Shedding Light on a Dark Passage of Scripture

For many Christians, there are several sections and stories within the Bible that seem beyond comprehension. Oftentimes, these can be utilized by non-believers, or those antagonistic towards the faith, to draw into question the validity and morality of Scripture. In fact, these stories can even cause doubts and fears to arise in our own hearts, as we stumble to understand the meaning behind these seemingly dark passages.

While this article is by no means a complete treatise on all the difficult passages in Scripture, I hope to offer a glimpse as to how, with reason and faith, we can shed light on some of the dark passages of the Bible and get to the heart of what these difficulties mean for us. For those looking for an in-depth treatment, I would highly recommend Trent Horn’s excellent book, Hard Sayings: A Catholic Approach to Answering Bible Difficulties.

Herem Warfare

One such passage that can prove to be extremely difficult for readers of the Old Testament is God’s command of herem warfare as seen in Deuteronomy 20:16-17 and Joshua 6:21. This is a largely misunderstood concept and often a large stumbling block for both unbelievers and believers alike.

The command of herem warfare, also known as the ban, was a command given by God to the Israelites upon their entrance into the land of Canaan, the Promised Land. The command as seen in Deuteronomy is “in the cities of these peoples that the Lord your God gives you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes, but you shall utterly destroy them,” (Dt 20:16-17). This command is then seen in action in the book of Joshua. It is seen, for example, at the siege of Jericho where “they utterly destroyed all in the city, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword” (Jos 6:21).

This command to kill, including women and children, seems so contrary to who God is that it requires serious consideration and discernment. To arrive at a true understanding of this situation, one must consider herem warfare in context and then see what this reveals about God.

A Few Perspectives

There are several different explanations of the ban, many with complementary parts, and a review of them and their cohesive parts can help put this Biblical command into context and provide some deeper insight. (Again, for an in-depth treatment, I highly recommend Trent Horn’s book).

One perspective takes into consideration the historical and Biblical narrative to explain this action as an act of God’s justice. As the people of Israel are instructed by Moses just beyond the Jordan outside of the land of Canaan, Moses recounts the story of the people of God, recalling the Patriarchs, the land of Egypt, and the wandering in the desert.

Included in this history is the promise God made to Abraham, a promise of land, nation, and universal blessing. When Abraham dwelt in the land of Canaan, God foretold the years of slavery in Egypt and then remarked that “they (Abraham’s descendants) shall come back here in the fourth generation; for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete” (Gn 15:16). In the Biblical narrative, the people of God would come back and reclaim the land of Canaan, the Promised Land. The timing of this conquest was planned by God to coincide with the time of punishment for the Amorites and the people of Canaan – the Israelites would act as an instrument of God’s justice.

Others point out that God’s command to destroy all the Canaanites was necessary to ensure future holiness for the people of God. It is important to consider that the wiping out of the Canaanite people was meant to be a preventative act to keep the people of God from falling into the idolatry and paganism of the current residents of the Promised Land. So, not only would the ban execute God’s judgment on the people of Canaan, but it would also protect the Israelites from further sin and preserve them for the worship of the one true God.

Another point to consider is the specificity with which the command is given in Deuteronomy – they are commanded to wipe out the people in the cities. This is important for two reasons; one, it precludes the intention of genocide, and two the targeted people are the specific people with whom God would intend judgment as seen in Genesis 15. The people living in cities would be the king, the priest, the army, and the harlots. The city is the center of worship and the economy – by targeting the city, God is commanding His people not to wipe out innocent people living in their homesteads, rather, to attack the source of the problem and the people who perpetuate it. The cities of Canaan whom God commanded the Israelites to attack are filled with the complete iniquity that God intended to punish through His people.

Two other extremely important points to consider are the clear use of hyperbolic language, not at all unfamiliar in ancient war texts, and the obvious fact that the Israelites were not successful in completely wiping out the Canaanites. The language of completely decimating the people of Canaan can easily be seen as hyperbolic and dramatic language, meant to evoke the necessity with which God intended the Israelites to distinguish themselves from the sinful ways of the idolatrous Canaanites.

Many ancient war texts also used dramatic language to describe successful acts of war and so it is entirely probable that the Biblical language is the same here. Saying that all the men and women and animals were destroyed does not necessarily mean they all were literally wiped out, but merely makes the point that the Israelites were successful in the war. This theory is supported by the fact that the very next book of the Bible, the book of Judges, is all about the problem of living amongst the Canaanites since they were not all killed. This led to much idolatry and sin entering the lives of the Israelites.

The Heart of the Problem

Even knowing the above information and taking it all into context can still make this command of God seem wrong and immoral. This is because at its heart, herem warfare, and much of the Biblical story as a whole, is a theodicy – a quest to reconcile the goodness of God with the evil in the world. Pursuit of the answer to the question of why bad things happen to good people.

The short answer provided by the Bible is that, strictly speaking, there are no good people (save Jesus and His mother). All people fall short of the glory of God and so do not necessitate justification for evils in their lives. Thankfully, this short answer can be expanded upon. Not only is the sinfulness of humanity able to justify the evil in the world, but a proper understanding of God explains the problem of evil.

As Thomas Aquinas says, God is Lord of both life and death, and thus it is His prerogative to bring life into the world and to take life out of the world. It seems that the problem of death is explained by the problem of birth – it is not within the power or prerogative of human beings to decide when to come into existence or when to die – that is in the power of God alone. In addition to this, the great saints and theologians of the Church explain that the evil that exists in the world is justified because God can (and does) bring good from evil.

Confronting the problem of herem warfare is much like confronting the problem of all other terrible events – natural disasters, death, and suffering. The answer lies in God. God, as lord of life and death, God as Absolute Good – allows suffering and evil only in order to bring a greater good from that evil, and only God in His omniscience can fully see and understand the good that is brought out of evil.

So, when faced with suffering in general, or herem warfare in particular, the answer to the apparent puzzle is to recognize the authority and goodness of God amidst evil. One can seek to understand and look for the good brought from evil, but in the end, trust must be placed in God who sees and knows that any and all evil is merely allowed for the sake of a greater good.

When looking at the command to kill the Canaanites, one can consider the historical and practical reasons, one can consider the Israelites as instruments of God’s divine justice and one can consider the specificity of the text to truly grasp the command or look at the language as hyperbolic to make a point – these are all important tools. Ultimately, however, it is important to recognize that the Lord permits evil in order to bring about a greater good. The most excellent example is, of course, the Crucifixion.

There is no greater evil than the death of God on the Cross. Yet, there is no greater good than the redemption of humanity and the world that was brought forth from it. Just as the horror of the Cross invites us to appreciate the love and mercy of God, so too, the evils and sufferings and despair that can be found throughout Scripture and throughout our lives can, in some way, invite us to recognize the glory of God.

As the great Catholic philosopher, Peter Kreeft put it, when one encounters suffering in life and asks, “Why God? I didn’t deserve it.” One should look at a crucifix and repeat the question.