Genocide Or Justice?

One blasphemous website mocks the LORD God. The author writes,

Why would anybody worship the god of the Bible? He lies, cheats, and kills with impunity. But, he loves us! His mythical son Jesus is a little better, but he wants to torture people forever. The story of Jesus' crucifixion is a horrible story of human sacrifice, and Christians even celebrate it by ceremoniously drinking his blood and eating his body. This is ritual vampirism and cannibalism.

The site goes on to describe what it calls genocide commanded by the LORD as recorded in numerous places in the Old Testament. The author estimates that God killed roughly 33 million people, including many children! Why, he asks, would anyone want to worship such a God?

This is not a casual question. It is one that pastors often are asked. In my last post we looked at Elisha and the murderous bears. Let's look at another frightening slaughter commanded by the LORD, a story taught to every little child in Sunday School.

So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city. Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword. - Jos 6:20-21 ESV

This is the well-known story of the fall of Jericho's walls after Joshua and his army had marched around the city for seven days, led on the final day by the priests and the ark of the covenant. The city and all within it was devoted to the LORD for destruction. The bloody massacre of everything alive followed. I'm confident that most Sunday School teachers do not invite their students to picture in their minds Israel's soldiers chopping and slashing through Jericho's women and children with their swords. Many similar stories of slaughter follow in the history of the Children of Israel's capture of the Holy Land (Num 31:7-17; Deut.2:33, 34; 3:6; 20:13-18; Jos 6:21, 24; 8:24, 25; 10:2-40;11:11-23; 1Sa 15:3-9; 27:8-11). How shall we respond to the atheists who mock us for worshipping such a God?

To comprehend all this we must have some background. The principle cited to Israel by Moses applies:

"Do not say in your heart, after the LORD your God has thrust them out before you, 'It is because of my righteousness that the LORD has brought me in to possess this land,' whereas it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is driving them out before you. Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart are you going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the LORD your God is driving them out from before you, and that he may confirm the word that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. Know, therefore, that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stubborn people. - Deu.9:4-6 ESV

What was so wicked about these nations in Canaan? Their polytheism, the worship of numerous gods and goddesses stood at the root of an utterly immoral and depraved population. Sacred prostitution, child sacrifice and snake worship abounded. Consider some of the gods, what was taught about them and how they were worshipped.

The word El is a generic name for 'god' in the Semitic languages of the time (Hebrew and Ugaritic). It was applied to the God of Israel by Joshua: The Living God, Joshua 3:10. In the Canaanite religion the god El was the head of their pantheon. Their gods reflect influences both from Egypt to the west and Mesopotamia to the north and east. This region was the site of numerous wars fought by the nations of these regions to control the land. Further, since the great bulk of the populace lived an agrarian life great emphasis was upon the fertility of the crops, their flocks and, of course, of humans. So we have many myths about how to please the gods and obtain their blessings and protection. Samples include:

<—Asherah - Mother goddess, wife of El, Queen of heaven. Her images were found in forests, carved on living trees or in the form of poles beside altars at the side of roads. Many references throughout the OT refer to Asherah images and condemn worship of the goddess (Isa.17:8; 27:9; Jer.17:2; Micah 5:14).


Ashtoret (Hebrew) goddess —> of fertility sexuality and war, known also among the Greeks as Astarte or Aphrodite and among the Romans as Venus or Diana. Among Phoenicians and Babylonians she was Ishtar, courtesan of the gods, worshipped in a cult involving sacred prostitution. Many other goddesses could be mentioned. As Israel settled into the land Moses sternly warned them about the practice of having intercourse with women or men devoted to these goddesses. He does, in fact, use a word we translate as 'holy' (qadesh), when referring to women and men set apart to serve as prostitutes.

None of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute (qadeshah), and none of the sons of Israel shall be a cult prostitute (qadesh). - Deut. 23:17 ESV

Baal - lord, master, son of and successor to El, Lord of heaven, god of rain, storm and thunder, giver of fertility. He fights with Mot (god of death, drought and adversity) to revive the land. 108 times the OT refers to the Baals (e.g. Exod.14:2; Num 22:41; Num 25:3; Num 25:5; Jos 11:17; Jos 12:7; Jdg 6:25; Jdg 6:28; Jdg 6:30; Jdg 6:31-32 ESV).

Moloch - one of the baals or lords. The primitive title of this god was very probably "king" (melech in Hebrew) the consonants of which came to be combined through derision with the vowels of the Hebrew word bosheth, "shame". The chief feature of worshipping this god was to put a fire inside the god's metal image with outstretched hands. When the idol was red hot a child would be put between the hands and burnt. The worship of this god continued long after Israel occupied the land. One special centre of such atrocities was just outside of Jerusalem, at a place called Tophet ("place of abomination"), in the valley of Gehennom. According to 1 Kings 11:7, Solomon erected a high place for Chemosh (Kemosh in Hebr.) the abomination of Moab and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, "on the mountain east of Jerusalem." On this account Solomon is at times considered the monarch who re-introduced the impious cult into Israel. Thus in the NT one of the words for hell is gehenna - after the valley of Gehennom (Matthew 5:22,29,30). 

We could go on and on about the many gods worshipped in this land, including Reshep - god of plague and the underworld, Shulman -god of health, Koshar or Hothar - god of crafts, Marqod - god of dance, Yaw - god of sea and river, Yarikh - god of the moon, etc. 

The point to all of this is that Canaan was totally and radically idolatrous. This worship of false gods touched every aspect of marriage, home, family, the raising of children, culture, economy, travel —everything they said and thought and did. For 40 years they had heard of the Israelites out in the wild places, the people whom the LORD God had delivered from slavery in Egypt. In Jericho only the prostitute Rahab accepted the stories and put her and her family's life into the hands of Israel and Israel's God. Thus she was spared to become an ancestor of Jesus Christ (Joshua 6:17,25; Matt. 1:5). 

Let atheists mock the true God. Let them accuse God of genocide or whatever they want. Like us all they will stand before God to give an account of their unbelief, their self-centered pride and their idolatrous worship of human intelligence. The story of Jericho and others like it are given to warn us that there is but one God. No others will be nor may be permitted to rival Him. Those who mock Him and worship idols will surely perish and die and will be separated eternally from Him and from all hope. 

But ours is also a God of mercy and forgiveness. In spite of it all He would have none perish. For this reason our LORD took upon Himself our human flesh and offered up His life in our place. We who put our trust in Him and in His sacrifice are surely forgiven and do indeed inherit life eternal (John 3:16-18; Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; 1 John 4:10).