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 21, 2021: Forgive Them –Michael Hidalgo
February 14, 2021: An Anchor for the Soul
February 7, 2021: Provoking the Good and Beautiful – Scott Oppliger
January 31, 2021:What is Hope Anyway? – Michael Hidalgo
January 24, 2021: Living with Hope in the Past Tense – Jonathan Merritt
January 17, 2021: As Real As It Gets – Michael Hidalgo
January 10, 2021: What Is Emerging From The Chaos of This Moment? – Michael Hidalgo
January 3, 2021: Returning Home –Scott Oppliger
December 20, 2020: Dear Tiny Infant Jesus – Michael Hidalgo
December 13, 2020: As Much Dirt As You Can Handle – Dave Neuhausel
December 6, 2020: Not So Far From God –Amanda Lum
November 29, 2020: Christ of the Cosmos – Michael Hidalgo
November 22, 2020: Not Becoming a Monster to Defeat a Monster – Bekah Stewart
Spiritual Formation Podcast: Prayer of Examen
Spiritual Formation Podcast: Advent 2020 – Week 4
Spiritual Formation Podcast: Advent 2020 – Week 3
Spiritual Formation Podcast: Advent 2020 – Week 2
Spiritual Formation Podcast: Advent 2020 – Week 1
November 15, 2020: Drunk, Naked and Passed Out – Michael Hidalgo
November 8, 2020: What the Hell? – Nick Elio
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