20:11-15
If the offer of peace was accepted, then the inhabitants were to become slave labourers for Israel. If not, then they were to lay siege to the city. When the city finally fell, then all the men were to be put to the sword. The women and children were not to be killed, but considered as plunder. In our eyes there is some reasonableness in all this (offering peace, not killing the women and children), but also horror (killing all the men, enslaving people). We should maintain this horror, but also remember that this was a very different world.
20:16-18
There seems to be a distinction between the near and far cities, the far and nearby nations. Those peoples that were nearby were to be completely destroyed. Now we immediately react against this. However, we should remember why the nations were being expelled. It included abominable practices such as child sacrifice and sexual immorality. The destruction of these peoples was partly a judgement upon them, and partly to protect the Israelites from going down the same road. Given that sexual immorality and child sacrifice (in the form of abortion) are characteristic of Western nations, we should be in fear and trembling. If Israel followed the detestable ways of these nations they would suffer the same fate.
20:19,20
They are then instructed not to cut down the trees when they besiege a city. Two reasons are given. One is very practical in that the trees might bear fruit for the Israelites. The other is that the trees are not people, they are not guilty! However, trees that are not fruit bearing could be cut down and used as siege works. The trees had no moral responsibility, and therefore no guilt. So they were to be treated on a purely utilitarian basis.
No comments:
Post a Comment