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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Thursday, 4 September 2025:
2 Samuel 21:1 — Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. And David sought the face of the Lord. And the Lord said, “There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.”
A three-year famine drove David to seek the Lord’s face, reminding us that persistent suffering should turn us to God for answers. The famine was not random — it was tied to covenantal justice. Saul’s attempt to annihilate the Gibeonites had violated Israel’s sworn oath made in Joshua 9. Even though Saul was dead, covenant-breaking still demanded justice, for God takes His promises seriously. Our sins often outlive us, affecting generations. Just as here, only confession and repentance in light of God’s justice can restore blessing (Numbers 30:2; Ecclesiastes 5:4–6).
For generations, Saul’s family suffered the consequences of his sins, long after he had died. Compare with Exodus 20:5. We can’t fully comprehend the seriousness of the sins we often treat so lightly. Even the sins we consider to be insignificant can have a devastation ripple effect, often beyond our awareness. But the unthinkable truth of our ‘little’ sins is that we have committed cosmic treason by defying the Lordship and Authority of the Sovereign God. If just for that moment, we have sought to remove Him from the throne in our lives. In that small sin, we have broken the First Commandment in our idolatry (choosing something over God), and we have broken the Great Commandment (by not loving God enough to obey Him). As Hebrews 10:29 says, when we continue in the sins Jesus paid for at the cross we “trample underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?” Do not outrage, quench, grieve, or get out of step with the Spirit. Under grace, pursue righteousness and holiness as your act of love and worship. Many people ask, “What is God’s will for my life. The Bible gives you the answer — “This is the will of God, your sanctification.” (1 Thessalonians 4:3)
As mentioned above, we can’t fully comprehend the seriousness of our sins and the ripple effect of our sins. However, even more so, we can’t fully comprehend the riches and sufficiency of God’s grace and the ripple effect of faith in Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” How far does God’s forgiveness go? “As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12) As opposed to traveling from north to south, when you travel east to west, you never reach west. So, Psalm 103:12 is explaining the God’s forgiveness is never ending. Yes, the Bible is clear though we may be forgiven our sins, we still face consequences from our sins, but the Bible also says, “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you.” (Joel 2:25) “Love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8) Concerning faith, Jesus said, “If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20) “It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” (Mark 4:31-32) Don’t worry about the past or the future, abide in Christ today, from this day forward, and bear much fruit, the fruit of repentance.
2 Samuel 21:2-6 — So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the people of Israel but of the remnant of the Amorites. Although the people of Israel had sworn to spare them, Saul had sought to strike them down in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah. And David said to the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? And how shall I make atonement, that you may bless the heritage of the Lord?” The Gibeonites said to him, “It is not a matter of silver or gold between us and Saul or his house; neither is it for us to put any man to death in Israel.” And he said, “What do you say that I shall do for you?” They said to the king, “The man who consumed us and planned to destroy us, so that we should have no place in all the territory of Israel, let seven of his sons be given to us, so that we may hang them before the Lord at Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the Lord.” And the king said, “I will give them.”
God will not allow you to go against your word, no matter the oath or to whom it was made. God expects us to make atonement for the offenses we commit against others.
The Gibeonites demanded blood for blood. This reflects the principle of retributive justice in the Old Testament (Genesis 9:6). Their request was not about vengeance but about covenantal justice before the Lord. David agreed, showing the seriousness with which Israel treated covenants. By extension, this foreshadows the Gospel, where justice for sin is ultimately satisfied not by the blood of Saul’s descendants but by the blood of Christ, the Son of David, who gave His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).
2 Samuel 21:7 — But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Saul’s son Jonathan, because of the oath of the Lord that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.
David honored his oath to Jonathan by sparing Mephibosheth, demonstrating integrity and faithfulness to covenant promises even when it would have been politically easier to sacrifice him. This highlights how seriously God expects His people to keep their word, just as He Himself keeps covenant to a thousand generations (Deuteronomy 7:9).
2 Samuel 21:8-9 — The king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth, and the five sons of Merab the daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite; and he gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the mountain before the Lord. And the seven of them perished together. They were put to death in the first days of harvest, at the beginning of barley harvest.
The seven sons of Saul were executed as covenant justice. Though harsh to modern readers, this reveals God’s holiness and the seriousness of sin. Sin always demands a price. Either it is borne by the guilty or taken up by a substitute. The Gospel reveals how Christ bore our curse by hanging on a tree (Galatians 3:13), fulfilling what justice required.
2 Samuel 21:10-11 — Then Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until rain fell upon them from the heavens. And she did not allow the birds of the air to come upon them by day, or the beasts of the field by night. When David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done…
Rizpah’s vigil over the bodies of her sons and relatives shows a mother’s unyielding devotion. She shielded them from birds and beasts for months, testifying to her love even in grief. Her actions moved David’s heart. Her vigil also reminds us of how love endures even amid judgment and tragedy. It foreshadows Mary’s grief at the cross, where she stood by her Son until the end (John 19:25).
2 Samuel 21:12-14 — 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 public square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, on the day the Philistines killed Saul on Gilboa. And he brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son, and they gathered the bones of those who were hanged. And they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the land of Benjamin in Zela, in the tomb of Kish his father. And they did all that the king commanded. And after that God responded to the plea for the land.
David honored Saul and Jonathan by giving them a proper burial, uniting the bones of Saul’s house in one resting place. After justice was satisfied and honor restored, God relented and answered the plea for the land. Reconciliation required both justice and honor. This shows us that peace with God comes only when justice is satisfied, fulfilled perfectly at the cross, and when honor is restored by grace.
2 Samuel 21:15-17 — There was war again between the Philistines and Israel, and David went down together with his servants, and they fought against the Philistines. And David grew weary. And Ishbi-benob, one of the descendants of the giants, whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of bronze and who was girded with a new sword, thought to kill David. But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid and attacked the Philistine and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, “You shall no longer go out with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel.”
David, now aging, grew weary in battle and nearly lost his life to a Philistine giant. Abishai intervened and saved him. This shows David’s humanity and limits, pointing us to the need for a greater King whose strength would never fail. It also shows the importance of community — David could not fight alone, and neither can we (Ecclesiastes 4:9–10).
2 Samuel 21:18-22 — After this there was again war with the Philistines at Gob. Then Sibbecai the Hushathite struck down Saph, who was one of the descendants of the giants. And there was again war with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, the Bethlehemite, struck down Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam. And there was again 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 descended from the giants. And when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David’s brother, struck him down. These four were descended from the giants in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.
The chapter closes with accounts of Philistine giants being defeated, not by David alone but by his mighty men. Once, David had killed Goliath, but now his men share in the victories. This highlights God’s design that His people work together in faith and courage. The enemies of God may be intimidating, but they cannot withstand the power of God working through His people. Ultimately, Christ has already crushed the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15), and His people share in His victory (Romans 16:20).
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 4 September 2025: Take sin and promises seriously. Do not minimize sin or delay repentance, for God is not mocked and we reap what we sow. At the same time, cling to the faithfulness of Christ, who bore the bloodguilt of our sin in our place. Walk today with integrity in your word, love in your relationships, and courage in your battles, trusting the victory is the Lord’s.
Pray: “Father, teach me to take Your covenants and commands seriously. Keep me from minimizing sin or compromising my integrity. Help me to walk in repentance, in truth, and in loyalty to my word. Thank You that in Christ, justice is satisfied and mercy flows freely. Make me faithful in my commitments, steadfast in my battles, and full of hope in Your victory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
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