RIZPAH'S HOPE FOR THE STRUGGLING ONE

September 23, 2001 am
MF Blume



2 Samuel 21:1-6  Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites. And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them; (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah.) 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? 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.   And they answered the king, The man that consumed us, and that devised against us that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the coasts of Israel, Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, whom the LORD did choose. And the king said, I will give them.
2 Samuel 21:8  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,
2 Samuel 21:10-14  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. 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 Jabeshgilead, which had stolen them from the street of Bethshan, 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.



Let us delve into this story and the lesson we can derive from it a little more this morning.
Hanging always points to the cross of Jesus Christ in some measure in these OT stories, for the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed.
Saul's wickedness led to his failed suicide attempt in Mount Gilboa.
Saul was hanged.
Romans 6:6  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Our old man was crucified with Christ.
That cross of Jesus done away with my old existence.

I am not the same Mike Blume I was once.

This Mike Blume is of the citizenship of Heaven.
Saul's hanging represents the demise of the old man.

As we read 1 Samuel 31, we come across this information.

1 Samuel 31:2-6  And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul's sons. And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers. said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it. And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him. So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together.

Recall that not only did Saul die, but as a father, Saul died along with his three sons.
1 Samuel 31:6  So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together.
There seems to be special stress put upon the fact that they died the same day together.

If Saul is the old life we lived, the old man, then Saul's three sons would speak to us of the offspring of the old man.
My grandfather's conversion is a classic example of how God can take your old habits and problems and have them slain simultaneously with your old man, all hanged on the cross of Jesus Christ at the same time when one first finds salvation.
However, as we come to the part of the legacy of Saul's demise in Rizpah's story, where seven other sons of Saul, who were still alive after Saul's death, were the cause of a famine in the land of Israel, we come to a message that seems to be a hand reaching out to those with a problem after salvation.
Church, you may have experienced immediate deliverance from some habits or problems when you were first saved by the blood of Jesus.
Like these seven other sons of Saul, these problems in our lives cause us to miss the blessings of God.
Are we not saved if these children of Saul are still around?
Does this mean the cross cannot solve everything?
Please notice that Saul and his three sons wound up being HANGED.
People, the same cross that slew the old man and his three sons right from the start of your new life, is the cross that will also take care of the remaining sons that carry over into your new life without Saul.
The old life is gone.
God said they have to be hanged as well.
Let them be hanged there, too.
I told someone yesterday that when you're discouraged you must not simply pray and see how you feel afterwards.
You did it when it came to first being saved and regarding your old life.
After the rains fell, someone told David about Rizpah's actions.
2 Samuel 21:11-14  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 Jabeshgilead, which had stolen them from the street of Bethshan, 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.
David took the bones of Saul and his son, who were hanged just as Rizpah saw her sons hanged, and put them all together and buried them together in Zelah (a rib).
When we get victory through understanding that any present problems are to be hanged on the same cross of Christ that our old man was crucified on, and apply the same blood of Jesus that saved our souls to wash away these troubles of today, they will all wind up being buried together just to drive the point home.
And as time went by, the land felt the influence of David's power grow stronger as the influence of Saul grew weaker.
2 Samuel 3:1  Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker.
Christian lives require time in order for the influence of the Son of David, Jesus Christ, to come forth more and more.

Its not that Jesus is that weak that even after saving us He can hardly influence our lives.
Experience the showers of blessings upon your life as you enjoy freedom from those carry-overs of your old life.

Rizpah's name means "PAVEMENT".

STRONG'S CONCORDANCE
07532 Ritspah {rits-paw'}
AV - Rizpah
Rizpah = "pavement"
1) a concubine of king Saul and mother of Armoni and Mephibosheth
John 19:12-16  And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar. When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha. And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away.
Jesus was sentenced to crucifixion at the judgment seat of Pilate in an area called THE PAVEMENT.