Rizpah: A Mother’s Love and Devotion 2 Samuel 21:1-14

Introduction

Rizpah’s story reminds me of a mother’s love and devotion that I once witnessed. A family in my previous church lost their teenage daughter in a car accident. It was a tragic loss, and the family was devastated. But even in their grief, the mother showed remarkable strength and faith. She decided to donate her daughter’s organs so that others might live. She said that her daughter would have wanted to help others, and that’s what gave her peace.

The mother’s selfless act of love and devotion had a profound impact on those around her. Her daughter’s organs saved the lives of several people, and the family received countless messages of gratitude and support. Like Rizpah, this mother’s example of grief and healing through her act of love left a lasting legacy of hope and inspiration.

As we reflect on Rizpah’s story, let us remember that God’s love and grace are sufficient to carry us through even the most difficult of circumstances. May we be inspired by Rizpah’s example of love and devotion, and may we also find comfort and strength in our faith, knowing that our loved ones who have passed on are in the arms of a loving God.

Body

I. Rizpah’s Tragic Background

2 Samuel 3:7 – “And Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah: and Ishbosheth said to Abner, Wherefore hast thou gone in unto my father’s concubine?” Discuss Rizpah’s background as a concubine and the tragedy of losing her two sons to a public execution.

II. Rizpah’s Unwavering Devotion

2 Samuel 21:10 – “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.” Explain Rizpah’s devotion to her sons’ remains and her unwavering commitment to protect them from the elements and wild animals.

III. Rizpah’s Example of Grief and Healing

2 Samuel 21:11-14 – “And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done. And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabeshgilead, which had stolen them from the street of Bethshan, where the Philistines had hanged them, when the Philistines had slain Saul in Gilboa: 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. 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.” Discuss how Rizpah’s example of grieving and healing through her act of devotion influenced King David’s decision to honor Saul and Jonathan by giving them a proper burial, resulting in the end of a three-year famine in the land.

IV. Rizpah’s Legacy of Love

2 Samuel 21:15-17 – “Moreover the Philistines had yet war again with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines: and David waxed faint. And Ishbibenob, which was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David. But Abishai the son of Zeruiah succoured him, and smote the