2 Samuel 21:5–9 (ESV) —
5 They said to the king, “The man who consumed us and planned to destroy us, so that we should have no place in all the territory of Israel, 6 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 the king said, “I will give them.”
7 But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Saul’s son Jonathan, because of the oath of the Lord that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. 8 The king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Merab the daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite; 9 and he gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the mountain before the Lord, and the seven of them perished together. They were put to death in the first days of harvest, at the beginning of barley harvest.
NOTE: This story is ugly and repellent. But it is completely in line with OT law which specifies curses on the nation for disobeying the law and supported "eye-for-eye" punishments. This is the difference between the law and grace. In the New Covenant, Jesus has satisfied the need for justice between us and God. That was not so in the OT, and Israel experienced the Deuteronomy chapter 28:15-68 curses multiple times in its history because of its failure to obey. Justice is important to God. It is why the NT term, propitiation, is also critical in understanding what happened at the cross. Jesus satisfied the wrath of God on the cross (propitiation). People like to talk about God's love, but they fail to realize that the cross was not just about love, but it was about justice.
PONDER:
- Do I appreciate how Jesus has satisfied the wrath of God against my sin?
PRAYER: Father, thank you for the love that sent your Son into the world. And thank you that his death satisfied your wrath against me for my sin. I am undeserving of such grace.
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