Extreme Devotion

Extreme Devotion

Rizpah

Read: 2 Samuel 21:1-14

Camille looked at the clock. She couldn’t believe that it was already time for Seth’s therapy again. Although it was hard to tell if the exercises actually helped his muscles, she thought she had seen some improvement. With Seth’s severe birth defects, their first doctor had advised institutionalized care. She and her husband had immediately found a new doctor who was willing to work with them. Camille hadn’t realized how exhausting Seth’s special care would be, but she vowed to keep doing the best she could for him, taking it one day at a time.

Rizpah was devoted to her sons in life and in death. Because of Saul’s sins, his two sons by Rizpah and five of his grandsons were executed on a mountain. Rizpah stood by, helpless to save her sons’ lives, but she determined that they would receive no further dishonor after death. For five long months, Rizpah watched over the men’s bodies. Day and night, in heat and cold, she protected them from birds and wild animals. It’s hard to imagine what filled the mind of this grief-stricken mother as she fought fatigue, discomfort, and weather to keep her guard.

Although we may not fully understand all of Rizpah’s motives, we have to admire her dedication to her sons, which lasted long after their lives ended. She is a model for the kind of devotion that God desires to see in us. It’s tempting to let our commitment to follow him wane when life gets hard, when we face a hopeless situation, or when it seems that our dreams have died. During those times, the best thing we can do is to stubbornly hold on to our trust that God rules over our lives. Rizpah’s devotion touched King David, and he gave her sons and the others a proper burial. God will reward our devotion to him in far greater ways than that.

We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God.

Titus 2:12