A Famine

3. March 2010 by Bernice Davis.

Hello Everyone: 

In our text today, David is now secure in his throne and the threats against his kingdom have been destroyed but there is a problem in the land.  

Let’s look at the story:

II Samuel 21: 1 Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered , It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites. 2 And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them; (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah.) 3 Wherefore David said unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? and wherewith shall I make the atonement , that ye may bless the inheritance of the LORD? 4 And the Gibeonites said unto him, We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his house; neither for us shalt thou kill any man in Israel. And he said , What ye shall say , that will I do for you. 5 And they answered the king, The man that consumed us, and that devised against us that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the coasts of Israel, 6 Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, whom the LORD did choose.

When the children of Israel crossed over the Jordan and were conquering the land being led by Joshua, there were a group of people called the Gibeonites who were occupants of the land and feared that they would be destroyed during the Israelites conquest.   They dressed up as strangers who had been on a long journey and presented themselves as foreigners to Joshua and asked that their life would be spared.  Joshua took them in to discover later that they were lying.   Because he had given his word that he would protect them, he had to honor it but made them slaves to the Israelites and their job was to be woodcutters and water carriers for the entire Israelite community. 

Here is the conversation between the Gibeonites and Joshua once Joshua found out he had been deceived by them. 

Joshua 9: 22 Then Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and said, “Why did you deceive us by saying, ‘We live a long way from you,’ while actually you live near us? 23 You are now under a curse: You will never cease to serve as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.” 24 They answered Joshua, “Your servants were clearly told how the LORD your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you the whole land and to wipe out all its inhabitants from before you. So we feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we did this. 25 We are now in your hands. Do to us whatever seems good and right to you.” 26 So Joshua saved them from the Israelites, and they did not kill them. 27 That day he made the Gibeonites woodcutters and water carriers for the community and for the altar of the LORD at the place the LORD would choose. And that is what they are to this day.

The exact details of the circumstances of Saul killing the Gibeonites is not recorded in Scripture, but the above treaty is what Saul broke when many of the Gibeonites were killed during his reign.

Israel is now going through a famine because of the violation of this oath made by Joshua long before Saul ever got into power.    It is amazing how eventually things will catch up with you even if you are not the one that personally caused the problem.  David has inherited problems from his past administration and is suffering the consequences from the acts of his predecessor. 

Wow… that is such a familiar scene.  A lot of times in government and in our own business places and even our personal lives, we are left to clean up the problems from people who came before us. 

Well, tomorrow, we will see what happens when David answers the Gibeonites requests for seven sons of Saul.  What will he do and what will happen to Meshipbosheth, the son of Jonathan that David has been protecting all these years.

Tune in tomorrow.

Stay encouraged everyone and don’t forget to pray and read God’s word daily.

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