2 Samuel 21

Sometimes I have a hard time seeing purpose and application behind what is in the Bible. It might be because I don't completely understand the context and customs of how things worked back when many of these books were written. With that said, I am struggling to find a way to apply 2Sam21 in my life. Here's what I got from it.

Israel was in the middle of three years of famine. As the king, David sought the face of the Lord. By this, he did not take the famine into his own hands and try to correct everything himself but humbly came before the Lord and sought His answer. I think it was a way of David's way of acknowledging that even with some grand scheme to provide food for his people, nothing could come to fruition without God.

The Lord responded by stating that the famine was a result of Saul and his actions. I found this a bit strange. Saul died years before this and yet Israel still faced the consequences of his actions. As it says, this was the account of "Saul and his bloodstained house. it is because he put the Gibeonites to death." This shows a side of the Lord that we often overlook. Yes, God loves us. As loving as God is, He is also equally just. In His grace, He may withhold eternal condemnation from His people but there are still consequences for sin.

As in old testament times, God required a sacrifice for sin. The Gibeonites executed seven of Saul's male descendants. This is what I find confusing. I understand that Saul sinned against God and a sacrifice was needed. However, the men that were slain were grandchildren of Saul. They played no role in their grandfather's actions and yet they were the ones that bore the earthly consequences. If anything, reading this makes me even more thankful for the death of our Savior upon the cross. We don't need to go out and sacrifice an animal in repentance for our sins. The only thing that God requires from us is to humbly come before Him and accept His grace.