Inheritance

Readings for today: Joshua 11-14

I remember sitting in a class at the University of Colorado and discussing anthropology with our professor. The history of Homo Sapiens is a violent one. From the moment our ancestors began to populate the earth, they engaged in all kinds of warfare, especially with other hominid species. Some historians argue that violence and conflict is an intrinsic part of being human and there are very few periods in history where we haven’t been at war with someone, somewhere around the world. Perhaps this helps put into context our readings for today.

Israel, like every other tribal nation in the ancient near east, fought wars. They fought to establish themselves in the Promised Land. They fought to secure a future for themselves and their children. They fought to accumulate land and wealth and resources. They fought to secure the inheritance God had promised them. This is what every tribe did in the region at that time. It was either kill or be killed. It was a war fought for survival. In fact, many of the tribes listed in the Book of Joshua would return the favor and attack Israel at different points in her history. And while it may seem strange to us in the 21st century, it is the norm throughout human history.

God works through human culture. You’ve read those words time and time again on this blog. God refuses to work apart from the creatures He made in His own image. He refuses to revoke the mandate He gave us at creation to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and exercise dominion over all He has made. He refuses to absolve us of our responsibility to act as His chosen instruments in the world. At the same time, He will not override our freedom. He will not force Himself on us nor will He coerce us into doing His bidding. He works through even our bad choices, sinful choices, evil choices to make Himself known. He works through our brokenness and corruption to make His will known. So even as Israel invades the Promised Land and puts entire cities and tribal groups to the sword, God is at work. Does it mean He approves of everything they do? Clearly not. But God is capable of using all things - the good, bad, and ugly - to bring about His sovereign purposes.

We still live in a world at war. Conflict rages all over the globe. Gaza. Ukraine. Azerbaijan. Turkey. Syria. The list goes on and on. There seemingly is no end to the violence. Man’s inhumanity towards man knows no boundaries. It is perhaps comforting to remember that God is at work even when we cannot see Him. He is at work even when we cannot hear Him. He is at work even when we cannot understand His plan or purposes. He is bringing His Kingdom to earth. He will set all things right. He will make all things new. And we will receive the inheritance He has stored up for us in heaven.

Readings for tomorrow: Joshua 15-18

Warfare in the Bible

Readings for today: Numbers 31-32, Psalms 50

It’s hard to read passages like the one we read today where the Lord commands His people to go to war. “The Lord spoke to Moses, “Execute vengeance for the Israelites against the Midianites. After that, you will be gathered to your people.” (Numbers‬ ‭31‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭CSB‬‬) It seems inconsistent with God’s character. After all, if God is love, how could He command such violence? Did the ancient writers make a mistake? Did Moses not hear God correctly? Is this simply a theological justification for Israel’s wars of conquest? These are important questions to wrestle with for sure.

However, it is also important we wrestle with these questions honestly and not anachronistically. It’s simply dishonest to judge a culture from another time and place by our modern, 21st century American standards. First and foremost, we are just as violent and messed up as any culture ourselves so certainly do not have the moral high ground. Second, humanity has been at war from its inception. Violence seems hardwired into our very nature. I’ve read where some historians believe humanity has had four years of peace in her 10,000 years of existence. Four years! When you read books like The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee by David Treuer or Dominion by Tom Holland, you realize very quickly that pagan cultures around the world were just as violent, if not more so, than Jewish, Christian, and/or Muslim cultures. Third, God has made an unbreakable, unshakeable commitment to work through humanity to bring about His will on the earth. This means He uses us in spite of us which is hard for us to keep in the forefront of our minds because we tend to see ourselves as fundamentally good despite all evidence to the contrary.

The Midianites were an early nomadic tribe known for violence, child sacrifice, slave-trafficking, and sexual license, among many other things. They were distant relatives to Israel through Abraham and his second wife, Keturah, but that didn’t stop them from attacking their cousins. What took place was fairly typical in ancient near east tribal warfare. Blood feuds were very common and passed down from generation to generation which is why Moses orders the execution of entire families. He is seeking to put an end to the war with Midian once and for all. He doesn’t want a new generation of sons to seek revenge for what happened to their fathers. By the way, we see a similar dynamic in play in the Middle East today between the Israelis and Palestinians. It’s a modern blood feud that has lasted several generations at this point with no end in sight. As each generation comes of age, they seek revenge for what happened to their fathers and mothers which is why it’s tough to see how such a conflict can possibly end peacefully.

Why does God allow or even sanction such violence? I am honest enough to say I do not know. What I do know is the Midianites were not innocent. Nor was Israel. Humanity is always compromised on so many levels. There is no such thing as a truly innocent human being. The fact that God chooses to work through us to bring about His sovereign will means working with us in all our sinful, broken, rebelliousness. If we have the courage to engage in honest self-reflection, we know the many ways we act selfishly and pridefully and even violently. We know the many ways we hurt or bring pain to others by what we say or don’t say, do or don’t do. We know the many ways we fail to live up to our own moral standards much less God’s moral standard. Rather than stand in judgment on the people of the ancient near east, the Bible calls us to humble ourselves and look within to see how truly similar we are to them with the hopes that it drives us to God for His mercy and grace.

Readings for tomorrow: Numbers 33-34, Psalms 51