Works of Joseph Hall, Part 36
The Gibeonites reuenged.
THE raigne of Dauid was moſt troubleſome towards the ſhutting vp; wherein both warre and famine conſpire to afflict him; Almoſt forty yeares had he ſate in the throne of Iſrael, with competency, if not abundance of all things; now at laſt are his people viſited with a long death; we are not at firſt ſenſible of common euils; Three yeares drought and ſcarcitie are gone ouer ere Dauid conſults with God, concerning the occaſion of the iudgement, now he found it high time to ſeeke the face of the Lord; The continuance of an affliction ſends vsus to God, and cals vponupon vsus to aske for a reckoning; Whereas like men ſtrucken in their ſleepe, a ſudden blow cannot make vsus to finde our ſelues; but rather aſtoniſheth, then teacheth vsus.
Dauid was himſelfe a Prophet of God, yet had not the Lord all this while acquainted him with the grounds of his proceedings againſt Iſrael; this ſecret was hid from him, till hee conſulted with the Vrim; Ordinarie meanes ſhall reueale that to him, which no viſion had deſcryed; And if God will hauehave Prophets to hauehave recourſe vntounto the Prieſts, for the notice of his will; how much more muſt the people? Euen thoſe that are the inwardeſt with God muſt hauehave vſe of the Ephod.
Iuſtly is it preſuppoſed by Dauid that there was neuer iudgement from God, where hath not been a prouocation from men; therefore when he ſees the plague, he inquires for the ſinne. Neuer man ſmarted cauſeleſſely from the hand of diuine iuſtice; Oh that when we ſuffer, we could aske what wee hauehave done; and could guide our repentance to the root of our euils.
That God whoſe counſels are ſecret, euen where his actions are open, will not bee cloſe to his Prophet; to his Prieſt: without inquirie we ſhall know nothing; vponupon inquirie nothing ſhall be concealed from vsus, that is fit for vsus to know.
Who can chooſe but wonder at once, both at Dauids ſlackneſſe in conſulting with God, and Gods ſpeed in anſwering ſo ſlow a demand? He that ſo well knew the way to Gods Oracle, ſuffers Iſrael to be three yeares pinched with famine, ere hee askes why they ſuffer; Euen the beſt hearts may be ouertaken with dulneſſe in holy d…ties; But oh the maruellous mercy of God, that takes not the aduantage of our weakneſſes. Dauids queſtion is not more ſlow, then his anſwer is ſpeedy, It is for Saul, and for his bloody houſe, becauſe he ſlew the Gibeonites. Iſrael was full of ſinnes, beſides thoſe of Sauls houſe; Sauls houſe was full of ſinnes, beſides thoſe of blood; Much blood was ſhed by them, beſides that of the Gibeonites; yet the iuſtice of God ſingles out this one ſinne of violence offered to the Gibeonites (contrary to the league made by Ioſhua, ſome foure hundred yeares before) for the occaſion of this late vengeance. Where the cauſes of offence are infinite, it is iuſt with God to pitch vponupon ſome; it is mercifull not to puniſh for all: Welneer forty yeares are paſt betwixt the commiſſion of the ſinne, and the reckoning for it. It is a vaine hope that is raiſed from the delay of iudgement; No time can be any preiudice to the ancient of dayes; When wee hauehave forgotten our ſins, when the world hath forgotten vsus, he ſues vsus afreſh for our arerages. The ſlaughter of the Gibeonites was the ſinne not of the preſent, but rather the former generation; and now poſteritie payes for their forefathers; Euen we men hold it not vniuſt to ſue the heires and executors of our debters; Eternall paiments God vſes onelyonly to require of the perſon, temporarie oft-times of ſucceſſion.
As Saul was higher by the head and ſhoulders then the reſt of Iſrael, both in ſtature and dignitie, ſo were his ſinnes more conſpicuous then thoſe of the vulgar. The eminence of the perſon makes the offence more remarkable to the eyes both of God and men.
Neither Saul nor Iſrael were faultleſſe in other kinds; yet God fixes the eye of his reuenge vponupon the maſſacre of the Gibeonites. EueryEvery ſinne hath a tongue, but that of blood ouer-cryes, and drownes the reſt. Hee who is mercy it ſelfe abhorres crueltie in his creature aboue all other inordinateneſſe; That holy ſoule which was heauy preſſed with the weight of an hainous adulterie, yet cryes out, Deliuer me from blood, O God, the God of my ſaluation, and my tongue ſhall ſing ioyfully of thy righteouſneſſe.
If God would take account of blood, hee might hauehave entred the action vponupon the blood of Vriah ſpilt by Dauid; or (if hee would rather inſiſt in Sauls houſe) vponupon the blood of Abimelech the Prieſt; and foureſcore and fiue perſons that did weare a linnen Ephod; but it pleaſed the wiſdome and iuſtice of the Almighty rather to call for the blood of the Gibeonites, though drudges of Iſrael, and a remnant of Amorites. Why this? There was a periury attending vponupon this ſlaughter; It was an ancient Oath wherein the Princes of the congregation had bound themſelues (vponupon Ioſhua's league) to the Gibeonites, that they would ſuffer them to liue; an oath extorted by fraud, but ſolemne, by no leſſe …me, then the Lord God of Iſrael; Saul will now thus late either not acknowledge it, or not keepe it; out of his zeale therefore to the children of Iſrael, and Iudah; he roots …ut ſome of the Gibeonites, whether in a zeale of reuenge of their firſt impoſture, or in a zeale of inlarging the poſſeſſions of Iſrael, or in a zeale of executing Gods charge vponupon the brood of Canaanites, he that ſpared Agag whom he ſhould hauehave ſmitten, ſmites the Gibeonites whom he ſhould hauehave ſpared: Zeale and good intention is no excuſe, much leſſe a warrant for euill; God holds it an high indignitie that his name ſhould be ſworne by, and violated Length of time cannot diſpenſe with our oathes, with our vowes; The vowes and oathes of others may binde vsus, how much more our owne?
There was a famine in Iſrael; a naturall man would hauehave aſcribed it vntounto the drought; and that drought perhaps to ſome conſtellations; Dauid knowes to looke higher; and ſees a diuine hand ſcourging Iſrael for ſome great offence; and ouer-ruling thoſe ſecond cauſes to his moſt iuſt executions▪ Euen the moſt quick-ſighted worldling is pore-blind to … all obiects; and the weakeſt eyes of the regenerate pierce the heauens, and eſpy God in all earthly occurrences.
So well was Dauid acquainted with Gods proceedings, that he knew the remouall of the iudgement muſt begin at the ſatisfaction of the wronged▪ At once therefore doth he pray vntounto God, and treat with the Gibeonites; What ſhall I doe for you, and wherewith ſhall I make the atonement, that I may bleſse the inheritance of the Lord? In vaine ſhould Dauid (though a Prophet) bleſſe Iſrael at the Gibeonites did not … leſſe them: Iniuries done vsus on earth giuegive vsus power in heauen; The oppreſſor is in no mans mercy but his whom he hath trampled vponupon.
Little did the Gibeonites thinke that God had ſo taken to heart their wrongs, that for their ſakes all Iſrael ſhould ſuffer. Euen when we thinke not of it, is the righteous Iudge auenging our vnrighteous vexations; Our hard meaſures cannot bee hid from him, his returnes are hid from vsus; It is ſufficient for vsus▪ that God can bee no more neglectiue, then ignorant of our ſufferings. It is now in the power of theſe deſpiſed Hiuites to make their owne termes with Iſrael; Neither Siluer, nor Gold will ſauour with them towards their ſatisfaction; Nothing can expiate the blood of their fathers, but the blood of ſeuen ſonnes of their deceaſed perſecutor; Here was no other then a iuſt retaliation; Saul had puniſhed in them the offence of their predeceſſors; they will now reuenge Sauls ſinne in his children. The meaſure we mete vntounto others, is with much equity re-meaſured vntounto our ſelues. EueryEvery death would not content them, of Sauls ſonnes, but a curſed and ignominious, hanging on the Tree; Neither would that death content them, vnleſſe their owne hands might bee the executioners; Neither would any place ſerue for the execution but Gibeah, the Court of Saul; neither would they doe any of this for the wreaking of their own fury, but for the appeaſing of Gods wrath, We will hang them vp vntounto the Lord in Gibeah of Saul.
Dauid might not refuſe the condition: Hee muſt deliuer, they muſt execute: Hee chooſes out ſeuen of the ſonnes, and grand-children of Saul; That houſe had raiſed long an vniuſt perſecution againſt Dauid, now God payes it vponupon anothers ſcore. Dauids louelove and oath to Ionathan, preſerues lame Mephiboſheth: How much more ſhall the Father of all mercies doe good vntounto the children of the faithfull, for the couenant made with their Parents?
The fiue ſonnes of Adriel the Meholathite, Dauids ancient riuall in his firſt louelove, which were borne to him by Merab, Sauls Daughter, and brought vp by her barren ſiſter Michol the wife of Dauid, are yeelded vp to death; Merab was after a promiſe of mariage to Dauid, vniuſtly giuen away by Saul, to Adriel; Michol ſeemes to abet the match in breeding the children; now in one act (nor of Dauids ſeeking) the wrong is thus late auenged vponupon Saul, Adriel, Merab, Michol, the children: It is a dangerous matter to offer iniury to any of Gods faithfull ones; If their meekneſſe hauehave eaſily remitted it, their God will not paſſe it ouer without a ſeuere retribution.
Theſe fiue, together with two ſonnes of Rizpah, Sauls Concubine, are hanged vp at once before the Lord; yea and before the eyes of the World; No place but an Hill wil ſerue for this execution; The acts of iuſtice as they are intended for example, ſo they ſhould be done in that eminent faſhion that may make them both moſt inſtructiue, and moſt terrifying; Vnwarrantable courſes of priuate reuenge ſeeke to hide their heads in ſecreſie; The beautifull face of iuſtice both affects the light, and becomes it.
It was the generall charge of Gods Law that no corps ſhould remaine all night vponupon the gibbet; The Almighty hath power to diſpenſe with his owne command; ſo doubtleſſe he did in this extraordinary caſe; theſe carkaſſes did not defile, but expiate. Sorrowfull Rizpah ſpreads her a Tent of Sackcloth vponupon the Rocke, for a ſad attendance vponupon thoſe ſonnes of her wombe; Death might bereaue her of them, not them of her louelove; This ſpectacle was not more grieuous to her, then pleaſing to God, and happy to Iſrael. Now the clouds drop …meſſe, and the earth runs forth into plenty. The Gibeonites are ſatisfied, God reconciled, Iſrael relieued.
How bleſſed a thing it is for any Nation that iuſtice is vnpartially executed euen vponupon the mighty. A few drops of blood hauehave procured large ſhowres from Heauen. A few carkaſſes are a rich compoſt to the earth; The drought and dearth remoue away with the breath of thoſe pledges of the offender; Iudgements cannot tyrannize where iuſtice raignes: as contrarily, there can be no peace where blood cryes vnheard, vnregarded.