Rizpah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rockShe erected a tent near the spot, in which she and her servants kept watch, as the relatives of executed persons were wont to do, day and night, to scare the birds and beasts of prey away from the remains exposed on the low-standing gibbets. Now Ezra and Nehemiah belong together. He was the founder of the order of scribes. To watch as her body convulses in sorrow. Yebamot, fol. 12501 OLD COLUMBIA PIKE, SILVER SPRING, MD 20904 USA. We have compiled these articles to help you study those whom God chose to set before us as examples in His Word. Haggai would never have seen that. (n) Bemidbar Rabba, fol. Photo credit: iStock/Getty Images Plus/kaipong. WebT he Bible is full of stories, which we retell to knit us together as a body, to remind us of who we are, and to inspire us as we continue to walk with Christ. In her book Womanist Midrash, Wil Gafney paints a vivid portrait of Rizpahs vigil: Rizpah bat Aiah watches the corpses of her sons stiffen, soften, swell, and sink into the stench of decay fights with winged, clawed, and toothed scavengers night and day. What do you hear the Spirit saying to you/your family/your church/your community. Aside from the parenthetical in v. 2, there is no other biblical record of Saul having killed Gibeonites, though a tradition in which the Israelites made an oath to God not to kill the Gibeonites provides essential context (Josh 9:19). I. 2 Samuel 21:8 Commentaries: So the king took the two sons She loves because it is her nature - freely, spontaneously, making no calculation, asking for no return. Rizpah: Midrash and Aggadah Who Were the 12 Disciples of Jesus? He knows that when we see how He has loved us, love will break or melt our hearts. 21:14). Along with writing, shes pursuing her dreams of creating a community of brave young women, who she can encourage to live out their dreams amid challenges and imperfection. New York: Concubines were not slaves (or even sex slaves). It is under this backdrop of revenge and retribution that Rizpah enters our purview. She has two sons, one of whom briefly takes the throne. Zechariah, on the other hand, was a dreamer. WebThe name of Saul's son by the concubine Rizpah (q.v. Lisa is an ordained pastor in the United Church of Christ. THE SORROWS THAT ARE SILENTLY ENDURED. Moved by Rizpahs quiet butpowerful witness, David acts, and national reconciliation can begin. Her story, found in 2 Samuel 21:1-14, is straightforward enough. The Rabbis learn this from Nathans words to David How He has waited since, like Rizpah, at the door of the heart, to give life and peace, and to let the rain of His mercy drop on us out of heaven! Yes, Rizpahs vigil is powerful, but it is not redemptive. ((o) Antiqu. Perhaps, like the rabbi, Rizpah wished she were God, even for a moment. (McGee, J. Vernon. He was as simple and factual as 2+2=4. (B.C. Her sons are chosen to be sacrificed for an oath broken years prior. Some Christian theologians read Rizpahs vigil as a manifestation of the gift of powerlessness, sprinkled with the grace of surrender. One day a woman named Rizpah was standing on a hill in Israel, watching the execution of seven men. Bibliography Information Orr, James, M.A., D.D. Israel: Its Life and Institutions, trans. The name Rizpah in the Bible Etymology of the name Rizpah Rizpah meaning Her name means, A Hot Stone or Coal. 3. All three women are in precarious social situations; their especially when untimely or by violence; and most of all when their untimely or violent deaths are the penalty of their misconduct, which was, however, not the case with the sons of Rizpah. - G.W. And thence they are wont to bring whole stones, upon which the working iron came not." Answer. 21:8), but a pawn in a royal gamble. It had been destroyed. One person's sin is a cancer that spreads. 2:8-11). WebDavid enquired of God concerning it. Rizpah bears Saul two sons, Armoni and Mephibosheth. Rizpah Rizpah: Turning Tragedy into Triumph | Women of the Bible Study Her research interests and publications focus on inspections of the Hebrew Bible that expose normalized inequitable distributions of power and privilege as these intersect categories of ethnicity, class, and gender. Amen. Her faithfulness was rewarded, and she could rest. ", 4844rain8300love, and the world, The Exile Continued. The Book of Ezra is the last of the historical books, but they do not follow ad seriatum (one right after the other). l. 5. c. 1. If human love be so deep and strong, what must be the love of God, from whom it springs, and of which it is one great sign and proof? On a hot summer night in August of 1955, 14-year-old African American Emmett Till was removed from his relatives home in Mississippi by two white men. 2. That made a woman cry. But this was only the crowning proof of her affection. 50+ reference books. 34:14). They were secondary wives of a ruler, even though their children were considered part of the royal household. Rizpah was one of Sauls concubines. Tragedy is all too common in our world: whether its a story we see on the news or an event that hits close to home. Rizpah, concubine to King Saul, is first mentioned in the Bible after Sauls death, when one of Sauls 16:21, 22)thus demonstrating his successful power grab.2 If Ishbosheths accusation was correct and Abner had slept with Rizpah, its quite possible that this illustrates the generals royal ambitions. And Joab's garment that he had put on was girded to him 2 Samuel 3:7 And Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah: and Ishbosheth said to Abner. took sackcloth. She could not stop David from taking her sons, could not stop the Gibeonites from killing them. It covers two spans of time: the first journey back to Jerusalem (538-515 B.C.) What faith I She believed that sooner or later God would be entreated for the land, and that when the rains came it would show that guilt had been appeased, and that her dear ones might at least have honourable burial. Yet we catch only snippets of the full lives lived by the women in his life, including Michal, Ahinoam, Abigail, and Bathsheba. Epist. After King Sauls death, Ish-Bosheth was appointed king over Gilad by Abner, Sauls army commander. (Viewed on June 27, 2023) . Rizpah was the daughter of Aiah (2Sam 3:7). David seems to recognize that new beginnings do not always require prompt and decisive action (something that he has mastered throughout his life), but may also involve forgiveness and closureeven for an enemy. It is only then that God heeded supplications for the land (2 Sam 21:14). As a Women in Scripture. What surprised you in this Bible study session? And yet, despite appearances of powerlessness, her truth (and the justice it demands) shames the most powerful person of her day, King David, to act on behalf of the dead (21:11). 1. IT IS MOST SELF-DENYING. III. Massachusetts: 1993. If trauma is the storm that does not go away, as Shelly Rambo suggests, then the church must be prepared to serve as lifeboats of redemption rooted in the Spirit and love of Christ.[5]. Meaning and Lessons in Rizpah's Tragic Bible Story When they heard the destruction Joshuas army caused in Jericho and Ai, they came up with a plan to trick the Israelites. Lisa M. Wolfe is Professor of Hebrew Bible, Endowed Chair, at Oklahoma City University. The first mention of Rizpah occurs in a dispute between two men in the Bible. How Is God Not a Respecter of People? This article is part of our People from the Bible Series featuring the most well-known historical names and figures from Scripture. Scripture doesn't say whether Rizpah's sons shared their father's guilt. midrash relates that after the death of Saul, David married Rizpah daughter of Aiah, who, according to the Bible, had been the dead kings concubine. To fully understand Rizpahs story, we need to back up to Joshua 9. He was the founder of the order of scribes. 7 Ways to Love the Difficult People in Your Church. George McDonald, When I was a boy, I heard my father say that if by some miracle God could change every cold, indifferent Christian into ten blatant infidels, the church might celebrate a day of thanksgiving and praise. Lyman Abbott, Also sign me up to receive Thru the Bible's monthly newsletter by email, Ezra & Nehemiah reading and listening guide. 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: 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, the five sons of Michal whom she brought up for Adriel, Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament. Although David was anointed by Samuel to succeed In 2 Samuel 3:7, King Ish-Bosheth accuses Abner of sleeping with Rizpah. By refusing to hide her grief, by living out her anguish in public, Rizpah gave meaning to her sons' deaths, making the entire nation face the evil of what had happened. Rizpah, at last, when the dead are buried, can rest, and Duly think with a shudder of the long and weary days when her strong arm drove off the vultures, or of the nights when the wild beasts were only kept at bay by the fire that flashed from her eye, and the force that she threw into her voice. Its important to recognize that the famine doesnt end after the death of Sauls seven descendants, but rather when the remains of Saul and his descendants finally reach their ancestral resting place (2 Sam. In order to usurp the throne, David uses a three-year famine as a pretext to turn over the remaining seven eligible Saulide male heirs to the Gibeonites for ritual execution to atone for the bloodguilt Saul was supposed to have incurred against this group. Looking up to heaven, the rabbi exclaimed: "Oh, if only I were God." Her name means: "A Hot Stone" or "Coal". All the love of all parents, of all human beings, flows from this original Fountain. 79. Mephibosheth His exploits and actions fill entire biblical books; his literary works enrich our Old Testament hymnal. Other scholars have rather tried to affirm a commitment to the Bible as inspired Scripture (and not just a collection of ancient texts) while, at the same time, engaging the biblical text with careful and sensitive attention paid to the words and roles of the women who also were part of Gods astonishing acts in history. But instead of fleeing the scene of her sorrow, she faces it, drawing close to bloodied bodies she once had cradled in her arms. The book of Samuel is not very happily named, as much of it is devoted to Saul and the greater part to David; yet it is not altogether inappropriate, John Edgar McFadyenIntroduction to the Old Testament. Joshua had promised to live in peace with the Gibeonites, but Saul had murdered many of them during his reign, attempting to annihilate them. He received his M.S. The best value in digital Bible study. New International Version (NIV). In response, a three-year famine spread across the land. Rizpah (6/18/2018) - Women of the Bible - Bible Gateway The rabbi replied: "If I were God I would do nothing differently. Then there is the return led by Ezra in chapters 710, and about two thousand people followed Ezra. Knowing God is in control doesnt erase our pain. She is often pained by her children when they do not think it; and every stroke inflicted on them strikes her to the heart. In essence, we are called to abide with the traumatized in the most uncomfortable of spaces, providing the ministry of presence where there are no right answers and there are no simple fixes. Finally, the rains came. As we have already seen, the Deuteronomic book of Judges in all probability ran into Samuel and ended in ch. Since Rizpah was a widow, she had very little power. He was taken to a barn, stripped naked, pistol-whipped, shot in the head, and his lifeless body dumped in the Tallahatchie River. Whatever the situationharsh parents, unloving spouses, rebellious children, financial difficulties, sickness, or deathGod knows and will uphold and provide in his time. 20). All rights reserved. 114. Rizpah On the Rock In a narrative twist of fate, her vigil becomes both a lament and remembrance that draws public attention and recourse. As the reading of Ezra will disclose, when Cyrus, king of Persia, gave permission to the captives to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple, scarcely fifty thousand Jews availed themselves of the privilege, a considerable portion of whom were priests and Levites of the humbler and poorer class.. The theme of the Book of Ezra is The Word of the Lord. Rizpahs sure wasnt: keeping animals away from her sons hanging bodies. King Davids rise to power cost Rizpah everything ; while the story of David, begun in Samuel, embraces the first two chapters of the first book of Kings. Rizpahs quiet witness reminds me of the fact that change is not always controlled by powerful people but rather by people who allow Gods power to work in and through themsmall people, tall people, old people, young people, important people, and seemingly unimportant people. How can silence become a mechanism to promote healing? Used with permission. May their lives and walks with God strengthen your faith and encourage your soul. Blood was spilt for blood. Show us how the power of silence can serve as a countercultural protest in our efforts to build your church. Features thousands of biographic and thematic essays on Jewish women around the world. He even ordered Saul's and his son Jonathan's bones to be reclaimed and buried. For the sake of their education and advancement, she cheerfully gives up, not only luxuries, but comforts, and even necessaries. Abner became angry with the charges, although he doesnt deny or confirm the act. The biblical author describes her sitting day and night next to the corpses, protecting them from scavengers. Yet, it is Rizpahs silence, as a powerful testimony of a mothers pain, love, and courage, that reassures us to be steadfast in our faith since God can turn our most tragic moments into our greatest triumphs. The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women, Copyright 19982023, Jewish Women's Archive. Introduction There are some very strange stories in the Bible. Rizpah: Bible | Jewish Women's Archive Rizpah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock; Until water dropped upon them out of heaven; Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament. Ecclesiastes 3:1;4 tells us There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens . David buries the bones of Saul and Jonathan in his father's tomb. Ancient International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. It may have been the practice in ancient Near Eastern kingdoms to lay claim to the throne by having sexual relations with the former kings wives or concubines (see also2 Sam 15:1317; 16:1722). 190. God saw Rizpah. WebArticle The daughter of Aiah, Rizpah is the concubine of Saul, the first king of Israel (reigned c. 10251005 B.C.E.). 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 by day, or the wild animals by night. 2 Samuel 21:10. Discuss the significance of being with or abiding with a person during moments of tragedy. 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. THE OVERWHELMING INFLUENCE OF A DEVOTED LIFE IS SEEN IN THIS ACT OF RIZPAH. And she did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day nor the beasts of the field by night (2 Sam. That silent, watching woman little thought how others were taking note of her, how her heroic action would be recorded in the Book which would be the most widely read of all books. She didnt swat away the birds forever. In Christs name we pray! Finally, the king's heart was touched. How many mothers have stood by after their children died at the hands of a drunk driver or a terminal illness that took them too soon? Move out of the way the ideologies, ideas, and identities that prevent her story from coming to life during this Bible study. Micah L. McCreary, Ph.D. Grief and trauma are strange traveling companions, particularly when the circumstances surrounding tragic events are beyond our control. Ezra 7:6 tells us that he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses.. Haggai and Zechariah went together just like Ezra and Nehemiah. But someone in Davids court is talkingand it comes to the kings attention. God can also use our tragedies for good. If human love be so deep and strong, what must be the love of God, Mothers should seek to have their love perfected. Thou camst, a little baby thing 6 Reasons Women over 50 Can Do Brave Things, This site is a proud member of the Salem Web Network, a subsidiary of, Copyright 2023, Crosswalk.com. Bible Insisting on an open casket ceremony, she said, I wanted the world to see what they did to my baby.[3] The disfigured body of Emmett Till on display to the entire world would shame a nation and usher in the Civil Rights Movement. Read the latest from JWA from your inbox. (i) Because drought was the cause of this famine, God by sending rain showed that he was pacified. The Gibeonites execution of the seven sons of Saul is violent in its presentation and violent in its proclamation. Emmett Tills body was returned to his mother in Chicago and upon witnessing the extent of the brutality enacted on the bloated unrecognizable corpse of her son, she refused attempts to bury him quietly. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth" (1 Sam. In 2Sam 21:1-14, Rizpah, one of King Sauls wives, watches over the bodies of seven executed men, including two of her sons. l. 7. c. 12. sect. And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites. Rizpah had nothing to do with Saul's sin, and yet, she had to bear some of the fearful consequences. The more deep and tender the love, so much the more poignant the grief. Some contemporary feminist scholars have tried to refocus biblical narratives by offering readings of the lives of Scriptures female characters that are often more marked by a commitment to feminist ideology than by a careful reading of the biblical text. Web6 During the war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner had been strengthening his own position in the house of Saul. She stood by her sorrow, not for days, but months, although we can infer her pain lasted through the rest of her years. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth" (1 Sam. Well experience our own thinkable chapters, and God will give us the strength to endure. Doing right by the multiply wronged woman did, as the text states, is only accomplished after David retrieves and buries the remains of the slain. Example has immense power. Living the Questions produced her DVD Bible Study series Uppity Women of the Bible in 2010, for which she wrote the companion book Ruth, Esther, Song of Songs and Judith in 2011. Also there are three prophetical postcaptivity books: Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Rizpah - Lockyer's All the Women of the Bible - Bible Gateway And she did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day nor the beasts of the field by night (2 Sam 21:10). by Kloe Young, Lisa M. Wolfe. and spread it for her upon the rock; the hill on which her sons were hanged; this she spread as a canopy or tent to sit under, and be covered with it; not to cover the bodies with it, but herself, and where she sat to mourn the loss of her sons, and to watch their bodies, that they might not be devoured by birds and breasts of prey, as after observed: and here she sat. We may see her in those who stand up against wrongdoing, and whose presence becomes a voice for persons who cannot speak for themselves. They had all been impaled on tall poles by King David and left to decay for months. de Vaux, Roland. She is not the mother of Ishbosheths half brothers (2 Sam. Haggai was a practical man, as we shall see when we get to his book. Rizpah Resources Lockyer's All the Women of the Bible Chapter 2. By the conduct of others towards them. Collective guilt and punishment, absolute power (of a king) determining life and death, and the sacredness of covenants made in the name of the Lord are difficult topics for modern readers. Terry Ann Smith, Ph.D., and Rev. All the time Rizpah doesnt utter a word. . If I were God, I would understand.". Similar stories are not unknown to people today. God promises the same to us. Your browser does not support JavaScript. World of Ancient lsrael, 1250587 b.c.e. We meet Rizpah during the reign of David, Israels second king. Gods plans are difficult to understand and discern. Blair Parke Writer June 14, 2021 Sometimes when you see a name featured in the Bible, you can automatically picture that person and remember the story that accompanies them. When approaching the Gibeonites, David is told that only the representative death of seven descendants of Saul would take away the curse resting upon the land. In the present text, this widows woes are intensified as her sons, together with five of Sauls grandsons, are ritually slaughtered in a shocking episode that is part human sacrifice and part sanctioned execution. The bodies of the seven were left to be eaten by the wild animals. Finally, the land could be healed and the Israelites could reunite under David's leadership. The Gibeonites (who are not Israelites, according to 21:2) exploit the Levitical law of retributive justice (Leviticus 24:17-22) against Saul (21:5), and since Saul is no longer living, against his descendants. riz'-pa (ritspah, "hot stone"; Josephus, Rhaispha): In 2 Samuel 3:7 the subject of a coarse slander. Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. Rizpahs act could be understood as one that results in a small token of restorative justice. Rizpahs tragedy is a story of grief. The name of this woman is associated with her strong and tender grief over the loss of her sons, recorded in Have reminders sent directly to your email, Pause your devotional at any time to read at your own pace. We are told that then "God was entreated for the land" (21:14). God will do the same today. Yet, the violent nature of the narrative is interrupted by the actions of a mother in mourning. Commentaries She guards them for approximately six months (during the entire harvest period), and we cannot really understand the hardship of her six-month vigil.4 There is no DoorDash food delivery service in Israel at that timeRizpah has to fend for herself. WebArticle. Maybe then she would understand the "why" of what she had just witnessed. Sex New York: 2000. Prompting them to all that would gratify and honour them and promote their happiness; to self-denial and self-sacrifice for their good, should they live to need the help of their children; and to patience and forbearance towards them, should they, under the infirmities of old age, make demands on these virtues. And although usually the light of a mother's love shines chiefly in the privacy of home, and she neither asks nor expects applause or record, it is impossible that she can act a noble part without exercising an influence for good which may widen and ramify far more than she could have imagined, and may secure her an honour she never desired. 25:40). In conclusion: 1. My friend, that is poetical! 15]) and from the outside (see 2 Sam. Web2 Samuel 21, Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible, James Burton Coffman's commentary on the Bible is widely regarded for its thorough analysis of the text and practical application to everyday life.