Big Idea: When angered by sin, God may severely punish the sinners, but he is willing to relent from his judgment when sinners repent.

Understanding the Text

As noted above, this final episode in the book corresponds to 2 Samuel 21:1–14 in the concentric structure of the epilogue. In both episodes David successfully appeases God’s anger. In the first instance Saul’s sin against the Gibeonites prompts God’s judgment; in the second instance God’s anger at Israel, presumably due to some unidentified sin, is the catalyst for judgment. With its contrast between David and Saul, 2 Samuel 21:1–14 supplements 1 Samuel 15–2 Samuel 4, which demonstrates that David rather than Saul is the rightful king of Israel and that David is not responsible for the death of Saul and his descendants. Now 2 Samue…