Neville Turley

While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, “Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.” But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me’  2 Samuel 12:22-23 (NIV)

When David lost a child to death, the battle-hardened king was able to move on, not so Rizpah. Rizpah was the concubine of King Saul and bore him two sons, Armoni and Mephibosheth. 

During David’s rule, there was a three year famine in the land. It was God’s punishment for an atrocity committed by King Saul, who had murdered Gibeonites that Israel had sworn to protect.  (2 Samuel 21:1-2).

The Gibeonites wanted revenge. They demanded that David atone for Saul’s sin by surrendering seven of Saul’s offspring to them.  David agreed to their demand. He handed over Armoni and Mephibosheth and five of Saul’s grandchildren to them. The Gibeonites promptly hanged all seven and left their bodies exposed on a hill.  

Imagine the emotions that coursed through their mother at the fate of her innocent sons.  "Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest till the rain poured down from the heavens on the bodies, she did not let the birds touch them by day or the wild animals by night." (2 Samuel 21:10)

On hearing of Rizpah’s vigil, David ordered that the bodies be removed and interred in the family tomb of the grandfather, Kish.

There are parents today who have angrily turned against God in their sorrow at losing a loved one. They seek rational answers where there are none. The one thing we do know is that God’s love for us is so great that he himself allowed his only Son to die so that, through him, we could pass through death to life eternal.

Prayer: God our Father, in love you gave your Son so that we may be one with you. Teach us to accept your will for our life. For Jesus sake.  Amen