2 Samuel 21: Group Study Handout

How to use: read 2 Samuel 21 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.

Overview

During a prolonged famine, David seeks Yahweh's guidance and learns it is due to Saul’s actions against the Gibeonites (vv. 1-2). David engages the Gibeonites, asking how he can make atonement for Saul's atrocities.

Key verse

“He delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the mountain before Yahweh, and all seven of them fell together. They were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, at the beginning of barley harvest.”
2 Samuel 21:9 (WEB)

Outline

2 Samuel 21:1–2 Famine and Divine Inquiry
2 Samuel 21:3–6 Negotiation with the Gibeonites
2 Samuel 21:7–9 Spared Life of Mephibosheth
2 Samuel 21:10–11 Rizpah's Mourning
2 Samuel 21:12–14 Burial of Saul and Jonathan
2 Samuel 21:15–17 David Fights the Philistines
2 Samuel 21:18–22 Victories Against Giants

Discussion questions

In v1, what does David seek from Yahweh during the famine?
What specific punishment do the Gibeonites request in v6 for Saul's actions?
David's act of delivering seven men in v9 raises questions about justice: how does this align with God's mercy?
Rizpah's actions in vv. 10-11 suggest a deep mourning: what does her refusal to allow animals to disturb the bodies signify?
When have you felt compelled to advocate for someone who suffered unjustly, like Rizpah did?

Go deeper

Passages that echo 2 Samuel 21: 1 Samuel 17, 1 Chronicles 20, 1 Samuel 20.

Before next time: read 2 Samuel 22.