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2 Samuel 21:10–14
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 (v. 10).
The Law of God stipulated that when the body of an executed person was hung on a tree to symbolize the curse upon him, it was not to hang overnight (Deut. 21:22–23). But the bodies of the seven sons and grandsons of Saul who were put to death by the Gibeonites are left hanging for months. We know this because Rizpah, a concubine of Saul and the mother of the two sons of Saul who were put to death, takes it upon herself to watch over the bodies, and she maintains her vigil “from the beginning of harvest until the late rains poured,” which may have been from April to October! Why was the law not followed in this case? Matthew Henry explains that, unlike most lawbreakers, these men were put to death for “the violation of the public faith” so as to bring about “deliverance of the nation from no less a judgment than a general famine.” He concludes, “Being thus made as the off-scouring of all things, they were made a spectacle to the world (1 Cor. 4:9, 13), God appointing, or at least allowing it.”
All the time the bodies hang, Rizpah keeps her vigil, refusing to abandon the decomposing bodies. She prevents birds and other animals from desecrating them, which would have been a sign of even deeper accursedness (Deut. 28:26). We can scarcely imagine her discomfort, her weariness, and the unpleasant effects of being in close proximity to the bodies. Of course, she also must wrestle with her grief over the deaths of her two sons through each and every moment of her vigil. She could easily give up her task many times. But such is her devotion to her sons and Saul’s grandsons that she watches over their bodies until only their bones remain.
David eventually hears of Rizpah’s devotion. Motivated by it (or by the coming of the fall rains), he acts to bury the seven victims’ bones. But he goes even further—he exhumes the bones of Saul and Jonathan from their burial place in Jabesh Gilead, the men of which recovered the bodies from Beth Shan, where the Philistines had displayed them (1 Sam. 31:10–13). All of these remains are then laid to rest in the tomb of Saul’s father, Kish, in Zelah.
At that point, with the blood issue settled and the victims buried, God once more begins to heed prayers for the land—although He already has shown His grace by sending rain.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Even in our age of plenty, famine remains a scourge in many parts of the world. Are these famines divine judgments? We cannot say. What we do know is that good harvests and bad harvests are not the result of random forces but of God’s decree. In all your circumstances, look to Him and trust that His purposes are holy and good.
For Further Study
- Ps. 135:6
- Isa. 45:6–7
- Jer. 14:15; 29:17