The answer is: Famine

2 Sam 21:1

In the chilly grip of famine, the depths of anguish reveal more than just a physical shortage of food; they conjure a tempest of moral reckoning that resonates deeply throughout the Scriptures. During the time of David, the stark consequences of past sins hung heavy over the land, pointing toward the grave repercussions of unfulfilled vows and violent transgressions. The massacre of the Gibeonites by King Saul was a glaring breach of a covenant made during the days of Joshua. You see, the Gibeonites had crafted a ruse to secure their safety when Israel entered the Promised Land, pledging loyalty and living in fear of their vanquishers ever since.

What’s fascinating is that the fallout from this brutal act impacted not just the perpetrators but generations to follow. David, called "a man after God’s own heart," reveals the intertwining of justice and mercy inherent in divine governance. His reign is a lesson: unaddressed acts of injustice erode societal foundations and have a ripple effect.

Interestingly, this episode connects us back to a recurring theme in the Hebrew Scriptures—a reminder that communal sins can provoke divine consequences. Imagine a peaceful landscape violated, and the land mourns, asking, “When will our justice arrive?” David’s actions to rectify Saul’s wrongs led not only to the redemption of the Gibeonites but also to the resurrection, so to speak, of the moral fabric of his kingdom. This memory nudges us to contemplate our own moral failings, reminding us that what one party overlooks can loom large across centuries.