Three Year Famine II Samuel 21

II Samuel 21:1 "Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites."

Vows are taken very seriously by the LORD. This passage refers back to Joshua 9 when the Gibeonites came to Israel (in disguise) and the result was that the princes of Israel promised that they would not harm them. Yet Saul apparently did attack them and the house of Saul is still responsible for breaking the vow made by the princes of Israel.

v3 "Wherefore David said unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? and wherewith shall I make the atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of the LORD?"

The Gibeonites decided they did not want monetary recompenses but rather seven sons of the house of Saul. David gave them but spared Mephibosheth. David had made a promise to Mephibosheth that he would eat at the kings table.

v9 "And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the hill before the LORD: and they fell all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest."

It was a sad thing to do. I can't say I understand it but it did satisfy the breaking of the vow. David then took the bones of them and Saul and Jonathan and buried them.

v12 "And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh-gilead, which had stolen them from the street of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, when the Philistines had slain Saul in Giboa: v13 And he brought up from thence the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son and they gathered the bones of them that were hanged."

The chapter switches gear in verse 15 and deals with another war with the Philistines. Verse 15 tells of the first time when David got tired in battle. It is a sign that he is getting older and the people told him that he would not go into battle anymore.

v15 "Moreover the Philistines had yet war again with Israel, and David went down and his servants with him and fought against the Philistines and David waxed faint."

We deal here with relatives of Goliath. When David was almost killed by one of the giants, Abishai rescued him and killed the giant named Ishbi-benob. v16.

Another giant was killed by Sibbechai. The giants name was Saph.

Elhanan of Bethlehem slew Goliath's brother. Then one with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot was slain by David's nephew.

v22 "These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants."

It's a little funny and I heard a preacher say it once. The question was why did David get so many stones when he fought Goliath when he only needed one? The answer was that David heard that Goliath had brothers and wanted to take care of all of them. Anyway, I don't know what David was thinking but here we have the rest of the story.

Psalm 51:17 "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."

Key words: Old Old Story, Old Testament, Samuel, David, Goliath's family, Philistines, Gibeonites, Milton Southerland. Seven hanged. Four giants killed.