6. Show No Mercy - Amazon Web Services

Deuteronomy!
!
Lesson,#6,
Show,No,Mercy,
(7:,1,9,26),
Show!No!Mercy!
1!
Deuteronomy6-11introducestheexpansivebodyofstatutesand
ordinancescontainedinchapters12-26,anditdoessobyreemphasizing
andexpandinguponthe1stcommandment,thatYHWHaloneisIsrael’sGod,
aGodwhoinvitesIsraelintoaninEmate,covenantrelaEonshipwith
himself.
Asacovenantpeople,itfollows,then,thatIsraelistolovetheLordtheir
Godwithalltheirheart,beingandstrength.
Deuteronomy6:4-9—tradiEonallycalledthe“Shema”—isIsrael’s
foundaEonalstatementoffaith,itscredo.Jesuscallsit“thegreatestand
thefirstcommandment,”containingwithinitselfthewholelawofGod
(MaShew22:37-38).
InLesson#5weexaminedtheShemaclosely,andwelearnedits
implicaEons.
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2
OncetheIsraelitescrosstheJordanRiverandbegintheconquestofCanaan
theywillspendanenEregeneraEonatwar;indeed,considerablylongerthana
generaEon,sincetheywillneverfullyconquerthelandunEltheEmeofking
David,some400yearsaaertheiniEalinvasion.
Here,ontheplainsofMoab,GodcommandsthatwhentheIsraelitesbegin
theirconquest,theyshouldputtheconqueredpeople“undertheban...
makenocovenantwiththemanddonotbegracioustothem...consumeall
thepeopleswhichtheLord,yourGod,isgivingovertoyou...donottolook
onthemwithpity...maketheirnamesperishfromundertheheavens”
(7:2-24).
Whentheconquestbegins,Godsays,“killthemall.”
Deuteronomy7raisesseriousmoralandethicalissueswhenviewedthrough
thelensof21st-centuryChrisEanity.Weexploresomeofthoseissuesinthis
lesson,andwestrivetounderstandthecontextfromwhichthisepisode
emerges.
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3
Formanyreaders,Deuteronomy7issimply
a“textofterror,”oneofflat-out
ethnocentrismandgenocide.
We’vebeendownthisroadbeforein
Numbers31,whereGodleadsthe
IsraelitesinbaSleagainsttheMidianites
andcommandstheIsraelitestokillevery
male—adultandchildalike—andevery
woman,sparingonlythevirgins,whomthe
Israelitesmaykeepforthemselves.
We’lltravelthetorturedroadagainIn1
Samuel15,whenGodordersKingSaulto
killeverylastAmalekite,because500years
earliertheyhadaSackedtheIsraelites
duringtheExodus.
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4
Menfightwarsformanyreasons,butin
theancientworld—includingtheworldof
theHebrewScriptures—menfightfor
plunder:ancientwarfaremayhave
personal,religious,poliEcalor
philosophicaljusEficaEons,butatitscore
ancientwarfareis“beatupyourneighbor
andtakehisstuff.”
ThisisexactlywhathappensintheTrojan
WarwhentheAchaeanssackTroy.Setin
1184B.C.duringthefinalweeksofthe10yearwar,Homer’sTheIliadrecountsthe
tale.InBook6Hector,theprinceofTroy
andTroy’sgreatestwarrior,speakswithhis
wifeAndromache,whoforeseesherfate,
andthefateofTroy:
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5
Dr.CreasyteachesHomer’sTheIliadonthe“ringingplainswindyofTroy.”
PhotographybyAnaMariaVargas
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6
Andromache,AstyanaxandHector.
Apulianred-figurecolumn-crater,c.370-360B.C.
MuseoNazionaleJaSa,RuvodiPuglia.
Atthat,Hectorspunandrushedfromhishouse,
backbythesamewaydownthewide,well-pavedstreets
throughoutthecityunRlhereachedtheScaeanGates,
thelastpointhewouldpasstogainthefieldofbaSle.
Therehiswarm,generouswifecamerunninguptomeethim,
Andromachethedaughterofgallant-heartedEeRon
whohadlivedbelowMountPlacosrichwithRmber,
inThebebelowthepeaks,andruledCilicia’speople.
HisdaughterhadmarriedHectorhelmedinbronze.
Shejoinedhimnow,andfollowinginhersteps
aservantholdingtheboyagainstherbreast,
inthefirstflushoflife,onlyababy,
Hector’sson,thedarlingofhiseyesandradiantasastar...
HectorwouldalwayscalltheboyScamandrius,
townsmencalledhimAstyanax,LordoftheCity,
sinceHectorwasthelonedefenseofTroy.
Thegreatmanofwarbreakingintoabroadsmile,
hisgazefixedonhisson,insilence.Andromache,
pressingclosebesidehimandweepingfreelynow,
clungtohishand,urgedhim,callinghim:“Recklessone,
myHector—yourownfierycouragewilldestroyyou!
Haveyounopityforhim,ourhelplessson?Orme,
andthedesRnythatweighsmedown,yourwidow,
nowsosoon?Yes,soontheywillkillyouoff,
alltheAchaeanforcesmassedforassault,andthen,
berebofyou,beSerformetosinkbeneaththeearth...
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Whatotherwarmth,whatcomfort’slebforme,
Onceyouhavemetyourdoom?Nothingbuttorment!
Ihavelostmyfather.Mother’sgoneaswell.
Father...thebrilliantAchilleslaidhimlow
whenhestormedCilicia’scityfilledwithpeople,
Thebewithhertoweringgates.HekilledEeRon,
notthathestrippedhisgear—he’dsomerespectatleast—
forheburnedhiscorpseinallhisblazonedbronze,
thenheapedagrave-moundhighabovetheashes
andnymphsofthemountainplantedelmsaroundit,
daughtersofZeuswhoseshieldisstormandthunder.
AndthesevenbrothersIhadwithinourhalls...
allinthesamedaywentdowntotheHouseofDeath,
thegreatgodlikerunnerAchillesbutcheredthemall,
tendingtheirshamblingoxen,shiningflocks.
“Achilles”(BradPiS)fromthe2004movie
Troy,directedbyWolfgangPeterson.
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RobertFagels,trans.TheIliad
(NewYork:VikingPress,1990),6:462-503.
8
Euripides’TheTrojanWomen(c.415B.C.)
lamentsTroy’sfate.GiventhatalltheTrojan
menhavebeenslainbytheirGreekvictors,it
istheirwomen—mothers,daughters,wives—
whogivevoicetothesufferingofthecity.
Takenasslavesandconcubinesbytheir
Greekmasters,Hector’swidowAndromache
announcesthatPolyxenahasbeensacrificed
tothedeadAchilles,andHector’sinfantson
Astyanaxhasbeenhurledfromthecitywalls,
smashedonthestonesbelow.
AsTroy’swomenareabouttobetaken
capEveaboardOdysseus’ship,Hecuba,wife
ofPriamkingofTroylaments:
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9
Ah,wretchedme.Sothisistheunhappyend
andgoalofallthesorrowsIhavelived.
Igoforthfrommycountryandacitylitwithflames.
Come,agedfeet;makeonelastwearystruggle,
ThatImayhailmycityinitsafflicRon.OTroy,
OncesohugeoverallAsiainthedrawnwindofpride,
Yourverynameofgloryshallbestrippedaway.
Theyareburningyou,andustheydragforth
fromourlandenslaved.
Oh,gods!DoIcalluponthegodsforhelp?
Wecriedtothembeforenow,andtheywouldnothear.
Comethen,hurlourselvesintothepyre.
Bestnowtodieintheflamingruinsofourfathers’house!
RichardLanmore,trans.“TheTrojanWomen”in
EuripidesIII(TheCompleteGreekTragedies),3rdediEon.
(Chicago:UniversityofChicagoPress,2013),1272-1283.
Merry-JosephBlondel.HecubaandPolyxena
(oiloncanvas),1814.
LACMA,LosAngeles.
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10
RecallthepainandsufferingofwarinNumbers
31:“TheLordsaidtoMoses:Avengethe
IsraelitesontheMidianites”(31:1),sothe
Israelitesproceededtowagewar“andkilled
everymale,”andthenexecutedthefivekingsof
Midian,alongwithBalaamsonofBeor“with
thesword”(thatis,theIsraelitesbeheaded
them).
TheIsraelitesthen“tookcapRvethewomenof
theMidianiteswiththeirchildren,andalltheir
herdsandflocksandwealthasloot,whilethey
setonfireallthetownswheretheyhadseSled
andalltheirencampments.Thentheytookall
theplunder,withthepeopleandanimalsthey
hadcaptured,andbroughtthecapRves,
togetherwiththespoilsandplunder,toMoses
andEleazarthepriestandtotheIsraelite
community....”(31:9-12).
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11
Atthisstage,thecapEves(the
womenandchildren)wouldtypically
becomeslavesorconcubines,tobe
keptorsold,ashappensinthepostTrojanWartalesofEuripides,Virgil,
OvidandSeneca,aswellasinother
ancientcultures,suchasMoab.
Butthisisnotwhathappensin
Numbers31:
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12
“When Moses and Eleazar the priest, with all the
leaders of the community, went outside the camp to
meet them, Moses became angry with the officers of
the army, the commanders of thousands and the
commanders of hundreds, who were returning from the
military campaign. ‘So you have spared all the
women!’ he exclaimed. These are the very ones who on
Balaam’s advice were behind the Israelites’
unfaithfulness to the Lord in the affair at Peor, so
that plague struck the Lord’s community. Now kill,
therefore, every male among the children and kill every
woman who has had sexual relations with a man. But
you may spare for yourselves all the girls who have
not had sexual relations.”
(31: 13-18)
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13
Thisdisturbingsceneofplacingan
enErepeople“undertheban”has
provokedintenseandvaried
commentary,rangingfromThomas
Paine’svisceralscornandcontemptto
ChrisEanapologistswhoaSemptto
jusEfysuchacEonsasmorallycorrect.
HereisThomasPaine(1737-1809),
philosopher,poliEcaltheoristandone
oftheFoundingFathersoftheUnited
StatesinTheAgeofReason
(publishedin3parts:1794,1795and
1807):
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14
AugusteMillière.ThomasPaine
(oiloncanvas),1880.
NaEonalPortraitGallery,London.
“Themostdetestablewickedness,the
mosthorridcruelRes,andthe
greatestmiseries,thathaveafflicted
thehumanracehavehadtheirorigin
inthisthingcalledrevelaRon,or
revealedreligion...[whence]arose
allthehorridassassinaRonsofwhole
naRonsofmen,women,andinfants,
withwhichtheBibleisfilled;andthe
bloodypersecuRons,andtortures
untodeathandreligiouswars,that
sincethatRmehavelaidEuropein
bloodandashes.”
TheAgeofReason,pp.226-227
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15
Incontrast,hereisthe
commentaryfromarecent
ChrisEanapologeEcwebsite:
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16
Complaining
the
about Jehovah’s order to destroy innocent
children is a vain gesture when one realizes that the
children were spared an even worse fate of being reared as
slaves under the domination of sin. Instead of having to
endure the scourge of a life of immorality and wickedness,
these innocents were ushered early into the bliss of
Paradise. If the male children had been allowed to mature,
they most likely would have followed the pagan ways of
their forefathers, and eventually would have taken
vengeance on the Israelites. Killing the males not only
prevented them from falling into the same abominable sins
as their parents, but also kept Israel from having to battle
them later . . .
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17
The
the simple answer to the questions surrounding Numbers 31
is that God ordered the Midianites to be killed in Numbers
25: 17-18. When the army did not carry out this order at
the time of the Midianite defeat, it was carried out in a
delayed fashion when the army returned with the captives.
As to Moses allowing the young girls to remain alive, that
was a judgment call from the man with God’s authority
over the Israelites . . . God does everything for a reason,
[and] sometimes that reason may be unclear to us.
www.apologeticspress.org
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18
EvenStevenL.CookaSempts
todeflecttheterrorof
herem,placinganenEre
people“undertheban”:
“Deuteronomydoesnotdeploy
thelanguageoutofaspiritof
violence.Rather,itwantsto
conveyGod’sclaimonthe
promisedlandasholyterritory,a
placeforsancRfyingGod’s
people.”1
1ReadingDeuteronomy:aLiteraryandTheological
Commentary(Macon,Georgia:Smyth&Helwys
Publishers,Inc.,2015),p.83.
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19
InTheFiveBooksofMoses
RobertAlterspeaksmore
forthrightlyonthesubject,
withrefreshinghonesty:
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20
RobertAlter
ProfessorofHebrew
andComparaEveLiterature
UniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley.
“ThepracRceofmassacringmostor
allofaconqueredpopulaRonwas
widespreadintheancientNearEast
(theMoabiteMeshastelerecordsa
similar‘ban’or‘herem’againsta
defeatedenemy,usingcertain
SemiRctermscognatetoonesthat
areemployedhere),butthatisnot
exactlyapalliaRve.Itispainfully
evidentthatthisisaninstancein
whichthebiblicaloutlooksadly
failedtotranscenditshistorical
contexts.”
TheFiveBooksofMoses,p.843.
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21
Whenviewedthroughcontemporaryeyes,
ancientwarfarewas,indeed,exceedinglybrutal
andmanypeoplesufferedgreatly—especially
women,childrenandtheelderly—butsuch
brutalityisrarelyquesEonedunElthe
beginningoftheChrisEanera.2
AlthoughSt.AugusEneintroducestheterm
“justwar”inhismonumentalwork,CityofGod
(A.D.426),St.ThomasAquinaspresentsthe
mostsystemaEcexposiEonofthe“justwar”
doctrineinhisSummaTheologica(wriSen
1265-1274),inwhichhediscussesthe“rightto
gotowar”(jusadbellum)andthe“right
conductinwar”(jusinbello).
2CiceroistheexcepEon,addressingthecondiEonsunderwhichwar
mayjustlybefoughtinDeOfficiis,1.11.33–1.13.41.
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22
The“justwar”doctrineisthesubjectofvoluminous
researchandscholarship,buttheRomanCatholic
churchsuccinctlysummarizesthecriteriafora“just
war”intheCatechismoftheCatholicChurch
(1995):
“ThestrictcondiEonsforlegiRmatedefensebymilitary
forcerequirerigorousconsideraEon.Thegravityofsuch
adecisionmakesitsubjecttorigorouscondiEonsof
morallegiEmacy.AtoneandthesameEme:
• ThedamageinflictedbytheaggressoronthenaEonor
communityofnaEonsmustbelasEng,grave,andcertain;
• Allothermeansofpunnganendtoitmusthavebeen
showntobeimpracEcalorineffecEve;
• Theremustbeseriousprospectsofsuccess;
• Theuseofarmsmustnotproduceevilsanddisorders
graverthantheeviltobeeliminated.Thepowerof
modernmeansofdestrucEonweighsveryheavilyin
evaluaEngthiscondiEon.”
(3:2309)
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23
TheCompendiumoftheSocialDoctrineofthe
Church,(2004)probesevendeeper,placingwar
withintheoverallcontextofsocialjusEce.
Paragraphs500-501areparEcularlyinstrucEve:
“Itisimportanttorememberthatitisonethingto
wageawarofself-defense;itisquiteanotherto
seektoimposedominaRononanothernaRon.The
possessionofwarpotenRaldoesnotjusRfytheuse
offorceforpoliRcalormilitaryobjecRves.Nor
doesthemerefactthatwarhasunfortunately
brokenoutmeanthatallisfairbetweenthe
warringparRes....Therefore,engagingina
prevenRvewarwithoutclearproofthatanaSack
isimminentcannotfailtoraiseseriousmoraland
juridicalquesRons.”
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24
“Historicalcontext”isthekeytounderstanding
storiesinScripturethatinvolvethewholesale
slaughterofenErepeoplesandtheblonngoutof
theircultures.
Aswehavenotedinourpreviousstudies,allart—
literary,visualormusical—mirrorstheEmeand
culturefromwhichitemerges.
ScriptureisnoexcepEon.WhenwereadinNumbers
31:1,“TheLordsaidtoMoses:‘Avengethe
IsraelitesontheMidianites,’”andthenwereadof
theslaughterofanenErepopulaEon;orwhenwe
readinDeuteronomy7:5thattheIsraelitesareto
“teardowntheiraltars,smashtheirsacredpillars,
chopdowntheirasherahs,anddestroytheiridolsby
fire,”itisamistaketoapply21-centuryChrisEan
moralandethicalstandardstostoriesthatemerge
froma3,000-yearoldNearEastern,patriarchaland
profoundlytribalculture.
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25
InMalachi,thelastbookoftheHebrewScriptures,
Godsays,“I,theLord,donotchange”(3:6).
Andthat’scorrect,butourunderstandingofGod
doeschange.
WhenwereadDeuteronomy,weviewGodthrough
thelensofpost-BabylonianIsrael,apeoplewhohad
sufferedgrievouslyatthehandsoftheAssyrians
(722-539B.C.)andtheBabylonians(605-539B.C.).
IncraaingDeuteronomy,itsauthorslookback1,000
yearstotheEmeofMoseswhentheIsraelitesfaced
insurmountableoddsandanunholyallianceof
“seven”enemies,fargreaterandstrongerthanthey.
Deuteronomyistheconcludingbookinanepictale
—wriSenintheipsissimavox,thevery“voice”of
Moses—thatsingsofasmallgroupofpeoplewho,
throughdivinehelpandmuchsuffering,achieved
greatthings.
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26
Recognizingtheliterarynatureof
Scriptureandreadingitasaproductof
itsownEmeandculture,enablesusto
shineabrightlightonwhatappearto
beverydarkpassagesoftext,suchas
Numbers31andDeuteronomy7.
ApproachingScriptureinthisfashion
goesalongwaytowardunderstanding
themoralandethicaldilemmaswe
encounteras21st-centuryChrisEan
readers.
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27
Withthosethoughtsinmind,
wenowturntoourtext:
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28
“When the Lord, your God, brings you into the land which
you are about to enter to possess, and removes many
nations before you—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites,
Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, seven nations
more numerous and powerful than you—and when the Lord,
your God, gives them over to you and you defeat them, you
shall put them under the ban. Make no covenant with
them and do not be gracious to them. You shall not
intermarry with them, neither giving your daughters to
their sons nor taking their daughters for your sons. For
they would turn your sons from following me to serving
other gods, and then the anger of the Lord would flare up
against you and he would quickly destroy you.”
(7: 1-4)
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29
TheHebrewverbtranslated“under
theban”isherem,thetotal
destrucEonandsolemn,grimvowto
killeverylivingthing,takingno
prisonersandnoplunder.Herem,ora
grammaEcalvariaEonofit,occurs95
Emesin48versesoftheHebrew
Scriptures:itisnotuncommon.
Unliketypicalancientwarfare,asin
TheIliad,wheremenfightfor
plunder,theIsraelitecombatantshere
receivenothing.
IdeologydrivestheiracEons.
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30
“When the Lord, your God, brings you into the land which
you are about to enter to possess, and removes many
nations before you—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites,
Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, seven nations
more numerous and powerful than you—and when the Lord,
your God, gives them over to you and you defeat them, you
shall put them under the ban. Make no covenant with
them and do not be gracious to them. You shall not
intermarry with them, neither giving your daughters to
their sons nor taking their daughters for your sons. For
they would turn your sons from following me to serving
other gods, and then the anger of the Lord would flare up
against you and he would quickly destroy you.”
(7: 1-4)
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31
GodforbidstheIsraelitesfrom
intermarryingwiththepeoplethey
conquer,andhedoessofortwo
reasons:
1. 
PerhapsreflecEnglessonslearnedfromtheir
experiencewiththeMoabitesandMidianites
intheBalaamepisodeofNumbers22ff.,
intermarryingwiththeindigenouspeople
invariablydrawstheIsraelitesawayfrom
YHWHtoothergods,and
2. 
AaerthereturnfromBabylon,Ezrathepriest
findsthatsomeoftheIsraelitemenareguilty
of“interminglingtheholyseedwiththe
peoplesoftheland”(9:1-2),thusdiluEngthe
pureIsraelitebloodline.
Ezraishorrified:
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32
“When I had heard this, I tore my cloak and my mantle,
plucked hair from my head and beard, and sat there
devastated . . . I rose in my wretchedness, and with cloak
and mantle torn I fell on my knees, stretching our my
hands to the Lord, my God. I said . . . ‘After all that
has come upon us for our evil deeds and our great
guilt . . . shall we again violate your commandments by
intermarrying with these abominable peoples? Would you
not become so angered with us as to destroy us without
remnant or survivor?”
(Ezra 9: 3-14)
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33
Ourtextcertainlyseemstoview
theIsraelitesasunique,achosen
people,aholyrace.Theyareto
Notme.
keeptheirbloodlinepureand
notmixwithoutsiders
atall.
RememberwhenCornelius
invitedPeterintohishouse?
Petersaid,“Youknowthatitis
unlawfulforaJewishmanto
associatewith,orvisit,a
GenRle”(Acts10:28).
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34
Forthemostpart,Jewshavealwaysfeltthis
way,viewingassimilaEonasanexistenEal
threattoJudaism.
InMarshaL.Rozenblit’sreviewofJewish
AssimilaRoninModernTimes,ed.byBela
Vago(Boulder,CO:WestviewPress,1981),
shewrites:
“TheissueofJewishassimilaRonhasagitated
JewishpolemicistsandintriguedJewishhistorians
foralongRme.EversinceJewsfirstabandoned
thetradiRonalJewishcommunityinorderto
embracemodernsecularculture,otherJewshave
chasRsedthemfordeserRngtheJewishpeople.
ReligiousJewsregardedthosewhoassimilated
withhorror,andZionistscampaignedagainst
assimilaRonasanactoftreason.”
JewishSocialStudiesVol.4,No.3/4(Summer–Autumn,
1982),pp.334-335.
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“But this is how you must deal with them: Tear down
their altars, smash their sacred pillars, chop down their
asherahs, and destroy their idols by fire. For you are a
people holy to the Lord, your God; the Lord, your God, has
chosen you from all the peoples on the face of the earth
to be a people specially his own. It was not because you
are more numerous than all the peoples that the Lord set
his heart on you and chose you; for you are really the
smallest of all peoples. It was because the Lord loved you
and because of his fidelity to the oath he had sworn to
your ancestors, that the Lord brought you out with a
strong hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery,
from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt . . .
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36
Theviolentenergyoftheverbsinv.5
captureswelltheiconoclasEctheology
ofDeuteronomy:“teardown,”[nathats’]“smash”[sha-vair’],“chop
down”[ga-dah],“destroybyfire”[saraph’].
AsRobertAlterobserves:“The
statementmovesfromoneverbof
violentdestrucEontoanother,more
intenseone,endingwiththeuSer
consummaEonbyfireofallpagan
icons.”1
1TheFiveBooksofMoses,p.917.
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37
“But this is how you must deal with them: Tear down
their altars, smash their sacred pillars, chop down their
asherahs, and destroy their idols by fire. For you are a
people holy to the Lord, your God; the Lord, your God, has
chosen you from all the peoples on the face of the earth
to be a people specially his own. It was not because you
are more numerous than all the peoples that the Lord set
his heart on you and chose you; for you are really the
smallest of all peoples. It was because the Lord loved you
and because of his fidelity to the oath he had sworn to
your ancestors, that the Lord brought you out with a
strong hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery,
from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt . . .
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38
Aswe’veseen,thissenseofexclusivity
pervadesDeuteronomy,butnotforthe
reasonswemaythink.
Godmakesthatveryclear:
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39
“But this is how you must deal with them: Tear down
their altars, smash their sacred pillars, chop down their
asherahs, and destroy their idols by fire. For you are a
people holy to the Lord, your God; the Lord, your God, has
chosen you from all the peoples on the face of the earth
to be a people specially his own. It was not because you
are more numerous than all the peoples that the Lord set
his heart on you and chose you; for you are really the
smallest of all peoples. It was because the Lord loved you
and because of his fidelity to the oath he had sworn to
your ancestors, that the Lord brought you out with a
strong hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery,
from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt . . .
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40
God’smoEveforchoosingIsraelashis
covenantpeopleis2-fold:
1.  hisloveforIsrael,and
2. hisfaithfulnesstothepromiseshe
madetoAbraham,IsaacandJacob.
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41
“But this is how you must deal with them: Tear down
their altars, smash their sacred pillars, chop down their
asherahs, and destroy their idols by fire. For you are a
people holy to the Lord, your God; the Lord, your God, has
chosen you from all the peoples on the face of the earth
to be a people specially his own. It was not because you
are more numerous than all the peoples that the Lord set
his heart on you and chose you; for you are really the
smallest of all peoples. It was because the Lord loved you
and because of his fidelity to the oath he had sworn to
your ancestors, that the Lord brought you out with a
strong hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery,
from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt . . .
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42
“Know, then, that the Lord, your God, is God:
the faithful God who keeps covenant mercy to
the thousandth generation toward those who love
him and keep his commandments, but who repays
with destruction those who hate him; he does not
delay with those who hate him, but makes them
pay for it. Therefore carefully observe the
commandment, the statutes and the ordinances
which I command you today.”
(7: 5-11)
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GodisquiteemphaEcthathewillkeep
hispromisesand“covenantmercy”,
eventothethousandthgeneraEonof
thosewholovehim.
But,hewillnothesitatetorepaywith
destrucEonthosewhohatehim—and
hewilldosoquickly!
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NoEcethatGodwillrepayquickly
“thosewhohatehim,”ageneric
phrasethatincludestheIsraelites!
AndGoddoesexactlythatwhenhe
Notme.
exileshispeopletoAssyriaand
Babylon,“becauseoftheir
treachery.”
IrememberwhenIhad
an“accident”onthe
newcarpet,youexiled
mefromthehouse!
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Fidelitytothecovenantyields
blessings.IftheIsraelitesfaithfully
followGod,Godwillabundantly
demonstratehis“covenantmercy.”
Thisisthe2ndEmewehaveseenthis
termin3verses.TheHebrewword
translated“mercy”ischeced[kheh’sed].Itoccurs247EmesintheHebrew
Scripturesinitsvariousforms.
“Covenantmercy”hitsthetarget,but
notthebull’seye;rather,“loving
kindness”ismoreprecise,aloving
kindnessthatresultsnaturallyfrom
God’stenderandprofoundlove.
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“As your reward for heeding these ordinances and keeping
them carefully, the Lord, your God, will keep with you the
covenant mercy he promised on oath to your ancestors. He
will love and bless and multiply you; he will bless the fruit
of your womb and the produce of your soil, your grain and
wine and oil, the young of your herds and the offspring of
your flocks, in the land which he swore to your ancestors
he would give you. You will be blessed above all peoples;
no man or woman among you shall be childless nor shall
your livestock be barren. The Lord will remove all sickness
from you; he will not afflict you with any of the malignant
diseases that you know from Egypt, but will leave them
with all those who hate you.”
(7: 12-15)
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GodthenreiterateswhattheIsraelites
aretodooncetheycrosstheJordan
Riverandbegintheconquest:
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“You shall consume all the peoples which the Lord, your
God, is giving over to you. You are not to look on them
with pity, nor serve their gods, for that would be a snare
to you. If you say to yourselves, ‘These nations are more
numerous than we. How can we dispossess them?’ do not
be afraid of them. Rather, remember clearly what the
Lord, your God, did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt: the
great testing which your own eyes have seen, the signs and
wonders, the strong hand and outstretched arm with which
the Lord, your God, brought you out. The same also will
he do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid.”
(7: 16-19)
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AndGodtellshowhewillaccomplish
this:
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“Moreover, the Lord, your God, will send hornets among
them, until those who are left and those who are hiding
from you are destroyed. Therefore, do not be terrified by
them, for the Lord, your God, who is in your midst, is a
great and awesome God. He will remove these nations
before you little by little. You cannot finish with them
quickly, lest the wild beasts become too numerous for you.
The Lord, your God, will give them over to you and throw
them into utter panic until they are destroyed. He will
deliver their kings into your power, that you may make
their names perish from under the heavens. No one will be
able to stand up against you, till you have destroyed
them . . .
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Iftheconquestbeginsin1406B.C.
(accordingtoourdaEngscheme),it
willtakeunEltheEmeofKingDavid
(1010-970B.C.)—400years—to
completelysubduetheland.
InthemeanEme...
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“The images of their gods you shall destroy by fire. Do
not covet the silver or gold on them, nor take it for
yourselves, lest you be ensnared by it; for it is an
abomination to the Lord, your God. You shall not bring
any abominable thing into your house, so as to be, like it,
under the ban; loathe and abhor it utterly for it is under
the ban.”
(7: 20-26)
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1.  WhatisthesignificancethattheIsraeliteswilldefeat
theHintes,Girgashites,Amorites,Canaanites,
Perizzites,HivitesandJebusites—sevennaRons?
2.  TheIsraelitesarenottointermarrywiththepeople
theyconquer.Why?
3.  Whatdoesitmeantoplaceapeople“undertheban”?
4.  TheIsraelitesareto“teardown,”“smash,”“chop
down,”and“destroy...byfire”thetemples,altars
andimagesofothergodstheyfindintheland.How
doyoujusEfysuchiconoclasm?
5.  HowdoyoudefendGodorderingthewholesale
slaughterofenErepeoplesandtheeradicaEonof
theircultures?
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