What if Rizpah Was Weak and Forlorn?

“Now Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah daughter of Aiah.” 2 Samuel 3:7

“The king took the two sons of Rizpah daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Merab daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite; he gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they impaled them on the mountain before the LORD. The seven of them perished together. They were put to death in the first days of harvest, at the beginning of barley harvest. Then Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it on a rock for herself, from the beginning of harvest until rain fell on them from the heavens; she did not allow the birds of the air to come on the bodies[c] by day, or the wild animals by night. When David was told what Rizpah daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done, David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan from the people of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the public square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hung them up, on the day the Philistines killed Saul on Gilboa. He brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan; and they gathered the bones of those who had been impaled. They buried the bones of Saul and of his son Jonathan in the land of Benjamin in Zela, in the tomb of his father Kish; they did all that the king commanded. After that, God heeded supplications for the land.” 2 Samuel 21:8-14

Rizpah was an amazing mother. Her story is heart breaking. The story is repeated in the scripture above – “the king took the two sons of Rizpah daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Merab daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite; he gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they impaled them on the mountain before the LORD. The seven of them perished together.”

Rizpah could have run and left the bodies to be eaten by the birds. She could have cowered in fear. But she stays with the bodies as they begin to decompose. She did not have the power to prevent the death of the seven, including her two sons, but no one could keep her from her vigil with the bodies. She spread sackcloth on the rock, a material that is not only associated with mourning for the dead, but also a public expression of penitence. She sat vigil with the deceased until the rain came. The rain signaled to the people that G-d had finally withdrawn his judgment. She alone sat vigil over the remains of Saul’s seven sons. When David heard of her motherly devotion and long vigil, he remembered that the uncared-for bones of Saul and Jonathan were still exposed in the streets of Beth-shan. David commanded that they should be recovered and mingled with the precious bones which Rizpah had guarded, and buried in the family grave at Zelah.

This is a story of unspeakable horror – but it is also a story of unmatched courage and honor for the deceased. Rizpah is a story we should all remember, and we hope we can offer the same respect for our deceased relatives – no matter the circumstances.

Pastor Dave