Deuteronomy - Lesson 13

All right. We're finishing up chapter 7 because we have to wrestle with a very significant ethical problem. One of the most common questions that I am asked is, How in the world can you worship a God who commands Israelites to wipe out Canaanites? This looks like genocide and it's a problem at two levels. On the one hand, God says He will wipe them out. On the other hand, He says, “I am using Israel, a holy people, to wipe them out.” And that looks very contaminating to me. It is a huge problem. Now, it wouldn't have been a problem to anybody in the ancient world. It's a problem only in the modern Western world because we've got romantic ideas about right and wrong and whatever else. Fairness. But let's talk about this. But let's back up a little bit and remind us where we are. 

We dealt with verses 1-16, the external test, highlighting particularly Israel's special status. Don't forget this. This is not a blank slate. When God asks Israel to take care of the Canaanites, it is to preserve Israel as a holy people that the world may be preserved. So, it's like eliminating a cancer by radical surgery to preserve the rest of the body. This is a part of it. And so, what we will deal with now, very quickly, we’ll look at verses 17-26 and then we'll pause and reflect. How can this work? Where is the justice of God in this and where is His mercy? 

So, let's look at the nature of the external test. I mentioned before that the external test is framed 7:1-16. It's framed by a detailed description of the test of covenant faithfulness, 1-5 and verse 16, “When God brings you into the land that you're entering to possess and drives out many nations, Hittites, Girgashites, Perizzites, Hivites, Jebusites,” and in our context you’d say, Mennonites, “seven nations larger and stronger than you – and when Yahweh hands them over to you... you must devour all the peoples.” That's brutal language that, “Yahweh your God hands over. You may not look on them with pity. You must not serve their gods, for that would be a trap.” They'll seduce you. They'll trap you. 

Well, the theological rationale for the conquest involves completing the covenant triangle. From the beginning, God had in mind a particular people, Abraham and his descendants, in a particular land, the land of Canaan. Abraham didn't know where that was when God first called. He just got up and went. And eventually this is where he landed. And when he got to Shechem in Genesis chapter 12, the G.P.S. system kicked in and said, “You're there. You've arrived at your destination. This is the land that I promised you.” We'll talk about this some more when we get to chapter 27. 

But the point is, this involves a covenant triangle, because we have to create a microcosm of what a macrocosmic redemption could look like. God is after the world. “God so loved the world.” It's not about redeeming Israel. It is redeeming Israel for the sake of the world. And so, in order to paint that picture, we need the covenant triangle to be completed. To this point, it still has only two sides; God is covenantally committed to Israel, but that third member is missing. We'll see how that gets resolved later. 

So, notice what Moses says about this land. We have seen this in verses 12-13. The gift of land was one of the anchor benefactions promised by Yahweh in His covenant with the ancestors. If you remember Abraham's pilgrimage with God. Over and over there were two anchor promises. There were lots of other promises, but two anchor ones. One is, “Your descendants will be like the stars of the sky and the sand of the sea.” So that's one. But the other one is, “I will give you the land as an eternal possession.” These are the two anchor promises. 

Now, secondly, Yahweh has identified the land and is bringing the Israelites into it. He says, He said over and over again, “I am giving you the land that I promised to the ancestors.” Abraham, Isaac and Jacob lived in this land, but their existence was precarious. They were always at the mercy of their hosts. And even when Abraham's wife died, he had no place to bury her and so, we have this long text in Genesis 23 of how he got the cave of Machpelah at Hebron and finally, we have a place to bury her. But even that took some doing. But the land has been identified. 

Third, Yahweh’s mission for Israel was to flourish in the land which would function as a miniature Eden and a microcosm of the redeemed world. This is verses 12-15 that we looked at. But the problem: the land is occupied. This is occupied territory. It's occupied by other populations who must be displaced. Notice what Moses said about the population. He identifies them by name. There are these seven. They are seven. They are formidable. They pose a threat to the covenant relationship that Yahweh established with Israel. This is the big deal. They pose a threat to Israel's sacred status and mission in the divine program. We've got to take care of the mission.

Well, as I said, the chapter divides into two parts: 1-16 and then 17-26, where, after giving the promise, he unpacks how they shall actually carry it out. The second is dominated by promises of what Yahweh would do for Israelites. And then he concludes with a warning. So, let's see how this works. 

As in 6:20 and 8:17, there's a shift in address in verse 17. Cast as a question by a hypothetical person, we'd call that person an interlocutor, somebody interrupts Moses’ presentation. He said, “I’ve got a question here,” and now, even before he's asking, Moses says, “Well, suppose you're thinking, if you should say in your heart…” Well, there we got that notion we talked about earlier. Heart. What's the heart? It's the seat of emotion, but it's also the seat of speech, thinking. This is the Hebrew idiom for, if you should think. “If you should say in your heart, these nations are greater than I, how can I dispossess them?” 

And of course, catch the tone of voice. It is a note of despair. A hypothetical person in the audience objects, “These nations are greater than I; how can I dispossess them?” Presumably the person wouldn't dare to express the doubts aloud. He's imagining you guys are all thinking about this. You see, the monster fortresses and the Anakim, the giants of the land. But nobody would dare actually to say it. 

Well, Moses’ response to that question, he takes it very seriously. He offers an extended response with a series of promises and ending with a warning. Notice how he opens with a thesis statement in verse 18, “You shall not be afraid of them.” This is the traditional, “Fear not.” Like the angel said to the shepherds, “Fear not: for behold, good news of great tidings to all people. For unto us a child is born,” whatever else. He opens it, “Fear not.” But why not? “Don't be afraid. You shall not be afraid.” Why? “You shall well remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all the Egyptians. It's who your God is.” 

Now, of course, at Kadesh Barnea, 40 years earlier, these people's parents were fixated on the enemy and they despaired of defeating them. We can't do it. It's a great land, if only. Obviously, nothing has changed. It's still exactly the same. Nothing has changed. The enemy is no weaker and the fortresses are, if anything, they are higher and taller. The enemy is still a whole bunch of nations, more numerous than Israel, stronger than Israel. But now Moses’ rhetorical goal is to turn the people's attention away from the enemy and back to the Lord. 

I think David and Goliath is a picture of what we should have had here. I mean, all the other Israelites were worried about this giant standing before you, before them. And David comes by and he says, “That's not the problem. The Lord is on our side.” And that means that anybody can be taken down. And he takes him down with a few little stones and it's all over. 

Well, Moses does this with three images. He reminds them of Israel's, of Yahweh’s past victories. “Don't be afraid of them. Remember what the Lord did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt. The great trials which your eyes saw, the signs and wonders, the mighty hand, the outstretched arm. The Lord God brought you out. So shall the Lord do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid.”

Well, this is a common rabbinic method of argumentation going from the greater to the lesser. And of course, he begins by saying, “Look, the Lord took care of Pharaoh. He's the big boy. Obviously, if He could take care of Pharaoh and get us out of Egypt, these are just mosquitoes.” In fact, the population of Canaan was split up into all kinds of semi-independent city states, technically all subject to Egypt. They're all vassals of Egypt. “They're just puny compared to what's already been accomplished. Come on. Don't forget the big boy’s been taken care of, and we have the same God still fighting for us.” That's number one. 

Second, this God is actually among us. He is present. “Moreover, the Lord your God will send the hornet among them until you [recte they] hide themselves. You shall not dread them. For the Lord your God is in your midst, a pathetic little figure.” But that's not what he says! “The great and awesome EL.” Of course, in Canaan, they worship the god named El. He's the head of the Pantheon, but he's that pathetic figure we saw seated on the throne. That's what they worship. But the real God who deserves to have that name capitalized EL, capital E, capital L. He is the great and awesome one. He is in your midst. Never mind. 

And third, he promises the Lord's future action. “In the past, He's done it for you. In the present, He is with you, the great and awesome God. In the future, He will clear away these nations before you little by little, you won't be able to put them to an end completely for wild beasts would grow too numerous for you.”

That's really interesting. The point he's making here is–and this speaks to how small the population of Israel, we talked about the numbers of numbers the other day–but here he is saying, he is admitting, “Look, if we wipe out all the Canaanites overnight, the wild animals are going to take over and they will become a threat to you because your population isn't big enough to occupy all the corners of this land. So, it'll take a while, but never mind.” It's okay. It's a very realistic picture that the Lord paints here. It's not a sudden tidal wave that comes through. “But the Lord, your God will deliver them before you. He will throw them into confusion until they're destroyed. He will deliver the kings into your hand so that you will make their name perish from under heaven. No man will be able to stand before you until you've been destroyed.” This is the promise. The same God who took care of Pharaoh is still with you, and He will take care of it. This is an interesting reminder of God's action on Israel's behalf. 

Keep in mind what Yahweh did to Pharaoh. The signs and wonders. Don't forget that He is in the midst of you. If He can take care of the big boy, these petty rulers are no problem for Him at all. So don't be in dread of them for Yahweh your God is a great and awesome God. This is the First Testament version of 1 John 4:4, “Little children, you are from God and have conquered them for the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. Greater is He that is in you than the one who is in the world.” He's echoing Moses. 

Well, then the promises of involvement from the future. He had actually begun these promises already. He will send hornets among them. What is that? Until those who are left and hide themselves will be destroyed. We don't know what these hornets are. Is it intended literally or metaphorically? The image is certainly a reassuring one. God will take care of them. Literally, the word ṣirʿâ denotes a species of wasp whose sting may be fatal, especially if attacked with a swarm. This is what He is going, and those that escaped then go and hide in the caves, “Hey, the hornets can get you there, too.” I mean, there is this new species of hornets here on the West Coast, come from Asia. I've forgotten what it's called. The what? The murder hornets. Exactly. These are the murder hornets. I should have got a picture of the murder hornets. I have a picture here somewhere. The Asian predatory wasp, the hornet. 

Well, what he means by this. He appears to have precisely this image in mind when he changes the identity of the targets from the Canaanite tribes in Exodus 23:28 to the survivors who hide from you. And so, it's as if, having defeated the army in principle, those who survived are going in hiding and seeking refuge in the caves and the Lord sends the hornets after them, and they get them there. When Yahweh sends the swarm of insects after the Canaanites, they will pursue them relentlessly into every cave and bush to which they flee for refuge, and sustain their attack until all perish, as had been the case with Sihon and Og, the two kings on the other side of the river. They're all gone. God took care of them. Well, there are many other possibilities, but this is an interesting way in which God– 

But there are more promises here. “Yahweh, your God will hand over them to you little by little; you will not be (allowed to) eliminate them. But He will deliver them over you, creating intense panic until they are destroyed.” We don't know exactly what this means, except it is psychological warfare of some sort. When Gideon was fighting the Midianites, remember when he blew the trumpets and he smashed the pots? What happened is the Midianites were all in a panic, and they started killing each other. What this will be we don't know exactly, but in any case, he says, “Notice, God is the subject of everything. He will deliver them to you. He will create panic. He will hand over their kings.” In some places the expression used is, I think we have it later in Deuteronomy, “He will send his terror ahead of you to discombobulate them.” 

And of course, that is a common ancient motif. In Akkadian warfare annals, they have this expression ‘the melammu,’ which is the awesome terror of Ashur, the God of the Assyrians, which goes before them and simply paralyzes the enemy emotionally and whatever else. And so, it looks like some of that is involved. “No man will be able to stand up against you until you (have) destroyed them.” 

Well, let's summarize. What will God do for Israel? He will send hornets after the enemy, whatever that means. He will clear away the nations. He will hand them over to the Israelites. He will throw them into confusion. He will hand over their kings into the hands of the Israelites. But what will Israel do for herself? Now we discover that this is actually a, shall we say, synergistic enterprise.

When they came out of Egypt how was Pharaoh defeated? Well, by the plagues and ultimately the Red Sea, completely by the hand of God. Although the Israelites are said to have marched out of Egypt like a mighty army, they never fought. They never fought anybody. God was totally in charge. It's monergistic rescue. 

Now, when they get to Jericho, how does that work there? It's exactly the same. They do nothing except they march around the city. That's a stupid thing to do. And I can imagine the Canaanites on the city walls watching these guys. “They've obviously been in the desert too long. The sand has gotten to their heads, they’re stupid.” And in the end, they blow the trumpets and whoops! And all Israel's left to do is the mopping-up operations. God fights for them. 

That's why I will argue that the conquest of Jericho is not yet a part of the conquest of the Promised Land. Because look at what Israel has to do - Israel did nothing there. “They must consume the people Yahweh delivers into their hands. Their eye shall not pity, show no mercy. They must destroy the names of their kings. They must destroy all their kings…” which means also their population. Israel is to fight. So, it is transformed from a synergistic enterprise - or from a monergistic enterprise involving primarily God as the actor, to a synergistic one with God and Israel together. Look at the first verse, “When the Lord brings you up into the land where you are entering and the Lord clears away many nations before you, seven. When the Lord delivers them before you, you shall utterly haram them.” Who does it? Israel does. You know. So, this is the test. Are you going to engage the enemy as God instructs you to do? Well, this is what Israel is to do.

But then notice the warning, verses 25-26. Here Moses continues the theme began in verse 4. He comes full circle. Why are we to do this? Take out everything, deliver and destroy them utterly. “For they would turn away your sons from following Me to serve other gods; and then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you. He would quickly destroy you.” 

Verse 16, “Don't look on them with pity, for they will be a snare to you.” And now the issue is clearly spiritual, not ethnic. This is not ethnic cleansing. It's spiritual cleansing. It is a sacred operation. Removing the evil that the holiness may be sustained. 

But then look at 25-26, “The sculptured images of their gods you must burn in fire; you must not covet the silver and the gold on them, or take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is abhorrent.” That's that word, tôʿēḇâ: it is abominable. It's the strongest word in the Hebrew language for something that's utterly repulsive to God. Or you will be ensnared. You'll get sucked into the business. It's seductive. It's abhorrent. “You must not bring an abhorrent object into your house or you will be marked for total destruction like it. It is utterly detestable. You must utterly abhor it because it is set apart for destruction.” 

And of course, now we're thinking Achan aren't we? We know that's exactly what Achan was doing. Achan violated this one. And the moment you touch something sacred, it's germ–in fact Covid hits. It is totally contagious. The evil of idolatry is - this is the curious thing, and it doesn't seem fair - but in the Bible, evil and the associated germ is utterly contagious, but holiness is not. You don't become holy by living next to a holy person. 

We lived in Louisville for ten years and when we moved in, there was a couple right next door. She was a schoolteacher. He was a contractor, a builder, and he had just finished building his last house. He was an alcoholic and it was consuming him. I use that word intentionally because it's about consumption. You must consume them or they will consume you. In any case, he had built. And so, it became a most pathetic figure to watch him just go down within four or five years from a strong builder, a contractor or whatever else, and nothing left. And everybody in the neighborhood was worried because he continued to insist on driving. It was not safe. 

But I'll never forget about two weeks before he passed away, he was already - they had a walk out basement. And his bed was down there. He could hardly get up and go to the bathroom. He was totally immobile. But we went over to visit them. We became good friends with them. And somewhere along the line, I gave him a copy of the NLT. And, uh, apparently, they enjoyed reading it. But in any case, we went over there to visit with him and we had shared the gospel with them. But in any case, he was so happy that we came and I read Isaiah 53 to him and then we prayed with him. And I don't know if the man ever gave in to the Lord. But as we were leaving, he said, “You know, Dan, the best thing that ever happened to us was when you moved in next door.” I mean, we were good neighbors. They loved to garden. We loved to garden. And we were back and forth, you know, consulting with each other and borrowing plants and transplanting. We were in each other's lives, you know, regularly. 

But that was a shocking statement: “When you moved in next door.” Well, I was in a way, I was happy to hear that. But I was sad because if it were true that piety, holiness, righteousness were contagious, that would be hopeful. But it's almost as if he was banking upon the lightning rod living next door. I don't know. I don't know. But in any case, when he died, they asked me to participate in the funeral and she asked if I would read scripture from my Bible, the NLT. And I said I'd be so honored to do that. And so, the funeral was in a Presbyterian, very liberal Presbyterian church, and whatever else. But in any case, when it came time for the actual funeral, she picked out 73 verses in the New Living Translation she wanted me to read. I wish I had kept that. I didn't keep it, but I wish I had kept it. And then in the course of the sermon, I read all those verses, without commentary, I just read. It's what I call or try to do, expository reading. So that in hearing the text, people get the point. With appropriate intonation. Here we were too pressured by time, often just reading it just to get it read. So, something's ringing in our ears. 

After that, between Ellen and me, there must have been a half a dozen people who made comments like, “That was the best sermon I have ever heard.” I didn't even preach. I didn't even preach. It was an amazing moment, you know, the power of the word of God to touch people, what difference it made in ultimate terms who are we to say? The Lord–we leave it in His hand. But, you know, we did what we could. 

But here, the point is, evil is utterly contagious. Watch it. It's utterly; have no truck with it. Nothing to do with it. Don't even imagine. Well, this is an idol plated with gold, let’s melt it down, keep the gold. No, it's contaminated, the gold. Even if it's transformed into liquid state, it's still the same. Inherently evil. It must be destroyed, utterly detestable. Therefore, haram it, utterly abhor it, utterly destroy it. The language here is extremely strong, “You shall not covet the silver and gold on the idols.” Never mind. Even if the idols are nothing, as Paul says in Corinthians, “They're nothing really, figments of depraved imaginations.” But even if they are nothing, the gold is infected. You don't want to touch it. It will ensnare you. This is the word for a trap. It's seductive. It's like that which we put out for the chipmunks to get them into the trap, and then it snaps shut, I got, so. It'll do that. And you have this language of trap all over the place. 

It is an abomination to Yahweh. That's the strongest word for utterly abhorrent it. If you take it, you will become subject to the principle of ḥērem like it. He’s talking to Israelites. Where's your doctrine of eternal security in this one? Just because you're an Israelite doesn't give you immunity. You shall utterly detest it. It's šāqaṣ, which means utterly detestable, and you shall utterly reject it. Treat it as abominable yourself. It is a haram-ed object. And now we talk about the word ḥērem. But we will in a moment. In short, if Israelites will act like Canaanites, Yahweh will treat them like Canaanites. There is no special favor for those who reject the covenant of Yahweh your God. Did you see this? 15 times in this chapter. “Yahweh your God, Yahweh your God.” You claimed the name. You're wearing it. I've got news for you. You can't wear that name and tolerate the idolatry. 

Well, this is the policy. How shall Christians deal with this policy applied? They've already applied it to Sihon and Og. They were ḥēremed. They defied the people of God who simply wanted permission to pass through. They told Sihon and Og, Moses did, We have no ambitions for your land. We just want safe passage to the Jordan River so we can cross. That's all. This wasn't a target. And they defied the people of the Lord out doing the Lord's work. They tried to stop the Lord's agenda. And they are ḥēremed for it. 

Well, how shall Christians deal with it? There are these significant texts when we try to answer these questions. Deuteronomy 7:1-8 and 26 as we have it here. Deuteronomy 20 - I said before chapter 20 is Israel's war policy. A whole bunch of articles on how to conduct warfare, but most of it is about distant countries, distant cities. We're talking here about the cities nearby. It's a different policy verses 10 to 18. Exodus 22:19. Leviticus 27. Joshua 7. 

So now let's deal with the problem. What do you tell people who say, How can you worship a God who tells people to do this? Uh, in a sense, I don't know how to answer that question. There are a lot of dimensions to the issue that complicate it. Nothing is simple here. And don't just dismiss it as a simplistic issue. It is a huge issue. And I must admit I don't like the policy. Is it alright for us readers of scripture, not to like what God is doing? I mean, I feel guilty about it. I find it quite offensive. But I have to say, that's God's problem. 

Well, what do I say to people who ask the question? Answer number one, God is sovereign. God can do anything He wants and be right in doing it. He doesn't operate by human assessments. This is what a lot of Calvinists very quickly, tell me. God's in charge. And by definition, God does what's right and He can do whatever. “And who are you, the pot, to say to the potter, ‘Why do you make me like this?’” That's Jeremiah. No, this is an answer that is part of the picture. But I must assure you, it's not the only part. Calvinists will buy into this wholeheartedly. And for lots of people, that's enough. God can do it, but it's not enough for me. I struggle with this. What kind of God is it that treats, that acts this way? 

Two, this policy did not originate with politicians or military leaders, but derives from the Lord Himself. This makes it even worse. If humans had come up with a policy, then we'd say, “Well, they were thinking badly.” But nobody, no legislature passed this. 

Third, now I'm getting into more comfortable territory, the ways of God are a mystery. I don't get it. And of course, Isaiah reminds us, “For My ways are not your ways and My thoughts are not your thoughts.” And so, there are lots of things about what God does that are a mystery. And I ask myself, “Why?” 

I sat with my cousin in the same desk for all the way through elementary school, a one-room country school, 14 to 16 kids in the school. And I remember one year, six of them were from our family. But my cousin Donald Ham and I, we sat in the same desk. And if you would have asked which of these guys would be most likely to succeed in life, I mean, everybody would have voted for him, 6’3”, curly, you know. By the time he was in high school, curly, dark hair, steel blue eyes, a great hockey player. I mean, he was everything that I, I could never be. Partly because my parents were poor and his were rich. His father was the best farmer in the community. My father was the worst farmer. His heart was in the church. It wasn't on the field, it was in the church. And so, we, ours was an embarrassing family, dirt poor. And it was like for Christmas, they'd get all these presents. And I hated going to church on Sunday morning after we’d opened presents because he'd always talk about new skates and new sweaters and everything else, well, and all 12 of us got a game for Christmas. Or you got the boots that you should've had in the fall already or something like. It was embarrassing. 

But why did God pick me? Why am I standing here in front of you? And he was out there. And when you look at the way our lives turned, and about in high school, they went totally different directions. And he spent his entire life driving a delivery truck for potato chips. And I have lived the life, the lizard in the king's palace. I'm writing my life story about the lizard from Proverbs. Well, I've been, I pinch myself. I wake up every day. What am I doing here? Not in Portland, this is in Camas. Never been to Camas before. But I get to come here and have this wonderful time. And he spent his life far away from God and a great grief to his parents, my aunt and uncle. And I've asked myself all these years, why did God pick me and not him? Same Sunday school class, same family gathering, same time at Grandma's house, whatever. Everything's the same. We lived a half mile apart as the crow flies. How did this work? I have no answer. The mysteries of God's providence, election, salvation, whatever. 

But the story ended on an amazing, another mysterious note. He died two years ago. His mother was just turning 100. And I always said - in my mother's family that my mother lived to 88, but my grandmother was 96 and whatever, several of her sisters lived to over 100. But Aunt Susie was about to turn 100, and I always said, my last aunt, when she dies, I'm going home for Don’s sake. I hadn't seen him in decades. Just to see Don. Well in the providence of God, seven hours before, no, seven hours after my aunt died, my cousin died. Really? And as it turns out, I was overseas when my aunt died, so I couldn't actually have gone anyway. But I was determined to be there for him one last time, to hug him. 

But the amazing thing is he died of mad cow disease. Mad cow disease. What's the real word for that? So, it has a strange name. But he lived up on a lake in northern Saskatchewan. He had his home up there, he and his wife, he died of mad cow disease. But I learned from my cousin, his brother, who told my one of my brothers who was at the funeral, two weeks before he died, he gave his life to the Lord. So what? How does this happen? What grace. On the one hand, what grace. On the other hand, what a waste. And you weep. You say, Why do you wait so long? You could have poured out your life for this. But in any case, the ways of God are a mystery. And there are some things about God I don't get. On the positive and on the mystery. 

Four, there are some people who say this is a metaphor for scrupulous devotion to God. A lot of people these days, including some evangelicals, said this was never intended to be put into practice, literally. It's a metaphor. It's a way of saying rhetorically, “Have absolutely nothing to do with anything pagan. Eliminate it.” 

Fifth, this is not a distinctly First Testament issue. There were other people in the neighborhood who practiced exactly the same thing. We have some ancient texts. Here's one from a Hittite text, “Since the town of Timuḫala was loathsome to me and furthermore, because it was an inaccessible place, I offered Timuḫala to the Stormgod, my lord, and I made it sacrosanct. I established its borders and no man will settle it again!” 

So, what do you do to a city you've conquered? You devote it to the god, and then there's an eternal taboo on anybody occupying the place. 

“But I wrote to the inhabitants of Kamama [and to the inhabitants of GN]: ‘Pazzanna [and Nunnutta have come among you]: seize them and hand them over to me! If you will not seize them] and will not hand them over to me [I shall come and I shall destroy you]! I shall offer Palhuisa to Tarḫunta [the deity], I shall make [it] sacred and it [will never be populated again]!’” 

Notice the language of sanctity here. To devote something to haram is to devote it to god and make it absolutely a taboo for humans. That's what's involved here. It's in the same semantic field as the word for sanctify. We'll have a text in a moment on that.

Mesha King of Moab. This is a first cousin language of Hebrew. Here it is. “Kemosh said to me, ‘Go, take Nebo from Israel!’ I went in the night, and I fought against it from the break of dawn until noon, I took it, and killed [its] whole population, seven thousand male citizens and aliens, and female citizens and aliens, and servant girls; for I had put it to the ban (hrm)” that's the same word, “for Ashtar Kemosh. And from there I took the vessels of Yahweh, and I hauled them before the face of Kemosh.” That's his god, the god of Moab. 

So, the Moabites are doing the same thing. So, in that world, nobody would have taken offense at it. It was common political policy. Warfare is sacred business. I mean, we used to talk about holy war. We don't anymore. There are reasons for doing it. I think we'll come back to that. But it is a sacred business. And when a god hands the enemy city into your hands, you treat it as sacred, the god owns it. 

Or here is a Sabaean, an old South Arabic, “When he overthrew DHSm and TBNY,” whatever that is. These are names for places we don't know the vowels. And he “slew two thousand of them, captured five thousand and burned their cities … but he prevented (hrm) them from being burnt the hill town …. and handed it over to and then our mark on the Saba other cities.” So, they're doing the same thing. It's a fragmentary text. 

Well, how did this system work? We can reconstruct on the basis of biblical patterns and the extra biblical text, we can reconstruct the process, the sacred process of ḥērem. How did they do this? 

First, military forces defeat a city. 

Second, they slaughter the population. 

Third, they burn the town down. 

Fourth, they sow it with salt, Judges 9:45. That is to sterilize the place so that nothing ever grows here again. 

They pronounce a curse on it, Joshua 6:26. 

They consecrate it to Yahweh. That means that it is consecrated to Him so that no human hands can ever touch it without being subject to the same. It's absolutely devoted. 

Now, this is different from being sanctified, using the word kadosh. To be sanctified is to be consecrated to God for divine service. But some sanctified things are actually put into humans’ hands to use. I mean, in the tabernacle you've got a sanctified altar which people touch, and you've got sanctified dippers and sanctified vessels of all sorts. But they are set apart for divine use by human hands. This is set apart for divine use never to be touched by human hands, which is why at the end of chapter 8, if you touch it, you become contaminated like it. Deuteronomy 13 refers to the process of utter destruction and sacrificial language, burning with fire as a whole total offering for Yahweh, total whole burnt offering, haram. Leviticus, here it is, “And if a person who consecrates the field wishes to redeem it, then one-fifth shall be added to its assessed value, which shall revert to the original owner; but if the field is not redeemed, or if it has been sold to someone else, that will no longer be redeemable. When the field is released in a jubilee, it shall be holy (qodesh) to Yahweh as a devoted, (hahǎrēm) field.” That's the same word, but it's used in the context of dedication to God. Dedication to God. So that's what we got here. 

Well, yeah, this is Leviticus 25:28 [recte Leviticus 27:28], “Nothing that a person owns that has been devoted to destruction (ḥērem) for Yahweh, be it human or animal, or inherited landholding, may be sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy to Yahweh. No human beings who have been devoted to destruction can be ransomed; they shall be put to death.” 

So that's an interesting notion here, and that is that this is a sacred moment and you are devoting something to God and therefore it's completely burned up so that nothing is left for people to use. 

Six, according to the biblical picture of the Canaanites, these people were extremely wicked and their annihilation represented God's judgment for sin. In Genesis 15, where the Lord tells Abraham, “Your descendants will be enslaved in an alien land, after 400 years when the cup of the Amorites is full, I will bring you back.” The cup of iniquity of the Amorites is full. God anticipates a time is coming when the ultimate depravity has to be answered. And He needs to inflict judgment upon a wicked population and He times it with Israel becoming this vast host in Egypt. The two events coincide. At the moment when the Canaanites are most wicked, that's the moment when the Israelites show up. This is in the providential scheme, plan of God. It's all synchronized. The Israelites are God's agents of judgment for Canaanites’ wickedness.

Seven, the Israelites were never to make the divinely prescribed policy about Canaanites their general policy toward outsiders. This is very long. That's why I kept emphasizing these are seven, seven nations; they are named and they are in this land. This is not about Moabites. It's not about Ammonites or Edomites. When David becomes king and he wins control of Moab and Ammon and Edom, they all fall to him eventually, he doesn't do any of this. In fact, he doesn't even try to make Israelites out of Edomites. He recognizes that the Lord has given the Edomites their land. They’re cousins. The Ammonites, the Moabites, he makes them subject states but they are never part of the Kingdom of Israel. The Kingdom of Israel is never bigger than that map of the 12 tribes. The Kingdom of David is a lot bigger. The King of David is from the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates. That's David's kingdom. But this is not true of Moabites and Ammonites. And what's happening here is restricted to that little piece of property. It's very carefully prescribed. 

Eight, the ḥērem policy was driven by religious, not genocidal or military considerations. It's to keep Yahweh’s holy people free from syncretism and idolatry. The plan of redemption depends on it. God has called Israel to be His agent of grace to a world out there. 

Nine, when it comes down to it, the Canaanites suffered a fate that ultimately all sinners will face: the judgment of God. This is true for everybody. And if you're not a part of the covenant community, this is the destiny that faces all. And so ultimately, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and are subject to this same. So that's a part of the answer here. 

Ten, in biblical times, the people had a sense of corporate identity that's difficult for us modern Westerners to understand. And of course, this is answering particular to the issue of men, women, and children. That's what troubles us. We don't mind if the soldiers in the army get killed of the enemy. I mean, that’s natural, that we expect. But how can you wipe out children here? And of course, the issue is the contamination. Remember, if Israelites, an Israelite head of the household, will build and put up an image of another god in your house, what happens to the whole family? They're all contaminated. It's the principle of corporate identity, corporate solidarity. You are–your identity derives from your social group. And as one goes, so goes the nation. 

And also, our view of children. To us, a child is the product of human decision, human action, and each child is an independent entity. But that's not biblical at all. The biblical perspective on children is that children are extensions of the lives of their parents. So that when I was born, yes, there's a new child here, but there isn't a new life. I carry on the life of my father and my mother; and my children are the extension of our lives and the lives of... So that this, we are all in this together. Which is why the present debates about whether minors, girls who are pregnant, need to talk to their parents about having an abortion. I mean, that we even think about that is abominable. They shouldn't talk only to their mothers and their fathers and their oldest. They should talk to all their cousins because to eliminate one member of this clan is to harm the whole community. But we are so autonomous. 

Eleven, we must understand God's hatred of sin and His desire to transform a fallen world. God is trying, God has got an experiment going on here in the Holy Land. He wants a holy people in a holy land with a holy mission. And this experiment is to tell the world what grace can do. And the success of that mission depends upon preserving the holy people. 

Twelve, oh, we said that. One way to get more points is to say the same thing twice. 

Thirteen, although Canaanites generally were subject to the judgment of God, they had at least 40 years of advance warning. There is grace and mercy in God. giving the Canaanites an extra 40 years while He was getting rid of that generation of Israelites. He gives the Canaanites 40 years. And of course, Rahab got it. She says, “We know, we've heard what Yahweh has done for you. We know that He is God of gods and Lord of lords.” Which reminds us then that if any Canaanite will accept Yahweh as God, they're spared. They are spared. Rehab was the lowest of the low but she trusted in Yahweh the God of Israelites. And she was spared. 

So that raises the question: who is a true Israelite? It’s anyone for whom the shama is true. Shama, Israel, Yahweh Eloheinu, Yahweh ‘Eḥad, “Hear, O Israel, Yahweh is our God, only Yahweh.” And so, Ruth becomes - Ruth is a Moabite, but she's a true Israelite - becomes the grandmother of my Savior. Caleb is a Kenizzite, and he is the one with a different spirit who is full after Yahweh. Strange expression. He's not even Israelite. He's a convert. And so, there's always room for those who trust in the God of Israel. 

Fourteen, God really plays no favorites. I have an extended quite technical discussion of this in the book here somewhere, “The Triumph of Grace.” There's an essay on “Wrestling with God over the Canaanite Issue,” and in that, it struck me as I was working on that paper, the emphasis on God’s violence toward humans, the overwhelming majority of cases and texts involve Israel. The question isn't, how can God tolerate the wiping out of Canaanites? The issue is, how can God tolerate the wiping out of His own people? And there are far more texts on that side of the ledger than of the Canaanites. That's a minority. If Israelites will act like Canaanites, God will act toward them as if they were Canaanites. And the thing is, He gives them plenty of warning. 

Now, in the end I've got a dozen considerations in wrestling with this issue. I don't have a solution to the problem. To me, it's still a problem. I don't like the policy, but on the other hand, I leave it in the hands of God. Lord, that's your problem. When Ezekiel confronts the valley of dry bones, the Lord asks, Can these bones live? Ezekiel says, “Beats me, You know. There are lots of things that beat me. I don't get it. But I don't have to get it.” It's okay. We trust in our God implicitly that He always does: A), He is fundamentally compassionate and gracious; B), He always does what is right; and C), I, by the grace of God, have become the recipient of that mercy. Oh, that I would embody that grace the way He wants me and fulfill His calling for me. I think that's where we have to leave it. I don't have an answer. 

People have written lots of books on this topic, and I don't think we will get an answer until I stand in front of Jesus and I will ask Him, “How could we do that? How could we do that?” I'd like to know the answer. Rationalize it from God's point of view. Other than, You are a holy people, the Lord's treasured people, a kingdom of priests that you might show the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. That's the point. Peter had it exactly right. He got it. May we too. It's a call to holiness. 

I dealt with this a long time; 30 years ago, we were at Bethel, Ellen and I. I was speaking at the National Conference of the BGC, the Baptist General Conference, and they asked me to do a series on holiness. And I dealt with this text, the privilege of holiness and of course, verses seven and eight. I mean, what is this? In this massive and messy world of paganism, there's Israel, My special treasure. Apart from the grace of God, they're no different from any other nations. But God is gracious. 

Student: Were the flood and Sodom and Gomorrah exercises in ḥērem?

Dr. Block: They were in effect. Yes, they were. And so, I didn't even bring up that point. God has been involved in this kind of business, cleaning house, for a long time. The flood was this, “Their every imagination was only evil continually.” This was the answer. And Sodom and Gomorrah? Yeah. they were in effect, Canaanite cities on the other side of the Jordan, to be sure but they represented what all of Canaan has become by this stage. Yeah. So, I think that's part of the answer here, too. Yeah. Which is why in Judges 19, 20 and 21, where you've got the Benjamins acting like sodomites, they vow to kill everybody because they become contaminated, like the local population. And that's ḥērem is the due response. Yeah. Unfortunately, in the end, they blamed God for eliminating one tribe. No, it's not. Don't blame God.