If one has not heard this questi0n raised or thought about the context of this question, one may not grasp the challenge of faithfully and biblically answering this question, particularly in our cultural moment.
It is not only those that are anti the Christian Gospel that struggle with this question, which I am Jonny King can affirm in his recent travels in the higher Christian learning fraternity.
Therefore, in light of these realities, the following will be of some help for all you weary travelers.
Justin Taylor, over at Between Two Worlds… The Gospel Coalition style has provided a biblical answer that will help you think through this question.
This is a good, hard question. The way we answer it will both reflect and inform our understanding of justice and mercy.
The question is about what happens in the book of Joshua when God commands Israel to slaughter the Canaanites in order to occupy the Promised Land. It was a bloody war of total destruction where God used his people to execute his moral judgment against his wicked enemies. In moving toward an answer it will be helpful to think carefully about the building blocks of a Christian worldview related to God’s justice and mercy.
1. As the maker of all things and the ruler of all people, God has absolute rights of ownership over all people and places.
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1) “and the sea and all that is in them” (Act 14:15). This means that “The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein” (Ps. 24:1). As God says, “All the earth is mine” (Ex. 19:5) and “every beast of the forest is mine” (Ps. 50:10). God’s ownership of all means that he is also free to do as he wishes over all things. “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases” (Ps. 115:3). Within this free sovereignty God “determined allotted periods and the boundaries of [each nation’s] dwelling place” (Acts 17:26). God has Creator rights, and no one can say to him, “What are you doing?” (Job 9:12).
You can read the rest of the article HERE!
Until Next Time
I am Jonny King
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