the birds and beasts of prey away from the remains exposed on the low-standing gibbets.

Clarke: 2Sa 21:10

Rizpah - took sackcloth - Who can read the account of Rizpah’ s maternal affection for her sons that were now hanged, without feeling his mind deeply impressed with sorrows

Did God require this sacrifice of Saul’ s sons, probably all innocent of the alleged crime of their father? Was there no other method of averting the Divine displeasure? Was the requisition of the Gibeonites to have Saul’ s sons sacrificed to God, to be considered as an oracle of God? Certainly not; God will not have man’ s blood for sacrifice, no more than he will have swine’ s blood. The famine might have been removed, and the land properly purged, by offering the sacrifices prescribed by the law, and by a general humiliation of the people

Clarke: 2Sa 21:10

Until water dropped upon them - Until the time of the autumnal rains, which in that country commence about October. Is it possible that this poor broken-hearted woman could have endured the fatigue, (and probably in the open air), of watching these bodies for more than five months? Some think that the rain dropping on them out of heaven means the removal of the famine which was occasioned by drought, by now sending rain, which might have been shortly after these men were hanged; but this by no means agrees with the manner in which the account is introduced: "They were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest. And Rizpah - took sackcloth, and spread it for her on the rock, from the beginning of harvest, until water dropped upon them out of heaven."No casual or immediately providential rain can be here intended; the reference must be to the periodical rains above mentioned.

TSK: 2Sa 21:10

Rizpah : 2Sa 21:8, 2Sa 3:7

took sackcloth : 1Ki 21:27; Joe 1:18

from the : 2Sa 21:9; Deu 21:13

until water : Some suppose that this means a providential supply of rain, in order to remove the famine; but from the manner in which it is introduced, it seems to denote the autumnal rains, which commence about October. For five months did this broken-hearted woman watch by the bodies of her sons! Deu 11:14; 1Ki 18:41-45; Jer 5:24, Jer 5:25, Jer 14:22; Hos 6:3; Joe 2:23; Zec 10:1

the birds : Gen 40:19; Eze 39:4

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)

Barnes: 2Sa 21:10

Dropped - Rather, "poured,"the proper word for heavy rain Exo 9:33. The "early rain,"or heavy rain of autumn, usually began in October, so that Rizpah’ s devoted watch continued about six months. How rare rain was in harvest we learn from 1Sa 12:17-18; Pro 26:1. The reason of the bodies being left unburied, contrary to Deu 21:23, probably was that the death of these men being an expiation of the guilt of a violated oath, they were to remain until the fall of rain should give the assurance that God’ s anger was appeased, and the national sin forgiven.

Birds of the air ... beasts of the field - It is well known how in the East, on the death e. g. of a camel in a caravan, the vultures instantly flock to the carcass. (Compare Mat 24:28.)

Poole: 2Sa 21:10

Spread it for her as a tent to dwell in; being informed that their bodies were not to be taken away speedily, as the course of the law was in other and ordinary cases, Deu 21:23 , but were to continue there until God was entreated, and did remove the present judgment. And God was herein pleased to dispense with his own law, that it might plainly appear that these were not put to death by David for politic reasons, as that he and his sons might be freed from competitors, which doubtless David’ s enemies were ready to suggest; but by God’ s special command, who was pleased to execute this judgment upon them, as partly and principally for the punishment of Saul’ s sin, so secondarily for the stablishing of David’ s throne to himself and to his seed for ever, as he had promised.

Upon the rock in some convenient place in a rock, near adjoining.

Until water dropped upon them out of heaven i.e. until they were taken down; which was not to be done till God had given rain as a sign of his favour, and a mean to remove the famine, which was caused by the want of it. To

rest on them i.e. on their carcasses.

Nor the beasts of the field from which she might preserve herself and them by divers methods.

Haydock: 2Sa 21:10

Hair-cloth, to sleep on, occasionally. ---

Heaven. The famine had been caused by drought. As soon therefore as rain fell, David was assured that God was appeased. He had suffered the bodies to hang so long, for that purpose, though commonly they were to be taken down before night. (Menochius) ---

Respha is supposed, by some, to have guarded the bodies from spring till the rain fell in autumn. But the former opinion seems more plausible. We here behold the custom of watching by the bodies of the dead. See Homer, Iliad xxiii. ---

Beasts. The gibbets were formerly very low. (Calmet) ---

Thus Blandina was exposed to wild beasts. (Eusebius, Hist. v. 1.)

Gill: 2Sa 21:10

And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth,.... Both as a token of mourning for her sons, and as fittest to defend from the weather, the heat by day of cold by night:

and spread it for her upon the rock; the hill on which her sons were hanged; this she spread as a canopy or tent to sit under, and be covered with it; not to cover the bodies with it, but herself, and where she sat to mourn the loss of her sons, and to watch their bodies, that they might not be devoured by birds and breasts of prey, as after observed: and here she sat

from the beginning of harvest until water dropped on them out of heaven; that is, as the Jews say ⁿ, from the sixteenth of Nisan, when barley harvest began, to the seventeenth of Marchesvan, when the former rain fell; that is, from the beginning of April to the beginning of October: but it is not likely that she continued so long watching the bodies, nor would there be any need of it to keep the birds and beasts from them; for after they had hung so many months, there would be nothing left for them; but rather the meaning is, that she continued there until it pleased God to send rain from heaven, which had been restrained, and a famine came upon it, because of the ill usage of the Gibeonites: and very probably the order from the king was, that the bodies should hang till rain came, that it might be observed what was the reason of their suffering; and no doubt Rizpah sat there praying that rain might come, and which, as Abarbinel thinks, came in a few days after, though not usual in summertime; but this was an extraordinary case, as in 1Sa 12:17; and was done to show the Lord was entreated for the land; and so Josephus says ^o, that upon the hanging up of these men, God caused it to rain immediately, and restored the earth to its former fruitfulness. According to the law in Deu 21:22, the bodies should have been taken down and buried the same day: but these men suffered not for their own personal, sins, but for the sins of others, and to avert a public calamity, and therefore must hang till that was removed; nor were they executed by men bound by that law; and besides their continuing on the tree was according to the will of God, till he was entreated, who could dispense with this law; to which may be added, the ceremonial and judicial laws, of which this was one, gave place to those of a moral nature ^p, as this did to that of sanctifying the name of God in a public manner; hence the saying of one of the Rabbins upon this ^q, which is by many wrongly expressed,"it is better that one letter should be rooted out of the law, than that the name of God should not be sanctified openly;''that is, a lesser precept give way to a greater, or a ceremonial precept to a moral one, such as the sanctification of the name of God is:

and suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day; as it is usual for crows ^r and ravens, and such sort of birds, to light on bodies thus hung up, and pick their flesh:

nor the beasts of the field by night; for it seems it was usual to make the gibbets, and so in some other nations the crosses, so low, that wild beasts could easily come at the bodies and devour them; so Blandina was hung upon a tree so low, that she might be exposed to the wild beasts to feed upon her, but not one of them would touch her body ^s; now Rizpah, by her servants, had ways and means to frighten away the birds, and beasts from doing any injury to the carcasses.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: 2Sa 21:10

¹ tn Heb “until water was poured on them from the sky.”

² tn Heb “rest.”

³ tn Heb “the beasts of the field.”

Geneva Bible: 2Sa 21:10

And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took ^{( h )} sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until ^{( i )} water dropped upon them out of heaven, and suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.

^{( h )} To make her a tent in which she prayed to God to turn away his wrath.

^{( i )} Because drought was the cause of this famine, God by sending rain showed that he was pacified.

Commentary -- Verse Range Notes

TSK Synopsis: 2Sa 21:1-22

1 The three years' famine for the Gibeonites ceases, by hanging seven of Saul's sons.

10 Rizpah's kindness unto the dead.

12 David buries the bones of Saul and Jonathan in his father's sepulchre.

15 Four battles against the Philistines, wherein four valiants of David slay four giants.

MHCC: 2Sa 21:10-14

That a guilty land should enjoy many years of plenty, calls for gratitude; and we need not wonder misused abundance should be punished with scarcity; yet how few are disposed to ask of the Lord concerning the sinful cause, while numbers search for the second causes by which he is pleased to work! But the Lord will plead the cause of those who cannot or will not avenge themselves; and the prayers of the poor are of great power. When God sent rain to water the earth, these bodies were buried, for then it appeared that God was entreated for the land. When justice is done on earth, vengeance from heaven ceases. God is pacified, and is entreated for us through Christ, who was hanged on a tree, and so made a curse for us, to do away our guilt, though he was himself guiltless.

Matthew Henry: 2Sa 21:10-14

Here we have, I. Saul's sons not only hanged, but hanged in chains, their dead bodies left hanging, and exposed, till the judgment ceased, which their death was to turn away, by the sending of rain upon the land. They died as sacrifices, and thus they were, in a manner, offered up, not consumed all at once by fire, but gradually by the air. They died as anathemas, and by this ignominious usage they were represented as execrable, because iniquity was laid upon them. When our blessed Saviour was made sin for us he was made a curse for us. But how shall we reconcile this with the law which expressly required that those who were hanged should be buried on the same day? Deu 21:23. One of the Jewish rabbin wishes this passage of story expunged, that the name of God might be sanctified, which, he thinks, is dishonoured by his acceptance of that which was a violation of his law: but this was an extraordinary case, and did not fall within that law; nay, the very reason for that law is a reason for this exception. he that is thus left hanged is accursed; therefore ordinary malefactors must not be so abused; but therefore these must, because they were sacrificed, not to the justice of the nation, but for the crime of the nation (no less a crime than the violation of the public faith) and for the deliverance of the nation from no less a judgment than a general famine. Being thus made as the off-scouring of all things, they were made a spectacle to the world (1Co 4:9, 1Co 4:13), God appointing, or at least allowing it.

II. Their dead bodies watched by Rizpah, the mother of two of them, 2Sa 21:10. It was a great affliction to her, now in her old age, to see her two sons, who, we may suppose, had been a comfort to her, and were likely to be the support of her declining years, cut off in this dreadful manner. None know what sorrows they are reserved for. She may not see them decently interred, but they shall be decently attended. She attempts not to violate the sentence passed upon them, that they should hang there till God sent rain; she neither steals nor forces away their dead bodies, though the divine law might have been cited to bear her out; but she patiently submits, pitches a tent of sackcloth near the gibbets, where, with her servants and friends, she protects the dead bodies from birds and beasts of prey. Thus, 1. She indulged her grief, as mourners are too apt to do, to no good purpose. When sorrow, in such cases, is in danger of growing excessive, we should rather study how to divert and pacify it than how to humour and gratify it. Why should we thus harden ourselves in sorrow? 2. She testified her love. Thus she let the world know that her sons died, not for any sin of their own, not as stubborn and rebellious sons, whose eye had despised to obey their mother; if that had been the case, she would have suffered the ravens of the valley to pick it out and the young eagles to eat it, Pro 30:17. But they died for their father's sin and therefore her mind could not be alienated from them by their hard fate. Though there is not remedy, but they must die, yet they shall die pitied and lamented.

III. The solemn interment of their dead bodies, with the bones of Saul and Jonathan, in the burying-place of their family. David was so far from being displeased at what Rizpah had done that he was himself stirred up by it to do honour to the house of Saul, and to these branches of it among the rest; thus it appeared that it was not out of any personal disgust to the family that he delivered them up, and that he had not desired the woeful day, but that he was obliged to do it for the public good. 1. He now bethought himself of removing the bodies of Saul and Jonathan from the place where the men of Jabesh-Gilead had decently, but privately and obscurely, interred them, under a tree, 1Sa 31:12, 1Sa 31:13. Though the shield of Saul was vilely cast away, as if he had not been anointed with oil, yet let not royal dust be lost in the graves of the common people. Humanity obliges us to respect human bodies, especially of the great and good, in consideration both of what they have been and what they are to be. 2. With them he buried the bodies of those that were hanged; for, when God's anger was turned away, they were no longer to be looked upon as a curse, 2Sa 21:13, 2Sa 21:14. When water dropped upon them out of heaven (2Sa 21:10), that is, when God sent rain to water the earth (which perhaps was not many days after they were hung up), then they were taken down, for then it appeared that God was entreated for the land. When justice is done on earth vengeance from heaven ceases. Through Christ, who was hanged on a tree and so made a curse for us, to expiate our guilt (though he was himself guiltless), God is pacified, and is entreated for us: and it is said (Act 13:29) that when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, in token of the completeness of the sacrifice and of God's acceptance of it, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a sepulchre.

Keil-Delitzsch: 2Sa 21:1-14

Three Years' Famine. - A three years' famine in the land, the occasion of which, as Jehovah declared to the king, was Saul's crime with regard to the Gibeonites, was expiated by David's delivering up to the Gibeonites, at their own request, seven of Saul's descendants, who were then hung by them upon a mountain before Jehovah. This occurrence certainly did not take place in the closing years of David's reign; on the other hand, it is evident from the remark in 2Sa 21:7, to the effect that Mephibosheth was spared, that it happened after David had received tidings of Mephibosheth, and had taken him to his own table (2Sa 9:1-13). This is mentioned here as a practical illustration, on the one hand of the manner in which Jehovah visited upon the house of Saul, even after the death of Saul himself, a crime which had been committed by him; and, on the other hand, of the way in which, even in such a case as this, when David had been obliged to sacrifice the descendants of Saul to expiate the guilt of their father, he showed his tenderness towards him by the honourable burial of their bones.

2Sa 21:1-6

A famine, which lasted for three successive years, induced David to seek the face of Jehovah, i.e., to approach God in prayer and ask the cause of this judgment which had fallen upon the land. The Lord replied, "Because of Saul, and because of the house of blood-guiltiness, because he hath slain the Gibeonites."The expression "because of the house of blood-guiltiness"is in apposition to "Saul,"and determines the meaning more precisely: "because of Saul, and indeed because of the blood-guiltiness which rests upon his house." הדּמים בּית signifies the house upon which blood that had been shed still rested as guilt, like הדּמים עיר in Eze 22:2; Eze 24:6, Eze 24:9, and דּמים אישׁ in Psa 5:7; Psa 27:9, etc. Nothing further is known about the fact itself. It is simply evident from the words of the Gibeonites in 2Sa 21:5, that Saul, in his pretended zeal for the children of Israel, had smitten the Gibeonites, i.e., had put them to death. Probably some dissatisfaction with them had furnished Saul with a pretext for exterminating these Amoritish heathen from the midst of the people of God.

2Sa 21:2-3

In consequence of this answer from God, which merely indicated in a general manner the cause of the visitation that had come upon the land, David sent for the Gibeonites to ask them concerning the wrong that had been done them by Saul. But before the historian communicates their answer, he introduces an explanation respecting the Gibeonites, to the effect that they were not Israelites, but remnants of the Amorites, to whom Joshua had promised on oath that their lives should be preserved (vid., Jos 9:3.). They are called Hivites in the book of Joshua (Jos 9:7); whereas here they are designated Amorites , according to the more general name which is frequently used as comprehending all the tribes of Canaan (see at Gen 10:16 and Gen 15:16). David said to the Gibeonites, "What shall I do for you, and wherewith shall I expiate"(sc., the wrong done you), "that ye may bless the inheritance (i.e., the nation) of Jehovah?"On the use of the imperative וּברכוּ to denote the certain consequences, see Ewald , §347.

2Sa 21:4-5

The Gibeonites answered, "I have not to do with silver and gold concerning Saul and his house"( lit . it is not, does not stand, to me at silver and gold with Saul and his house), i.e., I have no money to demand of Saul, require no pecuniary payment as compensation for the blood which he shed among us (vid., Num 35:31). The Chethib לי is not to be touched, notwithstanding the לנוּ which follows. The use of the singular may be explained on the simple ground that the speaker thought of the Gibeonites as a corporation. "And it does not pertain to us to put any one to death in Israel"(sc., of our own accord). When David inquired still further, "What do you mean, then, that I should do to you?"they replied, "(As for) the man who consumed us, and who thought against us, that we should be destroyed ( נשׁמדנוּ without כּי , subordinately to דּמּה , like אעשׂה in the previous verse), so as not to continue in the whole of the territory of Israel, let seven men of his sons be given us, that we may crucify them to Jehovah at Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of Jehovah." וגו אשׁר אישׁ is placed at the head absolutely (cf. Gesenius , §145, 2). On crucifixion as a capital punishment, see at Num 25:4, where it has already been observed that criminals were not impaled or fastened to the cross alive, but were first of all put to death. Consequently the Gibeonites desired that the massacre, which had taken place among them by the command of Saul, should be expiated by the execution of a number of his sons - blood for blood, according to Num 35:31. They asked for the crucifixion for Jehovah, i.e., that the persons executed might be impaled, as a public exhibition of the punishment inflicted, before the face of the Lord (vid., 2Sa 21:9), as the satisfaction required to expiate His wrath. Seven was a sacred number, denoting the performance of a work of God. This was to take place in Gibeah, the home and capital of Saul, who had brought the wrath of God upon the land through his crime. There is a sacred irony in the epithet applied to Saul, "chosen of the Lord."If Saul was the chosen of Jehovah, his actions ought to have been in accordance with his divine election.

2Sa 21:6-10

David granted the request, because, according to the law in Num 35:33, blood-guiltiness when resting upon the land could only be expiated by the blood of the criminal; but in delivering up the members of Saul's house for whom they asked, he spared Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan and grandson of Saul, for the sake of the bond of friendship which he had formed with Jonathan on oath (1Sa 18:3; 1Sa 20:8, 1Sa 20:16), and gave up to the Gibeonites two sons of Rizpah, a concubine of Saul (vid., 2Sa 21:11 and 2Sa 3:7), and five sons of Merab the daughter of Saul, whom she had borne to Adriel of Meholah. The name of Michal , which stands in the text, is founded upon an error of memory or a copyist's mistake; for it was not Michal, but Merab , Saul's eldest daughter, who was given to Adriel the Meholathite as his wife (1Sa 18:19). The Gibeonites crucified those who were delivered up to them upon the mountain at Gibeah before Jehovah (see the remarks on 2Sa 21:6). "Thus fell seven at once." The Chethib שׁבעתים , at which the Masoretes took such offence that they wanted to change it into שׁבעתּם , is defended by Böttcher very properly, on the ground that the dual of the numeral denotes what is uniformly repeated as if by pairing; so that here it expresses what was extraordinary in the even tin a more pictorial manner than the Keri: "They fell sevenfold at once,"i.e., seven in the same way. The further remark, "they were slain in the first days of harvest, at the beginning of the barley harvest,"belongs to what follows, for which it prepares the way. The two Keris , והמּה for והם , and בּתחלּת for תּחלּת , are needless emendations. תּחלּת is an adverbial accusative (vid., Ges. §118, 2). The harvest began with the barley harvest, about the middle of Nisan, our April.

2Sa 21:10

And Rizpah took sackcloth, i.e., the coarse hairy cloth that was worn as mourning, and spread it out for herself by the rock - not as a tent, as Clericus supposes, still less as a covering over the corpses of those who had been executed, according to the exegetical handbook, but for a bed - " from the beginning of the harvest till water was poured out upon them (the crucified) from heaven ,"i.e., till rain came as a sign that the plague of drought that had rested upon the land was appeased; after which the corpses could be openly taken down from the stakes and buried, - a fact which is passed over in the account before us, where only the principal points are given. This is the explanation which Josephus has correctly adopted; but his assumption that the rain fell at once, and before the ordinary early rain, has no foundation in the text of the Bible. "And suffered not the birds of heaven to settle upon the corpses by day, or the wild beasts by night."Leaving corpses without burial, to be consumed by birds of prey and wild beasts, was regarded as the greatest ignominy that could befal the dead (see at 1Sa 17:44). According to Deu 21:22-23, persons executed were not to remain hanging through the night upon the stake, but to be buried before evening. This law, however, had no application whatever to the case before us, where the expiation of guilt that rested upon the whole land was concerned. In this instance the expiatory sacrifices were to remain exposed before Jehovah, till the cessation of the plague showed that His wrath had been appeased.

2Sa 21:11-14

When this touching care of Rizpah for the dead was told to David, he took care that the bones of the whole of the fallen royal house should be buried in the burial-place of Saul's family. He therefore sent for the bones of Saul and Jonathan, which the men of Jabesh had taken away secretly from the wall of Beisan, where the Philistines had fastened the bodies, and which had been buried in Jabesh (1Sa 31:10.), and had the bones of the sons and grandsons of Saul who had been crucified at Gibeah collected together, and interred all these bones at Zela in the land of Benjamin, in the family grave of Kish the father of Saul. גּנּב , to take away secretly. בּית־שׁן מּרחב , from the market-place of Bethshan, does not present any contradiction to the statement in 1Sa 31:10, that the Philistines fastened the body to the wall of Bethshan, as the rechob or market-place in eastern towns is not in the middle of the town, but is an open place against or in front of the gate (cf. 2Ch 32:6; Neh 8:1, Neh 8:3,Neh 8:16). This place, as the common meeting-place of the citizens, was the most suitable spot that the Philistines could find for fastening the bodies to the wall. The Chethib תּלוּם is the true Hebrew form from תּלה , whereas the Keri תּלאוּם is a formation resembling the Aramaean (cf. Ewald, §252, a .). The Keri פלשׁתּים שׁמּה is correct, however, as פלשׁתּים , being a proper name, does not take any article. In הכּות בּיום the literal meaning of יום (day) must not be strictly pressed, but the expression is to be taken in the sense of "at the time of the smiting;"for the hanging up of the bodies did not take place till the day after the battle (1Sa 31:8.). - In 2Sa 21:14 the account is abridged, and the bones of the crucified persons are not mentioned again. The situation of Zela is unknown (see at Jos 18:28). After this had been carried out in accordance with the king's command, God suffered himself to be entreated for the land, so that the famine ceased.

Constable: 2Sa 21:1--24:25

VII. SUMMARY ILLUSTRATIONS chs. 21--24

The last major section of the Book of Samuel (2 Sam. 21-24) consists of six separate pericopes that together constitute a conclusion to the whole book (cf. Judg. 17-21). Each pericope emphasizes the theological message of the book.²⁹¹

". . . the final four chapters, far from being a clumsy appendix, offer a highly reflective, theological interpretation of David's whole career adumbrating the messianic hope."²⁹²

The structure of this section too is chiastic.

"A. The Lord's Wrath Against Israel (21:1-14)

B. David's Heroes (21:15-22)

C. David's Song of Praise (22:1-51)

C'. David's Last Words (23:1-7)

B'. David's Mighty Men (23:8-39)

A'. The Lord's Wrath Against Israel (24:1-25)"²⁹³

Constable: 2Sa 21:1-14

A. Famine from Saul's Sin 21:1-14

In the first section (21:1-14), the writer reminds us that breaking covenants results in God withdrawing the blessing of fertility.

Constable: 2Sa 21:10-14

3. David's honoring of Saul and Jonathan 21:10-14

The writer did not mention how much time elapsed between the execution of Saul's descendants and the coming of rain.

"Leaving corpses without burial, to be consumed by birds of prey and wild beasts, was regarded as the greatest ignominy that could befall the dead . . ."²⁹⁸

David's action ended the famine, and God again blessed Israel with rain and fertility. David also proceeded to give Saul and Jonathan honorable burials.²⁹⁹

Because Saul had been unfaithful to Israel's covenant with the Gibeonites, God punished the nation with famine (lack of fertility). When David who followed the Mosaic Law righted this wrong, God restored fertility to the land again. God reduced Saul's line from one of the most powerful-looking men in Israel, Saul, to one of the weakest-looking, Mephibosheth. David's faithfulness to his covenant with Jonathan shows he was a covenant-keeping king like Yahweh. Saul on the other hand broke Israel's covenant with the Gibeonites.

Guzik: 2Sa 21:1-22

2 Samuel 21 - Avenging the Gibeonites

A. David avenges the Gibeonites

1. (1) A three-year famine prompts David to seek God.

Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David inquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, "It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites."

a. And David inquired of the LORD: David wisely sought God in the face of chronic problems. David was concerned after the first year of famine, and even more after the second - but two years of famine didn't make him look to a spiritual cause. Yet after three years of famine, David inquired of the LORD.

i. David didn't see a spiritual reason in every problem; but he did not shut his eyes to the hand of God in circumstances.

ii. "The first and second year he might look upon it as a punishment laid upon them for the common sins of the land: but when he saw it continuing a third year also, he thought there was something in it more than ordinary, and therefore, although he well knew the natural cause to be drought, yet he inquired after the supernatural, as wise men should do." (Trapp)

b. It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites: This massacre isn't recorded in 1 Samuel, but David didn't question that it happened. Apparently at some time during his reign Saul attacked and killed many of the Gibeonites.

i. "The whole people suffered for Saul's sin; either because they approved it, or at least bewailed it not; neither did what they could to hinder it; whereby they became accessory." (Trapp)

c. He killed the Gibeonites: When David heard it was because of an attack against the Gibeonites, a chill probably ran up his back. He knew they were a people especially wrong for Saul to attack and kill.

i. In the days of Joshua - more than 400 years before David's time - Israel swore not to harm the Gibeonites, a neighboring tribe (Joshua 9). God expected Israel to keep their promise, even though the Gibeonites tricked Israel into making the agreement. Saul's crime was not only in the killing of the Gibeonites but also in breaking this ancient and important oath.

ii. This emphasizes many important principles:

· God expects us to keep our promises

· God expects nations to keep their promises

· Time does not diminish our obligation to promises

· God's correction may come a long time after the offense

iii. If God has such a high expectation that men keep their covenants, we can have great confidence that He will keep His covenant with us. There is an emerald rainbow around the throne of God to proclaim His remembrance to His everlasting covenant with His people.

2. (2) David speaks to the Gibeonites.

So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. 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.

a. The king called the Gibeonites: David knew he had to do something about this and so he initiated a resolution with the Gibeonites.

b. Saul had sought to kill them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah: We normally think of such of zeal as a good thing. Yet Saul's misguided zeal was a sin and brought calamity on Israel.

i. This is a good example of how good intentions don't excuse bad actions. We often excuse bad actions in our self and others because of what we think are good intentions. But God looks to both our intentions and our actions.

3. (3-6) David's agreement with the Gibeonites.

Therefore David said to the Gibeonites, "What shall I do for you? And with what shall I make atonement, that you may bless the inheritance of the LORD?" 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." 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." And the king said, "I will give them."

a. What shall I do for you? In resolving this matter with the Gibeonites, David did not dictate terms to them. He came to them as a servant, not as a king.

b. That you may bless the inheritance of the LORD: David felt that if the Gibeonites could bless Israel then the reconciliation would be complete and God's chastening of Israel would end.

c. We will have no silver or gold from Saul or from his house, nor shall you kill any man in Israel for us: The Gibeonites make it clear that they don't want money or direct retribution. Though Saul made a wholesale slaughter of the Gibeonites, they don't ask for the same among Israel.

d. Let seven men of his descendants be delivered to us: In that day the request of the Gibeonites was considered reasonable. Instead of money or an "eye for an eye" they only ask for justice against Saul through his descendants. David agreed to this (I will give them).

i. "Which God had now a purpose to root out, that they might not be further troublesome to David - who had lately suffered so much - in the quiet enjoyment of the kingdom." (Trapp)

e. I will give them: David knew this was the right thing to do. Some believe he knew it was right because David knew that Saul's descendants helped in or benefited directly from that massacre.

i. Obviously, we are not told everything about this incident; we must trust the principle stated by Abraham: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? (Genesis 18:25)

4. (7-9) David fulfills the agreement with the Gibeonites.

But the king spared Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the Lord's oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. 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 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. 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.

a. The king spared Mephibosheth: Mephibosheth was the most notable living descendant of Saul and it made the most sense to put him as the first of the seven to be delivered to the Gibeonites for execution. Yet David promised to protect and bless Mephibosheth and he would not fulfill one promise at the expense of another.

b. They hanged them on the hill before the LORD: David chose seven male descendants of Saul to give over the to the Gibeonites and they executed them by public hanging. The phrase before the LORD implies God approved of their execution.

i. The method of death was also important because it fulfilled the promise of Deuteronomy 21:23: he who is hanged is accursed of God. These descendants of Saul bore the curse Saul deserved and so delivered Israel from the guilt of their sin against the Gibeonites.

ii. This 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").

5. (10-14a) Rizpah's vigil.

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 she did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day nor the beasts of the field by night. And David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done. 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. So he brought up the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from there; and they gathered the bones of those who had been hanged. They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the tomb of Kish his father.

a. Spread it for herself on the rock . . . until the late rains poured on them from heaven: Rizpah - the mother of two of the seven delivered for execution - held a vigil over the bodies until the late rains came. The coming of rain showed the famine was over, justice was satisfied, and Israel was delivered.

i. This shows that the bodies of these men were deliberately left unburied. This was to emphasize the fact that these men were executed as an act of judgment.

b. They gathered the bones: David gave these seven a popular burial, together with the remains of Saul and Jonathan.

6. (14b) The famine ends.

So they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God heeded the prayer for the land.

a. They performed all that the king commanded: David directed all of this and he did it partly on the principle stated in Numbers 35:33: So you shall not pollute the land where you are; 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. The idea is that blood from unpunished murders defiles a land and God will one day require that blood from the nation.

b. After that God heeded the prayer for the land: It wasn't as if from the time Saul massacred the Gibeonites until David's day that God did not answer any of Israel's prayers. Yet there came a time when God wanted to deal with this sin, and at that time He would not answer their prayers until they dealt with it.

i. There are many reasons for unanswered prayer and when we see our prayers not answered we should seek God to address the problem.

B. Defeat of the Philistine giants.

1. (15-17) David retires from active duty.

When the Philistines were at war again with Israel, David and his servants with him went down and fought against the Philistines; and David grew faint. 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. But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid, and struck the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, "You shall go out no more with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel."

a. And David grew faint: Even a great man of God grows old. As the years went on, David became unable to fight as he once did. In this battle against the Philistines David's life was endangered when he grew faint in battle against a descendant of Goliath.

i. What will the people do when they see weakness in their leader? If it is a weakness that can be understood - such as David's increasing frailty in old age - then they should rally around their leader and supply what he cannot.

b. Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid: When David's strength failed God protected him through the strength of others. God will allow us to be in places where we need the strength of others.

i. Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up . . . Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

c. You shall go out no more with us to battle: In his advanced age, it was time for David to retire from the field of battle. His season as a warrior had passed.

i. "David is considered as the lamp by which all Israel was guided, and without whom all the nation must be involved in darkness." (Clarke)

ii. "The body drowneth not whilst the head is above water; when that once sinketh, death is near: so here. Pray therefore for the preservation of good princes; we cannot pray for them, and not pray for ourselves." (Trapp)

2. (18-22) Killing three more Philistine giants.

Now it happened afterward that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob. Then Sibbechai the Hushathite killed Saph, who was one of the sons of the giant. Again there was war at Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaare-Oregim the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. Yet again there was war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number; and he also was born to the giant. So when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea, David's brother, killed him. These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.

a. Now it happened afterward: This description of victory over Philistine giants shows that Israel could slay giants without David.

i. Sibbechai . . . Elhanan . . . Jonathan: These men accomplished heroic deeds when David was finished fighting giants. God will continue to raise up leaders when the leaders of the previous generation pass from the scene.

ii. David's legacy lay not only in what he accomplished, but in what he left behind - a people prepared for victory. David's triumphs were meaningful not only for himself but for others who learned victory through his teaching and example.

b. Who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot: Commentators like Adam Clarke can't resist remind us that this is a known phenomenon. "This is not a solitary instance: Tavernier informs us that the eldest son of the emperor of Java, who reigned in 1649, had six fingers on each hand, and six toes on each foot . . . I once saw a young girl, in the county of Londonderry, in Ireland, who had six fingers on each hand, and six toes on each foot, but her stature had nothing gigantic in it."

c. Fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants: Part of the idea is that David is conquering enemies now so it will be better for Solomon in the future. Our present victory is not only good for us now but it passes something important on to the next generation.

i. The defeat of these four giants is rightly credited to the hand of David and the hand of his servants. David had a role in this through his example, guidance, and influence.

ii. "Let those who after long service find themselves waning in strength, be content to abide with the people of god, still shining for them as a lamp, and thus enabling them to carry on the same Divine enterprises. Such action in the last days of life is also great and high service." (Morgan)

© 2002 David Guzik - No distribution beyond personal use without permission

Introduction / Outline

JFB: 2 Samuel (Book Introduction)

THE FIRST AND SECOND BOOKS OF SAMUEL. The two were, by the ancient Jews, conjoined so as to make one book, and in that form could be called the Book of Samuel with more propriety than now, the second being wholly occupied with the relation of transactions that did not take place till after the death of that eminent judge. Accordingly, in the Septuagint and the Vulgate, it is called the First and Second Books of Kings. The early portion of the First Book, down to the end of the twenty-fourth chapter, was probably written by Samuel; while the rest of it and the whole of the Second, are commonly ascribed to Nathan and Gad, founding the opinion on 1Ch 29:29. Commentators, however, are divided about this, some supposing that the statements in 1Sa 2:26; 1Sa 3:1, indicate the hand of the judge himself, or a contemporary; while some think, from 1Sa 6:18; 1Sa 12:5; 1Sa 27:6, that its composition must be referred to a later age. It is probable, however, that these supposed marks of an after-period were interpolations of Ezra. This uncertainty, however, as to the authorship does not affect the inspired authority of the book, which is indisputable, being quoted in the New Testament (1Sa 13:14 in Act 13:22, and 2Sa 7:14 in Heb 1:5), as well as in many of the Psalms.

JFB: 2 Samuel (Outline)

• AN AMALEKITE BRINGS TIDINGS OF SAUL'S DEATH. (2Sa. 1:1-16)
• DAVID LAMENTS SAUL AND JONATHAN. (2Sa 1:17-27)
• DAVID, BY GOD'S DIRECTION, GOES UP TO HEBRON, AND IS MADE KING OVER JUDAH. (2Sa 2:1-7)
• SIX SONS BORN TO DAVID. (2Sa 3:1-5)
• ABNER REVOLTS TO DAVID. (2Sa 3:6-12)
• JOAB KILLS ABNER. (2Sa 3:22-30)
• BAANAH AND RECHAB SLAY ISH-BOSHETH, AND BRING HIS HEAD TO HEBRON. (2Sa 4:1-2)
• DAVID CAUSES THEM TO BE PUT TO DEATH. (2Sa 4:10-12)
• THE TRIBES ANOINT DAVID KING OVER ISRAEL. (2Sa 5:1-5)
• HE TAKES ZION FROM THE JEBUSITES. (2Sa 5:6-12)
• ELEVEN SONS BORN TO HIM. (2Sa 5:13-16)
• HE SMITES THE PHILISTINES. (2Sa 5:17-25)
• DAVID FETCHES THE ARK FROM KIRJATH-JEARIM ON A NEW CART. (2Sa 6:1-5)
• UZZAH SMITTEN. (2Sa 6:6-11)
• DAVID AFTERWARDS BRINGS THE ARK TO ZION. (2Sa 6:12-19)
• MICHAL'S BARRENNESS. (2Sa 6:20-23)
• NATHAN APPROVES THE PURPOSE OF DAVID TO BUILD GOD A HOUSE. (2Sa 7:1-3)
• DAVID'S PRAYER AND THANKSGIVING. (2Sa 7:18-29)
• DAVID SUBDUES THE PHILISTINES, AND MAKES THE MOABITES TRIBUTARY. (2Sa 8:1-2)
• HE SMITES HADADEZER AND THE SYRIANS. (2Sa 8:3-14)
• HIS REIGN. (2Sa 8:15-18)
• DAVID SENDS FOR MEPHIBOSHETH. (2Sa 9:1-12)
• DAVID'S MESSENGERS, SENT TO COMFORT HANUN, ARE DISGRACEFULLY TREATED. (2Sa 10:1-5)
• THE AMMONITES OVERCOME. (2Sa 10:6-14)
• THE SYRIANS DEFEATED. (2Sa 10:15-19)
• JOAB BESIEGES RABBAH. (2Sa 11:1)
• DAVID COMMITS ADULTERY WITH BATH-SHEBA. (2Sa 11:2-12)
• URIAH SLAIN. (2Sa 11:14-27)
• NATHAN'S PARABLE. (2Sa 12:1-6)
• HE APPLIES IT TO DAVID, WHO CONFESSES HIS SIN, AND IS PARDONED. (2Sa 12:7-23)
• SOLOMON IS BORN. (2Sa 12:24-25)
• RABBAH IS TAKEN. (2Sa 12:26-31)
• AMNON LOVES TAMAR. (2Sa 13:1-5)
• HE DEFILES HER. (2Sa. 13:6-27)
• AMNON IS SLAIN. (2Sa 13:28-36)
• ABSALOM FLEES TO TALMAI. (2Sa 13:37-39)
• JOAB BRINGS ABSALOM TO JERUSALEM. (2Sa 14:22-33)
• ABSALOM STEALS THE HEARTS OF ISRAEL. (2Sa 15:1-9)
• HE FORMS A CONSPIRACY. (2Sa 15:10-12)
• DAVID FLEES FROM JERUSALEM. (2Sa. 15:13-37)
• ZIBA, BY FALSE SUGGESTIONS, CLAIMS HIS MASTER'S INHERITANCE. (2Sa 16:1-4)
• SHIMEI CURSES DAVID. (2Sa 16:5-19)
• AHITHOPHEL'S COUNSEL. (2Sa 16:20-23)
• SECRET INTELLIGENCE SENT TO DAVID. (2Sa 17:15-22)
• AHITHOPHEL HANGS HIMSELF. (2Sa 17:23-29)
• DAVID REVIEWING THE ARMIES. (2Sa 18:1-4)
• GIVES THEM CHARGE OF ABSALOM. (2Sa 18:5-13)
• HE IS SLAIN BY JOAB. (2Sa. 18:14-32)
• JOAB CAUSES THE KING TO CEASE MOURNING. (2Sa 19:1-8)
• THE ISRAELITES BRING THE KING BACK. (2Sa. 19:9-43)
• SHEBA MAKES A PARTY IN ISRAEL. (2Sa 20:1-9)
• AMASA IS SLAIN. (2Sa 20:10-13)
• JOAB PURSUES SHEBA UNTO ABEL. (2Sa 20:14-15)
• A WISE WOMAN SAVES THE CITY BY SHEBA'S HEAD. (2Sa 20:16-22)
• DAVID'S GREAT OFFICERS. (2Sa 20:23-26)
• THE THREE YEARS' FAMINE FOR THE GIBEONITES CEASE BY HANGING SEVEN OF SAUL'S SONS. (2Sa 21:1-9)
• RIZPAH'S KINDNESS UNTO THE DEAD. (2Sa 21:10-11)
• DAVID BURIES THE BONES OF SAUL AND JONATHAN IN THEIR FATHER'S SEPULCHER. (2Sa 21:12-22)
• DAVID PROFESSES HIS FAITH IN GOD'S PROMISES. (2Sa 23:1-7)
• A CATALOGUE OF HIS MIGHTY MEN. (2Sa. 23:8-39)
• DAVID NUMBERS THE PEOPLE. (2Sa 24:1-9)
• HE, HAVING THREE PLAGUES PROPOUNDED BY GAD, REPENTS, AND CHOOSES THREE DAYS' PESTILENCE. (2Sa 24:10-14)
• HIS INTERCESSION TO GOD; THE PLAGUE CEASES. (2Sa 24:15-25)

TSK: 2 Samuel 21 (Chapter Introduction)

Overview

2Sa 21:1, The three years’ famine for the Gibeonites ceases, by hanging seven of Saul’s sons; 2Sa 21:10, Rizpah’s kindness unto the dead; 2Sa 21:12, David buries the bones of Saul and Jonathan in his father’s sepulchre; 2Sa 21:15, Four battles against the Philistines, wherein four valiants of David slay four giants.

Poole: 2 Samuel 21 (Chapter Introduction)

CHAPTER 21

A three years’ famine, declared by God to be for the Gibeonites’ sake, ceaseth by their hanging seven of Saul’ s sons, 2Sa 21:1-9 . Rizpah preserveth the dead bodies, 2Sa 21:10,11 . David burieth the bones of Saul and Jonathan, as also of them that were hung up, in his father’ s sepulchre, 2Sa 21:12-14 . Four battles against the Philistines, wherein four valiants of David slay four giants, 2Sa 21:15-22 .

MHCC: 2 Samuel (Book Introduction)

This book is the history of the reign of king David. It relates his victories, the growth of the prosperity of Israel, and his reformation of the state of religion. With these events are recorded the grievous sins he committed, and the family as well as public troubles with which he was punished. We here meet with many things worthy of imitation, and many that are written for our warning. The history of king David is given in Scripture with much faithfulness, and from it he appears, to those who fairly balance his many virtues and excellent qualities against his faults, to have been a great and good man.

MHCC: 2 Samuel 21 (Chapter Introduction)

(2Sa 21:1-9) The Gibeonites avenged.

(2Sa 21:10-14) Rizpah's care for the bodies of Saul's descendants.

(2Sa 21:15-22) Battles with the Philistines.

Matthew Henry: 2 Samuel (Book Introduction)

An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of The Second Book of Samuel

This book is the history of the reign of king David. We had in the foregoing book an account of his designation to the government, and his struggles with Saul, which ended at length in the death of his persecutor. This book begins with his accession to the throne, and is entirely taken up with the affairs of the government during the forty years he reigned, and therefore is entitled by the Septuagint. The Third Book of the Kings. It gives us an account of David's triumphs and his troubles. I. His triumphs over the house of Saul (ch. 1-4), over the Jebusites and Philistines (ch. 5), at the bringing up of the ark (ch. 6 and 7), over the neighbouring nations that opposed him (ch. 8-10); and so far the history is agreeable to what we might expect from David's character and the choice made of him. But his cloud has a dark side. II. We have his troubles, the causes of them, his sin in the matter of Uriah (ch. 11 and 12), the troubles themselves from the sin of Amnon (ch. 13), the rebellion of Absalom (ch. 14-19) and of Sheba (ch. 20), and the plague in Israel for his numbering the people (ch. 24), besides the famine of the Gibeonites (ch. 21). His son we have (ch. 22), and his words and worthies (ch. 23). Many things in his history are very instructive; but for the hero who is the subject of it, though in many instances he appears here very great, and very good, and very much the favourite of heaven, yet it must be confessed that his honour shines brighter in his Psalms than in his Annals.

Matthew Henry: 2 Samuel 21 (Chapter Introduction)

The date of the events of this chapter is uncertain. I incline to think that they happened as they are here placed, after Absalom's and Sheba's rebellion, and towards the latter end of David's reign. That the battles with the Philistines, mentioned here, were long after the Philistines were subdued, appears by comparing 1Ch 18:1 with 1Ch 20:4. The numbering of the people was just before the fixing of the place of the temple (as appears 1Ch 22:1), and that was towards the close of David's life; and, it should seem, the people were numbered just after the three years' famine for the Gibeonites, for that which is threatened as " three" years' famine (1Ch 21:12) is called " seven" years (2Sa 24:12, 2Sa 24:13), three more, with the year current, added to those three. We have here, I. The Gibeonites avenged, 1. By a famine in the land (2Sa 21:1). 2. By the putting of seven of Saul's posterity to death (2Sa 21:2-9), care, however, being taken of their dead bodies, and of the bones of Saul (2Sa 21:10-14). II. The giants of the Philistines slain in several battles (2Sa 21:15-22).

Constable: 2 Samuel (Book Introduction)

Introduction

Second Samuel continues the history begun in 1 Samuel. Please see my comments regarding 2 Samuel's title, date, authorship, and scope in the introductory section of the 1 Samuel notes.

Message¹

First Samuel records David's preparation. Second Samuel records his service namely his reign. In our study of 1 Samuel I mentioned three aspects of his preparation: as shepherd, as courtier, and as "outlaw." In 2 Samuel we see those aspects of his preparation put to work. He became the shepherd of his people, the center of his court, and the strong ruler of his nation. He fulfilled the office of king successfully under God's leadership.

The message of 2 Samuel is that man's attitude toward God creates an opportunity for God, and God's attitude toward man creates an opportunity for man.

First, man's attitude toward God creates an opportunity for God.

We find this principle stated in 22:26-28. Compare Hannah's prayer of praise in 1 Sam. 2:1-10. God is to each person what that person is to God.

We find the principle illustrated in David's attitudes toward God. David had four convictions about God. We see these in his thanksgiving psalm in chapter 22, which is also Psalm 18. David evidently wrote it early in his life.

1. He believed God was Israel's supreme Ruler. He never doubted this or presumed to elevate himself to God's place as Head of the nation. This is clear in 22:2-16. Contrast David's view with Saul's. Some local church leaders follow Saul's example rather than David's.

2. He believed God was consistently and completely righteous (right) in His dealings. David confessed his sin when charged with it rather than trying to deny it. In 22:17-27 this comes through clearly. Contrast Saul.

3. He believed God was always merciful. He was willing to let God determine His punishment because he believed God would be merciful (cf. 22:28-46). Contrast Saul.

4. He believed God's will was always best. His greatest desire was for God's will in his own life and in Israel (cf. 22:47-51). Contrast Saul.

David's convictions created opportunities for God.

1. Because David really believed in God's sovereignty God could and did set David over the throne of Israel and direct him to govern God's people (cf. 22:2-3). Even today loyal employees are the ones that employers promote to positions of greater responsibility.

2. Because David acknowledged God's righteousness God was able to bless David for his righteousness (cf. 22:21-28).

3. Because David appreciated God's mercy God was able to be merciful with him (cf. 22:35-36).

4. Because David viewed God's will as superior God was able to bring His will for David and Israel to pass (cf. 22:51).

With these attitudes David became God's instrument through whom God accomplished His larger plans and purposes. Even though David sinned greatly, his deepest convictions lay in these truths. God based His dealings with David on David's deepest convictions. He was the man after God's own heart. God did not base His dealings with David primarily on David's momentary failings. This is a great encouragement. Your deep underlying attitude toward God provides a foundation on which God can build and use you in some way. Your presence here at DTS is encouraging to me. The direction you are heading is more important than how far you have advanced in Christian growth.

The other side of this coin is that God's attitude toward a person creates an opportunity for that person. John wrote, "We love Him because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19).

We find this principle stated in 23:1-5. David evidently wrote this chapter later in his life.

We find the principle illustrated in God's attitudes toward David. What were these?

1. God purposed for David to be king (cf. 23:1). This knowledge affected David's attitude toward God. He just needed to consent to God's purpose for him. God has purposed to bless you. This is the revelation of the whole Bible.

2. God's power would be adequate for David's needs (cf. 23:2). The power for all of David's life, including the inspiration for his words, came from God. David could simply cooperate with it. We too have the Spirit. We too need just to cooperate with God.

3. God's pattern for David's kingship was God's own rule (cf. 23:3-4). David could conform to God's example as Sovereign to fulfill his destiny. We have Jesus Christ's example as well as God's pattern.

4. God's persistence would result in the fulfillment of all His promises to David (cf. 23:5). This gave David confidence in God in the present. God has promised never to leave us (Matt. 28:20). He has proved Himself faithful.

In 1 Samuel we learned that God's ultimate victory does not depend on people's attitudes toward Him. His people can be loyal or rebellious, and this will not affect His ultimate victory.

In 2 Samuel we learn that our ultimate victory in life depends on our attitude toward God. Conformity to the will of God creates fitness for service. Conformity to the will of God depends wholly on our attitude toward God. It does not depend on our ability, or on our ability to persuade God to do something. It depends on our abandonment to Him, and on our willingness to let God persuade us to do something. It depends on our commitment to Him and our faithfulness to Him.

God does not measure us as other people do. We measure each other by external actions. God measures us by internal attitudes. What is your attitude toward God? Do you really want to please God, or do you obey God simply because of your background and environment? Would you live a filthy life if you could get away with it? What is your real attitude toward God? Do you really want to do right? David was a man after God's own heart because he really wanted what God wanted. What do you really want?

Be careful, because God will give you what you really want. Do you want to run your own life? God will let you do it, but He may let you run your life into a brick wall.

Constable: 2 Samuel (Outline)

Outline

(Continued from notes on 1 Samuel)

V. David's triumphs chs. 1-8

A. The beginning of David's kingdom 1:1-3:5

1. David's discovery of Saul and Jonathan's deaths ch. 1

2. David's move to Hebron 2:1-4a

3. David's overtures to Jabesh-gilead 2:4b-7

4. Ish-bosheth's coronation over Israel 2:8-11

5. The conflict between Abner and Joab 2:12-32

6. The strengthening of David's position 3:1-5

B. The unification of the kingdom 3:6-5:16

1. David's acceptance of Abner 3:6-39

2. David's punishment of Ish-bosheth's murderers ch. 4

3. David's acceptance by all Israel 5:1-12

4. David's additional children 5:13-16

C. The establishment of the kingdom 5:17-8:18

1. David's victories over the Philistines 5:17-25

2. David's moving of the ark to Jerusalem ch. 6

3. The giving of the Davidic Covenant ch. 7

4. The security of David's kingdom ch. 8

VI. David's troubles chs. 9-20

A. David's faithfulness ch. 9

B. God's faithfulness despite David's unfaithfulness chs. 10-12

1. The Ammonite rebellion ch. 10

2. David's unfaithfulness to God chs. 11-12

C. David's rejection and return chs. 13-20

1. Events leading up to Absalom's rebellion chs. 13-14

2. Absalom's attempt to usurp David's throne chs. 15-20

VII. Summary illustrations chs. 21-24

A. Famine from Saul's sin 21:1-14

1. Saul's broken treaty with the Gibeonites 21:1-6

2. David's justice and mercy 21:7-9

3. David's honoring of Saul and Jonathan 21:10-14

B. Four giant killers 21:15-22

C. David's praise of Yahweh ch. 22

D. David's last testament 23:1-7

E. Thirty-seven mighty men 23:8-39

1. Selected adventures of outstanding warriors 23:8-23

2. A list of notable warriors among The Thirty 23:24-39

F. Pestilence from David's sin ch. 24

1. David's sin of numbering the people 24:1-9

2. David's confession of his guilt 24:10-14

3. David's punishment 24:15-17

4. David's repentance 24:18-25

Constable: 2 Samuel

2 Samuel

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Copyright 2003 by Thomas L. Constable

Haydock: 2 Samuel (Book Introduction)

THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL;

otherwise called,

THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS.

INTRODUCTION.

This Book contains the transactions of David till the end of the pestilence, occasioned by his numbering the people, chap. xxiv. The last six chapters of the preceding book were probably written by Gad, who delivered God's orders to David, after he was deprived of the company of Samuel. Gad, Nathan, and other prophets, continued the sacred history, 1 Paralipomenon xxix. 29. After the unfortunate death of Saul, his general, Abner, instead of submitting quietly to the dominion of David, (Haydock) set the son of the deceased monarch upon the throne, at Mahanaim; and two years elapsed before the rival kings came to open war, chap. ii. 10. (Salien) --- David was 30 years old when he was anointed at Hebron, (chap. v. 4,) where he reigned seven years and a half over Juda. On the death of Isoboseth, he was anointed a third time, as king of all Israel, and reigned in that character 37 years. (Haydock) --- The partisans of Isoboseth might be excused in their adherence to him, as he was the son of the late king, and the election of David was not sufficiently notified to them. (Salien) --- We here behold the many virtues of David, and his repentance for some faults into which he had fallen. His predictions, and the names and exploits of many of his valiant men, are likewise recorded. (Worthington)

Gill: 2 Samuel (Book Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO 2 SAMUEL

This book, in many copies of the Hebrew Bible, is carried on without any new title put unto it; the reason of it is, because, by some, this, with the preceding, has been reckoned but one book: hence the Jews say ^a, Samuel wrote his book, not his books; in others it is called Samuel Second; and by the Vulgate Latin the Second Book of Samuel, which we call the Second of Kings; though why his name should be put to it at all I see not, since it neither concerns him, nor could it be written by him, being an history of events after his death. The Greek version calls it the Second of Kings; and the Syriac version, the Second Book of the Kings of Israel; whereas there is but one king of Israel it makes mention of, and of whose actions only it is an history; and therefore with greater propriety it is called, as the Arabic version, the Book of David the Prophet, of whose reign, from the beginning to the end of it, it gives an account: wherefore Isidore ^b thinks it was written by David; and if so, it has this mark of simplicity and integrity, that the writer does not spare himself, nor conceal his own faults, and particularly that very capital one, the affair of Bathsheba, and also his numbering of the people; but it is most probable that it was written by Nathan and Gad ^c, see 1Ch 29:29; but whoever was the penman of it, there is no doubt to be made of its being written by inspiration, or that it is canonical; which has never been questioned, since there stands in it a famous prophecy concerning the building of the temple by a son of David, which had an exact accomplishment, 2Sa 7:12; as well as of the family of David, for a great while to come, which also was fulfilled, 2Sa 7:19; and an eminent passage concerning the Messiah, the son of David, and of his divine sonship, 2Sa 7:14; quoted by the Apostle Paul in proof of it, Heb 1:5. It contains an history of about forty years, for so long David reigned, seven years and six months in Hebron, over Judah, and thirty three years in Jerusalem, over all Israel and Judah; and this book relates his last words.

Gill: 2 Samuel 21 (Chapter Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO SECOND SAMUEL 21

A famine being in the land three years, the Lord was inquired of, to know the reason of it; and it being answered, that it was on account of Saul's slaughter of the Gibeonites, they were summoned by David to know what satisfaction they required for the cruel usage of them, 2Sa 21:1; to which they replied, that they only desired seven of Saul's sons to be delivered up to them, to be hanged by them, which was granted, 2Sa 21:4; whose bones, with those of Saul and Jonathan, David buried in the sepulchre of their fathers, 2Sa 21:10; and the chapter is closed with an account of the various battles fought with the Philistines, in which four of their generals were slain, 2Sa 21:15.