An excellent article. I agree with Nicholas that the biblical text isn't using hyperbole or exaggeration but the policy of 'herem' meant what it said. I don't think we struggle with the idea that God and only God has the right to take human life. He did this in the flood and in the destructions of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. We struggle with this directive because he used fallible human agents to carry out this command (if only on this historic occasion). This is an issue I continue to wrestle with, but ultimately we need to trust in God's omniscience on this and hold to Abraham's contention: "... Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”..." (Gen 18:25; NIV)
Fascinating observation. As God is a giver of life, He maintains the right to take it as well. It is impossible for God to ‘murder’ but certainly not to ‘kill’. If God has used His divine power and opened the ground under the city, and consumed everyone in it, would he have been immoral to do so? I think not.
But here is the problem. We are attempting to look at the problem in isolation. If all you had to go on was that God ordered the death of a nation, by another nation, you would say ‘That is a strange God.’ but you must take the entire biblical corpus into account here. When we do, it becomes far more interesting. He did not spare the Israelites, from the same judgement when they did the same things.
An excellent article. I agree with Nicholas that the biblical text isn't using hyperbole or exaggeration but the policy of 'herem' meant what it said. I don't think we struggle with the idea that God and only God has the right to take human life. He did this in the flood and in the destructions of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. We struggle with this directive because he used fallible human agents to carry out this command (if only on this historic occasion). This is an issue I continue to wrestle with, but ultimately we need to trust in God's omniscience on this and hold to Abraham's contention: "... Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”..." (Gen 18:25; NIV)
Fascinating observation. As God is a giver of life, He maintains the right to take it as well. It is impossible for God to ‘murder’ but certainly not to ‘kill’. If God has used His divine power and opened the ground under the city, and consumed everyone in it, would he have been immoral to do so? I think not.
But here is the problem. We are attempting to look at the problem in isolation. If all you had to go on was that God ordered the death of a nation, by another nation, you would say ‘That is a strange God.’ but you must take the entire biblical corpus into account here. When we do, it becomes far more interesting. He did not spare the Israelites, from the same judgement when they did the same things.
But I digress.