2 Samuel 21-22 "From Beginning to End" Let's refresh our memories as to the structure of our narrative. 1 Samuel 16 introduced David, with his anointing-- in the context of the Philistine menace. 1 Samuel 17 then pitted David against Goliath the Philistine from Gath. 1 Samuel 18-31 then dealt with David's flight from Saul, concluding with David's flight to the Philistines of Gath, and Saul's death. 2 Samuel 1-5 then explained David's rise to power over the house of Saul, concluding with the defeat of the Philistines 2 Samuel 6-9 then set forth David's victories, concluding with David's faithfulness to the house of Saul. 2 Samuel 10-20 then focus on David's sin with Bathsheba, and the resulting rebellion of Absalom, concluding with the final Benjaminite rebellion. In our text tonight we see the story of David moving in reverse. As David's story began with Goliath and Saul, so now it will end with Goliath and Saul. As David began going out before the troops, tonight David will no longer go out. He is growing old. I have titled tonight's sermon "from Beginning to End" in order to show how our text brings resolution in each of the three major areas of David's life: his relationship to the house of Saul (21:1-14), his relationship to the Philistines (21:15-22), and his relationship to Yahweh (22). And we, who are united to the house of David in our Lord Jesus Christ, need to remember that this is our story as well. In Jesus we have the faithful and victorious king, whose deliverance is due to God alone. 1. David and the House of Saul: Faithfulness from Beginning to End (21:1-14) We hear that there was a famine in the land for three years. We have no clear statement of the time of this episode. It simply says "in the days of David." It makes no difference when this episode occurred. The point is that the author of Samuel wants us to see this as the resolution of David's relationship with the House of Saul. When this famine continued for three years, 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. We have no further information on Saul's attempt at genocide outside of this passage. Verse 2 gives us the whole story: Back in the days of Joshua, the Gibeonites had tricked Joshua into making a covenant with them. God had ordered the destruction of the Gibeonites, but since Israel had made a covenant with them, God insisted that Israel keep covenant, and the Gibeonites were brought into the orbit of God's covenant. Indeed, they were given the task of serving as servants for the Levites around the tabernacle (hewers of wood and drawers of water). But Saul, in his zeal for Israel and Judah, had ordered the Gibeonites to be killed. 1 Samuel 15 told us that Saul failed to destroy the Amalekites (as God ordered), and now we discover that Saul was trying to destroy the Gibeonites (against God's orders) And so David asks the Gibeonites what he can do to remedy the situation. Their answer? 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 David grants their wish. Two of Saul's sons and five of his grandsons are given to them to be killed. Only Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, is spared. Is this right? Some have said that David should have asked God what to do to resolve the situation instead of asking the Gibeonites. But David did ask God, and God said that the problem would only be resolved through satisfying the Gibeonites cry for justice. Saul is guilty, so David orders the death of seven of his sons and grandsons. There is bloodguilt on the house of Saul, and the only way to remove its curse from Israel is through the death of Saul's seed. We have been seeing this principle at work for the last several weeks. David brought guilt upon Israel through his murder of Uriah and it was only after the death of 3 of his sons and 20,000 Israelite soldiers that God relented. You might say, well, that's okay for God to render retributive justice, but we are not to take eye for eye or tooth for tooth! That is true, but we are also not David. We are not the LORD's anointed tasked with faithfulness and justice. Indeed, in verse 3 David asks the Gibeonites "how shall I make atonement"? The Gibeonites have cursed the heritage of the LORD, and God has listened to their curse! God is a God who listens to the poor and the dispossessed even these Gibeonite Gentiles, who have taken refuge under his wings. And so the only way to deal with Saul's sin is to make atonement for it. Man has sinned therefore man must die. If you cannot be held guilty for the sin of another, then neither can you be held innocent for the righteousness of another. The idea that children may die for the sins of their parents is not fun, but it is true. And it happens all the time. The decisions of our political leaders today are what lead to the wars of tomorrow. Our children will die because of what our rulers do today. Indeed, this is the principle operative in the death of Jesus. He died for the sins of his fathers. You cannot understand this without understanding the end of verse 9: They were put to death in the first days of harvest, at the beginning of barley harvest. Why does this matter? Why should we care? This time of year is very significant the "barley harvest" first because it was at this time of year that Naomi and Ruth came to Bethlehem when David's Moabite great-grandmother first was joined to the people of God. And of course, this "barley harvest" occurs during a famine where the barley harvested is insufficient to feed the people. Indeed, the phrase "barley harvest" is only used in Ruth 1 & 2, and in 2 Samuel 21. It would make a blind rabbit think of Ruth. In the days of Ruth there was a famine. And so Naomi and her husband fled from Judah and went to Moab. Naomi and Ruth return to Bethlehem the house of bread at the beginning of the barley harvest. Now the sons of Saul are put to death at the beginning of the barley harvest, and then Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah the concubine of Saul cared for the bodies, driving away the birds of prey, until David heeded her. Why did they kill the sons at the beginning of the barley harvest? Some have argued that this is a fertility ritual. Pagan nations would attempt to stop a famine by offering human sacrifices at a time when they might hope for relief from the drought. We would hope that this is not what David is doing! And the connections with Ruth 1 and Joshua 9 helps us understand what is going on. In Ruth 1, the rebellious Israelite males (Elimelech, Mahlon, and Chilion) must all die before the famine ends. All this comes together in the reference to the barley harvest because the barley harvest is in March or April this is Passover season. The Passover season reminds Israel of their redemption from Egypt the time when the firstborn of Egypt died as God redeemed his people. Saul was a rebellious king. He was like Pharaoh slaughtering those protected by God. Therefore his sons must die. But when does the famine end? The famine does not end when the sons of Saul are put to death. The famine ends when David has mercy on the house of Saul. David went to the men of Jabesh-Gilead and brought up from there the bones of Saul and Jonathan, and the bones of the seven sons, and buried them in Zela, in the tomb of Kish, Saul's father. And he did this all because of the faithfulness of Rizpah, Saul's concubine, who faithfully guarded the bodies of her sons and her husband's grandsons. Only then did God respond to the plea for the land. Only then did the rains come. Only now that Saul's bones have come to rest in his own hometown. The story of Saul is now over. The story of the atonement for Saul's sin ends with Saul resting in peace. Notice the full effect of the story: 1) through this story the Gibeonites are avenged and the house of Saul pays for its crimes. 2) through this story the house of Saul is weakened and David's power is established. 3) through this story peace is made between the house of Saul and the house of David, as David has mercy upon the house of Saul. The death of the sons of Saul resolve multiple conflicts all at the barley harvest all at the season of the Passover. 2. David and the Philistines: Victory from Beginning to End (21:15-22) The latter part of chapter 21 concludes David's victories over the Philistines. Verses 15-17 show us that David is growing old he is no longer able to out to battle. The giant, Ishbi-benob, is too much for him. He is no longer able to slay giants. But that is okay. He doesn't need to do this anymore. Israel has many mighty warriors who have arisen to take his place. In the days of Saul there were no mighty men who would fight the giants. But now there is Abishai, David's nephew, Sibbecai the Hushathite, Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, the Bethlehemite, and Jonathan, another of David's nephews. The four giants of Gath fall at their hands. A new generation has arisen that will imitate David's courage and strength. It is worth pointing out that verse 19 talks about Elhanan of Bethlehem killing Goliath. Some have used this to argue that the whole narrative of David is a myth. It is possible that a line has dropped out of the text of 2 Samuel (1 Chronicles 20:5 refers to him as Lahmi the brother of Goliath), or it is possible that this is another fellow named Goliath. But the point is that David's victories against the Philistines continue from beginning to end. And there is hope for the next generation because the spirit of David is found in his mighty men as well. Do I need to make the point to you? Jesus has overthrown Goliath and now his Spirit dwells in his church, so that we need not fear the power of the nations. We may go into battle with his Spirit leading us. 3. David and Yahweh: Salvation from Beginning to End (22:1-51) We have seen how chapter 21 brings the narrative of David full circle, in his dealings with the house of Saul and with the Philistines. Verse 1 sets the context this song was sung on the day when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. Again, we don't know exactly when this was written. The reference to Saul makes it sound like something written toward the beginning of his reign, but the reference to "all his enemies" could put it after the defeat of the Ammonites, or possibly at the end of his life. But it is more likely that it came earlier. The reason for putting it here is that it connects back to Hannah's song in 1 Samuel 2. Hannah had looked forward to the establishment of the kingdom. David now recites the glory of that kingdom revealed in God's steadfast love for him. We don't have time to go through the details of this Psalm. It was less than a year ago that I preached on Psalm 18, which is virtually identical to 2 Samuel 22. You can outline the Psalm around the pronouns. Verses 2-3 use the suffix "my" repeatedly, emphasizing that the LORD is emphatically my God. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence. Note all of the military language. "Rock" refers to a safe retreat a rocky mountain top where the enemy cannot approach without suffering great loss. Fortress, refuge and stronghold all carry similar connotations. Deliverance, salvation and savior also have military connections and David calls upon Yahweh, who is worthy to be praised, because he has saved David from all his enemies (v4). Verses 5-6 then set up the problem: the waves of death encompassed me, the torrents of destruction assailed me; the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. Saul, the Philistines all of these foes fit the description. But in his distress, David responds by calling upon the LORD. And God heard from his temple. The earthly temple was not built until after David's death. But David's cry did not just reach an earthly temple. David's cry reached the heavenly temple, and God heard . We have been focused on the pronoun "I" so far. Verse 7 is the last reference to "me" until verse 17! Verses 8-16 focus on God's response. What happens when the LORD's anointed is in trouble? How does God respond when his king is in distress? He moves heaven and earth. The earth reeled and rocked. The foundations of the heavens trembled. Smoke goes up from his nostrils and devouring fire from his mouth. The LORD thundered from heaven and the Most High uttered his voice. God will move heaven and earth to rescue his anointed. There is lots of Exodus language here: just as God had delivered Israel from Egypt with might acts of judgment, so also God delivers David. Verses 17-25 then deal with God's relation to David. "He" and "me" are the focus of this section. And note how that relationship works: God is the subject. David is the object. HE drew me up. HE rescued me (verses 17-20). But it is also worth pointing out why God rescued David: He rescued me because he delighted in me. The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me. David recites his own faithfulness in verses 21-25. It may be hard for us to accept this. After all, we've just read 10 chapters about David's sin and its consequences. How can David claim to be blameless? How can David claim that Yahweh has rewarded him according to his righteousness? It is because David does not think in terms of works-righteousness! He is righteous because God has declared him righteous. God has vindicated him and established him as his righteous king. Of course, if this is true of David, how much more is this true of Jesus? If David was covenantally righteous, then Jesus is both covenantally and personally righteous. Indeed, David's righteousness depends upon Jesus' righteousness. Verses 26-27 then consist of four statements of God's faithful dealings: With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless you show yourself blameless; with the purified you deal purely; and with the crooked you prove tortuous. In all the other parallels, David uses the same word in both halves of the comparison, but in the last one he shows that God is not himself crooked. Rather, to crooked eyes, truth may wear a wry face. Verses 29-49 then deal with how God gave David the victory the LORD is the "rock of my salvation." If we had time we could look at how David structures this with pairs: two "this God's" in verses 31-33, pairs of third person singulars in 34-35, pairs of 2nd person singulars in 36-37, pairs of 1st person singulars in 38-39, and so on. verse 30 "by my God I leap a wall" literally it would be translated, "by you I run in the enclosure, by my God I leap a bull." The word is translated bull in the other 80 places where it appears. There are two places (Psalm 92:11 and Genesis 49:22) where it has been translated wall, but both of those can be rendered "bull" as well. Bull-leaping was very common in the ancient near east Is David talking about ceremonial bull-leaping? But the point of all this section (and indeed of the whole Psalm) is that Yahweh has been faithful from beginning to end, and has saved David from all his troubles. Verse 51 summarizes David's praise: Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever. I am indebted to: Death, Social Conflict, and the Barley Harvest in the Hebrew Bible, by Brian Britt at http://www.arts.ualberta.ca/JHS/Articles/article_45.htm