2 Samuel 19-21

2 Samuel 21 is very disturbing to me. It connects a three-year famine (2 Samuel 21:1) with Saul's persecution of Gibeon, according to some unknown prophet's word from the LORD, and David is convinced. Saul's sin must be atoned. He asks Gibeonite leaders for a proposal (2 Samuel 21:3); and naturally they respond with vengeance in mind. In effect, they say, "Let us put to death seven of Saul's male descendants." (2 Samuel 21;6)

Surprisingly to me, David agrees!

The seven are handed over to the Gibeonites, and the seven are killed. Their corpses are desecrated and exposed to the elements. But David orders their remains buried together with the remains of Saul and Jonathan in their family's burial plot. The biblical writer implies that the LORD ends the famine on account of the seven-man sacrifice.

That implication does not harmonize well with God's judgment against human sacrifice. See, for examples, Genesis 22:1-13, Leviticus 18:21, and Deuteronomy 12:31.

I suspect that David fell for a Gibeonite plan for extracting vengeance on Saul's family here. I imagine he may have been tricked by someone impersonating a legitimate prophet of the LORD. It's possible the famine came to an end with the passing of time alone. It's possible that the human sacrifices made had nothing to do with God's desires for the land and its people.