A FAMINE BECAUSE OF THE GIBEONITES Saul did wrong by persecuting the Gibeonites, for whom ‘Joshua the son of Nun’ vowed not to kill them; and it was the people who reaped the fruit in the days of David, through a famine that lasted three years. Inquiring of the Lord, He revealed the reason behind it; and there was no way to put an end to it, except to deliver seven of Saul’s descendants to the Gibeonites, who hanged them. 1- A divine chastisement because of the Gibeonites 1-2 2- David makes atonement to the Gibeonites 3-8 3- Hanging seven of the descendants of Saul 9-14 4- War against the Philistines 15-22 1- A divine chastisement because of the Gibeonites: A famine, because of a draught, happened and lasted three years; and when David inquired of the Lord, He answered him, saying: “It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites” (2 Samuel 21: 1). Saul killed them out of ignorance and zeal,, for his tribe to confiscate what was theirs, disregarding Joshua’s vow to them (Joshua 9). That famine, most probably happened after the events of the ninth chapter; namely before the rebellion of Absalom (2 Samuel 15). That was probably why Shimei reproached David, calling him: “You bloodthirsty man! “ (2 Samuel 16: 7); referring to the seven men of Saul’s descendants, whom David delivered to the Gibeonites to hang. The Holy Book did not mention anything about the killing by Saul of the Gibeonites as it did not intend to give a detailed history of the kings, but to present what would concern our edification and salvation. Indeed David realized that there must have been a secret behind the famine; so he inquired of the Lord; Yet he delayed in inquiring. If he had inquired at the beginning of the famine-the first or the second year-he would have spared the people much suffering. Unfortunately, we do not hasten to resort to the Lord; but linger, until we are out of our tricks, wisdom, and power, and still have no solution; only then, we resort to God, our Father who cares for us. How hard are our hearts! We forget God during our joy; and even during our affliction, until we grow faint. If God has set for Himself a people in the Old Testament, to become a yeast of faith, and to prepare the world to receive the Savior Messiah, every now an then, and in different ways, He confirms that the door is open before the Gentiles; and that with God, there is no partiality. Saul, the king of Israel, did the Gentile Gibeonites wrong, then died, and the people forgot what he did; but God did not forget. God chastised the whole people by famine, although they were His own people, living in the promised land, that flow of milk and honey, and were under the reign of a pious king (the prophet David). In the climax of his glory, God allows for chastisement, for all to realize that what happens is not haphazard, nor due to mere natural factors but, behind it there was the hidden hand of God, for the edification of His people. Saul symbolized the arrogant and faith-denying congregation of the Jews; while the Gibeonites symbolized the Gentile congregation that entered into a covenant with the 144 true Joshua, our Lord Jesus. The Gentile Church suffered much from the Jews, the deniers of faith; God allowed that, yet in due time, He moved even nature (rain) to support His little flock; while the deniers lost their life. 2- David makes atonement to the Gibeonites: David felt the need to make atonement to the Gentile Gibeonites, for God to respond to his prayers; So he said to them: “What shall I do for you? And with what shall I make atonement, that you may bless the inheritance of the Lord?” (2 Samuel 21: 3). He asked them to bless the people of God-the inheritance of the Lord!!! The Gibeonites had suffered much from Saul and his men; who killed many, and put the rest out of their land, breaking the covenant made between the two peoples in the days of Joshua. Their quest came to reveal certain good points in their life because of which, God probably intervened on their behalf among which were: a-They did not misuse the situation for any material benefit; though the king was ready to compensate them; Yet all they said was: “We will have no silver or gold from Saul or from his house” (2 Samuel 21: 4). They, and their fathers, were enslaved; However, they refrained from asking for a material compensation. b- They were peace lovers; and did not seek to shed any innocent blood saying: “ nor shall we kill any man in Israel for us” (2 Samuel 21: 4). c- They asked for chastising only the household of Saul saying: “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” (2 Samuel 21: 5, 6). David proclaimed that he was ready to make atonement (2 Samuel 21: 3); namely to compensate them for the damage they suffered; yet they refrained to ask for any material compensation, nor to avenge themselves, but asked only for God’s justice. As the killers were Saul and his house, seven of his descendants had to be delivered to be hanged on a tree of curse (Deuteronomy 21: 23; Galatians 3: 13); So God would alleviate his wrath. It should be noticed that in their request, they tried to spare David any embarrassment: a- They did not ask for any of the seven men by name ... So they gave David the chance to save Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, for the sake of his father, and spared him betraying his vow to Jonathan, and breaking their amazing friendship. b- They spared David the embarrassment of executing the hanging by himself; as the victims whereof his own people; while the Gibeonites were of the Gentiles. c- They requested that the hanging be executed in ‘Gibea of Saul’; so that the people would realize that they did not mean to avenge themselves against the whole people, but only against Saul, whom God chose; hence the severity of the punishment. 3- Hanging seven of the descendants of Saul: David delivered seven men of the descendants of Saul to the Gibeonites, to hang them, not as a sacrifice, but to realize justice. Those seven were: Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Rizpah, a concubine; whom she bore to Saul; [and because of whom King Mephibosheth rebuked Abner for going in to his father’s 145 concubine, with the intention of confiscating the throne (2 Samuel 3: 7-11)]; and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, who bore no children for David (2 Samuel 16: 23); but for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite (believed by some to be the sons of her deceased sister Merab, whom she adopted). Rizpah came to the place of hanging; took sackcloth, spread it for herself on the rock, and stayed there from the beginning of harvest until the late rains poured on them from heaven; She did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night. She watched the whole months of summer1, how the bodies of the seven men were destroyed by corruption, day after day; among whom were her own two sons, whom she hoped to become her comfort in her old days; yet because of sin, they turned into the cause of bitterness and grief. David was considerably moved by what Rizpah, Saul’s concubine, had done; And in order to show that he DID not harbor any hatred or grudge toward the house of Saul, he took the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan his son, that were secretly buried under a tree (1 Samuel 31: 12, 13) in Jabish Gilead; and gathered the bones of those who HAD been hanged, and buried them all in the tomb of Kish, Saul’s father, in the country of Benjamin in Zelah (meaning rib)2, that is most probably nowadays ‘Kherbet Salah, northwest of Jerusalem. 4- War against the Philistines: David together with his men went down from the mountain of Judah to the plains, and fought against the Philistines; He was almost killed, as he grew faint, if not rescued by Abishai. 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.’ Because of his great humility, St. John Chrysostom admired in the men of Judah, their loyalty and love for their king David; and wished from his own congregation to have such kind of love for him, caring for his spiritual life, and persisting on praying for him saying to them: [I am in great need of your prayers; I wish you never deprive me of this pledge (to support me by your prayers3]. I wish we support our shepherds by praying for them; as if they happen to fall, this will lead to the perdition of their flock. Again there was a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan Goliath the Gittite was killed (brother of Goliath who was killed by David) (1 Chronicles 20: 5). 1 In Jerome Biblical Commentary, p. 178. 2 The Westminster Dict. of the Bible, p. 1020. 3 In 2 Thess. hom. 4.
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