Parker, Julie, and Perry had just finished school and decided to do some studying at the local coffeeshop when Parker got to talking.
"So I need your help. I was reading this weird passage in Judges 11 where this guy named Jephthah sacrificed his daughter as an offering to God. This wouldn't be such a big deal but the story tells us that the Spirit of the Lord was upon him. Does God's Spirit cause people to do stuff like this? I thought that the Spirit was supposed to help people become more loving, gentle, patient and that kind of stuff. But that's not happening in this passage. It's messed up in my opinion."
Julie quickly spoke up, "This is probably where those Christian lunes get the idea to murder abortion doctors and then claim God told them to do it. This is why I am so suspicious of the Bible. It can brainwash people to do some pretty outrageous things."
Perry didn't like where this conversation was going so he interjected, "But in this story the daughter requests that the father stay true to his promise and sacrifice her. There's a difference between this and someone going out and killing abortion doctors against their will."
Parker responded, "So what you're telling me is that just because the girl wanted to die it was okay? So now the Bible teaches that assisted suicide is acceptable? If it's not one thing then it's another."
With a look of agreement Julie gave her two cents, "Either way it doesn't seem right. I would think that God would be against both child sacrifice and assisted suicide. But if God is against these things then why didn't He put Jephthah to death? I thought God was all about an eye for an eye. And last time we talked, people were put to death simply for stealing. This seems to be on the same level as an honor killing. Don't you think death is in order?"
How would you contribute to this conversation?
______________________________________________
Cole, a local pastor, sitting at the table next to the three turned to them and asked, "Do you mind if I invade your conversation? It's pretty interesting."
"Sure. It appears we've reached a dead end. We could use a little help," said Julie.
"No doubt Judges 11 is a tough passage. But it's a lot easier to understand if you read it in light of the entire book of Judges. To be honest this is the biggest error I see people make when they read the Bible. They read it like a quote book and not like a story. If you read Judges like a story you'll notice that there's a chorus repeated throughout the book."
"I think I remember what it is! Something like 'They did evil in the eyes of the Lord,'" Perry proudly contributed.
"That's right. Toward the end of the book the author also let's us know that there was no king at this time. What this tells us is that the book was not written to brag about how amazing the Jewish people were. And the fact that the author let's us know that there was no king at this time tells us that he's not trying to paint the judges out to be very impressive people either. And so do you think that we should assume Jephthah was being painted as a role model?"
Parker quickly answered, "Well no BUT the Spirit of the Lord was upon him."
"That's right but notice that God never endorses Jephthah's vow. He's completely silent. Also, the story never tells us that Jephthah made his vow because of the Spirit's influence. In fact, every other time in the book when the Spirit comes upon a judge it is to give them power to lead in battle. It seems that Jephthah receives the Spirit here because he is about to go to battle."
"But God's Spirit could have stopped Jephthah from making a HUGE mistake. But He didn't," said Julie.
"True. But the purpose of God's Spirit is to empower us NOT to turn us into robots. We still have to make choices. But what we see in this passage is that Jephthah is making choices based on his anti-Jewish, pagan background (even though he's a Jew!). This shows the type of person he is. He would rather try to gain the favor of a pagan war god that doesn't exist than simply trust in Yahweh. He should know that God despises and forbids human sacrifice. I guess Jephthah fails to realize that God doesn't operate like a pagan god. This makes it hard to believe that this guy is a leader over the Jewish people. This shows how corrupt the nation had become."
"But wait a minute. God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. How can you say He forbids human sacrifice?" asked Perry.
"Well, obviously Abraham knew God better than Jephthah did. Abraham seemed to know from the beginning that God would not allow Isaac to be sacrificed. And in fact, the story of Abraham provides a contrast with Jephthah. The fact that Jephthah and Abraham each have ONLY one child (Yehida in hebrew) that are both obedient connects the two stories. But that's where the similarities end. God speaks to Abraham whereas Jephthah speaks to God. God tests Abraham, Jephthah tests God. Abraham is the father of the promise called out of his home, Jephthah is the son of a prostitute cast out of his home. Abraham follows God's instruction, Jephthah follows pagan instruction. Abraham's sacrifice confirms his faithfulness, Jephthah's sacrifice confirms his faithlessness. The two men couldn't be more different!
"This is great because it also explains some of the craziness with Samson. As a kid I was taught he was a Biblical superhero who showed great faith. My teachers must have skirted over his weaknesses," Parker said.
"This goes to show that if you don't understand the BIGGER story you won't understand its SMALLER parts. And in Judges, the first three judges Othniel, Ehud, and Deborah are presented very briefly but also very positively. But then the last three judges Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson are given long and unfavorable treatments. The author organizes the book this way to make his point: Israel as a nation is on an ever-worsening downward spiral away from God."
Cole looked at his phone and noticed how late it was, "Well I hope this helps. I gotta run but thanks for letting me invade your conversation."
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Joshua 7: Is God Fair?
"I don't understand why people would want to follow and embrace a God like the one portrayed in the Old Testament," said Julie to Parker. "He's more of an embarrassment than anything. I mean if God were running for political office, what He did to Achan's family in Joshua 7 would certainly ruin His chances! I mean how can God claim to stand for justice and fairness when the deaths of innocent children for their father's mistakes seem to bring a smile to His face? If that's God's idea of fairness then I don't want any part of Him. This is probably why Christians don't talk much about the Old Testament."
Parker replied, "I know this is hard to understand Julie. I've struggled with this same issue as well. My hangup has always been that God says that children are not to be put to death for their parents' sin in Deuteronomy 24:16. But then God seems to break His own rule in Joshua 7. When I asked my parents about this they said, 'The Bible says time and again that we can not fathom the secrets of God's wisdom. And that when Job was complaining to God about the unjust deaths of His children this is the trump card He used to explain away His actions (Job 11:7-12).' I guess He can do this. After all He's God and I don't even have my driver's license yet."
Julie chimed in, "I don't have my driver's license either but that reasoning still sounds pretty stupid and naive to me. No offense Parker."
How would you contribute to this conversation?
_____________________________________________
Parker replied, "I didn't think that my parents' explanation made much sense either. I mean Job's friends are the ones who gave that quote and I don't think they were painted in a very positive light in the book of Job. So I don't really think that we can assume their version of wisdom should be held up as the golden standard. So I guess the story still kind of confuses me. Do you have any thoughts Perry?"
"Well, if I'm not mistaken the story tells us that Achan hid the stash of loot in his tent. And unless he only stole a couple Rolex wristwatches or some diamond earrings (which he didn't), it's hard to believe that his family would not have been in the know. And so in my opinion either they didn't report him or they were in on the heist. This means that the family was just as guilty as Achan."
Julie butted in, "But it still seems outrageous for God to put someone to death for theft!"
Perry thought for a second and then responded, "Hey, I totally understand. But just remember that Adam and Eve were dished out death for simply eating a piece of fruit. This might sound like a small thing but this act brought pain and suffering to humanity and put the entire world into a crazy tailspin! And in fact, my friend told me that Joshua 7 parallels the story of Adam and Eve. Look at verse 21. Achan SAW a GOOD robe and TOOK it. This is exactly what Adam and Eve did. Eve SAW that the fruit was GOOD and TOOK it."
"Perry don't get all theological on us. That still doesn't answer the question," said Parker.
"Well actually it does. God legislates greater punishments for things that will do greater harm to His perfect creation order. He does this so that people will think twice before committing a heinous sin. And so I guess you could say that death is a kind of sin deterrent. This is why the punishments for adultery, ultra rebellious kids, kidnapping, murder, and idolatry are so strict. Just like Adam and Eve's sin, they harm the very foundations of God's world."
"But how does that relate to the story of Achan? If I'm not mistaken, the penalty for stealing is not death." asked Julie.
"You're right. But Achan didn't just steal, he was told by God to destroy everything in Jericho but didn't. Why is this a big deal? Well God's order to totally destroy everything was His way of distributing justice to the evil people of Jericho and cleansing the land (where He would dwell) of evil influences. Being that Jericho was the first military operation in the land, God wanted to use Achan to make a strong statement so that people would follow His orders going forward. After all, if every Israelite decided to play by their own rules then God's land would never be cleansed of evil. And so God totally destroyed Achan and all of his things because he had failed to do this in Jericho. I guess this was God's way of applying "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." But unfortunately God's strong statement wasn't strong enough! In the rest of Joshua and Judges we see that the people didn't do what they were told and so perfect rest was never achieved in the land. Make sense?"
"That makes some sense but it still doesn't make it easy to accept," said Parker.
"I don't think God enjoys it either. After all, He's the one who created a happy world to begin with."
Parker replied, "I know this is hard to understand Julie. I've struggled with this same issue as well. My hangup has always been that God says that children are not to be put to death for their parents' sin in Deuteronomy 24:16. But then God seems to break His own rule in Joshua 7. When I asked my parents about this they said, 'The Bible says time and again that we can not fathom the secrets of God's wisdom. And that when Job was complaining to God about the unjust deaths of His children this is the trump card He used to explain away His actions (Job 11:7-12).' I guess He can do this. After all He's God and I don't even have my driver's license yet."
Julie chimed in, "I don't have my driver's license either but that reasoning still sounds pretty stupid and naive to me. No offense Parker."
How would you contribute to this conversation?
_____________________________________________
Parker replied, "I didn't think that my parents' explanation made much sense either. I mean Job's friends are the ones who gave that quote and I don't think they were painted in a very positive light in the book of Job. So I don't really think that we can assume their version of wisdom should be held up as the golden standard. So I guess the story still kind of confuses me. Do you have any thoughts Perry?"
"Well, if I'm not mistaken the story tells us that Achan hid the stash of loot in his tent. And unless he only stole a couple Rolex wristwatches or some diamond earrings (which he didn't), it's hard to believe that his family would not have been in the know. And so in my opinion either they didn't report him or they were in on the heist. This means that the family was just as guilty as Achan."
Julie butted in, "But it still seems outrageous for God to put someone to death for theft!"
Perry thought for a second and then responded, "Hey, I totally understand. But just remember that Adam and Eve were dished out death for simply eating a piece of fruit. This might sound like a small thing but this act brought pain and suffering to humanity and put the entire world into a crazy tailspin! And in fact, my friend told me that Joshua 7 parallels the story of Adam and Eve. Look at verse 21. Achan SAW a GOOD robe and TOOK it. This is exactly what Adam and Eve did. Eve SAW that the fruit was GOOD and TOOK it."
"Perry don't get all theological on us. That still doesn't answer the question," said Parker.
"Well actually it does. God legislates greater punishments for things that will do greater harm to His perfect creation order. He does this so that people will think twice before committing a heinous sin. And so I guess you could say that death is a kind of sin deterrent. This is why the punishments for adultery, ultra rebellious kids, kidnapping, murder, and idolatry are so strict. Just like Adam and Eve's sin, they harm the very foundations of God's world."
"But how does that relate to the story of Achan? If I'm not mistaken, the penalty for stealing is not death." asked Julie.
"You're right. But Achan didn't just steal, he was told by God to destroy everything in Jericho but didn't. Why is this a big deal? Well God's order to totally destroy everything was His way of distributing justice to the evil people of Jericho and cleansing the land (where He would dwell) of evil influences. Being that Jericho was the first military operation in the land, God wanted to use Achan to make a strong statement so that people would follow His orders going forward. After all, if every Israelite decided to play by their own rules then God's land would never be cleansed of evil. And so God totally destroyed Achan and all of his things because he had failed to do this in Jericho. I guess this was God's way of applying "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." But unfortunately God's strong statement wasn't strong enough! In the rest of Joshua and Judges we see that the people didn't do what they were told and so perfect rest was never achieved in the land. Make sense?"
"That makes some sense but it still doesn't make it easy to accept," said Parker.
"I don't think God enjoys it either. After all, He's the one who created a happy world to begin with."
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Deut. 14: Do God's laws change?
"Why do Christians make such a big fuss about same-sex marriage and sex before marriage? I mean it's clear in the Bible that God's laws have changed with the culture," said Julie to Parker.
"I don't agree. Where does the Bible teach that God's laws change with the culture?" replied Parker.
Julie responded, "If I'm not mistaken, God's law at one time forbid people from wearing polyester and cotton blended shirts. The same is true with eating pork, tinkering with genetics, getting tattoos, and cutting sideburns. As far as I'm aware, Christians don't follow these laws anymore. Isn't this because they believe these laws are culturally bound? So why should I think that sex before marriage and same-sex marriage are wrong in today's progressive culture? Times have changed Parker! We're not living in the 1950's anymore."
How would you respond to Julie? Comment below.
___________________________________________________
Parker replied, "I totally understand where you're coming from Julie. The Old Testament laws can be really confusing. And I don't deny that God's laws are applied differently in different cultures. However, I believe that the principles behind God's laws never change. Why? These principles reflect God's original design for this world. And as much as I think I may know, I still think God knows best how His world is supposed to function. After all, He created it!"
"So what principle stands behind God's prohibition of sex before marriage and same-sex marriage?" asked Julie.
"God originally told Adam and Eve that His world functions best when it is filled with communities of people. After all, God loves genuine community and hates it when people are lonely. But community requires people. This is why God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. But how could God's good design have been achieved if everyone wanted to be in a same-sex marriage? Wouldn't that be tough? And so God uniquely created man and women with the ability to multiply communities throughout His world. Does that make sense?"
"I guess. But what about sex before marriage?"
"Well, certainly there are lots of reasons I can think of for waiting until marriage to have sex. I mean it's not difficult to find somebody who was hurt because an intimate relationship that they were emotionally vested in ended abruptly against their heart's desire. Sex without a lifetime commitment can lead to a world of hurt.
But God seems to emphasize the important relationship between family and sex in the Bible. Why is this? God originally designed the family to serve as a safe and stable environment for children to be raised. Can you imagine if God never created the family unit? What would our world be like? It would be complete chaos. Would children know who their dads were (pre-DNA testing)? Would they feel reassured that they would be cared for and not abandoned? I just think that without God's design for family, children would get hurt and confused in this chaos. And in fact, I see this type of chaos happening in our world today and I chalk it up to the fact that many people are disregarding God's design for sex. Does that make sense?"
"Well you still haven't explained those crazy laws in Leviticus? Those don't seem to have any rationale behind them. So why should I believe that those are not culturally bound? Isn't there still a possibility that some of God's laws apply only to certain cultures?"
"Julie you need to check out two blog posts I made awhile back. Check them out and let me know what you think."
"Where are they at Parker?"
Leviticus 11-15 Blog Post
Leviticus 19 Blog Post
"I don't agree. Where does the Bible teach that God's laws change with the culture?" replied Parker.
Julie responded, "If I'm not mistaken, God's law at one time forbid people from wearing polyester and cotton blended shirts. The same is true with eating pork, tinkering with genetics, getting tattoos, and cutting sideburns. As far as I'm aware, Christians don't follow these laws anymore. Isn't this because they believe these laws are culturally bound? So why should I think that sex before marriage and same-sex marriage are wrong in today's progressive culture? Times have changed Parker! We're not living in the 1950's anymore."
How would you respond to Julie? Comment below.
___________________________________________________
Parker replied, "I totally understand where you're coming from Julie. The Old Testament laws can be really confusing. And I don't deny that God's laws are applied differently in different cultures. However, I believe that the principles behind God's laws never change. Why? These principles reflect God's original design for this world. And as much as I think I may know, I still think God knows best how His world is supposed to function. After all, He created it!"
"So what principle stands behind God's prohibition of sex before marriage and same-sex marriage?" asked Julie.
"God originally told Adam and Eve that His world functions best when it is filled with communities of people. After all, God loves genuine community and hates it when people are lonely. But community requires people. This is why God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. But how could God's good design have been achieved if everyone wanted to be in a same-sex marriage? Wouldn't that be tough? And so God uniquely created man and women with the ability to multiply communities throughout His world. Does that make sense?"
"I guess. But what about sex before marriage?"
"Well, certainly there are lots of reasons I can think of for waiting until marriage to have sex. I mean it's not difficult to find somebody who was hurt because an intimate relationship that they were emotionally vested in ended abruptly against their heart's desire. Sex without a lifetime commitment can lead to a world of hurt.
But God seems to emphasize the important relationship between family and sex in the Bible. Why is this? God originally designed the family to serve as a safe and stable environment for children to be raised. Can you imagine if God never created the family unit? What would our world be like? It would be complete chaos. Would children know who their dads were (pre-DNA testing)? Would they feel reassured that they would be cared for and not abandoned? I just think that without God's design for family, children would get hurt and confused in this chaos. And in fact, I see this type of chaos happening in our world today and I chalk it up to the fact that many people are disregarding God's design for sex. Does that make sense?"
"Well you still haven't explained those crazy laws in Leviticus? Those don't seem to have any rationale behind them. So why should I believe that those are not culturally bound? Isn't there still a possibility that some of God's laws apply only to certain cultures?"
"Julie you need to check out two blog posts I made awhile back. Check them out and let me know what you think."
"Where are they at Parker?"
Leviticus 11-15 Blog Post
Leviticus 19 Blog Post
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Deuteronomy 20
The book of Deuteronomy is notorious for this troubling passage: "In the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them - the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites - as the Lord commanded you (20:16-17)." Can you imagine God giving you these instructions? Wouldn't the thought cross your mind, "Why would a loving God tell me to do this?"
And it doesn't stop there! Ten times the refrain "You must purge the evil from among you" is used (13:5; 17:7, 12; 19:13, 19; 21:9, 21; 22:21, 24; 24:7). How do you purge evil? SIMPLE. You put evil people to death! So what are these evil people doing? Well, in Deuteronomy 19:18-19 a person was "purged" for simply LYING! Ouch! Does lying really necessitate the death penalty?
This harsh depiction has created a public relations mess for God and has made Him very unappealing to many people. After all, where's the love in this "purging"? And where's the justice in killing innocent babies [on account of their parent's evil behavior]? Nobody wants to hang out with a God who seems to have anger management problems. And truth be told, these depictions of God have infected many people with a crisis of faith. But there is a remedy. And I believe the remedy is found in forming an accurate understanding of the entire book of Deuteronomy. In other words, we need to see God's harsh instructions in full context. When we do this, I believe much of this PR mess will be cleaned up. So let's get to it and find some answers together!
THE STRUCTURE
The first step in cleaning up this PR mess is understanding the main point of the book of Deuteronomy. The chiastic structure of the book helps us with this. A chiastic structure is simply a writing style that helps to emphasize certain portions of a text through the way the text is organized. And so in Deuteronomy, the text is organized as follows:
A 1-3: A Look Backward
B 4-11: A FIRST Call to Covenant Obedience [Blessings]
C 12-26: Covenant Obligations
B' 27-30: A SECOND Call to Covenant Obedience [Curses]
A' 31-34: A Look Forward
C is the INNER CORE of the book and is where the author places the main emphasis. The outer portions (A, A' and B, B') provide background and nuanced meaning to the INNER CORE (C). Additionally, in Deuteronomy A and A' parallel each other and read like a seamless and continuous story [Read 1-3 and 31-34 together and you'll see what I mean]. The same is true with B and B'.
So what does this tell us? The INNER CORE (C) makes it clear that the main point of Deuteronomy is to clarify the people's covenant obligations and to call them to obedience. To do this, in chapters 12-26 the author elaborates in general on the Ten Commandments. Here's what appears to be his outline:
THE 'GOOD' LAND
The second step in cleaning up this PR mess is understanding the main purpose of the book of Deuteronomy. The main purpose is given in the phrase "that it may go well with you" (Deut. 4:40; 5:16, 29; 6:3, 18; 8:16; 12:25, 28; 19:13; 22:7). The Hebrew verb (yi-tove) translated here as "go well" is derived from the Hebrew word (tove) which means "good." What does this tell us? God wants things to be "good" again. This fact is reinforced through the author's constant references to the "good land" (Deut. 1:25, 35; 3:25; 4:21, 22; 6:18; 8:7, 10; 9:6; 11:17). Simply put, God desires to give His people a good land that will bring goodness back to their lives.
Where have we heard this before? Does Genesis 1 ring a bell? And so the author is communicating in Deuteronomy that God wants His people to return to an Eden-like existence! This is why the author's descriptions of the land are reminiscent of descriptions of Eden. For instance, in the garden, God did most of the work (Genesis 2:4-9). He planted the trees. He watered the trees. And He made the trees grow. Similarly, in the land, God will do most of the work (Deut. 6:10-11; 7:12-15; 8:6-9; 11:13-15, 22-25). Deuteronomy 6:10-11 makes this clear:
But how can this goodness exist when God's people are surrounded by evil? This is where God's instructions to completely destroy the evil nations within the Promise Land and to "purge the evil from among you" come into the picture. You see, the only way that good can be completely restored is if evil is completely removed. In other words, justice needs to be reestablished and maintained on the earth if an Eden-like existence is to be recreated. And so God uses His people to distribute justice and maintain His perfect creation order so that "it may go well with them."
But where's the love in this? Well, God wants to show love to the victims of evil by protecting and vindicating them. I mean, would it be loving for God to turn a blind eye to the victims of the Holocaust by not punishing Hitler? I don't think so. And so you see, by bringing evil to justice, God is showing love to the victims of evil.
But how is it fair that God allows innocent babies to be destroyed because of the evil deeds of their parents? The first thing to understand is that blessing was made available and offered to ALL nations since the time when God made His covenant with Abraham. You might remember that God promised to bless those who bless Abraham and curse those who curse Abraham. And God gave the nations plenty of time to take up His offer of blessing (four generations to be exact). He didn't bring curse in Abraham's time because He was waited until "the sin of the Amorites reached its full measure"(Genesis 15:16). However, after four generations, things didn't get any better. The Amorites (and all the people in the land) were still as evil as ever!
The fact that nothing changed even after four generations shows that future generations would continue to perpetuate evil in God's world. And because of this, God gave the instructions to completely destroy the evil people in the Promise Land (including next generation babies). In all of this, God knew that to completely restore good back to His world, evil would need to be completely removed.
THE BOTTOM LINE
So how does this speak to our lives? Let me first make it clear that God is not telling you to become militant and start a crusade to rid the world of evil people. However, God is instructing us to fight against the evil forces and influences that are ruining God's good world. We do this by overcoming hatred with LOVE, replacing TRUTH with lies, and speaking ENCOURAGEMENT instead of slander. This is why Jesus has called His people to be 'salt' in this corrupting world (Matthew 5:13). We are to function as preservatives for good in God's world. And in fact, this hasn't changed from the time of Deuteronomy 4:5-8. Listen to this,
And it doesn't stop there! Ten times the refrain "You must purge the evil from among you" is used (13:5; 17:7, 12; 19:13, 19; 21:9, 21; 22:21, 24; 24:7). How do you purge evil? SIMPLE. You put evil people to death! So what are these evil people doing? Well, in Deuteronomy 19:18-19 a person was "purged" for simply LYING! Ouch! Does lying really necessitate the death penalty?
This harsh depiction has created a public relations mess for God and has made Him very unappealing to many people. After all, where's the love in this "purging"? And where's the justice in killing innocent babies [on account of their parent's evil behavior]? Nobody wants to hang out with a God who seems to have anger management problems. And truth be told, these depictions of God have infected many people with a crisis of faith. But there is a remedy. And I believe the remedy is found in forming an accurate understanding of the entire book of Deuteronomy. In other words, we need to see God's harsh instructions in full context. When we do this, I believe much of this PR mess will be cleaned up. So let's get to it and find some answers together!
THE STRUCTURE
The first step in cleaning up this PR mess is understanding the main point of the book of Deuteronomy. The chiastic structure of the book helps us with this. A chiastic structure is simply a writing style that helps to emphasize certain portions of a text through the way the text is organized. And so in Deuteronomy, the text is organized as follows:
A 1-3: A Look Backward
B 4-11: A FIRST Call to Covenant Obedience [Blessings]
C 12-26: Covenant Obligations
B' 27-30: A SECOND Call to Covenant Obedience [Curses]
A' 31-34: A Look Forward
C is the INNER CORE of the book and is where the author places the main emphasis. The outer portions (A, A' and B, B') provide background and nuanced meaning to the INNER CORE (C). Additionally, in Deuteronomy A and A' parallel each other and read like a seamless and continuous story [Read 1-3 and 31-34 together and you'll see what I mean]. The same is true with B and B'.
So what does this tell us? The INNER CORE (C) makes it clear that the main point of Deuteronomy is to clarify the people's covenant obligations and to call them to obedience. To do this, in chapters 12-26 the author elaborates in general on the Ten Commandments. Here's what appears to be his outline:
Deut. 12-16 'Love God' teachings [commandments 1-4]So then how do A, A' and B, B' nuance the meaning of the Ten Commandments? First, A and A' forewarn God's people about the challenges they will face in trying to faithfully live out God's instructions. Second, B and B' provide the motivation for following God's teaching: "that it may go well with you." Put these together and you get a portrait of the main point of the entire book of Deuteronomy.
Deut. 17-18 Enforcers of the teachings [prophet, priest, king]
Deut. 19-26 'Love Others' teachings [commandments 5-10]
THE 'GOOD' LAND
The second step in cleaning up this PR mess is understanding the main purpose of the book of Deuteronomy. The main purpose is given in the phrase "that it may go well with you" (Deut. 4:40; 5:16, 29; 6:3, 18; 8:16; 12:25, 28; 19:13; 22:7). The Hebrew verb (yi-tove) translated here as "go well" is derived from the Hebrew word (tove) which means "good." What does this tell us? God wants things to be "good" again. This fact is reinforced through the author's constant references to the "good land" (Deut. 1:25, 35; 3:25; 4:21, 22; 6:18; 8:7, 10; 9:6; 11:17). Simply put, God desires to give His people a good land that will bring goodness back to their lives.
Where have we heard this before? Does Genesis 1 ring a bell? And so the author is communicating in Deuteronomy that God wants His people to return to an Eden-like existence! This is why the author's descriptions of the land are reminiscent of descriptions of Eden. For instance, in the garden, God did most of the work (Genesis 2:4-9). He planted the trees. He watered the trees. And He made the trees grow. Similarly, in the land, God will do most of the work (Deut. 6:10-11; 7:12-15; 8:6-9; 11:13-15, 22-25). Deuteronomy 6:10-11 makes this clear:
"When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you - a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant - be careful that you do not forget the Lord."THE PURGING OF EVIL
But how can this goodness exist when God's people are surrounded by evil? This is where God's instructions to completely destroy the evil nations within the Promise Land and to "purge the evil from among you" come into the picture. You see, the only way that good can be completely restored is if evil is completely removed. In other words, justice needs to be reestablished and maintained on the earth if an Eden-like existence is to be recreated. And so God uses His people to distribute justice and maintain His perfect creation order so that "it may go well with them."
But where's the love in this? Well, God wants to show love to the victims of evil by protecting and vindicating them. I mean, would it be loving for God to turn a blind eye to the victims of the Holocaust by not punishing Hitler? I don't think so. And so you see, by bringing evil to justice, God is showing love to the victims of evil.
But how is it fair that God allows innocent babies to be destroyed because of the evil deeds of their parents? The first thing to understand is that blessing was made available and offered to ALL nations since the time when God made His covenant with Abraham. You might remember that God promised to bless those who bless Abraham and curse those who curse Abraham. And God gave the nations plenty of time to take up His offer of blessing (four generations to be exact). He didn't bring curse in Abraham's time because He was waited until "the sin of the Amorites reached its full measure"(Genesis 15:16). However, after four generations, things didn't get any better. The Amorites (and all the people in the land) were still as evil as ever!
The fact that nothing changed even after four generations shows that future generations would continue to perpetuate evil in God's world. And because of this, God gave the instructions to completely destroy the evil people in the Promise Land (including next generation babies). In all of this, God knew that to completely restore good back to His world, evil would need to be completely removed.
THE BOTTOM LINE
So how does this speak to our lives? Let me first make it clear that God is not telling you to become militant and start a crusade to rid the world of evil people. However, God is instructing us to fight against the evil forces and influences that are ruining God's good world. We do this by overcoming hatred with LOVE, replacing TRUTH with lies, and speaking ENCOURAGEMENT instead of slander. This is why Jesus has called His people to be 'salt' in this corrupting world (Matthew 5:13). We are to function as preservatives for good in God's world. And in fact, this hasn't changed from the time of Deuteronomy 4:5-8. Listen to this,
"See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today?"Now may you be salt to the world around you! May you live such an attractive life that people are drawn back to God's goodness!
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