2 Samuel 21:1-2  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. 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.

The wheels of God’s judgment grind slowly at times.  The Bible makes it clear that what we sow, we reap.  Saul’s killed a bunch of Gibeonites many years before his death and now Israel is suffering the consequences of his bad decision after he has died.  We think at times we can get away with sin and not suffer consequences.  The Bible makes it clear that people sin because judgment is not executed speedily.  God is very long-suffering and willing to give us space to repent.  If we don’t judgment will eventually come.

Saul had no idea that judgment for his foolish decision with the Gibeonites was going to come on Israel.  Likely Achan had no idea things were going to be as bad as they were when he got the little wedge of gold and a Babylonianish garment.  We often underestimate the “little” sins that we commit and the undervalue true obedience to God.

We need to live holy lives because the Lord highly values it.  The Lord has a lot longer memory than we do.  David asked the Lord to forget the sins of his youth.  I think we need to pray the same prayer.  The Lord has had way more mercy on most of us than we deserve.  If judgment does come, we have no right to complain to the Lord.

Saul’s real sin was pride and jealousy.  He just wanted to kill the Gibeonites to show he had a lot of zeal and was a powerful king.  His jealousy was revealed when David slew his 10,000’s and Saul only slew 1000’s.  The problem was the Gibeonites were promised protection from the children of Israel years before.  Saul broke that promise in his pride.  We need to make sure we deal with our pride and jealousy before it comes to the judgment of God like it did with Saul.  The wheels of God’s judgment grind slowly.  Let’s make sure we get right before they destroy us.