The Cost of Atonement (2 Samuel 21)
Read đź“–
Today’s reading is the whole of 2 Samuel 21
to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
Hebrews 12:24 (NIV)
Reflect ❤️
We are in the final chapters of 2 Samuel. These events would have taken place earlier in David's reign and are arranged not chronologically but theologically. Together they point towards a future hope and show that despite David's many failures, he was a king who sought the Lord, attempted to uphold God's justice, and brought Israel and the surrounding nations to follow Yahweh.
Yet it is precisely within narratives like this that God's character is revealed more clearly. It's in these dark chapters, and others like them, that we see the illumination of Christ and gain a greater appreciation for what was accomplished in the death, resurrection, and ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ.
That being said, this doesn't make this chapter any easier to read. We have a harrowing account of the slaughter of a people—the Gibeonites—by Saul, and later in the chapter, the gore of atonement.
There is a famine in the land, and David seeks the Lord to understand why. The Lord responds: “It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death” (v. 1). It would be easy to breeze past this, but if we pause and think, David sought the Lord and the Lord responded. The Lord, in His mercy, told David the exact issue, and in this, David knew how to attempt to restore justice, but the atonement was not going to be easy.
We are told at the end of the narrative that “God answered prayer on behalf of the land” (v. 14). This is perhaps the most interesting verse in this narrative, but it is a theological concept we have encountered before: the blood of the innocent cries out to the Lord.
If we cast our minds back to Cain and Abel (Genesis 4), after Cain kills Abel, the Lord confronts Cain and says, “...Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground” (Genesis 4:10). In scripture, innocent blood is portrayed as crying out to God for justice, and God hears the cries of the innocent. Justice comes as God tells Cain of the consequence of such a sin, due to the act of shedding blood on the land, the land will be infertile for him.
In the famine of 2 Samuel, we can see how seriously God takes covenantal promises and their violation. Saul had plotted against and killed many of the Gibeonites, who centuries earlier had entered into a peace treaty with the leaders of Israel (Joshua 9:3, 15). The Gibeonites recognised the God of Israel and willingly served his people, and so a people under God's grace had been slaughtered; not only had life been taken, but the very name of the Lord had been damaged, an oath had been broken, and the shedding of innocent blood demanded justice. The consequence of this sin and the justice from God again comes in the land being infertile, this time for the whole nation.
God is leading David to bring complete justice and restoration, in the form of atonement. The Gibeonites had no automatic right to material compensation or to demand death (v. 4). As non-Israelites under the protection of Israel, judgment was up to the leader of Israel. They were appealing to David's moral sense of justice and to his obligation to uphold the covenant his predecessor had violated. Though costly, David acts as the true administrator of God's justice and grants their wish. The cost of cleansing the land of the consequence of the blood Saul shed? The death of those that carry Saul’s name & legacy.
After the deaths, we have the haunting response of Rizpah, who holds a vigil for the executed sons of Saul and protects them day and night. This prompted David to consciously remember something he had overlooked. While there was justice in the executions, there also should be justice in proper burial. Rizpah's actions allowed those who were executed for their fathers’ crimes to receive the dignity and protection of a traditional burial—honouring both the wronged and the dead. The judgement of famine doesn't subside until both are honoured.
The trajectory of this chapter leaves us with the dreadful weight of sin and the costly demand of atonement. We see creation groan and the blood of the Gibeonites cry out from the dust, and God hears them. But it is precisely against this dark horizon that the gospel shines brightest. Where the active blood of Abel and the Gibeonites cries out from the earth demanding justice, retribution, and death, we know the blood of Christ speaks a better word—forever crying out for our forgiveness, mercy, and absolute reconciliation.
As we read this, we see the danger of being passive to injustice. It could be an injustice that we might have experienced, or an injustice we may have caused. Let's aim to be a people that doesn't remain passive, but responds to injustice in a way that honours the situation and our God. Sin disrupts God's cosmic order, just as sin disrupts our relationship with Him. Yet, we should not fear but be encouraged—although we all sin and fall short, Jesus has perfectly atoned and paid the price for our sins. Why don't we seek the Lord, asking Him to reveal any hidden sin in our lives, and rest assured in His grace and mercy.
Pray 🙏
Father, we stand in awe of your sovereignty over all creation, from the dust on the ground, to the stars in the sky. We thank you that you hear our calls for help, our calls for forgiveness, and our calls to know you more. Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice, and that your blood cleanses all who put their trust in you. Amen