Rizpah's Devoted Watch

RISE AND SHINE FOR JESUS! \O/

By Pam Iannello (my late mother)

"Rizpah's Devoted Watch"

Motherhood definitely has its ups and its downs, to say the least. The condition of children is often a great distress to parents. And sometimes our children enter into troubles that only God can help a mother and/or father with… Some of you mothers have already experienced heartache as a parent and know from experience what motherly grief is like. Such was the case with Rizpah, a loving and deeply devoted mother with a broken heart for her boys.

Let me briefly supply you a bit of background which I uncovered in my research of Rizpah and share with you why I was both convicted and highly motivated by her testimony. Basically, Rizpah was living in a time of national strife and war. Saul, when he came to power, pridefully broke an oath with the Gibeonites that had been made previously by Joshua. Then, when Saul met his death, David took over and was approached by the Gibeonites to be compensated for the breaking of their oath by requesting that the seven sons of Saul be hung. Two of those sons belonged to Rizpah, a concubine of Saul. The other five were born to him of Merab. Thus, Rizpah’s innocent sons were taken and hanged upon a hilltop for all to see, cruelly slaughtered not to appease God, but to appease man’s craving for vengeance. And what we find in scripture about Rizpah’s behavior afterward speaks volumes about her mother’s heart…

2 Samuel 21:8-10 (KJV)

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: [9] And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the hill before the Lord: and they fell all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest. [10] 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.

This precious mother had no power to prevent the murder of her two sons, but Rizpah stayed near their lifeless bodies from the barley harvest time to the early rains, which was a total of about 6 to 7 months. Ladies, I want you to use your mother’s heart and imagine viewing the remains of your dear offspring wither and decay a little more each day, while endeavoring to protect the remnants of their human form from scavengers. During the day Rizpah kept the vultures from landing on her sons and pulling at their rotting flesh for fun and food. In the dark she would employ her remaining energy to drive away the beasts of the field rather than permit herself the luxury of sleep and have her son’s corpses greedily consumed by untamed animals. Imagine watching everything you put into your children your whole life long just slowly turn black and shrivel up before your very eyes and fill your nose with a putrid stench. Even in their worst state Rizpah loved her sons… What tender care of the dead we see from this mother! What tenacity! What devotion! What sacrifice Rizpah displays in order to preserve the reputation of her precious children! By the grace of God she stood her ground until rain from heaven dropped upon them… In fact, Rizpah’s actions as a mother were so impressive and effective that they greatly influenced the king!

2 Samuel 21:11-14 (KJV)

And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done. [12] And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh-gilead, which had stolen them from the street of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, when the Philistines had slain Saul in Gilboa: [13] And he brought up from thence the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son; and they gathered the bones of them that were hanged. [14] And the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son buried they in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the sepulchre of Kish his father: and they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God was intreated for the land.

Yes, David heard of Rizpah’s motherly devotion and commanded that the uncared for bones of Saul and Jonathan should be recovered and buried along with the bones of her executed sons in the family grave at Zelah. She never even made a verbal plea! Rizpah simply defended the dead till the rain came, salvaged them from worldly exposure, and preserved respect for their testimonies by doing everything she could to keep her loved ones from total disgrace. In the end, the sons she faithfully guarded were transferred to an honorable position and received a royal burial. And after that God was intreated…

Ladies, are you in the habit of praying for your children when they cannot avenge themselves? What action do you take as you observe your children’s hearts decaying before your very eyes? What do you do when their walk with the Lord withers and turns black with sin? Is that when you forsake your offspring? There are many Christian mothers whose children are still in a lost state or perhaps even a backslidden state; they are not strong enough to contend with the enemy if left on their own. Such children are as lifeless as were Rizpah’s sons in this story. Let me encourage you, dear mother, not to stop looking after your child’s testimony! Protect your loved ones with prayer – get on your knees and chase away the vultures and the wild beasts that seek to pick at their flesh and devour them altogether! Some mothers pick at their children’s deficiencies more than a scavenger would… Don’t do that! No matter how bad their condition may become, they are still your children and they deserve your motherly love and devotion. Do not turn your back on their imperfect, rapidly decomposing state – battle for them; do everything you can to guard them till water from heaven drops down upon them and the king places their soul in a proper position!

What kind of devotion would God say your children are receiving from their mother? Yes, David was impressed with Rizpah’s maternal nature but I wonder if the Lord is impressed with you and me as mothers today… Ladies, the Lord knows whether or not we are as wholeheartedly concerned for our children as was Rizpah. Even if we were half as determined as this woman to guard our offspring we would be doing well! Her gesture of respect healed damaged relationships. I hope Rizpah’s testimony has inspired you to do all you can while you can. Be an effectual, fervent mother till your dying day, not just your child’s!

God Bless,

Pam

Isaiah 60:1&2

Copyright 2006 © Pamela A. Iannello