The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 4 · Section 198 – Section 199
SECT. CXCVIII.
AFter theſe things God puniſhed the land of Iſrael with famine for three years together, occaſioned by drought and want of rain. David at firſt lookt upon it as a puniſhment laid upon them for the common ſins of the land, but when he ſaw it continued three years together he thought there was ſome more ſpecial thing for which God was ſo highly offended(a)Populus punitur quia de eo facto gaudebant & ſperabant ſe frui poſſe bonis illorum. Videbatur etiam David rem negligere, & potitus regno non ſuccurrebat oppreſſis., therefore he enquired of the Lord concerning it by the High-Prieſt, and the Lord anſwered, It was for the blood of the Gibeonites ſhed by Saul and his bloody family. For Saul pretending a great zeal for the good of Iſrael, attempted to deſtroy the Amorites, and with them all wizards and witches, [1 Sam. 28.3, 9.] and with them he alſo fell upon the Gibeonites (b)V. 2. Of the remnant of the Amorites.] All the inhabitants of Canaan are uſually in the Scripture called Amorites. See Gen. 15.16., and deſtroyed many of them (c)Occidit eos ut eorum urbes & poſſeſſiones Iſraelitis traderet indignam ratus ut praeſtans illa terrae portio ab alienigenis occuparetur., notwithſtanding the Oath which Joſhua and the Elders of Iſrael had ſworn to them that they ſhould live peaceably among them, Joſh. 9.15. And it ſeems the Lord did not only tell David wherefore this famine was ſent, but injoined him to make ſatisfaction to the Gibeonites for the wrong they had ſuſtained. David accordingly ſending for the Gibeonites, asked them what ſatisfaction they would require for the wrong that had been done them, that ſo they might not complain any longer to God of the cruelty the Iſraelites had exerciſed upon them, nor endeavour to draw down judgments upon them, but being ſatisfied might pray for their peace, and the proſperity of the land which God had given them for an inheritance. The Gibeonites anſwered, We will have no ſilver or gold of any of Sauls family, neither for us ſhalt thou kill any man in Iſrael, ſave only thoſe of his family who were chief actors in the deſtruction of our Brethren; let thoſe of his poſterity (who ſought utterly to deſtroy us from among the Iſraelites) be delivered unto us and we will hang them up in Saul's own City (who being choſen of Gods meer favour and grace to be King over Iſrael, turned Tyrant, and ſhed innocent blood) and this we will do not out of revenge, but that by their death an atonement may be made to the Lord, and that his wrath may be appeaſed, and the famine removed, and that others by this example may learn to keep Covenant, and not to oppreſs the ſtranger that is taken under Gods protection(a)Voluit Deus ſe oſtendere adjutorem oppreſſorum & delectatum eſſe iſtorum Ethnicorum converſione qui typum gerebant Gentium vocandarum., ſee Numb. 25.4. David having (as it ſeems) warrant from God to give them the ſatisfaction they required, he promiſes to deliver ſeven of Saul's poſterity into their hands; but he would not let Mephiboſheth be one of them, becauſe of that ſpecial Covenant that was between him and Jonathan, 1 Sam. 18.3. He had likewiſe ſworn to Saul, that he would not cut off his ſeed after him, 1 Sam. 24.21, 22. But God now by this his ſpecial command diſpenſed with him as to that Oath. So the King took the two Sons of Rizpah Saul's Concubine, and the five Sons of Merab, Saul's Daughter, which ſhe had by Adriel, [1 Sam. 18.19] but were brought up, and educated by Michal her ſiſter, (ſhe having no children of her own) and delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, who immediately hanged them up on an hill near Gibeah, that all might look upon them as a fearful example of Gods high diſpleaſure againſt Saul and his bloody houſe for killing and maſſacring thoſe poor men in that manner he had done. And ſo they were all executed and put to death (b)Whereas 'tis ſaid, Deut. 24.16. The children ſhall not be put to death for the Fathers, every man ſhall be put to death for his own ſin. We muſt know that puniſhments are either temporary or eternal, in the former children and ſuch as are innocent of thoſe ſins for which the puniſhment is ſent, may be involv'd, becauſe they live in the ſame community, and are as it were members of the ſame body; but as for thoſe puniſhments that are eternal, they are never inflicted upon any but for their own ſins; and of theſe chiefly the Prophet is to be underſtood, Ezek. 18.4. & 20.together in the beginning of Barley harveſt. Rizpah the mother of two of them knew (it ſeems) that the bodies of her Sons and of the reſt that were hanged were ſo to remain till God ſhould teſtifie that he was appeaſed towards the land by giving them rain. David doubtleſs had ſpecial direction from the Lord in this matter, for otherwiſe 'twas againſt the expreſs letter of the Law that the body ſhould hang all night, [ſee Deut. 21.23.] but God having (as it ſeems) otherwiſe ordered it at this preſent, Rizpah that ſhe might defend their bodies from birds and beaſts reſolv'd to watch them, and to that end ſhe took ſackcloth, and ſpread therewith a Tent for her ſelf on the rock next adjoining (to defend her from the heat and weather) and there ſat (poſſibly with ſome ſervants attending her) in a mournful poſture, watching of them till water dropt upon them from heaven; and God ſent rain upon the land as was deſired. David hearing what affection Rizpah had ſhewed to her Sons that were hanged, and how careful ſhe had been to keep their dead bodies from being torn and mangled, (that they might be decently interr'd) being mov'd by her example he began to think of ſhewing ſome reſpect to the dead bodies of Saul and Jonathan which had been taken by the men of Jabeſh-Gilead from the ſtreet of Bethſhan where the Philiſtines had hanged them. Accordingly David ordered that the bones of Saul and Jonathan, together with the bones of theſe men lately hanged (whoſe bodies as 'tis like being putrified, they burned off the fleſh from their bones) ſhould be buried in the Sepulchre of Kiſh the Father of Saul. And after that God was intreated for the land, and teſtified his favour by ſending rain, and taking away the Famine.
2 Sam. Ch. 21. from 1, to 15.
SECT. CXCIX.
TRoubles again ariſe to David from the Philiſtines, and four battles are fought with them, wherein four Valiants of David ſlay four of their Giants. In the firſt of theſe David himſelf was engaged, and being old and faint was in great danger of being kill'd by one of the Sons of the Giant, but he was reſcued by Abiſhai who kill'd the Giant. David's Souldiers hereupon reſolv'd that he ſhould go no more in perſon with them to battel, leſt he ſhould be ſlain, and ſo the light of Iſrael be quencht, that is, their glory, ſplendor and joy ſhould periſh with him. See 1 King. 15.4. The next battel with them was at Gob near unto Gezer. Here Sibbechai another of David's Worthies ſlew another Giant. The third battel was alſo at Gob, and there Elhanan another of David's Valiant Commanders ſlew another Giant, the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the ſtaff of whoſe Spear was like a weavers beam. The fourth was at Gath where a man of great ſtature came out againſt them and defied Iſrael; he had on each hand ſix fingers, and on each foot ſix toes, and was another ſon of the Giant Rapha, Jonathan the ſon of Shimea (called Shammah, 1 Sam. 16.9.) ſlew this vaſt Giant. Theſe four fell by the hands of David and his ſervants. For though David did not kill any of them himſelf, yet their death is aſcrib'd to him as well as to his Captains, becauſe they fought in his quarrel and under his command.
2 Sam. Ch. 21. from v. 15, to the end.
1 Chron. Ch. 20. from v. 4, to the end.