7 But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Saul’s son Jonathan, because of the oath of the LORD that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. 8 The king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Merab the daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite; 9 and he gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the mountain before the LORD, and the seven of them perished together. They were put to death in the first days of harvest, at the beginning of barley harvest.
10 Then Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until rain fell upon them from the heavens. And she did not allow the birds of the air to come upon them by day, or the beasts of the field by night. 11 When David was told what Rizpah the 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 men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the public square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, on the day the Philistines killed Saul on Gilboa. 13 And he brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan; and they gathered the bones of those who were hanged. 14 And they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the land of Benjamin in Zela, in the tomb of Kish his father. And they did all that the king commanded. And after that God responded to the plea for the land.
Comment: I’m not sure how many male descendants could have been found, but eight are here named. It is not surprising that David spares Mephibosheth, his close friend Jonathan’s son! The other seven are hanged to pay the debt. Rizpah was the mother of two of those hanged. David understood Rizpah’s grief and actions and took the bones of Saul and Jonathan (which must have involved a search and some digging) and the bodies of the recently hung seven and took them to be buried in the tomb of Kish, Saul’s father. My family burial plot is almost 3000 Km from where I now live but I would quite like my body (when dead!) to be buried there. The ‘real’ me will be elsewhere!
Prayer: I confess that while our justice system wouldn’t approve of this, You did. And I confess, Father, that it seems just to me. Death paid for by death, but a limited number for many.
As I read it! 