Rizpah, The Woman Whose Grief Touched The Heart Of A King

As we find with so many little known women in the Bible, Rizpah was only mentioned a few times-twice in fact. But her unfailing love and devotion inspired compassion in the heart of a King and brought an end to the famine that was devastating the nation of Israel.

First here is a little background on the situation: The nation was in terrible straits due to a famine because of King Saul’s disobedience and failure to honor an agreement made by Joshua soon after entering the land of Caanan. Saul had attacked and killed a number of Gibeonites who had a covenant pact of protection with Israel (the full story is found in Joshua 9) and that angered God who brought a famine on the people. Saul had been wounded in battle and killed himself to escape the pain, but the consequences of his actions lived on. The Philistines had mutilated and disgraced the bodies of Saul and his sons. They cut off Saul’s head and hung his body on a public wall for all to see. His followers traveled all night and retrieved his body, along with the remains of his sons, burned them, then buried them. But the animosity between the families of Saul and David continued. Abner, an uncle to Saul refused to accept David as king and appointed Saul’s only remaining son, Ish-bosheth, as king. But he was working behind the scene to further his own claim on the throne. Abner went to Saul’s concubine Rizpah and had sex with her. If he inherited Saul's "property" his own claim on the throne would be established. When confronted by Ish-bosheth, he became angry, feeling he had been disrespected and swore loyalty to David. But Joab who was a fierce warrior felt Abner was traitorous and killed him. Once David learned the famine was because of Saul’s murder of the Gibeonites, he asked them what would appease them. They wanted blood vengeance and asked for seven of Saul’s descendants to be delivered to them. King David chose the men (five were grandsons) and gave them to the Gibeonites. These included Rizpah’s two sons, Armoni and Mephibosheth. All of them were killed (by hanging) in retaliation and their bodies left publicly at the sanctuary at Gibeah as a sign of retribution.

This all happened at the time of harvest when the barley was ripe. Rizpah spread a cloth of sackcloth (burlap) over a rock, set down and remained there day and night fighting off birds and wild animals that came to prey on the flesh of her dead sons. She never left and must have barely slept. This grieving mother stayed there until the rains began to fall, about five months, probably from about May to October. How horrible for her to see the bodies of her boys begin to rot and swell as they decomposed! But for them to be torn apart and eaten by animals would have been an atrocity and against her religious beliefs. Her love for them also would not allow her to see them ripped apart like so much refuse. So this incredible mother abandoned everyone and everything in her life, devoting herself to protecting her sons in the only manner left to her.

She, the one who had breastfed, cuddled, nurtured and carefully raised these young men could now do nothing to help them except to preserve their dignity in death. So she watched and suffered, waiting for release of her sons’ remains. Finally, after months of horror, grief and deprivation, word of Rizpah’s actions reached King David and he felt compassion for her. He was most likely shamed by her response to the deaths of her children. David had abandoned his beloved friend Johnathan and allowed his body to remain unburied.Her love survived after death and was genuine while his seemed to have been surface only and denied when challenges arose. So he ordered the bodies to be given a proper burial.

Additionally, he took responsibility to honor the previous King of Israel, Saul. He sent to Jabesh Gilead where Saul had been buried and retrieved the bones, including Jonathan whom David had loved like a brother. The remains of the seven who had been killed were gathered up and buried. Saul and Jonathan were buried in a family tomb with Saul’s father. An honorable burial brought an ease of grief and knowledge that her sons were cared for in the prescribed manner and the end to a five month vigil.

Once the right thing had been done, all the prayers were answered by God. The heavens let flow the much needed rains and the famine was lifted from the nation of Israel. For a short while at least, Israel was in right standing with the One True God. This had not happened when the Gibeonites were appeased but only when the King of Israel acted in love and honor.

We do not hear of Rizpah again. She is never mentioned anywhere else in the Bible. However her story remains an example of motherly love and determination to see justice served and that faith, strength and hope are rewarded. I think of her as a real woman-and she was as real as you and I. She was flesh and blood then and a spiritual example today.

Rizpah must have looked a sight. She surely was gaunt from lack of food and water; she was painfully thin from constantly thrashing her arms, flinging stones to frighten away creatures that had come to desecrate her sons. She must have been filthy with encrusted dirt from months of sitting outside in the open air. Since it was a dry and arid season, there had not been rain to wash away the accumulated grime. Her hair had been swept into matted tangles by the wind and her clothing was in tatters. Her lips were surely parched and her skin burnt dark from the unrelenting sun. She probably smelled quite rank, having not bathed in months and being exposed to the odors as she watched the bodies of her sons rot.

Friends and family probably came to bring her home, telling her that it was time to move on-to let go. She was an embarrassment to them all. But her grief was so powerful that she remained to scream at the animals come to desecrate her children. So she shook them off, just reaching out a shaking hand to grab a crust of bread or a quick gulp of water, then convulsing again in agony and pain that could not be alleviated .

Did she build a fire come dusk to protect herself from the eyes in the night, sometimes casting flaming sticks into the faces of a ravenous lion or bear? What were her thoughts as she looked at those bodies? Did she remember little arms hugging tightly as they crept around her and held her in nights of sweetness, instead of these unfathomable nightmares? Were her ears burning to hear a whispered voice just one more time?

The entire tale is a tragedy that could not be contrived by any mother’s worst fears. None of us can even comprehend what she endured during this time of grief and rage. We do know that she survived the unthinkable, seeing her children die-and for political reasons-not even in war as heroes defending their home from enemies. They did not fall in service to hard and honorable work or die in the arms of beloved wives as old men, surrounded by children and grandchildren. Their lives and future was ripped away by another man’s poor judgment. This was the end of the family lineage most likely. Were there any sons to continue the name? Probably not since Rizpah left home to sit vigil on the hilltop, wailing and fighting for months and months.

During her ordeal, Rizpah certainly would have been aware of the command concerning treatment of a person who had been hanged. A law concerning this was given and is recorded in Deuteronomy 21:23-“²² If someone guilty of a capital offense is put to death and their body is exposed on a pole, ²³ you must not leave the body hanging on the pole overnight. Be sure to bury it that same day, because anyone who is hung on a pole is under God’s curse. You must not desecrate the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.”

Her prayers must have been intercession for God to remove the curse upon her sons. Certainly she must have wept until she felt as dry and barren as the sights around her, only to have that maternal dam fill again with saturation brought forth directly from her womb. She screamed at the injustice that allowed innocents to be murdered before the horrified eyes of their mother. Mothers always seem to suffer the most, because we love from the inside out. We knew that first movement of life, felt the first kick and knew the heartbeat of our child. Only God who creates life in our dark, secret place and we are there for those first months. So we are closer to His love in action than any other person who touches that life created in our womb.

Who among us can begin to know what she suffered? Only a mother who has lost a child can know this pain. Anyone who has sat beside a sick child burning with fever knows the anguish of helplessness. We all must deal with loss in this life, a cherished parent or the spouse that stood beside us for a lifetime. Some tragedies seem greater than others but in the moment are all equal to the person suffering.

The loss of control is great in today’s society. We often feel overwhelmed, helpless and victimized as Rizpah was. She was raped by Abner after losing her husband Saul. Then she was made to suffer for his sins by losing her only sons to a vicious death. This is a great lesson to remember. Our actions affect others; even future generations will be touched by the choices we make today. Is it right or fair? No, but it is the way of life in the world we live in. We continue in hope and faith, just as Rizpah did. And God will come to our aid when we believe in Him who overcame death and Hell and claimed us for His own.

By standing strong in love and commitment to what is right and just, we receive the blessing of the King just as Rizpah received after refusing to compromise. Our personal King is Jesus. He also hung from a tree and his mother watched over His poor bloody body and wept. But unlike Rizpah’s sons, He rose from death and in doing so He endows us, the believer, with all of the Promises of God. We are the spiritual children of Abraham and God promised him that his descendants would receive blessings here in this life, not just in Heaven. We are told in 2 Peter 1:3 that “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.”

And King David, yes THAT one, wrote, "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever." (Psalms 23:5-6 KJV)

In Heaven we will not have any enemies. So the provision Jesus Christ bought for us through blood sacrifice is meant for our life now. He has already given healing, material needs are met, and broken hearts are mended. We are in control, even in the midst of great conflict and turmoil. We just need to believe and manifest it from hope into belief. Faith and God’s grace must be met with belief. Rizpah believed her struggle would result in reprieve and it did. Her family was buried with honor and I think she was forever looked upon as a fighter for truth and justice. After all, thousands of years later, we see her as a warrior and the mother whose grief and courage touched the heart of a King. We touch the heart of our King also when we stand strong for His truth and refuse to tolerate sin or compromise our blood bought righteousness.

• Read 2 Samuel 3:6-7

• Read 2 Samuel 21:8-14

Rizpah, Rizpah!

Does your barren womb ache with remembered labor?

And those full moon breasts that once flowed with life

now droop and sag like dry empty water bags.

Your almond eyes once sparkled at a King and

took his breath away as he laid you down wrapped

in those mighty, royal arms. For a while now he has been gone,

fallen and forsaken and his kiss will never warm your lips again.

Dullness does not joyfully gleam, but is sanded by sadness into ebony agony.

Saul, Saul!

Your seed, your sons are betrayed, given up for free by one

who once slew giants with only a sling and a river stone. He is reduced to

fretful fear and has abandoned his covenant with Johnathan who lies

dishonored with his father in a far away land, feeding worms in the grave.

Armoni, Mephibosheth!

Not your boys though brave Rizpah, not these who were the pride

and pleased patriarchal hope of a blessed union, conceived in passion

and birthed in pain and blood. They are more than a sacrifice yet poor

substituted retribution in an less than deserved death. No beak will

feed and never a belly will with them be fed! Starve damned bird!

Rizpah, Rizpah!

As you guard your forlorn mountaintop, refusing food or sleep

I know you live and breath for the slain, weeping and flinging

stones of your own at vultures and slugs, bears and lions that creep.

You vigil through bright of day and dark of night yet you never

hide from the stares and laughs but stand strong for the greatest thing

we have ever known. You have become eternally remade again in the

image of God, as the only one involved remaining concrete in love and He

holds you blameless forever and writes your name in the white book above.

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