God does not overlook anything! A famine breaks out under the reign of David. David inquires of God why there is a famine. God says it is for something that Saul did. Something that Saul did? What did Saul do? And a famine? Why did God bring something upon Israel as devastating as a famine? Notice the answer.
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.” (2 Samuel 21:1, ESV)
A famine under David’s reign for something the previous king had done? Just because Saul is dead doesn’t mean what Saul did was forgotten. Years later, it was still not okay with God! And it certainly was not forgotten by the Gibeonites!
Four hundred years before our reading, Joshua made a covenant with the Gibeonites before God (Joshua 9). Israel would spare the Gibeonites from bloodshed as they conquered the promised land. However, centuries later, Saul did not honor this covenant, and he murdered some of the Gibeonites to impress the people of Israel! Saul knew better; God was not pleased.
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.) (2 Samuel 21:2, KJV)
As I read this, a few things stood out to me. First, the sins of Saul (the father) affected his family (the sons) long after he died. Seven of Saul’s family will now die as a result. Sin has lasting consequences. Second, the sins of Saul (the leader) affected all of Israel (the people). Many innocent people in Israel will die in this famine. Third, vengeance belongs to God; He does repay, refusing to overlook the injustice done to the Gibeonites.
Notice the caution here. The lasting consequences of sin are far and wide. Often, sin can be generational in its devastation. Also, vengeance is not ours to take, lest we should get caught up in sinning, too.
Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. (Romans 12:19, NLT)
Does this mean you must let all wrongs be committed against you? No! It does mean, however, that God will revisit the wrongs committed against you. Wow!
Herein is our comfort. What has been committed against us will not be forgotten. It will be addressed by the One who knows all things and cannot be fooled. God can be trusted to be perfect, working in the lives of those who wronged us and in our lives, too, when we have wronged others. In the end, God is just.
Child of God, rejoice! We have a just God. Let us pause to remember justice was served upon His own Son at the cross so we might be forgiven! May we rest in our God, who does all things well and will not overlook the guilty but is patient, working to restore all things.
Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from 2 Samuel 19-21.