"Unresolved Sin = Disaster"
Notes
Transcript
Proposition - 2 Samuel 21 teaches us that sin always has consequences. Israel is suffering a famine, and David seeks God to understand why the famine is happening.
Interrogative Question - What are some ways you can actively deal with sin in your life instead of ignoring it?
1. Sin Always Has Consequences - vs. 1-2
1. Sin Always Has Consequences - vs. 1-2
1 Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David sought the presence of the Lord. And the Lord said, “It is for Saul and his bloody house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.” 2 So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them (now the Gibeonites were not of the sons of Israel but of the remnant of the Amorites, and the sons of Israel made a covenant with them, but Saul had sought to kill them in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah).
David asks the Lord why there is a famine, and God answers:
“It is for Saul, and for his bloody house…”
Even though Saul was gone, his sin still affected others.
You may think your sin is “just your business,” but it never is. Sin always spreads.
Illustration:
Think of throwing a rock into a pond. The splash is small, but the ripples go far beyond the point of impact.
Sin works the same way—it affects friends, family, and even your future.
2. Sin Must Be Dealt With - vs. 3–9
2. Sin Must Be Dealt With - vs. 3–9
3 Thus David said to the Gibeonites, “What should I do for you? And how can I make atonement that you may bless the inheritance of the Lord?” 4 Then the Gibeonites said to him, “We have no concern of silver or gold with Saul or his house, nor is it for us to put any man to death in Israel.” And he said, “I will do for you whatever you say.” 5 So they said to the king, “The man who consumed us and who planned to exterminate us from remaining within any border of Israel, 6 let seven men from his sons be given to us, and we will hang them before the Lord in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the Lord.” And the king said, “I will give them.” 7 But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the oath of the Lord which was between them, between David and Saul’s son Jonathan. 8 So the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, Armoni and Mephibosheth whom she had borne to Saul, and the five sons of Merab the daughter of Saul, whom she had borne to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite. 9 Then he gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the mountain before the Lord, so that the seven of them fell together; and they were put to death in the first days of harvest at the beginning of barley harvest.
David doesn’t ignore the problem. He asks, “What shall I do?” and seeks to make things right.
The Gibeonites ask for justice, and it is carried out.
God doesn’t want us to cover sin—He wants us to confess and deal with it.
Proverbs 28:13 – “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper…”
Illustration:
Imagine failing a test and hiding it from your parents. The problem doesn’t go away—it grows.
But when you confess it, even though it’s hard, that’s when things start getting fixed.
3. God Honors both Faithfulness and Compassion - vs. 10–14
3. God Honors both Faithfulness and Compassion - vs. 10–14
10 And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until it rained on them from the sky; and she allowed neither the birds of the sky to rest on them by day nor the beasts of the field by night. 11 When it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done, 12 then 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 open square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them on the day the Philistines struck down Saul in Gilboa. 13 He brought up the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from there, and they gathered the bones of those who had been hanged. 14 They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zela, in the grave of Kish his father; thus they did all that the king commanded, and after that God was moved by prayer for the land.
Rizpah, the mother of two of the men who died, shows incredible loyalty. She guards their bodies day and night.
Her faithfulness moves David to act with honor and bury the bones properly.
God sees quiet faithfulness, even when no one else does.
Illustration:
It’s like a student who does the right thing when no one is watching—no cheating, no shortcuts.
Others may not notice, but God does—and it matters.
4. God Gives Victory Through His Strength - vs. 15–22
4. God Gives Victory Through His Strength - vs. 15–22
15 Now when the Philistines were at war again with Israel, David went down and his servants with him; and as they fought against the Philistines, David became weary. 16 Then Ishbi-benob, who was among the descendants of the giant, the weight of whose spear was three hundred shekels of bronze in weight, was girded with a new sword, and he intended to kill David. 17 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah helped him, and struck the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, “You shall not go out again with us to battle, so that you do not extinguish the lamp of Israel.” 18 Now it came about after this that there was war again with the Philistines at Gob; then Sibbecai the Hushathite struck down Saph, who was among the descendants of the giant. 19 There was war with the Philistines again at Gob, and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam. 20 There was war at Gath again, where there was a man of great stature who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number; and he also had been born to the giant. 21 When he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David’s brother, struck him down. 22 These four were born to the giant in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.
CSB Study Bible: Notes (Chapter 21)
21:19 This verse raises the question of who killed Goliath of Gath. First Sm 17:50–51 credits David, but this verse credits Elhanan. One interpretation suggests two different Goliaths, though the identical description of Goliath’s spear being like a weaver’s beam (cp. 1Sm 17:7) makes this option doubtful. Another explanation is to understand Elhanan as David’s original name and David as David’s throne name, but this is not supported elsewhere in Scripture. By far the most likely explanation is that Elhanan killed not Goliath but Goliath’s brother, as 1Ch 20:5 states, and that an early scribe simply miscopied the present verse. Although this verse and 1Ch 20:5 read a bit differently in English, in the Hebrew text only a minor alteration is required to change from one reading to another.
The chapter ends with battles against giants. David grows weary, but others step in and help.
You are not meant to fight life’s battles alone. God gives strength and brings people alongside you.
Illustration:
Think of a team sport. One player can’t win the game alone.
You need teammates—and in life, God gives you help through others.
SO WHAT?
Sin always has consequences—even delayed ones
Ignoring sin always makes things worse
Doing right matters, even when it’s hard
God provides strength and support for life’s battles
2 Samuel 21 teaches a sobering truth:
👉 What you do today matters tomorrow.
But it also gives hope:
When sin is faced honestly and handled God’s way, God restores and brings blessing again.
Is there something in your life you’ve been ignoring?
Is there a sin you need to confess and make right?
Don’t wait.
👉 Deal with it now—God’s way.
