Rizpah’s story is one of sexual politics, power and control during the reign of Saul, the first king of Israel and in David’s wresting of power from Saul. Rizpah was one of Saul’s concubines who bore him two sons, Armoni and Mephibosheth. You can find her story in 2 Samuel 3:1-10 and 21:1-18.
Along with the five sons of Merab, daughter of Saul (2 Samuel 21:9):
‘David gave [Rizpah’s sons] into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they impaled them on the mountain before the Lord. The seven of them perished together. They were put to death in the first days of harvest, at the beginning of the barley harvest.’
The shock of the brutal treatment of Rizpah by Abner, the commander of Saul’s army whose possible rape of Rizpah justifies the seizure of power after Saul’s death; and David’s disposal of her sons because they may have posed a threat to his throne as the remaining contenders from Saul’s family, is breathtaking.
David ignored both Merab and Rizpah and used a three-year famine as a pretext to turn over the remaining seven male heirs to Saul’s throne to the Gibeonites for ritual execution to atone for the apparent bloodguilt Saul had incurred against them.
10 Then Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it on a rock for herself, from the beginning of harvest until rain fell on them from the heavens; she did not allow the birds of the air to come on the bodies by day, or the wild animals by night. 11 When David was told what Rizpah daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done, 12 David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan from the people of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the public square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hung them up, on the day the Philistines killed Saul on Gilboa. 13 He brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan; and they gathered the bones of those who had been impaled.[1]
And they buried them.
However, Rizpah breaks open God’s message of peace and love. In the place of powerlessness, vulnerability and humiliation, we are reminded how to witness without violence, even when we are silenced. Rizpah is among the long line of women who challenge those abusing their power, shaming them and bringing them to account. She uses the same strategy the ‘Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo’ in Argentina whose sons, brothers, and husbands were disappeared by the military junta during 1977-1983; and whose stoic resistance in silent witness to the tyranny of dispossession and disappearance was extraordinary.
No-one prevented the murder of these seven men, their lives paid out as an honour killing, expediency triumphing over moral obligations, with David’s claim to power and kingship overwhelming everything in its path. No-one buried the murdered and broken bodies until David was told what Rizpah was doing, keeping watch over them. This visible, silent vigil provides moral witness; it is the courage and rage of a powerless and vulnerable woman, a mother who could not save her sons, her reputation or her position. Her insistent, silent presence, screaming with grief at the politics of power, shames the powerful into action and eventually brings justice as David finally gathers the bones of Saul, Jonathan and all of those who were impaled and buried them.
Arunadhati Roy says: “Once you’ve seen it you can’t unsee it”. Where does that leave us as Christians when we see violence and injustice in the pages of our Scriptures, in the church and in the world around us?
Let’s pray:
For those without voice, we pray for witnesses. For those without friends we pray for companions. For those without power we pray for solidarity. For those without access we pray for inclusion. For those without justice we pray for Wisdom’s presence and peace. For those without hope we pray for love. For those engulfed with pain and grief we pray for healing and restoration. For those overwhelmed with tears we pray for peace. Creator, Word and Spirit, may those who feel abandoned in this world’s offensive reality know they are always loved, honoured, welcomed, and celebrated by you. May their anger and despair be emblazoned by the fire of the Holy Spirit into your love. Amen.
The Ven. Dr Lucy Morris is Rector of the Anglican Parish of Buderim, on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. She is also the Archdeacon of the region. She chairs the diocesan working group on Domestic and Family Violence and is working with others on active peace-making. She has long been interested in and an active feminist and witness for women’s rights in the church and more broadly. Lucy’s blog is: www.Lucymorris.com.au and she also has a Facebook page and her work can be found on the Parish Website https://buderim.anglicanchurchsq.org.au; and Facebook www.facebook.com/StMarksBuderim
A note from Margaret: People in Anglican Churches, and others that follow the Revised Common Lectionary, will be spending time in 1 Samuel - 2 Kings for the next few months. The passages chosen for Sunday readings are key turning points in the story of the Davidic monarchy, but they do not tell the full story of the horror experienced by people such as Rizpah, who were caught in the wheels of a political system that so often protected the powerful and sacrificed the powerless. For an introduction to the story of the Davidic Dynasty, see my recent sermon: How to Give away Your Freedom. I am grateful to Lucy for reminding us of Rizpah, and I encourage you to read the bits in between the Sunday readings, and pay attention to the “little people” in the story.
With Love from Rev Margaret
[1] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version (2 Sa 21:10–13). (1989). Thomas Nelson Publishers.