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.
February 26, 2020: You Are Going To Die - Michael Hidalgo
February 23, 2020: A New Economy – Amanda Lum
February 16, 2020: Enough is Enough Leads to Having Enough
February 9, 2020: No Pain, No Gain – Bekah Stewart
February 2, 2020: The Fabric of the Cosmos – Michael Hidalgo
January 26, 2020: Peace Be With You – Dave Neuhausel
January 19, 2020: Freedom, Sight, and Favor – Michael Hidalgo
January 12, 2020: Watch This – Allen Hilton
January 5, 2020: It's Always This AND That – Michael Hidalgo
December 24, 2019: Christmas Eve Gathering – Wonder
December 22, 2019: Mothers & Dragons - Michael Hidalgo
December 15, 2019: I've Heard This Before – Amanda Lum
December 8, 2019: How Did This Happen? - Kent Dobson
December 1, 2019: A Tale of Two Kingdoms – Michael Hidalgo
November 24, 2019: Loved & Capable of Loving - Amanda Lum
November 17, 2019: Breath, Water and Blood – Michael Hidalgo
November 10, 2019: The Burden of Being Fully Human – Scott Oppliger
November 3, 2019: Love > Fear – Michael Hidalgo & Maggie Knight
October 27, 2019: I Am God – Bekah Stewart
October 20, 2019: What Does it Matter Anyway – Amanda Lum
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)