Hello All,
(Just a general disclaimer that I must insert here at the beginning. I am but a lay person, like most of you. And these weekly “thoughts” are but my own. Not the definitive word on this or any topic. Just my own conclusions derived from my own study and faith in God. The greatest hope I have for these weekly “thoughts” is to have them be a springboard for further study on your part. Not to be a weekly treatise to be blindly accepted. So, please read them with this intent, this motive in mind).
This week’s lesson from “The Adult Sabbath School Guide” is titled “Moses’ History Lesson”. In Thursday’s lesson we are asked to look at the destruction, the utter and total eradication of a nation. Genocide! The Amorites. Genocide like what happened to the Jews in Nazi Germany. Horrors! Our God is like Hitler and the extremes brought-about by that mad regime!? And yet many thoughtful caring people turn-away from our God because we Christians just accept these Biblical stories like the destruction of the Amorites “on-faith” and “trust in the love, justice, and goodness of God”, without any explanation, “even when things that seem hard to square with this understanding of God” (Quarterly for Thursday). No wonder “faith” is ridiculed by so many. For many, the little boy’s comment is so accurate of Christianity, “Faith is believing what you know ain’t so”. After all, we Christians often tout the slogan, “God said it, I believe it, that’s all there is to it”. Sounds very faithful. But is it? The only faith that matters is “faith working through love” (Galatians 5:6). This presupposes that you actually love. Not mere acquiescence to God. Not some blind and unthinking deference. Not some mental assent to a philosophy of life. But faith that is understanding, active, pursuing, self-sacrificing… the agape-love of God Himself lived-out in active service in your life.
In order for non-believers to even consider a life of faith in God, several things must happen for most:
1. Our lives must reflect the faith we claim. Having faith in God means we also have faith in His methods. Faith enough to follow. To be “perfect” … meaning, to be “mature”. And to be transparent as glass. Nothing hidden. No obfuscation. Only truthful and loving.
2. Some of those hard questions about God’s dealing with sinners, in the Old Testament especially, must be addressed. Satisfactorily. In a way that leads others to seriously consider faith in God as a viable choice. A better choice. The best choice. Their legitimate questions and concerns must be answered. A simple, “just have faith” will not suffice. A simple, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29) is often a text used to escape having to reason and search and dig to understand God. We are to understand the “things which are revealed”. And the Amorite genocide mentioned above is one of those “things which are revealed”. The things of God are like hidden treasure (Matthew 13:44). And to gain the treasure we must “dig”. Dig to understand and to gain the treasure of understanding. And thereby to love Him more and more for the understanding.
So I will conclude this weekly “thought” with some of my thoughts about this genocide. Before I do, here are some ground-rules:
· God is love. Therefore, the Amorite genocide is love. Not just love for the Children of Israel. But love for those destroyed. Like the antediluvians. God loved them as He loves us all… even vile sinners like you and me (Praise His name for it!!).
· God’s “justice” means he does the right thing for all concerned. Which is also merciful. His “justice” is “mercy”. Here is a text from David that really illuminates this truth. “Also to You, O Lord, belongs MERCY; For You render to each one according to his work” (Psalms 62:12). Isn’t that an amazing text and maybe an amazing revelation, too? If we were to write this scripture, would we have used the word “mercy”? Wouldn’t we have used the word “justice”? “Also to You, O Lord, belongs JUSTICE; For You render to each one according to his work”. BUT THAT IS NOT WHAT THE SCRIPTURE VERSE SAYS!! Therefore, God’s “justice” regarding the Amorites is God’s “mercy”. Actually, intense mercy of a kind we can hardly fathom. Mercy (or love) for the Amorites. And for Goliath, for the Antediluvians, for Judas, for the Pharisees who killed His Son, and for vile sinners like you and me.
And now we are ready to formulate a response to those who do not trust God. God, in His great love for the Amorites had them totally destroyed.
Is there ever a time when you had to kill someone (or something) you loved? How about your beloved dog full of cancer? You just couldn’t let the dog suffer with no hope in sight. So you put the dog down. And so it is with God. He will not just let hardened sinners go on and on in their self-destructive path. Sinners who will never ever respond to God and His love. Never. So He will put them down, in mercy for them. In fact, He will have the Children of Israel kill them and put them out of their misery. Because the Amorites death as well as being merciful to the Amorites, can also be a merciful lesson for those who did the killing and a merciful lesson for those left behind after the killing. Mercy (love) for the Amorites, love for the Children of Israel and love for all mankind since, who read the account in His Word.
This may not be a satisfactory reason for you. But it is for me. God in His infinite wisdom and love knows how and when to bring any life to a close. In mercy to each. In love for each. In justice for each. Remember, His “justice” is but His “love”.
With brotherly love,
Jim