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 Well, you can turn with me in your Bibles to the book of 2 Samuel, chapter 21. 2 Samuel, chapter 21. Last week we looked at the righteousness of David in 2 Samuel, chapter 22, verses 21 to 25. I'll just repeat that. The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands. He has recompensed me for I have kept the ways of the Lord and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all his judgments were before me. And as for his statutes, I did not depart from them. I was also blameless before him, and I kept myself from my iniquity. Therefore, the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in his eyes. And as we read that, we are mindful that David definitely had his shortcomings. David committed the sin of adultery, and then he covered up that sin of adultery with conspiracy to commit murder. And when we reflect upon that, it's a bit difficult to entertain him rehearsing or rejoicing in his righteousness. Again, last week we argued that it was the imputed righteousness of Christ received by faith alone that David is musing upon. We know that he understands that because of Psalm 32, Paul's use of that in the book of Romans. I also argued that David understood his own sin. He knew the nature of depravity, but he also understood atonement. We see that in 2 Samuel 12 when he repents or confesses his sin and the Lord atones for his sin. We see that as well here in chapter 21. David understood atonement. He understands it according to Psalm 65 also. So I thought this would be a good time to shine the light on the atonement at Gibeah in 2 Samuel chapter 21. I'll read the first half verses 1 to 14. Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. And David inquired of the Lord. And the Lord answered, it is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house because he killed the Gibeonites. So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now, the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites. The children of Israel had sworn protection to them, but Saul had sought to kill them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah. Therefore, David said to the Gibeonites, what shall I do for you? And with what shall I make atonement that you may bless the inheritance of the Lord? And the Gibeonites said to him, we will have no silver or gold from Saul or from his house, nor shall you kill any man in Israel for us. So he said, whatever you say, I will do for you. Then they answered the king, as for the man who consumed us and plotted against us, that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the territories of Israel. Let seven men of his descendants be delivered to us, And we will hang them before the Lord and give you a soul whom the Lord chose. And the king said, I will give them. The king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the Lord's oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan, the son of Saul. So the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Rizpah, the daughter of Aya, whom she bore to Saul and the five sons of Michael, the daughter of Saul, whom she brought up for Adriel, the son of Barzillai, the Mahalithite. And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites and they hanged them on the hill before the Lord. So 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. Now Rizpah, the daughter of Aya, took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock from the beginning of harvest until the late rains poured on them from heaven. And she did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night. And David was told what Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done. And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan, his son, from the men of Jabesh Gilead, who had stolen them from the street of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hung them up, after the Philistines had struck down Saul in Gilboa. So he brought up the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan, his son, from there. And they gathered the bones of those who had been hanged. They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan, his son, in the country of Benjamin and Zela, in the tomb of Kish, his father. So they performed all that the king had commanded, or all the king had commanded. And after that, God heeded the prayer for the land. Amen. Let us pray. Father, we come to this passage of Scripture. We pray for the aid and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Jesus says he is the one who teaches us. He is the one who reminds us. He's not only the one who inspired Holy Scripture, but he illumines us to understand that scripture. So please send him now, guide us and direct us and again, cause us to make the connection between blood atonement here at Gibeah and the blood atonement rendered at Golgotha. We thank you for our Savior. We thank you that he is our substitute, that he stood in our place and satisfied divine justice on behalf of all those whom the Father had given him. We bless you for this and we praise you now in Jesus name. Amen. Well, just a reminder of the lay of the land here in Second Samuel. Basically, we have the commencement of David's reign in chapters one to four. The consolidation of David's rule over all Israel, chapters five to eight. And then the consequences of David's sin in chapters nine to 20. Remember, David sins, as I mentioned, he commits adultery, commits murder to sort of cover that up. And then there are consequences. The sword does not depart. from his house. And then chapters 21 to 24 are a final assessment of David. And I think specifically as well contrasted with Saul. But I would suggest that we're not to understand 21 and following chronologically. In other words, it is not the case that chronologically chapter 21 and this atonement and Gibeah happens directly after the events recorded in chapter 20. Remember that the biblical authors are not constrained by specific time and chronology the way we are. They are structuring together theology. They are showing something again in contrast of David and Saul and their respective reigns. I'm not suggesting that chapter 21 is directly connected or follows chapter 20. In fact, if you look at verse 1, it says, Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years. We don't know what days of David that that three-year period obtained. We just simply know that it was. But again, I think the idea here is to underscore the necessity of atonement in a typical fashion to point us forward to the Lord Jesus Christ. So we'll look at the Gibeonites avenged in verses 1 to 14 under four considerations. First, the judgment of God in verses 1 to 3. Second, the demand of the Gibeonites, verses 4 to 6. Thirdly, the atonement for sin in verses 7 to 9. And then finally, the aftermath of the event in verses 10 to 14. It's pretty sad and difficult story as we read on from verse one to the end of the section. But notice first the judgment of God. It's tipped off right at the beginning in verse one. Now, there was a famine in the days of David for three years. If you're reading your Bible covenantally, you're reading your Bible sensitive to what God promises in terms of blessing. in the book of Deuteronomy and Leviticus or in terms of cursing in the book of Leviticus and Deuteronomy. When you meet up with things like this, you're not supposed to conclude, well, they have bad irrigation systems or they didn't have the agrarian ability to properly cultivate the land. When you see a famine in the land in Old Covenant Israel, you can smell the judgment of God Most High. As I mentioned, Leviticus 26, specifically in verses 19 and 20, but then in Deuteronomy 28, 23 to 24. This is the result of breach, the result of covenant breaking. And your heavens, which are over your head, shall be bronze and the earth, which is under you, shall be iron. The Lord will change the rain of your land to powder and dust from the heaven. It shall come down on you until you are destroyed. So then notice we get tipped off that the problem is the judgment of God. Verse one. A. Now, there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. And then note David inquired of the Lord. Always a good thing for those in authority. Always a good thing for those not in authority. It is good to inquire of the Lord. It is good to seek the face of God. It is good to try and understand what is happening. Typically, when calamity hits us, we panic. Typically, when calamity hits us, we recoil. Typically, when calamity hits us, we want to blame everybody else or blame all kinds of situations or circumstances. We need to reflect upon the very Word of God Himself. This isn't a direct esoteric contact apart from the word. We go to scripture to inquire of the Lord. And this is precisely what David does. Notice specifically the divine response. So verse 21, chapter 21, verse one, we read that David inquired of the Lord and the Lord answered. And I think this is a great mercy from God. The Lord answered. He doesn't have to. He's not beholden to David. He could let David try and figure out what the situation is, but the Lord answered. And not only does the Lord answer, the Lord underscores the specific reason for this famine. Notice it is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house because he killed the Gibeonites. And I think that illustrates the mercy of God that he answers, but as well the justice of God that he notices what goes on in this present evil age. Again, we see all kinds of lawlessness, all kinds of wickedness to the point where we might get frustrated and wonder, does God actually see? Solomon talks over and over again in the book of Proverbs about unjust scales being an abomination to Yahweh. And yet we see what appears to be unjust scales all around us all the time. Does Yahweh notice? He does notice. He does see. He acts in his time. He acts according to his purposes. So he understood or he rather reveals to David so that David can understand the breach that had occurred with reference to the house of Saul. Again, one of the emphases in this section is to show the faithfulness of David and the unfaithfulness of Saul. And Saul sinned specifically concerning the Gibeonites. Notice verse one. It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house because he killed the Gibeonites. You can turn to the book of Joshua. Joshua chapter 9 fills out this particular narrative or sets the backdrop for this particular narrative. Joshua chapter 9. Basically, word is getting out all throughout Israel about the God of Israel. Remember last week in the Sunday evening reading, we had Rahab. And Rahab was very much understanding the power and the majesty of Yahweh and wants to broker a deal as far as it was concerned to protect her and her family Well here are the Gibeonites They hear the same thing They understand that the God of Israel doesn joke around They understand that heads were broken in Egypt such that the Israelites were able to march boldly out of that land. So the Gibeonites cook up a particular idea. We'll tell them we're from a distant land. We'll tell them that we're weary and that we're willing to be subject to them. And so notice what we find specifically about verse 7. Then the men of Israel said to the Hivites, perhaps you dwell among us. So how can we make a covenant with you? They're trying to vet them. They're trying to see maybe you're just our neighbors to, you know, in the near proximity. And we're not supposed to have truck with you. So so so why should we help you? Verse eight. They said to Joshua, we are your servants. And Joshua said to them, who are you and where do you come from? So they said to him from a very said to him from a very far country. Your servants have come because of the name of the Lord, your God. For we have heard of his name, of his fame and all that he did in Egypt and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to Sihon, king of Heshbon and Og, king of Bashan, who was at Ashtoreth. Therefore, our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, take provisions with you for the journey and go to meet them and say to them, we are your servants. Now, therefore, make a covenant with us. This bread of ours, we took hot for our provision from our houses on the day we departed to come to you. But now look, it is dry and moldy. And these wineskins, which we filled, were new. And see, they are torn. And these are garments and our sandals have become old because of the very long hours. You see, they weave this tale. You can't blame them on the one hand, right? The God of Israel is out there fighting and warring and destroying for the nation of Israel. The Gibeonites cook up this particular plan or scheme and think, hey, we're going to just jockey a position so that we don't end up at the receiving end of the wrath of Yahweh. So notice in verse 14, the men of Israel took some of their provisions, but they did not ask counsel of the Lord. David sought the Lord. He inquired of the Lord, but not Joshua and the leaders of Israel at this time. Notice in verse 15, so Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them to let them live. And the rulers of the congregation swore to that. So there was this covenant in place to protect the Gibeonites. They're not going to die. They're not going to destroy them. Now, even when they learned that they had been close neighbors, even when they learned that they had been duped, that does not renege the covenant. Remember Psalm 15, the description of our blessed Savior. He swears to his own hurt and does not change. So they were faithful. Now, they sort of gave them menial jobs as woodcutters and water carriers, but nevertheless, they spared the Gibeonites. So back to our particular passage, we learned that Saul reneged. We don't have any place in first Samuel that tells us where he does this. But we have second Samuel 21 telling us that he did in fact do this. It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house because he killed the Gibeonites. Notice in verse two. So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now, the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites. The children of Israel had sworn protection to them, but Saul had sought to kill them in a zeal for the children of Israel and Judah. So that's the problem. That's the issue. That's why there's famine in the land for these three years. It isn't a mystery. David asks. God answers. And now David wants to get the kingdom under control. So notice under this head still the judge of the judgment of God. Notice in verse three, they make a particular request. request. Therefore, David said to the Gibeonites, what shall I do for you? And with what shall I make atonement that you may bless the inheritance of the Lord? Now, this word atonement, as I've often mentioned, it's usually in the older authors speaks of satisfaction, the satisfaction of divine justice, sort of sort of at the core of this idea of atonement. You see forgiveness in there. You You see cleansing, you see ransom, you see aversion or averting rather of God's wrath. You see as well numbers specifically where atonement is associated with averting the wrath of God. So it's the satisfaction of divine justice. So let's just reflect upon this. David understands they're under the judgment of God. David asks, why are we under the judgment of God? God answers because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house trying to exterminate the Gibeonites with whom Joshua and the elders made a binding covenant with. And so now David fetches the Gibeonites and he says, what is it? What is it that will provide atonement? What will bring a satisfaction for this breach of justice? That brings us then to the demand of the Gibeonites in verses four to six. Notice their rejection of silver, gold or any man. Verse four, the Gibeonites said to him, we will have no silver or gold from Saul or from his house, nor shall you kill any man in Israel for us. In other words, it can't just be anybody that functions as the substitute. And it certainly cannot be silver or gold. Why not? Well, for whatever problems the Gibeonites may have had, they understood something about biblical justice. In Numbers 35, 33, we read. So you shall not pollute the land where you are for blood defiles the land and no atonement can be made for the land, the blood for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it. Basically, what that demands is capital punishment for the crime of murder. It demands it. It's not a suggestion. It's not, you know, this would make life a little better on your public streets. It'll clean up Walmart and problems there to clean up your kid. No, it is a demand by God that whoever sheds man's blood by man's blood will be shed. For in the image of God, he made man. Numbers 35 is non-negotiable. You cannot proffer silver and gold to ransom a murderer. The only just retribution for a murderer is capital punishment. So the Gibeonites understand something about this. As well, the Gibeonites understand something about substitution. It can't just be any man whatsoever. Now, this was not revenge driven. You might read it and say, well, wait a minute. That sounds a bit revenge driven. They want seven men. It's not revenge driven. David's taught them out. David wants to protect the inheritance of the Lord. David wants to protect his people. Matthew Henry well said they did not require this out of malice against Saul or his family. Had they been revengeful, they would have moved it themselves long before. But out of love to the people of Israel, whom they saw a plague for the injury done to them. So they don't want silver and gold, but rather they want men. Notice in verse four at the end. So he said, whatever you say, I will do for you. Then they answered the king, as for the man who consumed us and plotted against us, that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the territories of Israel. Let seven men of his descendants be delivered to us, and we will hang them before the Lord in Gibeah of Saul, whom the Lord chose. Now, brethren, this is going to sound a bit offensive to us because we're delicate. It's going to be kind of offensive to us because we're not conversant with the laws of God relative to this particular situation. We might even ponder Deuteronomy 24, 16, which says, and if you're not, then you should. Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children be put to death for their fathers. A person shall be put to death for his own sin. That's biblical jurisprudence. You shouldn't be executed for the sin or the crime of your father. However, this is different. And this is different precisely because the act of Saul polluted the land, the entirety of the land with blood guiltiness, which was a big no-no in Old Covenant Israel. Again, Numbers 35, no ransom for the murderer, but rather execute the murderer such that the land is not polluted with that blood. As well, the act of Saul was a breach of a covenant made with the Gibeonites. It's interesting that the language often employed in the Old Testament to talk about covenanting is to cut a covenant. And I think one of the best ways to illustrate the cutting of a covenant is in Genesis chapter 15. In Genesis chapter 15, God basically promises Abraham a great number of descendants and a great piece of land. And Abraham has a point where he says, well, how do I know what you're saying is true? How do I know that what you're communicating here via seed and land is going to come to pass? So God tells him to cut a covenant. Literally, take these animals, cut them in half, put one half on one side and one half on the other side. This was ancient Near Eastern covenant making. The significance is seen in the parties of the covenant passing through those severed animals. Head here, tail here, head here, tail here. I'm thinking symmetry. Could you have head here, head here, tail there, tail there. But the two parties would walk through that, and the significance of this particular act was simple. If we renege on the covenant, then may what happened to these animals happen to us. So it was a self-maledictory oath. You were basically affirming the judgment of God Most High. You were affirming any sorts of negative consequences or sanctions appended to that covenant by that activity. So Israel, under Joshua's leadership, went into the covenant with the Gibeonites. When Joshua found out the Gibeonites deceived them, he didn't renege. He didn't hack them into pieces. He didn't engage in this bloodthirsty desire to rid the land of the Gibeonites, but he kept the covenant. Again, he relegated them to menial service, but he kept the covenant and spared their lives. So Saul is functioning as a not as an individual, but represent represent representational and therefore on a national level, representative of the nation. His sin in this particular endeavor basically brought curse upon the land vis a vis the famine of God. The demand of Deuteronomy 24, 16 is not applicable here. It's not an individual criminal offense. Not that Saul, you know, on a bad day, got drunk, went out and robbed a bank. And then all of his posterity was judged for that particular act of robbing the bank. This is a different kettle of fish as a public figure. He violated trust and he brought the wrath of God down upon this particular nation. So it was not applicable for he was functioning as a representative and it was not applicable because of what God does. in terms of receiving this atonement. See, we have a bit of a tip when we're reading texts. We kind of get to see how God responds. And if God responds, then ergo, it must have been legit. I mentioned before Samson's prayer at jawbone high. I just beat all these Philistines. You're going to let me die of thirst? It sounds a bit cheeky. sounds a bit forward sounds a bit out of line Samson don't you know you're addressing the high and holy God God gives him water so when you got the Lord healed the land the Lord heard the Lord saw the Lord affirmed then you know that we're operating under the auspices of biblical jurisprudence. As well, note the specific atonement indicated. So verses seven to nine. Verses seven to nine. The king said, I will give them. Verse seven. but the king spirit, Mephibosheth. There's two Mephibosheths here. You need to make sure you keep them clear. I don't know how common a name that was in Old Testament Israel. I'm sure you're over John when you read the New Testament, or James comes up a lot. You kind of wish it would always be James Smith, or James Brown, or James whoever. So we kind of keep them straight in our minds. Well, there's two Mephibosheths, Mephibosheth, in this particular section. You need to understand that. Verse seven, the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the Lord's oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan, the son of Saul. We'll look at that in just a moment. But then notice verse eight. So the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Rizpah, the daughter of Aya, whom she bore to Saul, and the five sons of Michael, the daughter of Saul, whom she brought up for Adriel, the son of Barzillai, the Mahalathite. And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites and they hang them on the hill before the Lord. So with reference to David, we see underscored here is his covenant faithfulness. Verse seven, the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan. You can turn back to first Samuel chapter 20. First Samuel chapter 20, specifically verses 14 to 16. he spares Mephibosheth in this line. Notice in chapter 21 Samuel, specifically at verses 14 to 16. And you shall not only show me the kindness of the Lord while I still live, that I may not die, but you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever. No, not when the Lord has cut off everyone of the enemies of David from the face of the earth. So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David saying, Let the Lord require it at the hand of David's enemies. And then turn to chapter 9 in the book of 2 Samuel. Remember, 2 Samuel up until chapters 10 and following, really, is all positive. Everything David touches turns to gold. I mean, he's consolidating the kingdom. He's bringing the Ark of the Covenant. He's establishing Jerusalem as the political and religious capital. And here in chapter nine of second Samuel, he's expressing hesed, which is kindness or love or grace or mercy. And who does he do that for? He does it for this man, Mephibosheth. He lets Mephibosheth, who is not too good on the eyes and probably had some rough edges all about him, at his own table. And so David expresses this and David is consistent with this all the way into the end of second Samuel. But as well, we've got the particular identity of the sons. I want you to notice something in verse eight. It's a bit of a challenge in our text. So the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Rizpah and daughter of Aya, whom she bore to Saul, and the five sons of Michael, the daughter of Saul, whom she brought up for Adriel, the son of Barzillai, the Mahalithite. There's a there's a variant here. The Masoretic text has Michael, but Michael was barren and Merib was married to Adriel. The New King James tries to sort it out by indicating that Michael brought up the sons for Adriel. So there is a variant reading. That simply means in the manuscript transmission, there's a difference. It doesn't mean the Bible is messed up or the Bible is wrong or anything like that. But you've got variants. And we've got comparison, passage with passage. That's probably the legit way to go here. But the main emphasis is verse 9. And again, this is where we see the whole emphasis on atonement. So David delivers the seven men up. And they hang the seven men. and they do it before the Lord. Again, don't miss that sort of thing in your Bible. Now there's times before the Lord where he's angry or just or righteous or he's going to suppress his wrath. But this whole scene is positive and favorable in terms of the Lord's perspective. This was necessary. The gravity of the sin of the house of Saul in trying to exterminate the Gibeonites necessitated this kind of an atonement to pacify or satisfy divine justice. And so these men pick the man or rather the men are picked. Then they are handed over by David to them. And verse nine, he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites and they hang them on the hill before the Lord. So they fell all seven together and were put to death in the days of harvest in the first days in the beginning of the barley harvest. And then that brings us to this final bit, this aftermath. Notice the action of Rizpah. Verse 10 says, Now Rizpah, the daughter of Aya, took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock from the beginning of harvest until the late rains poured on them from heaven. She did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night. What do we learn from this? It's brutal. It's hardcore, brethren. It's tough. and as I'm going to quote Davis in a few minutes, it's supposed to be. Our version of Christianity is pretty polished. It's pretty antiseptic. It's pretty sterile. You know, we don't have to traffic in, you know, what the Israelites of the old covenant did. Sabbath morning, go out and find your animal. Not the worst, but your best. Take it down to the tabernacle of the temple and there you're going to cut its throat and then you're going to hand it over to your priest. I've not had animals like that. I had a dog that I loved very much so. But I've got to think that if you have a nice cow, a nice goat, there's a bit of bonding that takes place, right? And you're probably predilection to like the one that's really in good shape. He's the winner of any battles in the barnyard. He can jump by. He's the one you're the fondest of. You've got to cut that throat. You've got to hand it over to the priest. And the bulk of it is going to be burned. And you're not going to even get to participate in it. That's got to be tough. Tougher, at least at some level, than us slipping an envelope into a box in terms of our sacrifice or in terms of our offering. And I'm not belittling the latter. I'm just suggesting that we're far removed from atonement. We're far removed from this kind of action. The first thing to observe is that the rules of Deuteronomy 21, 22 and 23 are not enforced here. Deuteronomy 21 and 22 and 23 says, If a man has committed a sin deserving of death and he is put to death and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day so that you do not defile the land which the Lord your God has given you as an inheritance, for he who is hanged is accursed of God. This was probably due to the fact that it was an extraordinary case. So Rizpah, the daughter of Aya, took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock from the beginning of harvest until the late rains poured on them from heaven. She did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day nor the beasts of the field by night. She's not just laying there, chilling, for a long nap. She's actually active. She's actually keeping the birds off these men. She's actually keeping the beasts off these men. Another commentator makes this statement. He says, the moment we allow our imagination to dwell on the details of her situation, we recoil. Again, I'm going to finish the sermon with a Davis quote, and I'm sure most of you have heard it. He says, the bodies just hang there, exposed to the elements. The stench and sight of decay can hardly be borne by any outsider, let alone a relative. and Rizpah is a mother of two who day in and day out, week in and week out, is forced to experience this with her own children. The horror defies description and the narrator does not describe it either. That's got to be tough, brethren. It's got to be a challenge, a heartache, a hardship, something that twists you on the inside. And then the chapter, the section rather, ends on the activity of David. David sees this and David sympathizes with this. So David reckons he's going to get the bones of Saul and Jonathan and bring them so that they can be interred or buried with the remains of these seven men. It'll be a complete done deal. Now, the men of Jabesh Gilead had basically spirited off the body of Saul after he died in battle. And the reason for that is because the men of Jabesh Gilead had a very favorable impression of Saul. Saul began his military career by protecting the men at Jabesh Gilead. 1 Samuel chapter 11, we've got that text that Saul was busy killing Ammonites until the heat of the day. Well, that was for the benefit of Jabesh Gilead. And so that's why Jonathan, or rather David, fetches the bones and gives them a proper burial. But then notice how the section ends. And after that, God heeded the prayer for the lamb. So the primary message that is taught to us in 2 Samuel 21 verses 1 to 14 is distinctly summarized by the apostle in Hebrews 9.22 when he says, without the shedding of blood, there is no remission. What you see here is consistent with Leviticus chapter 16, The Day of Atonement. The one day out of the year when the high priest dropped all of his regalia and with linen cloth alone took the blood of the one goat into the Holy of Holies and poured it on the mercy seat. Took the other goat, laid his hands upon him, confessed the sins of Israel, and then drove that goat out into the wilderness. So that the Israelites were taught that blood atonement was necessary to cover sin. That blood atonement provided the expiation or the removal of sin. That goat sent out into the wilderness preached a sermon. My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought. My sin, not in part, but the whole, is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord. So that's what's happening. And that's what happens here in Gibeah. And the chapter typically points forward to the victory of the kingdom. God sustains, God blesses, and God advances the kingdom in spite of internal threat, which is Saul and his destruction of the Gibeonites, and external threat at the end of the chapter. The latter half is that the Philistines are destroyed by David and his armies. The Lord sustains the kingdom in the midst of both internal and external threats. He's always mindful of what's happening. He always knows when a Saul is trying to engage in the extermination of a people and he takes notice and he brings the judgment of God to bear I would suggest secondly the action of Rizpah is a presentation of a sad scene David says the writer tells you this very solemn story, especially about Rizpah, because he wants to make you solemn. There's times when you should read your Bible and just feel bad. feeling bad is really underrated today it's not bad to feel bad once in a while our Lord was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief our Lord learned obedience through suffering do you think every day is going to be a Friday afternoon for you? do you think every day is going to be skipping through the tulips? do you think every day is going to be just magnificent? I don't ever trust people oh you're great, great, always great Really? You're always great? Because I'm not. Our Savior wasn't. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Sadness and depression and sorrow are oftentimes part of a healthy life. That's just the way it is. You live in a sin-cursed world. People hate you because they hate the Savior. It's hard to be peppy all the time. It's hard to always be dancing through the streets It's when, you know, Sodom is in full swing. Anyways, sometimes it's OK to feel bad. Now, that doesn't mean you're putting a 38 upside your head. Then you've got a problem. Give me a call. But Davis says he wants to make you solemn. He depicts this very sad episode because he wants you to be sad over it and marinate in that sadness and not to go worrying about how to pilfer some application from it. That's great. Well, what do we learn from Rizpah? Well, first of all, how to fend off animals. Secondly, how to make sure you protect yourself in a little earthly tent so that you can fend off animals. And thirdly, the way that you fend off animals is sort of dependent upon, no, not every passage has five practical points to help you in your Thursday either. And that's okay. God wrote the Bible. He didn't load it with all the practical points of a Joel Osteen. And there's good reason for that. Because he wants us to focus on the hero of Scripture, which is his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. But as well, I would suggest the action of Rizvah underscores the sorrows associated with life in a sin-cursed world. It wasn't her fault. I mean, she's a sinner. I'm not suggesting she isn't. But it wasn't her fault. She didn't tell Saul, go out and exterminate the Gibeonites. I'm going to help you. I'll load your gun. You do your thing, Saul, because I want to be there. The sorrows associated with life in a sin-cursed world. The terrifying reality of the wrath of God and the wretched consequences of sin. Most of the times it's our own sin, isn't it? What's our issue? Well, it's sin that dwells in me. But sometimes it's the sins of others that have an effect and it has an impact upon us. You get a bad king like Saul who's unfaithful and he does it for Israel and Judah, which may suggest a bit of a nationalistic spirit. Let's get these Gibeonites out of here, which, by the way, Saul hailed from Gibeah. So kind of an interesting situation. But the bottom line is you get wretched people over you. Sometimes you feel the consequences of their sin. I think another good reason for us to pray for our civil government. Paul tells us to pray in 1 Timothy chapter 2 for kings and all who are in authority so that we may lead peaceable and quiet lives. In other words, hedge in these lunatics so that we can meet freely to worship and to glorify and honor God. I would suggest thirdly and finally, the typical significance. In other words, what does this chapter point us forward to in the New Testament? The victory of the kingdom, already mentioned. I would suggest, secondly, the safety of covenant. David's covenant with Jonathan and then applied to Mephibosheth kept Mephibosheth safe. Jesus is the greater son of David who, via covenant, keeps us safe. In this instance, it was the wrath of God on the seven men of the house of Saul in Gibeah. For us, it's the wrath of God on the day of judgment for sins that you and I have committed. I would suggest thirdly that, well, perhaps not a formal type. I don't know why it wouldn't be, but Rizpah kind of looks like Mary. I don't know about physically, but the kind of grief, the kind of sorrow, the kind of woe that attended the mother of the Savior at the cross. Remember in Simeon's announcement, Luke 2, he says to Mary, Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel and for a sign which will be spoken against. Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also. Do we ever ponder? We talk about the humanity of Christ, the true humanity of Christ. So that means he had a real mother, perhaps because we don't want to be Catholics. We don't ever talk about Mary. Jesus was a real man with a real mother. and Simeon understood that when he was going to go to the cross, it was going to pierce the heart of his mother. Come on, Mom. I mean, even if your son was guilty and deserved that, it would be tough. But imagine if your son was wholly harmless and undefiled. Absolutely, positively not guilty and he was getting that. That would have to be a blow. As well, Gil says, the sorrows she met with on account of her son, as he was a man of sorrows, talking about Jesus. So was she a woman of sorrows from his cradle to his cross and his sorrows, like so many darts or javelins, rebounded from him to her and pierced her soul through as when Sarah Herod sought his life. Matthew two thirteen, when she had lost him for a whole day, Luke two forty eight, and when he was frequently exposed to danger among the spiteful and malicious Jews. But never more than when she stood at his cross and saw him in his agonies extended on the tree, bleeding, gasping and dying. I think he's right. I think we see in Rizpah something that should at least remind us or be reminiscent of the mother of Jesus. And then finally, the vivid reminder of substitutionary atonement, that it's for the satisfaction of divine justice. This is challenged all the time. The thought of penal substitutionary atonement is offensive outside the church. sometimes inside the church penal substitutionary atonement. That means somebody standing in our place receiving the punishment that is due for us so that we can receive forgiveness and a righteousness that avails with God. Again, I get why the world thinks that's unfair. I get why the world is perplexed about that. I don't get why the church, at least in one of the more recent iterations, would accuse the concept of penal substitutionary atonement as cosmic child abuse on the part of the father toward the son. If that's the right way you're reading your Bible, you need to believe on the gospel and you need to repent from your sin. Blood atonement is laced throughout. When God came to deal with Adam and Eve, He gave them skins to cover that. How did He get those skins? By killing the animals. From Genesis 3.21 all the way forward, we learn without the shedding of blood, there is no remission. God has not changed on that. God is not mutable. God has not determined that there's a better, more nicer way that we can go about this. The word became flesh and dwelt among us so that he could live, so that he could die, so that he could be raised again. And here's the quote from Davis. He says, most readers are simply aghast at the sheer horror of the episode. That, I suggest, points us to its primary application. Readers should be aghast. The text says atonement is horrible. It is gory. Atonement is never nice, but always gruesome. We need to see this for we easily fall into the trap of regarding atonement as merely a doctrine, a concept, an abstraction to be explained, a bit of theology to be analyzed, or little better to view it as a moving story to be replayed during Passion Week. But we should know better. Surely the Israelite worshiper realized this when he towed a young bull to the tabernacle and had to slit its throat, skin it, cut it in pieces and wash the insides and legs. It was all mess and gore from slicing the bull's throat in Leviticus one all the way to Calvary. God has always said atonement is nasty and repulsive. Christians must be aware of becoming too refined, longing for a kinder, gentler faith. If we've grown too used to Golgotha, perhaps Gibeah can shock us back into truth. Atonement is a drippy, bloody, smelly business. The stench of death hangs heavy wherever the wrath of God has been quenched. Brethren, I don't feel like I preach that justly enough, but I hope you got it. And I hope Davis brings it home and commends it. That's what Gibeah teaches us. It's not just this beautiful rendition of the artist of Jesus hanging there on the cross. It's drippy, bloody, smelly mess. You wonder how much the Savior loves his people. You wonder how much God commends his own love toward us. And that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Not exemplary, but to satisfy divine justice. May God, as he said, not God, but Davis, shock us back into a proper view of Golgotha with things like we have at the tabernacle, at the temple, and here at Gibeah. Well, let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank you for our Lord Jesus. It truly is an amazing gospel. It truly is good news that the divine word took our flesh, that he lived for us, that He satisfied divine justice through His own sorrow, His own death, His suffering, and that He rose again from the grave on that third day and now He sits enthroned at your right hand. What a Savior we serve and what a blessed God we serve and how we thank You for that atonement. How we thank You that without the shedding of blood there is no remission and You provided the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. We see that emphasis in the Old Testament. It must be a blemish free, a perfect sacrifice. And obviously, no man could ever offer that. But God Most High undertook on our behalf. As we eat the bread tonight, as we drink this cup, may we reflect on these things. And may it encourage us and may it draw from us worship and praise and adoration to our great God.