Covenantal Love

By John Madge

“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 touch them by day or the wild animals by night. When David was told what Aiah’s daughter Rizpah, Saul’s concubine, had done, he went and took the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from the citizens of Jabesh Gilead. (They had stolen their bodies 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 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.”—2 Samuel 21:10–14 (NIV)

At the beginning of 2 Samuel 21, we’re confronted with a sobering scene. A famine has plagued Israel for three years, and when David inquires of the Lord, he learns the cause: Saul's unjust violence against the Gibeonites, which was a breach of Israel’s covenant with them. To bring justice, the Gibeonites asked for seven of Saul’s male descendants to be handed over and hanged. David agrees to their terms, but he spares Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, because of the oath he had made with Jonathan.

This passage of Scripture offers a vivid picture of divine justice and covenant mercy and points to deeper spiritual realities that apply to us today.

The seven sons of Saul represent those who remain under the guilt of sin, unprotected by a covenant of grace. Though they themselves may not have committed Saul’s offenses, they bear the weight of his legacy and fall under the just judgment against his house. It’s a stark reminder of our own reality apart from Christ. Without Christ’s covering, we’re enemies of God and exposed to the consequences of judgment for our sins. As Romans 5:12 (NIV) tells us, “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people.”

Next, we have Mephibosheth, who is described in 2 Samuel 9:3 (NIV) as follows, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet.” Mephibosheth represents those of us who have put our faith in Christ. We’re helpless, lame, and have no power to save ourselves, yet we’re spared because of a covenant made and sealed in Christ. We’re not saved because of our strength or merit, but it’s Christ’s righteousness that shields us from judgment and brings us into favor with God.

Then we meet Rizpah, a grieving mother who refuses to leave the bodies of her dead sons. She protects them from birds and beasts, mourning with a fierce, enduring love. Her compassion and grief are a picture of God’s love and desire for everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 (NIV) says, “The Lord . . . is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance”.

Rizpah’s display of grief and devotion ultimately moves David to honor the dead with a proper burial. In the same way, our prayers and grief for the lost may move the heart of God to mercy, drawing others to repentance and hope.

Today’s Scripture leaves us with both a warning and an invitation. Let’s not be found uncovered like Saul’s descendants, but hidden in the covenant of grace through Christ. And let us, like Rizpah, carry a burden for those still outside that covering—pleading, praying, and pointing them to the only One who can save.

Pause: Do you grieve over those who remain apart from Christ? Do you intercede and mourn with compassion over the spiritual deadness of those around you—friends, family, and nations who still face judgment without the covering of Christ?

Practice: Commit to praying and fasting for one person in your life who doesn’t know the Lord.

Pray: Lord Jesus, I thank You for Your covering and covenant of grace unto me, an unworthy sinner. I deserve the wrath of God for the sins I’ve committed and the injustices I’ve brought about. I thank You for interceding on my behalf when You went to the cross and paid the debt I owe by bearing the wrath of God for the full weight and measure of my sin. Help me to grieve over those in my life who are not under the same covering. Amen.