Rizpah, a Silent Voice of Courage
A covenant was broken by King Saul before his death. To repay for the lives lost from this broken covenant, the Gibeonites demanded that seven of Saul’s male descendants be executed to make up for the death of their sons. When King David agreed to this request, Rizpah’s two sons and Saul’s daughter, Merab’s, five sons were put to death. (2 Samuel 21:2-7)
Throughout the Old Testament, this type of consequence was driven by the principle of ‘an eye for an eye’ (Exodus 21:23-25). Under this law, if a crime resulted in death, the required penalty was death. In this account, the outcome was viewed as justice for the Gibeonites, but devastating for Rizpah. Saul’s two sons and his five grandsons became the silent, innocent victims of this event.
Rizpah was nothing in the eyes of these men, but she was a mother that had nothing left but her sons. Now her past, present and future has all been taken from her. A famine hit the land and God revealed it was the sins of the father, King Saul, that had come before the judgment seat.
When a covenant is not kept, it does not only affect the person who broke it, but also their family and others … through association. Rizpah’s story illustrates this. Her sons did not break the covenant themselves; however, they paid the ultimate price for the sins of their father.
Rizpah, daughter of Aiah, took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest till the rain poured down from the heavens on the bodies, she did not let the birds touch them by day or the wild animals by night. (2 Samuel 21:10 NIV)
Rizpah’s choice to spread sackcloth on a rock highlights her deep maternal devotion. She fought for the one thing she had left, their dignity … and as children of a king, a proper burial was due them. She refused to be denied. It was law and she demanded her justice after all of the injustices of her life. Refusing to abandon her sons, she sat there for months … from the spring harvest until autumn rains fell. Her harvest was of another kind. Rizpah’s fought for the ones who paid the price King Saul owed by refusing to let them be dishonored. Her long vigil became a public protest against the tragedy and harsh politics that took her children, demanding that her silent voice bring justice. After King David heard of her intercession, intervention, and interception of this atrocity, her petition was heard and granted by King David. Rizpah became a symbol of sacrifice, courage, and determination to never stop praying until the answer you need comes.
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