It was morning and I was preparing to go to work. Our family had just moved to Oregon the month before. The phone rang. It was my daughter. She said: “Turn on the TV.” When we did, we saw the collapse of the second World Trade Center building. A snapshot in time stamped itself indelibly onto the nation. The whole thing took only thirty minutes, but its impact persists. It is hard to comprehend that here we are 19 years later, and the actual event is beyond the experience of most recent college graduates. History matters.
The 911 attack inspired the rise of a group called the New Atheists. Book titles like “God is not Great,” “The God Delusion,” and “The End of Faith” quickly appeared on best seller lists. Fairly or unfairly, the Christian faith came to be entwined with the act committed by those radicalized young men. How did this happen? Well, the answer is not difficult to discern. Sections of the Old Testament like Joshua and Judges contribute to an emerging narrative. That is: “The God of the Bible orders and inflicts violence.” In this article I hope to contend with this perception.
The first question to ask is: “Why were the Canaanites dispossessed?” It is true that they worshiped other gods, practiced magic, and did many other things condemned by the Law of Moses. Yet, unlike the descendants of Abraham, they never agreed to be bound to any sort of covenant with Yahweh. Therefore, they were innocent; “Where there is no law, there is no violation (Rom 4:15).” To quote Paul again, when addressing the Athenians, he said:
We ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent (Acts 17:29-30 ESV).
This informs me that I should not ever say things like: “The Canaanites were cleared out because they were unbelievably evil.” More to the point, I should not think that they deserved what they got. These ancient people were no different than any of the surrounding clans. They and the Israelites swam within the same waters of the time in which they lived.
So then, why? For this, we need to turn to God’s plans and purposes. Here is an analogy. A couple of decades ago, our government created an economic zone near the Great Lakes. By eminent domain, they grabbed the property of local homeowners. The justification? The benefits of the many overrode the needs of the few. Similarly, God declared the Israelites to be a holy (set aside) nation of priests. They were to be a light to all nations. The land of Israel was to be the region where God’s presence would reside. Eventually, Jesus would complete the process and launch the Kingdom of God on Earth. This could not happen if conflicting cultures and worldviews were permitted to remain in the region.
The next question is: “How was the task completed?” Skeptics would reply: “Genocide!” My response is to assert: “No, genocide never happened.” How do we decide which view is correct? We have witnesses. The scriptural text is one source, to be sure. There are others. One of these is the Amarna letters. In 1887 a series of over 300 clay tablets were found near the ruins of Amarna. It was the capital city of Egypt during the reign of the Pharaoh Akhenaten. The tablets were written by Canaanite rulers in mid-14th century BC, arguably the time when Joshua was in charge.
What was happening? Canaan was controlled by small semi-independent city states, whose rulers were designated as kings. Most considered themselves to be vassals of Egypt, the dominant power of the time. Sometimes they fought among each other; other times they joined into loosely organized coalitions. According to the Amarna letters a new threat arose. The Habiru (meaning nomads or outlaws) were wreaking havoc. City states in the mountain regions were losing control. The Canaanites fought back, but the battles were hard. Things were not going well. Naturally, local leaders requested help from Pharaoh. They wrote: “We bow 7 times and 7 more, front and back. Please, send us archers. If you don’t, all will be lost.”
Many cities listed in the letters match those recorded in the Bible. These include Hazor, Gaza, Shechem, Jerusalem, Lachish, and others. Sometimes, perhaps in desperation, local Canaanite leaders aligned themselves with the Habiru . Shechem is a good example. In Joshua chapter 24, Shechem is where the Israelites renewed their covenant with God. Interesting! The Bible never records a Shechem battle. The Israelites apparently never conquered that city. How can that be? The Amarna letters give us the answer. The Canaanites switched sides.
The resident tribes had options. With proper warning, they could flee. They could stay, form coalitions, and fight. They could attempt to negotiate. They could give up their gods and join up. Rahab and her family are examples. One day they were Canaanite. Jericho fell. They became Israelites. This is comparable to being a Democrat today, and tomorrow becoming a Republican. The Amarna letters give strong indications that Rahab was not alone. Many of the Canaanite tribes did what Rahab did. The Gibeonites were different. By deception, they negotiated a treaty. As such, they kept their gods, but had to carry wood. I’ve often wondered why Joshua was so perplexed by the incident. Now I know. The Gibeonites were not driven out; they retained their Canaanite identity.
Okay, so we’ve established that people had options. But what about the harsh language to “kill everything that moves.” To address this point, I’ll introduce additional extrabiblical evidence.
The Meneptah Stela is the first archaeological evidence that recognizes Israel as an independent entity. It is dated in the early 13th century BC, a little over a century after the Amarna letters. It celebrates the exploits of a conquering pharaoh. It reads:
The princes are prostrate, saying, “Peace!”Israel is laid waste and his seed is not;
So, the same people who were laid waste without offspring went on to become a formidable power under David and Solomon. A bit of hyperbole here, wouldn’t you say?
The second piece of evidence is the Moabite Stone, dated to 9th century BC, the time of king Ahab. It reads:
[1] I am Mesha, … My father was king over Moab for thirty years, and I was king after my father.and Israel has gone to ruin, yes, it has gone to ruin forever! I killed its whole population, seven thousand male citizens and aliens, female citizens and aliens, and servant girls; for I had put it to the ban of Aštar Kemoš .Kemoš drove him away before my face
Note the language. The Israel king was put under the ban (devoted to destruction) as their god Kemoš required. Israel is gone to ruin forever. All male, female, women, and slaves are destroyed. Sounds almost like we are reading from the account in Joshua, doesn’t it? These types of celebratory expositions were par for the time. They are not to be taken literally.
Let’s consider one last piece of evidence, the Bible itself. If one plots the cities mentioned, Joshua managed only to dominate the mountain regions. It would not be for hundreds of years till they fully controlled Canaan. The Jebusites, for example, ruled Jerusalem until the time of David. My conclusion is this: Christians do not have to be defensive when confronted with the charge of genocide. We can say: “Genocide never happened. Read the Old Testament in context.”
What is the purpose of the Bible recording Joshua’s exploits? This is twofold. First, it demonstrates that Yahweh keeps his promises. The children of Israel did indeed enter the promised land and establish their residence. Second, it manifests their national identity. The people recall with pride the past struggles and victories. They can proclaim: “This is our common heritage.” Americans do the same. We, regardless of ethnicity celebrate Thanksgiving. Very few can trace their roots back to that small Plymouth rock settlement. It doesn’t matter. Thanksgiving is one of the things that unites us and binds us together as one people with the cultural identity, American.
Revelation chapter 5 features a scroll bound with seven seals. Only the slain lamb, Christ the messiah, is equipped to unlock the seals, open the book, and reveal its mysteries. Many interpreters, going all the way back to the 2nd century AD, consider the Old Testament to be that scroll. When we Jesus followers read the Old Testament, it is important that we allow him to be the filter. We know what God is like when we look to Jesus. A warning shouts out when our Old Testament understandings of God conflict. The message is: “You are on the wrong track. Read it again!” Church fathers from the beginning would agree.
Thanks for listening,secondlooknow.com
Scripture is the ultimate interpreter of scripture even more the living word is the ultimate interpreter of the ring word accurate. While I am not position that righteous indignation God’s wrath has new place in the world in history, We certainly must understand God’s judgement in light of his perfect love for his world. Jesus was God’s perfect representation on Earth. If he forgave the most violent oppressors and showed grace and mercy to the most vile sinners come that must be how I understand god.
Dan, my first thought as to why books like “The End of Faith” became popular at that moment is, 911 shocked us out of our assumption that America was God’s hometown.
I would argue that what Rahab did was more like switching from Pubs to Dems, but that might get us off track.
Wait, wait.
“Celebratory expositions were par for the time.”
OK, but you mean on pagan stella (stellae? stellas?), right?
Are you saying the Bible exaggerates?
I enjoyed the listen.
Many thanks for this!