According to the Bible, God tells the people of Israel to utterly destroy the Canaanites. All of them: Men, women, children, infants, animals. Not only are they to be killed, they are to be shown no mercy. More than showing no mercy, they are to be cherem - set apart - for destruction. This, from the lips of a God who is “slow to anger” and “abounding in mercy.” Even giving a moment’s thought to this is enough to make one’s stomach turn. It’s genocide, there’s no getting around that, and apparently God commands his nation of priests to carry this out on the cities, towns and villages in the land they are going to take over.
Some defend this command, believing God is just so whatever God says to do, you do. No questions asked. I mean, who are we to question God? Those who think this way argue the Canaanites were the most horrible people living in the Ancient Near Eastern World. However, the Canaanites were no better or worse than anyone else living back then. The only difference between them and, say, the Assyrians is they lived in the wrong place. They lived in a land that Israel wanted and the way to get it was to wipe them out.
This story and these words echo the words of a King of Moab in the 9th Century B.C. named Mesha. In other words, this kind of violence was not original with the people of Israel. ANE tribes often praised their gods by attributing gross violence to them, and then, after the battle, gave them glory for their victory. The gods were violent warriors who looked out for their people, and were ready to destroy anyone (and in this case everyone) else. Let’s not forget Israel was immersed in this culture, and to a certain extent participated in it. So, what do we do with these stories? The simple answer is “engage them” for what they are. That being a record of people’s conversations about God, how they understand God and what we can learn from that.
April 24, 2022: Begin At The Ending - Bekah Stewart
April 17, 2022: Easter Sunday - Michael Hidalgo
April 10, 2022: Mending the Divides –Dave Neuhausel
April 3, 2022: Clean on the Inside - Michael Hidalgo
March 27, 2022: The Long View - Dave Meserve
March 20, 2022: Welcome, Welcome, Welcome - Amanda Lum
March 13, 2022: A Divine Connection - Michael Hidalgo
March 6, 2022: The Comfort of Solidarity - Jonathan Merritt
February 27, 2022: Teenage Jesus - Nick Elio
February 20, 2022: What Are You Waiting For - Michael Hidalgo
February 13, 2022: The Extraordinary Ordinary - Bekah Stewart
February 6, 2022: Naming Babies and Other Things - Michael Hidalgo
January 30, 2022: Danger Mom - Amanda Lum
January 23, 2022: Yes Women - Kent Dobson
January 16, 2022: This Is Nothing New - Michael Hidalgo
January 9, 2022: No More Words - Michael Hidalgo
January 2, 2022: How It Begins - Michael Hidalgo
December 19, 2021: Sit At My Right Hand - Michael Hidalgo
December 12, 2021: A Story of the Gods - Michael Hidalgo
December 5, 2021: Quid Pro Quo - Bekah Stewart
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