10 And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until it rained on them from the sky; and she allowed neither the birds of the sky to rest on them by day nor the beasts of the field by night. 11 When it was told David 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 open square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them on the day the Philistines struck down Saul in Gilboa. 13 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 Zela, in the grave of Kish his father; thus they did all that the king commanded, and after that God was moved by prayer for the land.
I think you would agree that this is a very strange story, even stranger than the one we have just read concerning the hanging of Saul's “sons.” Why does the author of Samuel record this incident? What is the point? Note with me first of all that this story is a continuation and completion of verses 1-9. It is the execution of Saul's sons which precipitates the actions of Rizpah, and then of David. Not until after the burial of Saul and his sons does the famine end (verse 14). We must therefore attempt to understand this story in the context of what we have just read and of the chapter as a whole.
Here is Rizpah, a concubine of Saul, whose two sons have been put to death by the Gibeonites. Apparently these sons' bodies were not removed, as it would seem they should have been (see Deuteronomy 21:22-23). While I was reading in the Old Testament, I came upon this most interesting verse:
“Your carcasses will be food to all birds of the sky and to the beasts of the earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away (Deuteronomy 28:26).
This text suggests that Rizpah was not acting in an unusual fashion at all. What mother would want the birds to devour the carcass of her son(s)? Since the bodies of Saul's sons were left unburied, this mother determined to watch over them, stationing herself nearby so that she could drive off both birds and devouring beasts. David got word of this, and by Rizpah's actions was prompted to take action. These were seven of Saul's sons, who were not yet given a proper burial. David was reminded that Saul and his three sons7 had not been properly buried either.
You may remember that David did not have anything to do with the earlier hasty burial of Saul and his three sons, as described in 1 Samuel 31. David was in Ziklag when he learned of Saul's death. The bodies of Saul and his sons were taken by the Philistines and hanged from the wall of Bethshan. Brave men from Jabesh-gilead marched all night to steal the bodies, burning them and burying their bones under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh (31:11-13). All of this had been done by the men of Jabesh-gilead in David's absence. Saul and his three sons had not yet been given a proper burial, though their bodies had been rescued from shameful display by the Philistines.
On the surface at least one can see how David may have reasoned. The bones of the seven sons of Saul had not been buried, and this prompted Rizpah to act as she had. This matter would not be “laid to rest” until these sons had a proper burial. In thinking about this, David could have reasoned that Saul and his three sons had not had a proper burial yet either. To finally “lay this matter to rest,” David arranged for the bones of Saul and his three sons to be taken to the tomb of Saul's father, along with the bones of these seven sons who were just executed. Once they were buried, the matter would be closed, once and for all.
There is a little more than this going on, I think. There is a clear link between the execution of Saul's seven sons by the Gibeonites, the actions of Rizpah, and the action taken by David. I think the link is more than just the common element of being related to Saul and not yet having a proper burial. What did these seven men have in common with Saul and his three sons? They were all Saul's sons. But they were also all “hung.” I am inclined to infer from this that David saw this connection between Saul and his three sons, killed and then hung earlier, and now Saul's other seven sons, who have been publicly hung for the attempted annihilation of the Gibeonites. Had these earlier deaths and hangings not also been an atoning for this same sin? When David buries all of these “sons” in Saul's father's tomb, he not only gives them a decent burial, he seems to link them in the same sin and the same judgment. This is the only way I can see the author making so much of Rizpah's actions and David's response. At least we can say that this matter now seems to have closure.
One further fact should be noticed. The final words of verse 14 are significant: “And after that God was moved by entreaty for the land.” We would have expected to read something like: “And so God removed the famine that had plagued the land for three years.” Instead, we are informed that God, this sin having been atoned for, once again heard the prayers of His people beseeching Him to cease His judgment on the land. In other words, the people must have been praying for God to remove the famine for the entire three years, but God would not heed their petitions because of the sin of Saul and his bloody house. Now that this sin was atoned for, God would hear the prayers of the people. God is sovereign, but He often acts in response to the means He has appointed. The means here is the prayer of His people. Note what Solomon will say in only a few years:
26 “When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and turn from their sin when You afflict them; 27 then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants and Your people Israel, indeed, teach them the good way in which they should walk. And send rain on Your land which You have given to Your people for an inheritance. 28 “If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is blight or mildew, if there is locust or grasshopper, if their enemies besiege them in the land of their cities, whatever plague or whatever sickness there is, 29 whatever prayer or supplication is made by any man or by all Your people Israel, each knowing his own affliction and his own pain, and spreading his hands toward this house, 30 then hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and render to each according to all his ways, whose heart You know for You alone know the hearts of the sons of men, 31 that they may fear You, to walk in Your ways as long as they live in the land which You have given to our fathers” (2 Chronicles 6:26-31).
God answers prayer. In this case, the author of our text in 2 Samuel underscores the fact that God removed the famine because He took heed of the prayers of His people. And He took heed of their prayers because the sin which hindered their prayers had been atoned for. Let us not miss the point that our author seeks to stress: Sin hinders our prayers, but when that sin has been dealt with, God then heeds our prayers. Let us not underestimate the importance of prayer.
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