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There are a few Old Testament passages where God tells the Jews to “completely and utterly destroy” a nation (Deuteronomy 7:2 20:17 & Joshua 10:40). Some people have accused God of committing genocide. The word ‘genocide’ is a combined Greek and Latin word meaning ‘race killing’.

     Consider the following points:
1^st…Please use the word correctly. The improper use of words, like genocide, can give an incorrect word picture of someone/something. God’s commands were motivated by moral concerns, not racial ones. Note, for example, that God judges nations for outrageous moral acts (Amos, chapters 1&2, Leviticus 18:20-30), not for what race they belong to. In fact, Israel was to love & treat other nationalities just like their own people (Leviticus 19:33,34). This was unheard of in other ancient Near Eastern nations. God was concerned with sin, not ethnicity. God treated the Jews the same way as these other nations when they did these moral atrocities (Deuteronomy 13).

2^nd…Who gets to determine if a nation or culture is irredeemable, beyond the point of no moral or scriptural return? Aren’t these considerations too weighty for any human being to judge? Yes, they are. Only God should be the judge, thru special revelation thru His prophets. Without such clear divine guidance, Israel wouldn’t have been justified in attacking these nations. When Israel did attack nations without this divine approval (Numbers 14:41-45, Joshua 7), they lost. Such a divine call is NOT a universally binding standard for all time and for all cultures. It was given to Israel only for a specific time and nation.

3^rd…All languages have figures of speech. When you say you have a million to one chance of winning the lottery, no one literally means it. It’s hyperbole, overstating something to prove a point. Joshua used this language when he said to “completely and utterly destroy all who breathed” (Joshua 10:40-42  11: 16-23). In reality, Joshua did no such thing, he was just saying he had trounced the enemy. Compare Deuteronomy 7:2 with 7:3-5. If they were all destroyed in verse 2, why would He say not to intermarry with them in verses 3-5? Even later (Joshua 23:7, 12, 13  15:63  16:10  17:13 & Judges 2:10-13) Joshua warned the Jews not to mention, swear by, serve or bow down to their gods. The knowing Near Eastern reader recognized these types of words as hyperbole.  This language wasn’t meant to be taken literally.
Also,  remember that God’s mercy was always available to any Canaanite who responded positively to God’s message (Joshua 2:1-14 & Hebrews 11:31). It’s important to remember that Israel NEVER used these commands to justify attacking non-Canaanite peoples. These commands were given as one time orders only.

4^th…We are far removed from the moral depravity of that time. It’s really hard for us to imagine what was going on back then. Even the women, the elderly and the children were involved in this depravity. Incest, adultery, beastiality, homosexuality, temple prostitution, child molestation, child sacrifice, the Canaanite treatment of their enemies….and the list goes on and on (Leviticus 18 & 20:1-5). The Canaanites were a depraved people. And yet, God gave then over 400 years to change their ways (Genesis 15:16) but they didn’t. The USA hasn’t even been a nation that long.
Lest we think we wouldn’t do such things, consider what we’ve done in the last 50 years;
…killing babies in the womb
…legitimating homosexuality
…changing the biblical definition of marriage
…legally discriminating against Christians for holding to biblical morals
…giving rights to rather than medically treating gender confused persons

     Things that may fall in the next few years;
…polygyny (one man marrying several women)
…polyandry (one woman marrying several men)
…beastiality (having sex with an animal)
…the lowering of the age of consent to have sexual intercourse with a minor

5^th…When you make judgements about what is right or wrong, what system of morals are you using? Your own ideas? Where do they come from? How do you decide what is right or wrong? Is it your own preference or do you compare an action to an unchangeable moral standard?

     We can complain about the indecency of God’s wrath but would we want to live in a society where there was little punishment for violating moral standards? God’s wrath is because of His love and protection of us.
How many of us, as children, thought our parents actions towards us were unfair only to find out we agreed with them when we became parents? Could it be the same here with God’s wrath? It’s possible we may have to defer to God’s judgement now and only get full answers when we’re in heaven and can see things from His perspective.

Book reference:
“77 FAQ’s about God and the Bible” by Josh McDowell & Sean McDowell, page 81
“That’s Just Your Interpretation” by Dr. Paul Copan, page 161

For His Kingdom,
Dave Maynard

Homefigures of speech

“ ⁴Wrath is cruel and anger is an overwhelming flood, but who is able to stand before jealousy?”

(Proverbs 27:4, Amplified Bible)

Kisha Jones, 38, tricked Monique Hunter, 25, into taking an abortion-inducing drug because Kisha’s husband, Anthony Jones, had fathered a child with Monique in 2009. After the seven-months-pregnant Monique took the drug and went into labor Kisha asked a male friend to go to Kings County Hospital in New York with what he claimed was breast milk for baby Anthony Hunter Jr. but was actually toxic. Monique and Anthony Hunter Jr. survived the abortion-inducing drug and toxic liquid. Then Kisha went into the hospital, posed as an administrator and tried to have the baby boy taken off a ventilator.

“Chesed” (חֶסֶד) is a Hebrew word that can be translated into the English words “loving-kindness”, “steadfast love,” “loyalty”, “compassion,” “mercy” or “goodness”. “Chesed” refers to God’s persistent love of Israel in spite of Israel’s unfaithfulness to Him. Kisha lacked chesed; when her husband was unfaithful to her she set out to harm him by harming his offspring and his lover. Fueled by jealousy and anger Kisha, a mother of four children, operated in steadfast hatred, treachery, unforgivingness and cruelty.

Correction without compassion conceals sins in the person trying to correct another. Sometimes we try to justify our jealousies, anger, hatred and other sins by concealing them with claims of seeking righteousness. Yes, the adultery between Kisha’s husband and Monique was wrong. Yet Kisha was not the one to cast stones on the adulterous parents and their offspring because unlike God Kisha sought correction without compassion. Kisha did not have a heart broken by the damages of adultery to the people who commit adultery or a heart to help adulterers repent and seek the way of life through Jesus Christ. Like the Pharisees in John 8 Kisha had a heart to destroy human beings. The Pharisees had no compassion for the woman caught in adultery. Full of jealousy, anger and malice they dragged the woman from the sex act perhaps sweaty and partly naked and placed her on public display after breaking into Jesus’ class hoping not only to stone the woman but also to stone/destroy the ministry of Jesus. Kisha had no compassion for her husband, Monique or baby Anthony Hunter Jr. Kisha subjected them to the pain of the abortion-inducing drug Cytotec, the pain of suffocation by trying to take the baby off the ventilator and the psychological pain of sickness and seeing your offspring fighting for their life. However, Jesus couples correction with compassion. He couples chesed with truth. Jesus counseled the woman caught in adultery in John 8:11 (Amp), “. . . ¹¹I do not condemn you either. Go on your way and from now on sin no more.” When someone sins against us the challenge for a Christian is to operate in chesed and truth. Adultery is to be confronted, corrected and changed into godliness without communicating to the sinners they are unreachable by God or committing sins against the sinners.

Anthony and Monique sinned against God, Kisha, Anthony Hunter Jr. and society. Anytime people do not follow the instructions of God; they are sinning against God and people. God’s view on adultery can be found in Exodus 20:14 (Amp) which says, “¹⁴You shall not commit adultery.” 1 John 3:4 (Amp) says, “⁴Everyone who commits (practices) sin is guilty of lawlessness; for [that is what] sin is, lawlessness (the breaking, violating of God's law by transgression or neglect--being unrestrained and unregulated by His commands and His will).” Anthony’s sex belonged exclusively to his wife, Kisha. God designed for sexual satisfaction to be found in the marriage of one man and one woman. Hebrews 13:4 (Amp) says, “⁴Let marriage be held in honor (esteemed worthy, precious, of great price, and especially dear) in all things. And thus let the marriage bed be undefiled (kept undishonored); for God will judge and punish the unchaste [all guilty of sexual vice] and adulterous.” Anthony and Monique also sinned against baby Anthony Hunter Jr. and society because they brought him into the world outside of the family unit God created. From the beginnings of the human race, the ungodly idea has existed that a man could successfully have multiple wives and/or lovers. In Genesis 4 Lamech is the first one recorded to try this idea. Lamech had two wives, Adah and Zillah. Lamech's sin plays a role in the moral decline of the human race. Genesis 5 records the generations of the human race leading to a time when God in Genesis 6 describes people as being so far from a spiritual connection with God that He calls them “basar”(בָּשָׂר ) which is the Hebrew word that can be translated into the English words for “flesh,” “meat” or “body.” Anthony’s lust and covetousness for a woman who was not his wife brought out the wickedness of jealousy, hatred and other sins in Kisha’s heart. The Bible warns us that adultery exposes other sins and destroys lives. Proverbs 6:32-35 (Amp) says, “³²But whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks heart and understanding (moral principle and prudence); he who does it is destroying his own life. ³³Wounds and disgrace will he get, and his reproach will not be wiped away. ³⁴For jealousy makes [the wronged] man furious; therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance [upon the detected one]. ³⁵He will not consider any ransom [offered to buy him off from demanding full punishment]; neither will he be satisfied, though you offer him many gifts and bribes.”

Kisha, who had no prior criminal record, ended up in prison because she did not prevail over her emotions. She was charged with attempted murder, attempted abortion, assault and other charges. You may say to yourself, “I would never do what Kisha did.” Sometimes the sins that we are the most critical of are the very ones we are doing in a different way. Romans 2:1 (Amp) says, “¹Therefore you have no excuse or defense or justification, O man, whoever you are who judges and condemns another. For in posing as judge and passing sentence on another, you condemn yourself, because you who judge are habitually practicing the very same things [that you censure and denounce].” We do not fully know what is in our hearts and what might come out of our hearts in certain situations. Every story has at least two sides. Perhaps Kisha was compelled to do what she did because she could no longer contain her emotional reaction to her husband abusing her verbally, sexually and/or physically for years. Many of us think that we have good, clean hearts, but King David tells the truth about all of us in Psalm 51:5 (Amp) when he says, “⁵Behold, I was brought forth in [a state of] iniquity; my mother was sinful who conceived me [and I too am sinful].” David was anointed to be king of Israel, and it was said that he was a man after God’s own heart. King David probably did not realize that out of that same heart would spring adultery against and murder of one of his top military leaders, Uriah the Hittite. God took the life of the child conceived by King David and Bathsheba, but God counsels human beings in Exodus 20:13 (Amp), “¹³You shall not commit murder.”

God creates human life through parents. No matter how children are conceived, they are created by God; and God has multiple purposes for their life. The sin of the parents is not the sin of their children. Everyone is responsible for his or her own sin. The sin of sex outside of wedlock doesn’t stop God’s success plans for the children conceived of these unions. Monique and baby Anthony Hunter Jr. survived Kisha’s persistent efforts to slay them. The Bible book of Judges chapter 11 records that Jephthah was born of a harlot, but the Spirit of the Lord came upon him; and he led the Israelites to defeat their enemies the Ammonites. God chose Solomon, another offspring of King David and Bathsheba, to rule Israel. God has purposes for all people.

Christians, be glad and thank God that our sins do not stop God from seeking us out for good things, and our sins do not sever God’s relationship with us at any point now or for all of eternity. Of course, we shouldn’t be trying to sin, thereby taking the grace of God for granted. Sin has consequences, and God will correct sin often using His body (the church) to bring the correction.

When you see sin in someone, as a Christian, stop and search inside for chesed and truth. God is chesed and truth, and God lives inside of all Christians. If you are jealous, angry or in some other negative emotion pray to God to clean your heart before trying to correct someone else. If you do not have a relationship with God, you cannot operate in chesed and truth; ask God, who is chesed and truth, to form a relationship with you. God is also a multiple of one as in 1 X 1 X 1 = 1 (God the Father, God the Son Jesus Christ and God the Holy Spirit). When Jesus Christ died on a cross more than 2,000 years ago to pay the penalty of the sins of His people, He not only was satisfying God the Father’s requirement for justice, He was also making a way for human beings to have a now and eternal relationship with God and to actually have God live on the inside of His people (2 Timothy 1:14). John 17:3 (Amp) says, “³And this is eternal life: [it means] to know (to perceive, recognize, become acquainted with, and understand) You, the only true and real God, and [likewise] to know Him, Jesus [as the] Christ (the Anointed One, the Messiah), Whom You have sent.” Ask God also to reveal Himself to Kisha, Anthony, Monique and Anthony Hunter Jr. and call them into relationship with Himself. God has a way of bringing multiple miracles out of messes.

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