Our daily reflections follow the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan, designed for those who want to read the whole Bible in one year. Each reflection focuses on one of the chapters from that day's readings. Darllenwch rhain yn Gymraeg.
Lord, open my ears to hear what you have to say to me; open my heart to love your word, and open my mind to understand your truth.
Some Bible stories are extremely difficult for us today, reflecting as they do an understanding of God that we cannot share. In this story, God sends a famine on Israel because of the guilt of the house of Saul for his treatment of the Gibeonites. Only when seven of Saul's sons and grandsons are hanged does the famine cease (verse 14); the executions of these innocent men have 'worked'.
There's no easy way round this. We might think that David and the Gibeonites got it wrong; God doesn't work like that, and the killing of Saul's descendants and the ending of the famine were coincidental. But that's not how the story is told (verse 1). Two things, though, might help us understand and value the story today. First, in those days responsibility across generations was normal. Your identity in time and space was bound to your family and clan (Numbers 14.18). In our own day, when former colonial and slave-trading nations have been forced to acknowledge the enduring legacy of the sins of their ancestors, perhaps this idea resonates again.
Second, the story isn't told triumphantly, but with deep sadness. Rizpah mourns her two sons, spending weeks in the open to keep the scavengers from them. Merab, who lost five sons, is not mentioned further. But there's a twist here, too: she is the daughter of Barzillai, whose generosity to David helped him defeat Absalom (19.32–33). David has promised to 'take care of' Barzillai, and now he has executed five of his grandsons. Again, the Bible pays attention to the victims; there are no winners here. The context of how God's actions in 2 Samuel are described is not the same as ours, and the story is strange and troubling. But it still speaks of the enduring cost and consequences of sin.
God, when I don't understand everything in your word, help me to be humble and learn the lessons I can. And keep me mindful of the cost of sin, in my life and the lives of others.
This reflection was written by Mark Woods, Bible Society's Editor
Read the Bible 
Processing...