Please explain what was really happening in 2 Samuel 21:8-14?

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To set the scene, let’s quickly provide context. There is a famine in the land for 3 years, which God traces back to the house of Saul’s savage treatment of the Gibeonites. The latter incident is not mentioned elsewhere in Scripture. The Gibeonites were part of the Canaanites who made a treaty with the children of Israel during the time of Joshua that ensured their protection in exchange for their servitude (Josh. 9:3-27). In the passage under discussion, King David sets out to make amends and summons the ill-treated Gibeonites. Notice God’s interest, care and justice for non-Israelites. God loves the whole world, not just Israel. David then asks them what he can do to redress the wrong they had experienced. Since Israel, led by Saul, practically destroyed their nation, leaving only a remnant, the Gibeonites wanted justice from the house of Saul. Seven men were requested to be delivered to them to be hung ‘before the Lord’ (cf. Num. 25:4) to assuage the injustice. Saul’s offence grossly misrepresented Israel’s religion, and the God of Israel wanted everyone to know of His disapproval of such behaviour. Israel’s God does not operate like that. Notice that God did not devise the plan that David and the Gibeonites had come up with. After this killing, a mourning family member’s long and devoted vigil ensures that the slain bodies are protected from birds and wild animals. David hears about this, and takes the bones of Saul, Jonathan and of the seven slain members and gives them all an honourable burial, showing that he cherished no enmity toward the family. God then hears the prayer for the drought-stricken land. This passage is admittedly challenging and begs the following questions, especially from a Western mind: 1. Why must this sin be dealt with seemingly long after it was committed? 2. Why did God approve all this bloodshed? Does it appease Him? 3. Why should innocent people die for someone else’s sin, especially since God says that each person is responsible for their own sin (cf. Eze. 18) Even though there are many missing elements in the story, we can suggest some basic responses to the questions above: 1. Although God is a God of love, He is pained by injustice and keeps a detailed account of all such wrongs. These injustices are often redressed in this life, but the full and thorough handling of it will take place during the judgement before Christ’s return (Rev. 14:6, 7 cf. Dan. 7:9-14), during the Millennium after His return (Rev. 20:4-6), and after the Millennium (Rev. 20:13-15). Injustices don’t go unnoticed by heaven and surely will not go unpunished – even though there may be a long period between crime and punishment. 2. God steps into the ‘mess’ of sin and works within the framework of our human situation and understanding. Justice needed to have been done to the Gibeonites, but God did not specify or choose the method – the Gibeonites did. God merely worked within the setting of that time. This may sometimes falsely give the impression that God endorsed the bloodshed, and the hanging these seven men. To elaborate on this concept, let’s look at 3 quick examples of God’s involvement in situations He did not endorse: a. God did not want Israel to have a king, but upon their insistence, He allowed them to follow their desire but pointed out the harmful consequences of such a decision (see 1 Sam. 8) – which are clearly seen throughout the sad history of the nation. So even though God did not approve of their decision for a monarch, He continued to work with His chosen nation, amid all of their disobedience and complex situations. b. God did not approve of slavery, but ‘dirtied His hands’ by getting involved in the complicated circumstances of human affairs. Although He allowed His people to have slaves, He issued laws that destroyed the very foundation of that institution. A casual reader of the Bible may think that God supported slavery. c. God did not sanction polygamy but key spiritual leaders such as Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon and others, stepped out of God’s ideal and reaped the painful results of broken homes. Yet God did not abandon His people but kept pointing them to the ideal over time. Once again, it may seem God supported polygamy because of His close relationship with these leaders – but this is not so. 3. Notice what David said to the Gibeonites in vs 3: “What shall I do for you?” This question should have been addressed to God. The Bible does not indicate that David took this matter to the Lord, nor does it affirm that what the Gibeonites requested was in harmony with what God would have wanted. The fact that the famine stopped after the burial of the bones of Saul, Jonathan and the 7 executed men, does not mean that God approved this method. As mentioned above, God works within our messy situations. The fact that it may appear that ‘innocent’ people died (even though in a sense all of Israel could be regarded as guilty since they were in sympathy with Saul in his campaign to exterminate the Gibeonites), God cannot be held responsible for actions from which He was excluded. Thus the accusation that ‘innocent’ people dying for others’ sins, cannot be levelled at God.