SHOO BUZZARD! THE TRAGIC STORY OF VULTURES, BUZZARDS AND RAVENS
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com I have a buzzard from party store.
This material needs to be studied and you need you do a quick review of the story of RIZPAH FIGHTING THE VULTURES, BUZZARDS ABD RAVENS… Lay a quick foundation of the need of people to STAND ON GOD’S PROMISES and we must fight the buzzards… for our marriages, for our families, for our churches and for our nation.
Text:
2 Samuel 21:10 And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water dropped upon them out of heaven, and suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.
THERE IS A VERY SAD STORY ABOUT CHOICE AND THE COST AND CONSEQUENCES OF THOSE CHOICES THAT STARTS AT MOUNT GILBOA --- KING SAUL LAID A DANGEROUS FOUNDATION THAT ENDS WITH A VULTURE –BUZZARD FIGHT.
RIZPAH means “HOT STONE.” Rizpah had to be a beautiful and intelligent young woman that King Saul loved.
Rizpah was a concubine and she bore Saul two sons.
Saul means “the one that was asked for.” The people demanded a King, even after Preacher Samuel warned the nation.
Saul had many sons. The most famous was JONATHAN. Saul’s sons were born to royal princesses and had higher status than the concubine’s children. WHEN SAUL APPROACHES MOUNT GILBOA he and his three sons born to the royal wives all died that day.
Saul had a general named ABNER, which means: “light.” Abner tried to keep “SAUL’S kingdom” in power after Saul’s death. Abner, was Saul’s cousin. He claimed the power by using a claim through ISHBOSETH’S family line through Saul. ISHBOSETH was the fourth son of Saul so he was next in line to rule. ABNER was SAUL’S COUSIN AND HE USED THIS YOUNG MAN AS HIS CLAIM TO THE SAUL’S THRONE.
SO ABNER was accused of taking RIZPAH as his wife to strength his claim to SAUL’S THRONE. SO IT APPEARS IN HISTORY THAT MAYBE ABNER AND RIZPAH WAS ESTABLISHING A CLAIM TO SAUL’S THRONE.
ABNER was assassinated by JOAB, David’s general, because ABNER HAD NO CLAIM WHATSOEVER TO THE THRONE. JOAB KNEW DAVID WAS THE NEXT ANOINTED KING OF ISRAEL.
Rizpah was a concubine of King Saul. Legally a concubine was a little lower than the queen. Saul had 7 son’s by concubines. RIZPAH’S HAD TWO SON’S BY SAUL…
SO RIZPAH’S TWO SONS, ARMONI AND MEPHIBOSHETH (another by this name.)
2 Samuel 3:1 Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker.
2 Samuel 3:6 And it came to pass, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner made himself strong for the house of Saul. 7 And Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah: and Ishbosheth said to Abner, Wherefore hast thou gone in unto my father's concubine?
RIZPAH’S TWO SONS WERE MURDERED OVER SAUL’S BUZZARD BATTLE…
2 Samuel 21:1 Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.
2 And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them; (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah.) 3 Wherefore David said unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? and wherewith shall I make the atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of the LORD? 4 And the Gibeonites said unto him, We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his house; neither for us shalt thou kill any man in Israel. And he said, What ye shall say, that will I do for you. 5 And they answered the king, The man that consumed us, and that devised against us that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the
coasts of Israel, 6 Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, whom the LORD did choose. And the king said, I will give them.
SO 7 OF SAUL’S SONS BY CONCUBINES DIED --- RIZPAH’S SONS WERE DEMANDED AS REVENGE OF THE GIBEONITES FOR WHAT SAUL HAD DONE. SO RIZPAH’S SONS WERE CONDEMNED AND EXECUTED. BECAUSE OF THE GIBEONITES REVENGE FOR WHAT SAUL HAD DONE TO THEM.
REMEMBER RIZPAH WAS POWERLESS TO STOP THIS AGAINST SAUL’S HEIRS. Her sons bodies were left unburied on an open hillside. SCAVENGING BIRDS TRIED THEIR BEST TO DESTROY RIZPAH’S SONS BODIES.
RIZPAH COULD NOT ACCEPT THE DESTRUCTION OF THE BODIES. BODIES. SHE STAYED THERE NIIGHT AND DAY GUARDING HER SONS HANGING BODIES. This mother braved the rain, the heat of the sun, for months … this mother protected the bodies of her sons from the vultures and buzzards and wild animals.
RIZPAH IS A GREAT STORY OF fighting buzzards, vultures, and ravens. A MOTHER’S LOVE AND DEVOTION EVEN WHEN EVERYTHING HAD GONE WRONG.
2 Samuel 21:7 But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the LORD'S oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. 8 But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bare unto Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite: 9 And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the hill before the LORD: and they fell all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest.
10 And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water dropped upon them out of heaven, and suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night. 11 And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done. 12 And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabeshgilead, which had stolen them from the street of Bethshan, where the Philistines had hanged them, when the Philistines had slain Saul in Gilboa: 13 And he brought up from thence the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son; and they gathered the bones of them that were hanged. 14 And the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son buried they in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the sepulchre of Kish his father: and they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God was intreated for the land.
THE GIBEONITES DEMANDED 7 OF SAUL’S SONS TO BE KILLED AND LEFT ON THE HILL TOP AS A TESTIMONY. There was 5 sons of MERAB AND THE TWO SONS OF RIZPAH… RIZPAH WILL FIGHT EVERY BUZZARD, EVERY VULTURE, EVERY RAVEN AND EVERY WILD ANIMAL SHE NEEDS TO… SHE WILL FIGHT FOR HER SONS.
FINALLY DAVID HEARD THE STORY OF RIZPAH’S FAITHFULLNESS TO KEEP THE VULTURES AND BUZZARDS AWAY FROM HER SONS. DAVIDHAD THE SONS BODIES TAKEN FOR A PROPER BURIAL. NO MORE IS EVER HEARD FROM THIS LADY RIZPAH… BUT HER LOVING KINDNESS
2 Samuel 21:11 And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done. 12 And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabeshgilead, which had stolen them from the street of Bethshan, where the Philistines had hanged them, when the Philistines had slain Saul in Gilboa:
13 And he brought up from thence the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son; and they gathered the bones of them that were hanged. 14 And the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son buried they in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the sepulchre of Kish his father: and they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God was intreated for the land.
MANY HAVE HAD TO FIGHT VULTURES, BUZZARDS AND ANYTHING ELSE TO ACCOMPLISH GOD’S PURPOSE FOR THE FAMILY.
Let us journey through Hebrews 11… and see those VICTORIOUS OVER THE BUZZARDS.
I think ADAM and EVE never fought the Buzzards or snakes? The cost?
ABEL gave the BEST, HE SHOO’ED AWAY THE BUZZARD…
ENOCH would never yield to the BUZZARDS, he walked by faith and pleased God.
NOAH’S 120 YEAR MINISTRY NETTED him his family, 8 souls… many times through the years THE VULTURES WOULD TRY TO HINDER GOD’S MAN WITH GOD’S PLAN.
Abraham, old man, but by faith shoo away THE BUZZARD OF UNBELIEF… doubt …100 years old buying pampers?
Sarah allowed the buzzard to roost in her mind, the buzzard brought grief to this day, but Sarah became the MOTHER of a great nation. --- HER FAITH SHOOED AWAY THE BUZZARDS…
JACOB THE SURPLANTED SHOOED AWAY THE MEAN VULTURE… AND WRESTLE WITH THE ANGEL TO BECOME ISRAEL, PRINCE OF GOD.
JOSEPH was from a dysfunctional family, that knew the well, the slavery, the prison, but never forget the buzzard of hurt and revenge were not welcomed, IT WAS ALL THE PLAN OF GOD… JOSEPH MOVED TO THE PALACE AND HIS DREAM CAME TRUE… THE VULTURE WAS NOT WELCOME.
MOSES had a buzzard visit him, he looked around, there was no witnesses, he killed the Egyptian? The buzzard came back when in anger Moses hit the rock… but AARON and HUR got under Moses and shooed the buzzard off.
JOSHUA --- THE BUZZARD SHOWED HOW STRONG THE WALLS of Jericho were… MARCH BOY, WITH YOU MOUTH SHUT…
Fly away vulture, my God rules.
Gideon from 30,000 to 300 and the light and broken pitchers? Fly away.
Daniel faced hungry lions?
The fiery furnace for the 3 Hebrew boys, get away buzzard.
Hebrews 11:38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. 39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
SHOO, SHOO AWAY VULTURES, BUZZARDS AND RAVENS…
The buzzards will steal, kill and destroy…
John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Buzzard, we know who gives abundant life.
Buzzard, I CAN’T KEEP YOU FROM FLYING OVER MY HEAD, BUT I CAN KEEP YOU FROM BUILD A NEST, A HOME IN MY BRAIN. I refuse to allow you to live rent free in my mind… I HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST.
We refuse to accept I CAN’T --- YOU CAN THROUGH CHRIST.
Buzzard, I know all about BONDAGE, we refuse to come under bondage again… we are FREE, FREE INDEED.
Buzzard, we will not walk in WORRY and FEAR --- WE WALK BY FAITH.
I declare Buzzard you may knock me down, I may fail, but I am going to get up and TRY AGAIN, SUCCESS IS MINE.
Buzzard the night may be dark, but THE LIGHT will return, the light always defeats darkness.
Buzzard, you might try to get me angry, bitter and unforgiving, --- BUT I MAKE THE CHOICE TO LOVE, for love never fails.
Buzzard we may have trouble, trials and sorrow, but SHOO, FLY we are headed toward great victory.
Buzzard we learned a song years ago, I AM WEAK, BUT JESUS IS STRONG, JESUS LOVES ME.
Buzzard, weeping may endure for the night, but you know and I know JOY COMES IN THE MOORNING.
Hey buzzard, I WILL CHANGE MY THINKING PATTERN, man is not what he eats, MAN IS WHAT HE THINKS…
Buzzard, I WILL STAND ON THE PROMISES OF THE WORD OF GOD… you are a liar… the truth is not in you.
I know we shall approach the VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH… but if there is a shadow there is a BRIGHT LIGHT to guide my foot steps.
CONCLUSION: PATIENT FAITH OVERCOMES AND MAKES US MORE THAN CONQUERORS.
PLEASE, NEVER FORGET WHAT WE KNOW….
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
WE HAVE TO FIGHT THE RAVENS, THE BUZZARDS, AND THE VULTURES… REST IF YOU MUUST, BUT NEVER QUIT!
2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
1. WE ARE IN A SPIRITUAL BATTLE: I HAVE FOUGHT A GOOD FIGHT…
2. ALL THE STRANGE TWIST IN OUR JOURNEY: I HAVE FINIISHED MY COURSE…
3. I NEVER QUIT: I HAVE KEPT THE FAITH…
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
