Let me state something as clearly as I can and hopefully you will not think I’m saying something I’m not saying. I don’t like these battles in the Old Testament. This is the beginning of many battles. God is a warrior, and though I am comforted in his willingness and ability as a God who goes to war, I live in a post Jesus reality and the thought of killing anyone, especially women (and later, children) is hard to stomach. I think I’m much like the person who likes to eat steak but hates the idea of killing a cow. I tend to make fun of these people because they prefer to believe steak magically appears in cellophane in the super market. I know I need to embrace these qualities of God and trust him, but I find it so difficult. I don’t want a cellophane faith, but it’s tough.
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I've cringed when a man's unfaithfulness results in his entire family being killed (or swallowed up by the earth!) and the fact that an entire people will be wiped out - women and children also. It does seem like there is an aweful lot of killing (where did all those bodies go?!) What is God trying to teach us with all these stories, laws and rituals. Why aren't we just allowed to view God from a post-Jesus view?
ReplyDeleteBTW, I am from the city - I'm sure the meat in the cellophane in the supermarket is not from those cute cows with those big brown eyes :) Good analogy though...a cellophane faith. I will be mulling that one over today.
I have a question - and wish I had time today to do some research... Do you know what kind of vows a woman would have been making before God (Chapter 30:3-17) that her husband or father could nullify or be guilty of making her break if they waited a day to decide... just curious.
ReplyDeleteI think it’s pointing back to the vows of Leviticus 27 when a person could vow a person or item.
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