2 Samuel 21:1
Verse 1 During the reign of David, there was a famine for three successive years; so David sought the face of the Lord. The Lord said, “It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death.”
David had established his reign over God's people but that didn't mean that all was going well in the kingdom. While God has given His people peace with their adversaries He still had things He wanted His people to know. Just as He has done during their time in the wilderness, where He gave them situations to teach them things about Himself and what He desired from their relationships, He wanted them to grow.
David was of particular interest to the Lord and though He had things for all of His people to learn, He was more intent on David growing as a man of God. The Lord had chosen David as king because He had given David a teachable Spirit. Though he had made mistakes along the way, David came back to seeking God's will above his own. David wasn't afraid of repenting and had come to understand praise and worship in ways most didn't through his repentance. He saw God for who He was.
It was David's understanding of God which brought him to questioning the famine. One bad year of crops happened once in a while and having back to back years wasn't unheard of but when it went into the third year, David couldn't help but think of times he had heard about where God withheld good from His people to get their attention. David may have turned to his personal spiritual advisor, Ira, to help him inquire of the Lord if this famine was a punishment. No matter how he went about it, he received clear word from the Lord that it was because of an evil deed done by Saul.
This should give us pause. The people of God under David's reign were suffering because of a sin done by the previous king. This means that not only were people having to suffer the consequences of another person's sins, it was the children of the sinful generation which was having to pay the price. The people of Israel were paying physically for the choices of a dead man. We like to think justice means only the person who did the wrong has to pay for their deeds but God was showing His people He didn't simply view them as individuals.
A ruler is the representative of a nation to other nations. If other people see a bad ruler it reflects on the rest of the nation, as a whole and sometimes individually. A tyrant can leave people in other nations believing everyone in the tyrant's country is prideful and domineering, just as a leader of weak character will give the impression his country could easily be taken over. A ruler's successor can also find themselves ruling in the shadow of the previous leader, whether good or bad. The same can be true of Christians and the Church. This is why Christ made sure to tell His followers how to deal with sin in their midst. It is important for the whole of our witness to address the blatant sin of one or many.
Making It Personal
Have you ever experienced God's judgement due to sinful decisions? How did that change your behavior and choices the next time you were in a position of temptation? How did your choices affect others?
Making It Personal Kids
Have you ever gotten in trouble for doing something wrong? Have you ever had to suffer because someone else did something wrong? Has anyone else had to suffer because of your being naughty?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for this reminder that our choices can affect others. Give us the wisdom to make choices which benefit the whole of Your people. Thank You for Your forbearance. In Jesus' name, amen.
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