Rizpah

Day 1

Rizpah:"A hot stone or coal"

Rizpah was Saul's concubine. Mother of Armoni and Mephibosheth. Though a woman with few rights and little power, she displayed great courage and loyalty after the death of her sons. Her only sons were executed and their bodies dishonored because of their father's crime.

Rizpah's Joy: The bodies of her sons were finally given an honorable burial.

2 Samuel 21:1-14
The Gibeonites Avenged
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."
2 The king summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not a part of Israel but were survivors of the Amorites; the Israelites had sworn to spare them, but Saul in his zeal for Israel and Judah had tried to annihilate them.) 3 David asked the Gibeonites, "What shall I do for you? How shall I make amends so that you will bless the LORD's inheritance?"

4 The Gibeonites answered him, "We have no right to demand silver or gold from Saul or his family, nor do we have the right to put anyone in Israel to death."
"What do you want me to do for you?" David asked.

5 They answered the king, "As for the man who destroyed us and plotted against us so that we have been decimated and have no place anywhere in Israel, 6 let seven of his male descendants be given to us to be killed and exposed before the LORD at Gibeah of Saul—the Lord 's chosen one."
So the king said, "I will give them to you."

7 The king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath before the LORD between David and Jonathan son of Saul. 8 But the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Aiah's daughter Rizpah, whom she had borne to Saul, together with the five sons of Saul's daughter Merab, [a] whom she had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite. 9 He handed them over to the Gibeonites, who killed and exposed them on a hill before the LORD. All seven of them fell together; they were put to death during the first days of the harvest, just as the barley harvest was beginning.

10 Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest till the rain poured down from the heavens on the bodies, she did not let the birds of the air touch them by day or the wild animals by night. 11 When David was told what Aiah's daughter Rizpah, Saul's concubine, had done, 12 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.) 13 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.

14 They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the tomb of Saul's father Kish, at Zela in Benjamin, and did everything the king commanded. After that, God answered prayer in behalf of the land.

Day 2

Rizpah's story is one of God's pictures that reveals only a tiny glimpse of the power we have to make change around us. Imagine her sorrow. She did not loose only one son but two. A mother torn with grief, lays besides the bodies of her dead boys. Still protecting them from the elements and predators that sought to destroy their remains. It may have been months that passed, as she grieved her lose and hoped for the proper burial of her sons.

Rizpah is a story of perseverance. She was patient, but allowed herself to grieve. King David had to take notice and took action. Her courage and loyalty touched his heart.

Rizpah made the people look at the cost of sin. She had few rights and little power. Rizpah gave meaning to her son's deaths and helped a nation deal with the sins of its leader. Her story is tragic but in her strength she may have spared other mothers in Israel similar grief, if only for a while.

Heavenly Father, Courage is not often a word I associate with being a mother. Today Lord, show me the ways in which I can stand up for my children or children within my reach. Help me learn to not only "mother" them but show them how amazing they are. Give me the strength and courage to protect the children from the predators of this world and give You the glory in their lives. May we be an example to those around us. May the scope of your love not only reach inside our family but to those we can touch around us.

Day 3

2 Samuel 21:10
10 Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest till the rain poured down from the heavens on the bodies, she did not let the birds of the air touch them by day or the wild animals by night.

Have you ever undertaken a task that, had you know what was required, would have seemed beyond your ability or strength? What kept you going? What was the result?

2 Samuel 21:11-14
When David was told what Aiah's daughter Rizpah, Saul's concubine, had done, 12 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.) 13 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.
14 They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the tomb of Saul's father Kish, at Zela in Benjamin, and did everything the king commanded. After that, God answered prayer in behalf of the land.

When have you had to have some outside circumstance stimulate you to do what was right? What was the outcome? What would have happened had you done nothing?

How is God's love for you like Rizpah's love for her children?

Day 4

Rizpah: consistency, tenacity, faithfulness, courageous, loving

The list of amazing descriptions of this women could go on for a very long while. Because of these beautiful characteristics in Rizpah, King David noticed and did something. You too were given a list of amazing descriptions by your Creator. Can you make a list of just a few. How will you allow God to use these parts of you to start change?

The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in his sight. ~2 Samuel 22:25

For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. ~Psalm 37:28

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassion's never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ~Lamentations 3:21-23

Day 5

Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest till the rain poured down from the heavens on the bodies, she did not let the birds of the air touch them by day or the wild animals by night. ~2 Samuel 21:10~

Praise God for giving mothers the power to love their children so fiercely.

Give Thanks for the way other women have stood by you in times of difficulty.

Confess any tendency to back off rather than confront important moral issues with love and courage.

Ask God to stretch your love beyond your own family circle so that it becomes a force that shapes the world around you.

Lift your Heart: We cannot save all the motherless children, but we can reach out one at a time. Pray about whether you could become a big sister to a young girl in need. Go out of your way to make a neglected child feel welcome in your home. Speak out against the forces in our culture that devalue human life. Lend your voices to hose that clamor for peace in our world. Do what you can where you can. Let your love be fierce and strong. Don't back off.

Heavenly Father, Thank you for the amazing women that have show me protecting, persistent love. I know your own love better because of the way she loved me. Help me to become a spiritual mother to those you bring into my life.