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.
July 12, 2020: The Courage to Rest – Amanda Lum
July 5, 2020: Flesh & Blood – Dave Neuhausel
June 28, 2020: Just This – Michael Hidalgo
June 21, 2020: Make It Real – Jon Gettings
June 14, 2020: The Most Excellent Way – Michael Hidalgo
June 7, 2020: Do You Know Who You Are? – Bekah Stewart
May 31, 2020: Get Off Your Ass and Do Something – Michael Hidalgo
May 24, 2020: Love is God and God is Love – Scott Oppliger
May 17, 2020: The Engine of the Universe
May 10, 2020: All for One – Michael Hidalgo
May 3, 2020: So That's How it is in That Family - Amanda Lum
April 26, 2020: Beyond Kin, Family, and Tribes - Dave Neuhausel
April 19, 2020: You Look Divine - Michael Hidalgo
April 12, 2020: Easter Sunday - Michael Hidalgo
April 5, 2020: Divine Feminine Remixed – Scott Oppliger
March 29, 2020: A Child At Her Breast – Michael Hidalgo
March 22, 2020: Cooperating & Co-Creating – Bekah Stewart
March 15, 2020: Born of God – Michael Hidalgo & Maggie Knight
March 8, 2020: The Divine in All Things, All People, In All Places - Paige Harris & Scott Oppliger
March 1, 2020: A Metaphor For The Divine - Michael Hidalgo
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Life After Ministry
Cast The Word
Let Me Be Frank | Bishop Frank Caggiano’s Podcast | Diocese of Bridgeport, CT
The Bible Recap
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)