2 Samuel 21:7-14: a reflection

7But 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. 8But 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. 9He delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites; and they hanged them on the mountain before the LORD, and all seven of them fell together. They were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, at the beginning of barley harvest. 10Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water poured on them from the sky. She allowed neither the birds of the sky to rest on them by day, nor the animals of the field by night. 11David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done. 12So 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 hanged them in the day that the Philistines killed Saul in Gilboa; 13and he brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son. They also gathered the bones of those who were hanged. 14They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zela, in the tomb of Kish his father; and they performed all that the king commanded. After that, God answered prayer for the land.

In a sorrowful account, Rizpah keeps a long and faithful vigil over her dead, refusing to abandon them, watching over their bodies day and night; and her devoted love moves the king to give them honorable burial. Rizpah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, the account says, from the beginning of harvest until the rains came, and she allowed neither the birds by day nor the animals by night to touch the bodies of her sons. Amid a grievous event, Rizpah's steadfast, devoted love shines: she would not abandon her dead, but kept a long, lonely watch over them, protecting them through weeks of grief. And when David heard of her faithful vigil, he was moved to gather the bones of Saul and Jonathan and of these, and give them all honorable burial. This shows a faithful, devoted love that keeps its watch and does not abandon its own. A faithful, devoted love keeps its watch and does not abandon its own. Devoted love does not give up, even in grief and loss. Rizpah's faithfulness moved others to honor the dead. Faithful love that will not abandon its own is a moving and worthy thing.

Notice Rizpah's steadfast devotion amid this sorrowful account. In a grievous time, having lost her sons, Rizpah did not simply give way to despair or turn away. She spread sackcloth on the rock and kept a long vigil over the bodies of her dead, week after week, from the beginning of harvest until the rains came, guarding them by day and night, allowing neither birds nor beasts to touch them. It was a lonely, faithful, devoted watch, a love that would not abandon its own even in death and grief. And this devoted faithfulness did not go unnoticed: when David was told of it, he was moved to act, gathering the bones of Saul and Jonathan and of these, and giving them all honorable burial. This holds a picture of faithful, devoted love. Rizpah's love did not give up, did not turn away in grief, did not abandon what it loved even when there seemed nothing more to be done. It kept its watch, faithful and steadfast, through weariness and sorrow. Such faithful love, that will not abandon its own, that keeps its watch even in grief and loss, is a moving and worthy thing; and it can move others, as it moved David, to honor and to do what is right. We are stirred by such devotion and called to something of it: a faithful love that does not give up on those it loves, that keeps its watch, that does not abandon its own even in hard and sorrowful times. We do well to honor and to imitate such faithful, devoted love that keeps its watch and does not abandon its own. Honor and imitate a faithful love that keeps its watch and does not abandon its own. Devoted love does not give up, even in grief, weariness, and loss. Such faithfulness can move others to honor and do what is right. Keep faith with those you love, even in hard and sorrowful times.

That is worth taking to heart, for a faithful, devoted love keeps its watch and does not abandon its own, and such faithfulness is moving and worthy, as Rizpah kept her long vigil and moved David to honor the dead. We can give up in grief and weariness, turning away from what we love; but Rizpah kept a faithful watch over her dead and would not abandon them. Keep faith. Do not give up on those you love in hard and sorrowful times; keep a faithful watch, a devoted love that does not abandon its own, as Rizpah did. Honor and imitate a faithful, devoted love that keeps its watch and does not abandon its own even in grief and loss, as in a sorrowful account Rizpah kept a long and faithful vigil over her dead, refusing to abandon them and watching over them day and night, spreading sackcloth on the rock from the beginning of harvest until the rains came and allowing neither the birds by day nor the animals by night to touch them, and her devoted love moved the king to give them honorable burial; for amid a grievous event Rizpah's steadfast, devoted love shone as she would not abandon her dead but kept a long, lonely watch over them through weeks of grief, and when David heard of her faithful vigil he was moved to gather the bones of Saul and Jonathan and of these and give them all honorable burial, which holds a picture of faithful, devoted love, since Rizpah's love did not give up or turn away in grief or abandon what it loved even when there seemed nothing more to be done but kept its watch faithful and steadfast through weariness and sorrow, such faithful love that will not abandon its own being a moving and worthy thing that can move others as it moved David to honor and do what is right, so that we are stirred by such devotion and called to something of it, a faithful love that does not give up on those it loves and does not abandon its own even in hard and sorrowful times, and we do well to honor and imitate it.

Lord, in a sorrowful account, Rizpah keeps a long and faithful vigil over her dead, refusing to abandon them, watching over their bodies day and night; and her devoted love moves the king to give them honorable burial. Rizpah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, the account says, from the beginning of harvest until the rains came, and she allowed neither the birds by day nor the animals by night to touch the bodies of her sons. Amid a grievous event, Rizpah's steadfast, devoted love shines: she would not abandon her dead, but kept a long, lonely watch over them, protecting them through weeks of grief. And when David heard of her faithful vigil, he was moved to gather the bones of Saul and Jonathan and of these, and give them all honorable burial. Show me Rizpah's steadfast devotion amid this sorrowful account. In a grievous time, having lost her sons, Rizpah did not simply give way to despair or turn away. She kept a long vigil over her dead, week after week, guarding them by day and night. It was a lonely, faithful, devoted watch, a love that would not abandon its own even in death and grief. And this devoted faithfulness did not go unnoticed: when David was told of it, he was moved to act, giving the dead honorable burial. This holds a picture of faithful, devoted love. Rizpah's love did not give up, did not turn away in grief, did not abandon what it loved even when there seemed nothing more to be done. It kept its watch, faithful and steadfast, through weariness and sorrow. Such faithful love, that will not abandon its own, that keeps its watch even in grief and loss, is a moving and worthy thing; and it can move others, as it moved David, to honor and to do what is right. Take that to my heart. Keep me from giving up on those I love in hard and sorrowful times; help me keep a faithful watch, Lord, a devoted love that does not abandon its own even in grief, weariness, and loss, as Rizpah did, keeping faith with those I love and, by such faithfulness, moving others toward what is right.