Happy Mother's Day!!
Wishing all of you wonderful, Godly ladies a happy Mother's Day! Praying that you have blessings upon blessings today!!
Today's topic is a bit lengthy but please bear with me, it is definitely worth digging into! I was gonna split it up into two posts, but alas, time got away from me and I didn't get the first one published in time. So I am condensing it into one long post instead....
NOTE: Our pastor preached a message a few weeks ago that just tore me up.He titled his sermon-- "Hanging on until Help arrives!"... Funny thing was I had already been studying the exact same thing right before he preached it and had started writing this here post about it ---(I just love it when the Lord just confirms things like that!) Our pastor really preached it in such a way that highlighted the essence of the story and confirmed my research and study into the life and heart of this heroic mama.
Topic Text: 2 Sam 21:8-14
2 Samuel 21:8-14 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, whom she brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite: 9And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the hill before the LORD: and they fell all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest. 10And 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. 11And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.12And 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: 13And 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. 14And 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.
Most of us know the story of Rizpah. We have read it countless times. But as a mom, let's take a moment to really break down this story in more detail.
Rizpah was a mom just like the rest of us who dearly loved her children. I can't imagine how she must have felt when the king sent and fetched her sons to be killed. When Rizpah found out that her boys were the payment for the sins of someone else, I can envision how her heart must have shattered into millions of pieces. These were her boys! They had done nothing wrong! They just had the misfortune of being born into the wrong family! What injustice!! Poor Rizpah must have been so devastated by the consequences of Saul's wrong choices.
But one thing we quickly learn about Rizpah, is that she was no pushover. Yes, she was a woman, and yes, she had no rights in that day. But she was a woman of great strength and character. She was resolute and full of determination. She wasn't easily swayed by others. She was determined to fulfill her role as Mama to her boys to her dying breath, if necessary. She couldn't stop what was happening but she determined to continue to protect her boys for what she COULD protect them from.
The Bible tells us that she that she suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.
Once all of the sons of Saul were hung and killed, the Gibeonites left their bodies to rot out in the open and allowed their bodies to be picked apart by the birds and the beasts of the field. They wanted everyone to see how they desecrated the sons of Saul as punishment for what Saul had done to their people and how He had broken the covenant of protection that Joshua had given them.
Many years ago, a survey was made of a town. At a certain door, the surveyor asked the woman who answered the door, if she had any children. Suddenly, she began to say, "Well, there’s Willie, Horace, Orace, Grace, and Ethel." The surveyor interrupted and said, "Never mind names, I just want numbers." The mother replied, "They haven’t got numbers, every one of them has a name!" To this mother, her children weren’t known by a number, they were known by a name.
So it was with Rizpah. Her two sons were more than just a number. They were important to her!
Rizpah may not have been able to prevent this great tragedy from occurring, nor keep her sons alive but she was intent on making sure that the birds and the beasts didn't eat the flesh off her boys or their cousins. The Bible tells us that she camped out up there for months. She must have been so tired and weary ( remember, she suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night ).
That sounds like a tiresome job. When did she sleep? It must have been short little bouts here and there. She must have dozed off only to awake to hear screeches and the flapping of wings. I can imagine her jumping up and slinging her apron over her head, screaming to the top of her lungs, and fighting off those carnivorous birds of prey.
I don't know about you, but I've seen a flock of buzzards after they honed in on a dead carcass of a deer or other ill-fated creature. They come in droves, and they aren't easily frightened away. Oh, if they are disturbed, they might fly off a short distance but usually they don't go far. Many times, they will just fly to a nearby tree and sit there gazing, waiting, and watching for the opportunity to return to their feast.
Can you imagine poor Rizpah?! Shooing away these disgusting fowl who were intent on devouring her babies, only to see them fly over to a nearby tree and sit there for hours, just waiting and watching. That had to be so mentally draining. She had to be so vigilant. One lapse of alertness, one moment of unwatchfulness, and I'm sure those foul creatures were ready to swoop in for yet another attack.
I can imagine as evening fell, and the huge birds flew off to roost for the night, Rizpah, breathing a sigh of relief, begins to make her pallet to rest. As she lay herself down and begins to doze off, she hears a low growl. Quickly, she jumps up to find that a pack of wolves have descended upon her small encampment. They were drawn in by the stench of death. They want to make a meal out of her boys. I can see Rizpah grabbing a long branch and sticking it in the fire making herself a makeshift torch.
This desperate Mama, fiery torch in hand, runs towards the danger, as she tries to thwart yet another attack upon her babies! (As a lady, I can't imagine how scary it must have been to fight off huge birds and dangerous beasts with just her own bare hands! Most of us ladies can't even handle a tiny mouse 🐁 let alone hordes of buzzards or packs of wolves or bears!! )
Day after day, this is Rizpah's life! A never ending cycle on repeat-- I can imagine the thoughts that must have ran through her mind as she sat there for months protecting the bodies of the fallen. Thoughts of bitterness and the unfairness of it all had to have tried to permeate her mind. She was a mama who loved her boys. She knew this fate had not been their fault, yet, Rizpah must have fought against the fowls of despair and discouragement as they picked at her mind as well. She HAD to keep fighting back! She knew she must be mentally strong in order to protect her boys!
I love to read and I have read a lot of true crime stories and stories of the behind the scenes with investigators, so I am pretty familiar with what happens after death. I can't imagine how heartbreaking it must have been for Rizpah to witness the natural decomposition that occurs in the human body after dying. She had to watch her sons and her nephews become bloated and disfigured as the natural course of decay took place, yet, unswayed, she remained at her post. She wasn't disgusted (or "grossed out" as we would sayin our present day lingo) by their dead bodies. She selflessly and sacrificially protected their dignity with her own life.
Finally, one day, word gets to King David of how she was up there protecting her babies. He instantly realizes that she needs help! If a mama was that determined to stay there months and months to ensure that the bodies were kept from being devoured and as intact as possible, David wanted to do right by her and make her sacrifice worth it. He sent word to have the bodies removed and given a proper burial.
I can imagine the heroine of our story sitting up there thinking it's just another day-- fighting off birds, beating back the beasts, fighting mind games ..... then she begins to see dirt kicking up in the distance---Remember? They sure didn't have texting back then. It wasn't like King David sent her a message and said "hang on, Rizpah, we are coming to assist you today." Oh no, she probably got a little worried as she saw the convoy approaching in the distance.
Was this the Gibeonites returning? Were they going to further desecrate the bodies of her boys, or perhaps they had heard what she had been doing and were coming to kill her as a result ?
Anxiety probably kicked in as she hurriedly looked around for another weapon or something to defend herself with. As the caravan drew closer, maybe she recognized some of the men, or at least, she probably realized that they were her own people.
I can imagine as they drew near and informed her of their intentions. What relief! What joy she must have felt! The king had heard! He was going to right this horrible wrong! He was going to give the bodies a proper burial! Her sacrifice had not been in vain! Help had arrived!!
I can imagine as the servants of King David removed the bodies of her boys (and their cousins) and began to prepare them for a proper burial. For the first time in months, Rizpah was able to rest and not have to worry about the fowls or the beasts attacking her children. Can you imagine how tired she must have have been after all these months of doing this? She must have been so overwhelmed with gratitude that her mission was accomplished-- she had done exactly what she had set out to do-- she had kept her boys safe from the Devourers!
Like Rizpah, we, as Godly mamas, must determine to stand guard and protect our own children from the Devourer of souls---
1 Peter 5:8 --“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”
The Devil would love nothing better than to destroy our kids. Look at the world around us... they are seeking to destroy the next generation. They are trying to mutilate and change the design of God in our children.
As the birds of prey sought to descend upon Rizpah's boys, she bravely fought them off. Likewise as the fowls of this world swarm over us in the present, we must battle for the minds of our children.
We are in such a society that is seeking to brainwash our kids. They are trying to change their thinking and teach them that absolutes are no longer absolutes-- everything is fluid and able to be changed-- but God's word tells us that some things just can't not be changed. Some things are true and set in stone. There isn't "your truth" and "my truth". There is simply the truth according to God's Word. It doesn't really matter what I say or what you say, but rather, what sayeth the Lord?
It is up to us, Mamas, to fight off the fowls of deception from picking at the minds of our babies. We must fight back against these carnivorous fowl that are seeking to destroy our kids! We can't allow the mentality of this world to "set up shop" in the hearts and minds of our children. We must fight back!
We may have to say "No" to some things. We might have to refuse entrance to our homes on some things but no matter what we have to do, the lives of our children are worth fighting for. May Rizpah be our inspiration and encourage us to keep fighting this good fight of faith.... it's gonna be worth it afterwhile!
The predators of this world want to seduce our children away from Christ and obedience and devotion to Him. Mom and Dad, we MUST stand diligently against the vultures of culture that want to prey upon our children. The world wants them to act and talk and dress and dream and live like the world-- in contrast to the calling of Jesus!
The devil wants to seduce us and our children with the temptation to please ourselves rather than please God. The world proclaims, “be true to yourself rather than be obedient to God. Being happy is more important than being holy. Being fulfilled is more important than being obedient to God and living for Him.”
But in reality, Jesus said if we want to find our life, we need to lose it for His sake. (Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added to you. )
Fulfillment is only truly found in obeying Jesus. That’s abundant life!
Mom and Dad, we have a responsibility to stand diligently against the predators, against the devil, against a world view that wants to undermine and destroy our children and their faith. We need to be diligent in creating an environment by our godly example and lifestyle where they see an real Christian faith modeled before them. It is up to us to create an environment of Christian excellence, discipline and obedience to God and His word.
Rizpah is an incredible example of love, courage and heroism. She is a excellent role model for us today. She is a mother who made a difference. She is a mother who turned her grief into action. She turned tragedy into triumph. Rizpah stands out as the true illustration of the undying loyalty of a mother. There is nothing like a mama's love for her children!
The selflessness of a mama's love
Rizpah was selfless.
Remember, she was a concubine of KING saul. Concubines did not have the same status symbol of a royal wife. Many royal marriages were often the result of a alliance or a treaty with another king or nation. Many times, royal wives were almost an included part of a business transaction.
Concubines, on the other hand, while true, that they weren't in the same "caste" level as the royal wives, were women specifically chosen and picked out for the King. They may have been chosen for their beauty, for their personality, for their abilities, but usually, it wasn't for their social status or simply because of "WHO" they were like the royal wives.
Rizpah, no doubt, was specially chosen by King Saul. I'm sure she spent countless hours in his presence and perhaps even grew to love him. We know, by our text, that she had at least two sons by King Saul.)
Rizpah, being a concubine, was considered royal property. She, being Royal property, no doubt had lived a life of luxury and opulence. She, more than likely, was accustomed to the finer things in life. But those things meant nothing to Rizpah; She willingly left behind the splendor of the palace harem to take on the bed of a rock with sackcloth spread over in order to perform her mission!
She put the needs of her kids ahead of her own. She did not want their dead bodies to be desecrated and eaten by birds or wild beasts. She put herself in harm’s way, guarding her boys' bodies day and night. (She even took care of another woman’s five dead children. She was willing to fight to protect somebody else's babies! She didn't have the mentality "my four and no more". She was willing to fight off the predators from all of the slain sons of the king!
The quarreling between her two sons prompted one young mother to rush to the kitchen. Eight year old Bobby and four year old Jackie were having a tug of war with the cookie jar. Only once cookie remained in the jar, and each boy thought it was his. Taking the cookie jar from the two youngsters, their mother calmly announced. "I’ll solve the problem for you. I’ll eat the last cookie myself." The boys looked up at their mother in unbelief. Then the four year old, with a mischievous grin on his face said, "Oh, no you won’t, Mom. Whoever heard of a selfish mother?"
She stood up for justice for her sons. They died unjustly and they were not properly buried. She could not stop them from being killed but she could do something about giving them a proper burial.
She took a stand but it was a nonviolent stand. She did not attack the king. She did not go out and protest in the street or at the palace where the king lived. She just mourned. She grieved publicly but she did more than that. She stood vigil over their dead bodies for months. She could be given the title of the mother who never gave up. She was persistent until she got justice for her dead sons.
We should never let personal tragedy cause us to lose hope. All of us have experienced tragedy, grief or pain. Some much more than others. It is very easy for many people to be so depressed and so consumed by sorrow or grief that they cannot get past their pain. Rizpah did not do that. She did not just stay home and grieve. She went out and did something. The Bible tells us to “Be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.” We all have a tendency to be overcome by evil. Rizpah turned tragedy into triumph and is a lesson for us all
Can you imagine the gruesome sight before her, with the horrific task of guarding the bodies and chasing off the vultures and wild animals, but she would not turn away. No one couldn’t get her to leave. If this mama was this devoted to the dead, how much more should we be devoted to the living?
Mamas, may I encourage "US" today to invest in the lives of our children. How devoted are we to investing in their spiritual lives? They need to see faithfulness and devotion modeled by Mom and Dad. I believe it is of the upmost importance that we encourage and aid/promote their involvement and participation in the church. It is so important that we model that for them by being a servant, working, finding opportunities, being available, and being involved ourselves!
How devoted are we to passing our faith to the next generation? Bringing them to church won’t be enough. Do we pray with them and read the bible? Do we talk about the things of God or discuss the Bible and how it applies to their life? Do we explain the values of being a Christian? “This is how/why we live this because this is what the bible says.”
Are we quick to point out the blessings that come from following Jesus? We need devoted Moms and Dads if we are going to pass a living faith on to our children. It was too late for Rizpah to do anything else for her sons, but it’s not too late for us! Let’s devote ourselves to faithfully living for Jesus before our children, while we can.
Rizpah’s devotion led to healing for the nation of Israel. I don’t think Rizpah really set out to make a political statement or even change the mind of the King. She was just doing what a mother would do, showing unconditional love to her two sons.
The Gibeonites viewed them as sons of a mass murderer. Rizpah, like any mother, just saw them as her boys, whom she loved. She loved them unconditionally. Thank God for the love of a mother. But her love led to a change of heart for David. The Bible tells us that when David was told what...Rizpah...had done, he went and took the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from the citizens of Jabesh Gilead. (They had taken them secretly from the public square at Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hung them after they struck Saul down on Gilboa.) David brought the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from there, and the bones of those who had been killed and exposed were gathered up. They buried the bones...in the tomb of Saul’s father Kish at Zela in Benjamin...After that, God answered prayer in behalf of the land.” (See 2 Samuel 21:11-14 for the full story)
Seeing as Saul and Jonathan’s bodies had never been properly buried, David felt convicted and realized he needed to respectfully inter the body of the former King and that of Jonathan along with the bodies of these seven slain boys . Finally, after the covenant that had been broken was atoned for, and proper respect was shown by David and Israel for the bodies of Saul and his descendants, God answered prayer in behalf of the land and the drought was broken. Why? Because the Gibeonites killed the sons of Saul? I don’t think so. Two wrongs don't make a right!
I honestly think it had a lot to due with the heroine of our story-- Rizpah --because she took sackcloth and spread it out on a rock.
One commentary suggests the text could be translated as Rizpah “stretched the sackcloth to the Rock”, with the Rock referring to Jehovah, the Rock of Israel. Her action on that hillside was one of repentance, mourning the loss of her sons and perhaps even King Saul himself, whom she could have very well loved or at least thought fondly of. But perhaps she was mourning the reason for her own loss, the sin and breaking of the covenant by Saul. David asked the Lord what the cause for the drought was and the Lord told him it was because Saul killed the Gibeonites. But David didn’t ask the Lord what he should do to fix it. If he had, I believe the Lord would have called him to repent on behalf of the nation, not execute seven descendants of Saul. Maybe Rizpah did what David should have done. She grieved and repented because of the sins of Saul and her silent witness and sorrow led to healing for Israel. Repentance, not another sacrifice or death, may have been what was required to heal the land.
The image of Rizpah on a rocky hillside, staring at the lifeless bodies of her sons brings to mind another mother, standing on another rocky hillside just outside Jerusalem. This time, it was the greatest injustice of all. Not the son of a king but the sinless Son of God, the King of Kings died on the cross, not for the sins of an earthly father, but for your sins and my sins and the sins of the world. Jesus gave himself as the once and for all sacrifice for sin and if we will repent and turn to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins. He will save us and give us a new life in Him!
So, may I challenge you--let's be like Rizpah. How?? Repent if necessary, be diligent, defend and protect our kids from the fowls of the enemy, take a stand for the right, be faithful in hard times, and then....
just hang on 'til help arrives.... help is on the way!
From my heart to yours,
Tiphanie ♥️
Abraham Lincoln once said: "Behind every great man is a great mother!"
A little boy who was once told by his mother that it was God who makes people good, replied, "Yes I know it is God, but mothers help a lot."
There is no way to know how many people today are alive and well today simply due to the prayers and supplication of a praying mother!
John Newton, who caused his mother much sorrow while she lived, was brought back to righteousness long after she had gone to heaven by the recollection of the lessons she had taught him. God brought her back to him again in a vision, and the memory of her prayers and of her tender solicitude broke his heart and turned him away from sin.
There is no one else who has as much influence in the life of another as does a mother in the lives of her children.