God Answers Prayer in Behalf of the Land

2 Samuel 21:1-22

Key Verse 14

“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.”

1. Read 21:1-6.  During the reign of David, when the famine is struck for three consecutive years, what does David do?(1a)  What does The Lord say to David? (1b)  Who are the Gibeonites? (2, Jos 9:7, 11:19) What do the Gibeonites ask David for? (3-6)

2. Read 21:7-14. Why is Mephibosheth spared? (7) Who are given over to the Gibeonites? (8)  What happens to them? (9) What does Rizpah do? (10)  What does David do when he hears about what Rizpah had done? (11-14)  What do you think of Rizpah’s actions?  What effect do you think they had on David?

3. Read 21:15-17. During a battle between Israel and the Philistines, what happens to David? (15) Who says he will kill David? (16)  What do David's men say after the battle? (17) What do you think David’s men mean when they say that “David is the lamp of God”?

4. Read 21:18-22.   In 21:18-20, what happen in the battles between Israel and the Philistines? (18-21)   How does God protect ‘David the lamp of God’? (22)