Monday, April 9, 2012

2 Samuel 21 - Enough Bloodshed

The Israelites are starving and God apparently wants an offering of blood from Saul's house for the lives of the Gibeonites that Saul had taken. The Gibeonites only want 7 of Saul's sons so that they can hang them in payment for the blood that was previously shed. Saul has been long dead, so have most of his sons. Here go 7 more. I wonder if he has any more who can pay the penalty for this king's, this father's, sins?

I can not really understand this need for justice - that so many end up dying for the sins of one man. But, then I suppose more were involved in the deaths of the Gibeonites than just the king.

Thanks be to God for our Saviour, Jesus the Christ, who willingly paid the penalty for our sins. It is not quite fair, it seems, that Jesus should die for our sins. But, I thank him for that sacrifice so that multitudes of generations will not have to die for sins committed by not only themselves but their fathers and their fathers' fathers.

Enough bloodshed. Let there be peace - the peace that only Jesus can give.

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