Rizpah on the Rocks

Rizpah on the Rocks

Joh_19:27  Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.

The backstory to this is when israel went into the land they were to wipe everyone out but one day there showed up a group of people with old and moldy bread and asked for a treaty Joshua gave them a treaty supposing they had been far away than they discovered they were close neighbors they said do whatever you want just do not kill us so Joshua made them hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of GOd and they were to serve the priests that served the Lord

This was the situation for 400 years they honored their end and God's people honored their end they did not turn on them in times of weakness they stayed with them even as far as we know when they were servants to the midianites and other people groups than conquered them

And then one day Saul decided to slaughter them When this was done is not certain the Jews commonly say that he slew them when he slew the priests at Nob, they being hewers of wood and drawers of water to them, and were slain with them; or because their maintenance depended on the priests, they being servants to the priests would have been there

1 Samuel 22:18–19 KJV 1900

And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod. And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge of the sword.

1 sam 22:19

1 samuel 22:19 And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge of the sword.

Because of that breaking of the covenant God shut up heaven. And there was a famine the whole nation was suffering for the sins of Saul now dead.

Results of sin are so far reaching

God used continuing famine to prompt David to seek the reason behind this calamity

For the first two seasons the scarcity did not cause much anxiety,

When God sends judgment it is appropriate for his children to inquire why the wheels of justice grind slowly why he waited 30 years I do not know why

So God had him go to the Gibeonites and see how to make this right so he could bless the land again.

They said Pretty much what the bible said that the only way this can be made right is if the blood of him that shed the blood is shed for the blood he shed.

Genesis 4:10–11 KJV 1900

And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;

Gen_4:10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.

Gen_4:11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;

The ground was thirsty not for water but for justice

Numbers 35:33 KJV 1900

So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.

Num 35:

Num_35:33 So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.

So he took the two sons of Saul Armoni and Mephibosheth NOt the same one that was Jonathan's son. Son not grandson And he took five of Saul's Grandsons That micha brought up for her brother in law after her sister died

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And delivered them to the Gibeonites and they hanged them up before the Lord in gibeah of Saul his hometown.

And these boys mother Rizpah stayed there From The beginning of the barley harvest was normally during Nisan (March–April), the beginning of the year.For six months till the october rains started to fall. And by day As the middle easter sun beat down on her shadless rock she suffered not the birds to come down on their bodies. And by night after fighting the birds all day she rose and fought off the jackal and the animals that would come to eat them and she did this till the flesh rotted and dropped off the bones to the earth and the bones bleached with in the son till david came and took the bones and gave them a proper burial.

What held her there ?

She Was Indebted

Wherefore David said unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? and wherewith shall I make the atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of the LORD?

As long as they was sin unpaid for God could not bless they did not need forgiveness they needed atonement

Atonement means make it right to satisfy to make appease justice to repair and to repay.

It is more than forgiveness.

And the Gibeonites said unto him, We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his house; neither for us shalt thou kill any man in Israel. And he said, What ye shall say, that will I do for you.

They were innocent.

It is going to take the death of a king's son that is innocent

What held her there was their inconse they should not have had to die for what someone else did

While the gibeonites got justice where was their justice ?

The other five boys of merab and adriel that mical brought up they had already suffered unspeakable pain their mother must have died and their bitter barren aunt raised them

They died for her sins.

They were innocent of the blood of the gibeonites

But she was not she should have died

In a marriage you are heirs together of the grace of life

You hear about women all the time getting arrested for aiding their husbands with their crimes with not stopping them with not reporting them.

While saul was turning into a egomaniac killer where was she to calm him to stop him to say think what would God want

I mean after all achan's wife died with her husband

Sapphira died with ananias

Korah and company went quick into the pit together

Oh they were innocent but she wasn't

I think what held her there was that she should have been the one to hang on that tree not the innocent king's son.

They took the sins of all Israel on them.

The whole nation owed the gibeonites a debt

Where was the public outrage for what saul did

Where was the red cross of Israel ? Were were the go fund me accounts set up to help the grieving children and widows ? the whole nation owed them a debt and the innocent king's son paid that debt.

I think as she looked up at the tree they hung on she looked up there and said it should have been me I am going to stay here to serve them because it should have been me I am indebted

I hope you get the picture that is what the kings son did whose name was Jesus

He was innocent and he died for the sins of those that were past like they did he died for the sins of those that were present like they did and he died for the sins of those that were future like they did but most of all He died for my sins

My sins nailed him there your sins nailed him there

And what should hold us at the foot of the cross is the indebtedness we owe him he was crucified for me

I will stay here i will not leave

Galatians 6:14 KJV 1900

But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

So you know what she did

And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water dropped upon them out of heaven, and suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.

Sackcloth there is repentance I deserve what happened to you you lived the life I should have lived you died the death I should have died

The Rock there is Christ other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid which is Jesus christ

She sat on that rock

And then the rain started to come and the blessing started to come because of the innocent king's son that died

Ever since I spread repentance on that rock and sat on the rock put my faith in christ the rain has started to fall spiritually speaking

Brother I am talking about showers of blessings

And you know what is does it keeps me at the foot of the cross because I am indebted.

She Was Invested

But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bare unto Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite:

The knock came at the door who could it be it is the King's horses and his chariot what could they want

Open in the name of the law They go lay hands on the boys she said no stop what are you doing they said justice demands a sacrifice they must come with me.

And as she was screaming they said stand back the wages of sin is death they must die

That was all she had

Her husband had died.

Saul was in a battle sometime before in mount gilboa and the battle did not go his way and the archers hit heim and he did not want to be abused by the wicked evil philistins in a moment of fear he asked his armour bearer to kill him he would not so he fell on his sword and killed himself after having his last meal with a witch

Death of a spouse is never and easy thing but death by suicide is a dark dark path for those left behind

All the questions all the grief

She did not have closure.

They cut off his head paraded it around hung his body up in bethshan and he brave men of jaYou see even though the payment was finished there was still work to be done besh gilead who owed saul a debt of gratitude for 70 years and they came stole the body of saul and jonathan and buried them in jabesh gilead 20 miles west of the jordan river under and oak

Imagine that to end a marriage

She could not attend the funeral she did not see the body

She was disposed from the palace.

SHe had lived among the royalties and enjoyed all the danties of life as a queen she was among the aristocracy the royalty .

Vultures by day jackals by night

Rizpah, the mother of two of them, watched over their bodies for six months to protect them from the vultures and the beasts.

She was abused by Abner. 2 Samuel 3:7

2 Samuel 3:7 KJV 1900

And Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah: and Ish-bosheth said to Abner, Wherefore hast thou gone in unto my father’s concubine?

2Sa_3:7 And Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah: and Ishbosheth said to Abner, Wherefore hast thou gone in unto my father's concubine?

And Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah: and Ishbosheth said to Abner, Wherefore hast thou gone in unto my father's concubine?

Her name was mud she was sexually abused the captain of the host of the israelite army Abner has been publicy repramained for sexualy abusing sauls concubines

This grieving widow

Her only family that she was depended on was hanging on a tree.

She has been deposed from the palace and she depended on her two boys for her food armoni and mephibosheth they arrest her boys what is this about what have they done

Without them she had no life her husband was dead her kingdom was gone abner her fling was gone.

She stayed there because she was invested it was her life

You know what should keep us at the foot of the Cross ?

Php_1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

All that I am all my hope all my dreams are tied up in the cross

Why would I go anywhere else ?

She gave no thought for herself that is dedication that is faithfulness

Where is that in the church today?

faithfulness is not there anymore

They are not invested in the cross it is not everything to them

They did not bring everything to the foot of the cross

They just wanted to go to heaven but they would not spend six months under the son it doesn't mean that much to them

Late = not invested

Were you will be tonight determines your level of investment in his work

What keeps You at the foot of the cross ?

She Had an Interest

(in what they left behind)

They left their body.

Christ left his body, the church, behind and we have an interest in that.

You see even though the payment was finished there was still work to be done and she was to be involved in that work.

Deuteronomy 21:22–23 KJV 1900

And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree:

23 His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

All those boys left behind was their body

Before the land was intreated those bones had to be put in their proper place

But she could not do it herself she had to have divine help

To get it done she had to get the attention of the king

And what got her attention was that she stayed there she was held there at the foot of that tree

And the king heard about it and he must have remembered the word of God and his promises to Jonathan

But also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the LORD hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth.

And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.

And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh-gilead, which had stolen them from the street of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, when the Philistines had slain Saul in Gilboa:

And he brought up from thence the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son; and they gathered the bones of them that were hanged.

And the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son buried they in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the sepulchre of Kish his father: and they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God was intreated for the land.

The Lord left behind a body and we have an interest in what he left behind

While he was on that cross he gave some instructions

Joh_19:26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!

Joh_19:27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.

Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.

But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?

And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!

For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

Out Job is to take care of what he left behind and he left behind his body the church

And we should stay there at the foot of the cross and not let the fouls of the air the devil to land on the body

And we should keep the grievous wolves away that would enter in shepps close and destroy his body

You see there is still work to be done and we are there to do it

We are still have an interest in what he left behind on the cross of calvary and that should keep us at the foot of the cross

Involved

There was more that needed to be done

21:11–13 David heard about what Rizpah had done, and he took action to provide the dead an honored burial. The bones of Saul and his son Jonathan (and presumably those of Abinadab and Malchishua, , ) were brought from Jabesh-gilead back to Benjamin. David also gathered up the bones of Saul’s family.

Do not put yourself in a position where you are depended on the mercy of man

Let us not fall into the hands of man but the Lord for his mercies are great