Gospel Reflections #1155: A deposit of past wounds

2 Samuel 21:14 ‘He buried them with the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the tomb of Kish, Saul’s father, at Zela in the land of Benjamin.’

This scene depicts how, once the sins of the past had been atoned for and the royal family had been properly laid to rest, God answered the prayers of the nation of Israel and brought an end to the famine that had lasted for three years.

Before this dramatic ‘restoration’ could take place, there had been a serious problem that had shaken the nation of Israel to its core.

During David’s reign, Israel was struck by three consecutive years of famine. When David asked the Lord for the reason, he was told, ‘It is because of the “blood guilt” remaining from the massacre of the Gibeonites by the former King Saul, with whom a treaty of non-aggression had once been concluded.’

When David asked the Gibeonites how they wished to be compensated, they demanded, ‘Hand over seven of Saul’s descendants.’

Although David spared Mephibosheth to honour his oath to Jonathan, he handed over the other seven descendants, who were subsequently executed.

Rizpa, the mother of the executed descendants, kept vigil day and night from the harvest until the rains came, to prevent the birds and wild beasts from devouring their bodies.

Moved by this mother’s profound love and grief, King David had the bones of Saul and Jonathan—which had been left unburied—and all the bones of those who had been executed on this occasion gathered up.

David formally buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan, which had once been displayed in enemy territory (Beth-shean), in the ancestral tomb of the House of Saul (the tomb at Kish), where they rightfully belonged.

In doing so, he paid due honour to the former kings and fully atoned for the ‘unresolved sin’ of breaching the covenant with the Gibeonites.

This demonstrates the importance of not neglecting ‘entanglements’ or ‘injustices’ in human relationships or between nations, but of addressing them properly.

No matter how fervently the whole nation prayed, God did not respond whilst unresolved sins or injustices (the responsibility for senseless bloodshed) remained within the nation.

However, it was only when human repentance, proper atonement, and the necessary ‘reconciliation and burial’ were completed that God finally accepted their prayers.

This reflects God’s nature: ‘God never forgets His covenants and holds us accountable for sin, yet He always grants restoration and grace (forgiveness) to sins that have been properly addressed.’

Are we, too, in our relationships with God or with others, neglecting past wounds or ‘injustices that have been swept under the carpet’?

When we feel that our prayers are not being heard, this serves as a reminder to examine whether there are matters we need to address first (such as confession of sin or reconciliation).

 Although the settling of accounts for sin was painful (the death of Saul’s descendants), when we confront our sins properly, God is the One who will surely put an end to the ‘curse’ and send down a ‘rain of grace (restoration)’.

Though He may appear stern, God is faithful and sincere towards us.

We, in responding to God’s love, should also be faithful and sincere; however, as God is fully aware of our weaknesses and imperfections, when we realise our own unfaithfulness or insincerity, we need only confess it to God and rely on Him.

God does not wish to punish us; He simply desires to save us and see us grow as His children.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.