“Now the Gibeonites were not of the sons of Israel but of the remnant of the Amorites, and the sons of Israel made a covenant with them, but Saul had sought to kill them in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah.” (2 Samuel 21:2)
When Israel made a covenant with the Gibeonites back in the days of Joshua, it was a mistake. They were rash in their vow and later came to regret it. They should have consulted the Lord first, but they didn’t, and a peace treaty was made. It was a covenant poorly made and rashly entered.
Yet, King Saul’s solution of genocide was not a solution. When we make a vow, we can’t just dissolve it when it becomes uncomfortable or no longer advantageous to us. God wished they hadn’t made the covenant with the Gibeonites, but when they did, He expected them to honor it.
Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites
This Week’s Reading: 2 Samuel 20-24; 1 Kings 1; Psalm 35; Proverbs 4 This year, #Biblebites are looking at lessons from the history of the Old Testament. Each week reads a section of history with a Psalm to meditate on and a dash of Proverbs to dwell upon. If you would like a copy of the reading schedule, you can view it here: https://eastlandchristians.org/news-events/2024-vision