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 23, 2023: Guest Teacher - Hannah Thom
July 16, 2023: Guest Teacher Series - Nick Elio
July 9, 2023: Guest Teacher - Jasper Peters
July 2, 2023: A New Space in the Universe - Michael Hidalgo
June 25, 2023: Announcement
June 18, 2023: There Is No ”Them” - Michael Hidalgo
June 4, 2023: You Must Be Crazy - Kent Dobson
May 28, 2023: Bringing the Fire - Michael Hidalgo
May 21, 2023: I Am (Not) The Greatest - Jonathan Merritt
May 14, 2023: Coming Down the Mountain - Michael Hidalgo
May 7, 2023: Let’s Stay Here - Michael Hidalgo
April 30, 2023: Having It All For Nothing - Michael Hidalgo
April 23, 2023: Fake News or Breaking News? - Michelle Cazas
April 16, 2023: You Can Do This - Michael Hidalgo
April 9, 2023: What Things? - Michael Hidalgo
April 2, 2023: The Visible God - Michael Hidalgo
March 26, 2023: Saved From What? - Michael Hidalgo
March 19, 2023: Off the Mark - Michael Hidalgo
March 12, 2023: Can These Bones Live - Jonathan Merritt
March 5, 2023: Dirt - Michael Hidalgo
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