2 Samuel 21

 Famine to Light

Then David spoke to the LORD, and the LORD answered him. ~ 2 Samuel 21:1

Have you ever had one of those seasons when you couldn’t quite put your finger on what was wrong? Everything seemed to be going along, but something just wasn’t right. You prayed, you pushed through, you tried to fix what you could, and still there was a sense that something needed attention. Sometimes the problem isn’t where we’re looking.

In 2 Samuel 21, David experienced a three year famine. Three years is a long time to wonder, “Lord, what is going on?” David finally went before God, and God revealed that the famine was connected to something that had happened years earlier. Saul had broken an agreement with the Gibeonites and had tried to destroy them. The consequences of that injustice had continued into David’s reign.

This is a difficult chapter because it deals with justice, consequences, and the actions of one generation affecting another. It isn’t an easy passage to read, but there are some important truths we can carry into our own lives today. We don’t want to miss the lessons simply because the circumstances are uncomfortable.

Before we look at these three points, remember this, God is not interested in simply making our lives comfortable. He wants to bring truth into the places that need His attention so He can lead us into what is right and good.

1.Ask God what you may be missing

David didn’t simply accept the famine as something he had to live with. He went to God and asked why it was happening. That was an important step.

Sometimes we spend so much time and energy trying to solve the symptoms that we never stop to ask God what is happening underneath them. We try a new strategy, make another plan, have another conversation, and maybe even buy another organizational notebook, because apparently the right notebook is going to fix everything. David finally went to the One who knew the whole story, which should have been where to start.

There may be situations in your life where you need to stop trying to figure everything out yourself and simply ask God for wisdom. Ask Him to show you how to line up your life with the truth He designed for success in the situation.

Maybe you’ve been struggling with the same conflict in a relationship over and over. Maybe you’ve been frustrated because an opportunity keeps falling apart. Maybe you keep finding yourself in the same unhealthy pattern. Instead of immediately asking, “How do I fix this?” try asking, “Lord, what do You want me to see and how do I get in agreement with Your blessed plan?”

• Set aside a few quiet minutes and ask God to show you anything you need to know.
• Don’t assume every difficult circumstance is God’s punishment. Ask Him for wisdom rather than jumping to conclusions.
• Write down what comes to mind and compare it with Scripture before acting on it.
• Be willing to hear something you weren’t expecting and remember that His blessings are on the other side of your obedience.

Sometimes the answer isn’t comfortable, but knowing the truth is better than wandering around in the dark. 

2.Deal with what God brings to your attention

Once David understood what had happened, he didn’t ignore it. He took action to address the injustice. This is an important part of hearing from God. It’s not enough to ask Him for direction if we’re only willing to follow when the answer is convenient.

There are times when God will put His finger on something in our lives that needs to change. Maybe it’s an attitude, a relationship, a habit, an unresolved offense, or something we’ve justified for far too long.

We can say, “Lord, show me what needs to change,” and then suddenly become very busy when He answers.

I’ve done that before. “Lord, please show me what’s wrong.” Then God shows me, and I’m thinking, “Well, maybe let’s pray about that again.”

God’s correction isn’t meant to shame us. It’s meant to help us move forward and release the blessings that are being blocked by being out of line with His plan.

• If the Holy Spirit brings something to your attention, don’t immediately explain it away.
• If you’ve hurt someone, take responsibility and make things right when possible.
• If you’ve been holding onto an offense, ask God what forgiveness should look like.
• If you’ve recognized a habit that’s pulling you away from God, make a practical plan to change it.
• If you don’t know what to do next, take the next right step you do know to take.

Remember, if it feels hard to take a step, He will strengthen and empower you when you ask for His help to take it.  Obedience often begins with one simple response.

3.Don’t underestimate the impact of your choices

One of the sobering lessons in this chapter is that Saul’s actions affected people beyond his own lifetime. His decision to attack the Gibeonites didn’t simply disappear when his life ended. The consequences continued.

That should make all of us stop and think about the influence our choices have on other people. We may never become kings like David or make decisions that affect an entire nation, but every one of us influences someone. Our children watch us, friends listen to us, people at work observe us and people in our churches experience how we treat them. Even our casual conversations can leave an impression.

That doesn’t mean we should walk around terrified that every imperfect decision is going to ruin someone’s life. We are not that powerful, and thankfully, God is bigger than our mistakes. But it does mean we should take our influence seriously.

Maybe your children are learning how to handle conflict by watching how you handle conflict. Maybe someone at work is watching how you respond when you’re treated unfairly or maybe a younger believer is watching how you handle disappointment. Your life is teaching something, even when you aren’t standing behind a pulpit.

• Ask yourself, “What am I teaching the people closest to me by the way I live?”
• Choose integrity when nobody is watching.
• Apologize when you get it wrong instead of defending yourself.
• Let your children and those around you see you turn to God when life gets difficult.
• Make decisions today that you won’t have to apologize for tomorrow.

The good news is that the story doesn’t end with Saul’s mistakes. David sought God, confronted the problem, and worked toward restoration. That gives us hope because God can bring healing even when we are dealing with consequences from the past.

There is also something else I don’t want us to miss. At the end of this chapter, David’s men continued fighting against the Philistines, and David became exhausted. His men recognized that they couldn’t allow him to continue fighting alone.

That gives us another important picture of God’s people. We aren’t designed to fight every battle by ourselves. There may be times when you’re the one encouraging someone else, and there will be times when you need someone to encourage you. Both are part of walking together as God’s people.

You may be strong in one season and exhausted in another. That’s not failure,that’s life. Even David, the mighty king, eventually needed someone to step in and say, “That’s enough for today.”

Don’t be afraid to tell someone when you’re tired.  Stay connected to people who will encourage you and speak truth into your life. Be willing to step in and help someone else when you see they’re struggling. Don’t confuse being faithful with doing everything yourself. Most of all, ask God who He has placed around you for this season to help and encourage.

2 Samuel 21 reminds us that God sees what we can’t see. He knows the whole story, including the things that happened before we arrived on the scene. He cares about justice, He cares about restoration, and He cares about the condition of our hearts.

We don’t have to understand everything before we trust Him. We simply need to be willing to ask, listen, obey, and keep moving forward.

Today I want to encourage you to bring the confusing places of your life before God. If something doesn’t make sense, ask Him for wisdom. If He shows you something that needs to change, don’t run from it. If you’ve made mistakes, own them and allow Him to lead you toward restoration and if you’re tired from carrying the battle, don’t be ashamed to let someone help you.

You don’t have to have every answer today. You just need to stay close to the One who does. God sees the whole picture when we can only see one room of the house. He knows what’s behind every door, understands every circumstance, and knows exactly what needs to happen next. Trust His voice, follow His direction, and remember that His grace is greater than anything in your past.

Today’s Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 21

1 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.” 

2 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.

3 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?”

4 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.”

5 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, 

6 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.”

7 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. 

8 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;

9 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.

10 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.

11 And David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done. 

12 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. 

13 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. 

14 They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the tomb of Kish his father. So they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God heeded the prayer for the land.

Philistine Giants Destroyed

15 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. 

16 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. 

17 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.”

18 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. 

19 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.

20 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. 

21 So when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea, David’s brother, killed him.

22 These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.

Journal:

• Is there an area of my life where I’ve been trying to fix the symptoms instead of asking God what He wants me to see?
• Is there something God has been bringing to my attention that I’ve been avoiding?
• What choices am I making today that could influence the people around me?
• Is there someone God may be asking me to encourage or help right now?
• Where am I tired or overwhelmed, and who could I invite to walk alongside me?
• What is one step of obedience I can take today?