The seven who were hung, 2 Samuel 21:1-14

Q. Why would David deliver the seven descendants of Saul to the Gibeonites to be hanged? That seems wrong.

A. David ordered them hung because of a three-year famine and to fulfill the Gibeonites’ yearning for retribution against Saul and his actions.

The record of this incident begins with God’s judgement by way of famine on the nation of Israel.[i] When David enquires of God about the problem, “the Lord answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.”[ii] Saul sinned against the Gibeonites in cruelty and treachery. This wrong had not been righted. The Israelites swore an oath and made a league to spare the Gibeonites and live at peace with them (Joshua 9). The Gibeonites devised a cunning ruse to persuade the Israelites to make peace with them. God nevertheless expected them to keep their oath (Ecclesiastes 5:4).[iii] Saul violated this covenant. David was right in enquiring of God as to the problem. However, it appears that he erred in enquiring of the Gibeonites rather than God for how to fix the problem. In verse 3, he asked the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you?” They answer their desire (see verses 5 and 6) – “let seven men of [Saul’s] sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto the Lord in Gibeah of Saul”.

David does not hesitate. He agrees and delivers seven sons of Saul to the Gibeonites for hanging.[iv] The Gibeonites received their revenge on the house of Saul. Had David enquired of God, perhaps God would have commanded another solution.

Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the mother of two of the men hanged, is an honourable character in this story (cf. 2 Samuel 3:7). The Gibeonites left the bodies hanging for all to see.[v] Rizpah protected the bodies from the devouring by birds and beasts.[vi] When David hears what Rizpah had done, he seems to be moved with compassion and ends the gruesome scenario. Only after David buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan and the bones of the seven that were hanged “God was intreated for the land.”[vii]

This incident in the life of David is unusual and contrary to our modern sensibilities. That God recorded it does not mean he approved it, morally. However, we know that such stories are recorded for our learning and our admonition, and “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter” (Proverbs 25:2).

As someone has said, regardless of the interpretation of this passage, the story will ruffle its readers. I do not have all the answers, but here are a few observations.

Regardless of what we may not understand or misunderstand, God is just. The judgment of the famine and the reason for it is a temporal punishment under the righteous hand of God. Only a fool seeks a quarrel with God.

He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. Deuteronomy 32:4

God judges nations. See Ezekiel chapters 25-32.

Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. Read Jeremiah 18:1-10.

God judged Israel because of “blood-guilt” that had not been justly compensated according to the law. Seven of Saul’s sons were executed. Though the capital punishment was carried out by the Gibeonites, it seems that God’s wrath was not satisfied until all the associated dead were buried – “after that God was intreated for the land.” All told, it is a sad episode in Israel’s history that illustrates that God is not mocked, but whatsoever a man, or a nation, soweth, that will also be reaped.

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[i] 2 Samuel 21:1-14 is a section of 2 Samuel chapters 21-24, which may be a non-chronological supplement to the narrative of the reign of David. “Then” would be a sort of reference to other things that happened “in the days of David” rather than a chronological referent. “Then” does not bear the pure chronological weight as a statement such as “it came to pass after these things” in 1 Kings 17:17. Shimei, a Benjamite, a man of the family of the house of Saul, cursed David as a bloody man (2 Samuel 16:5-14). This may refer to the incident of 2 Samuel 21:1-14. Many believe it to be.
[ii] It is not clear exactly when this occurred. According to John Gill, “the Jews commonly say that he slew them when he slew the priests at Nob, they being hewers of wood and drawers of water to them, and were slain with them.” See Joshua 9:27 and 1 Samuel 22:17-19. However, their answer in verse 5 suggests this was an ongoing process in the reign of Saul to eliminate the presence of the Gibeonites as inhabitants of Israel. The land was polluted with blood, Numbers 35:33-34. 2 Samuel 21:2 – his bloody house – possibly implicates Saul’s family in the attempted extermination of the Gibeonites.
[iii] For their submission, the Gibeonites achieved survival and received protection (Joshua 9:25 and Joshua 10:6-7)
[iv] David’s action are seen by some as a violation of his oath to Saul, 1 Samuel 24:21-22. He does not, however, seek the extermination of all Saul’s descendants, and he carefully keeps his oath to Jonathan (1 Samuel 18:3; 20:15–17, 42; 23:18).
[v] A violation of Deuteronomy 21:22-23.
[vi] Such a fate was incurred in the curse of an Israel that would “not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.”
[vii] It seems that the nation was also guilty of not honouring their dead leaders of the first dynasty with a proper burial. Compare 1 Samuel 31:8–13.

Good for Evil, Evil for Evil

In reference to Nabal, David almost rewarded evil for evil. (25:3-39)

Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb...Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his household: for he is such a son of Belial, that a man cannot speak to him...Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him: and he hath requited me evil for good...And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the Lord, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil:

In reference to Saul, David rewarded good for evil. 1 Samuel 24:11-17 

Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand: for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to take it...And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.

Reward good for evil.

Psalm 38:20 They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is.

Psalm 35:12 They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul.

Proverbs 17:13 Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.

1 Thessalonians 5:15 See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.

1 Peter 3:9 not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.

Matthew 5:44-46 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

Do not avenge. Leave that to God, who does not err in doing so.

Romans 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

What meaneth...turning the other cheek?

Jesus addresses "turning the other cheek" in two sermons -- the "Sermon on the Mount" (recorded in Matthew's gospel) and the "Sermon on the Plain" (recorded in Luke's gospel).

Matthew 5:39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Luke 6:29 And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also.

What does Jesus mean when He commands us to "turn the other cheek"? What does He not mean?

First, He is not speaking universally of all forms of evil at all times. The Lord's churches are in the business of resisting spiritual evil. "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but [we do wrestle] against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Eph. 6:12, Cf. also Jas. 4:7; I Pet. 5:9; II Cor. 10:3-4) Further, He is not abolishing governmental resistance of evil and punishment of evildoers. The Bible teaches this, for example, in Romans 13:4 -- "For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil." Finally, Jesus is probably not excluding all instances of self-defense (Cf. e.g. Luke 22:36). "Resist not evil" refers to the kind of evil in the context.

"Turning the other cheek" falls within the context of Jesus addressing misconceptions and misapplications of the law by the Pharisees. Jesus is not come to destroy the law, but is fulfilling it (Matt. 5:17). One must have an understanding that exceeds the hypocritical righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, which "righteousness" is legalistic and misinterpreted (5:20). Jesus's listeners had heard the Pharisees quote the law and teach on it, but He contrasts what they said with "I say unto you."

Jesus sets forth what the listeners have heard: "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth." Such a judicial policy in the law was clear and equal. But personal applications of retaliation lay outside the law. Revenge is not legal justice. In fact, says Jesus, "resist not evil," and gives three personal examples of it -- an insult to one's person, an injury to one's estate, and an injustice to one's autonomy. Verse 41 relates "whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain." Matthew 27:32 shows one situation when a person might be compelled -- Roman soldiers compelled Simon of Cyrene to carry Jesus's cross. One compelled to go a mile can freely go the second mile. The man sued at the law may receive the injury to his estate, and then give more rather than counter-sue (v. 40).

In the Sermon on the Mount, remarkably, Jesus says, "whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek." Too much or too little may be made of this. One interpretation that makes too much of it can be seen in this example: "In Jesus time and place in history, the left hand was used for 'unclean' purposes. You wouldn't use your left hand to purchase food, shake someone’s hand, OR even strike someone.  It would be a shameful act to use your left hand for these things." Followed through (see link), such an interpretation posits that if someone hit you on the right cheek you offer him the left, forcing him to acknowledge you as equal (that is, by slapping you with his right/clean hand). This goes too far and clouds the simple lesson. If Jesus so intended, why did He not mention the right hand in the Sermon on the Plain as well? But the mention of the right hand is a clue that shows us that an insult is intended -- as opposed to physical assault. In a predominantly right-handed world, a back-handed slap would normally be required for a right-handed person to strike another person on the right cheek. Clearly, though, the spirit of the command does not depend on which cheek is smitten.

Retaliation only escalates and multiplies the amount of evil. In following Christ, we choose not to retaliate. Revenge is deferred to the realm and oversight of God (Romans 12:19), while the Christian follows the example of the Lord Jesus Christ "Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously" (I Peter 2:23). Such follow-ship is direct evidence of kinship to the heavenly Father (Matt. 5:45).

God settles all accounts.

Good movies, good revenge

Many Christians, especially older ones, decry the constant menu of sex and nudity, vulgarity and violence that is hurled at the viewers of the modern motion picture screen. They long for "the good old days" when there were "good movies" with the likes of John Wayne.

No disrespect to John Wayne, but a recurring theme in old westerns and thousands of other type movies we call "good" is revenge. A well-written script and well-directed movie will make you feel it, believe it and cheer it. You know the theme. The bad guy kills, injures, or otherwise inflicts insult of the family of the good guy. The good guy tries to avoid retaliation, welling up in the viewers to want it all the more. Finally, yes, finally and joyfully, the good guy kills the bad guy. Revenge is sweet. Justice is served. Yes!!! (Sometimes it's not even that subtle and we still like it.)

...

And then we read the words of Jesus Christ and Paul: 

Matthew 5:39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Romans 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

Who can fully believe those exortations, when we've felt the inner joy of just retaliation? It must be right. It feels right! It must be right. But, Christian, whom will you believe? Screenwriters and directors or the words of Jesus Christ and His apostle? Someone has said, "Revenge permeates our culture because it permeates the human unconscious." If true, how much more must the word of God permeate our conscious and unconscious?

Vengeance is best left in the hands of the Lord because:
1. Retaliation and revenge is a never-ending cycle. The movie always ends once the good guy has gotten revenge. All is well. In real life there is no end to the cycle. One retaliation breeds another...and another...and another. There will never be an end until someone turns the other cheek.
2. God is all-knowing. He knows when and how to punish. He knows how much to pay. We humans cannot see all or know all. We don't know the motivation of the smite to the right cheek, or even our motivation for striking back. We don't know when to stop or how to right the wrong. 

Let us be right by rendering good for evil instead of evil for evil. When we render evil for evil, there is just that much more evil in the world. When we repay good for evil, there is one small glimpse of heaven on earth.

Romans 12:17 Recompense to no man evil for evil.
Romans 12:21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Avenge Not

"DEARLY BELOVED, AVENGE NOT YOURSELVES."— Rom. 12:19
By Gilbert Beebe, 1856 (an excerpt)

"There are several good reasons why the saints should not attempt to avenge themselves, of which we will call the attention of our readers to a few:

1. Because we are forbidden to do so, not only in our text, but also in many other portions of the word. This, in the absence of all other considerations, is a sufficient reason. We cannot avenge ourselves, nor attempt to do so, without involving ourselves in an act of disobedience to our Lord and Master...
2..our incompetency to accurately estimate the amount of injury received, the criminality of the motive of the offender, and the amount of retribution due to the transgressor...
3..because to do so would be a usurpation of a prerogative which belongs only to the Lord...
4. Were we allowed to so avenge ourselves, such are our liabilities to err, we might severely injure those for whom Christ has died, without securing to ourselves anything more than the gratification of a vindictive and revengeful feeling of the flesh, which should rather be denied and crucified...
5. The relationship in which we stand to each other, as dearly beloved brethren, presents another good reason why we should not avenge ourselves. When Moses saw two of the Hebrews striving together, he reproved them, saying, "Sirs, ye are brethren, why do ye wrong one to another?"...
6. Aside from the wickedness of disobeying this command, if there were no law against it, should the saints attempt the administration of retributive justice, they would make wretched work, cause trouble for the saints, and make a thorny pillow to recline their own head upon..."