"When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you may nations...then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy." Deuteronomy 7:1-2, NIV. 1
"...do not leave alive anything that breaths. Completely destroy them...as the Lord your God has commanded you..." Deuteronomy 20:16, NIV.
2006-09-27 22:45:03 · 18 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
It was written just so that Bush could have backup for his reasoning to treat other countries the way he has been.
2006-09-27 22:47:21 · answer #1 · answered by Rookie131 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
These passages when taken in context refer to the time when the Israelites where becoming God's people, and as so God wanted them to worship him and not false gods. In the passages he mentions the names of the nations that are to be destroyed.
....Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you ... Deuteronomy 7:1-2, NIV
These nations has turned completely away from God and worshipped false gods. God had promised the Israelites these lands and the harsh order was so that they would not become contaminated with the evil practices that these people did. In the end the Israelites did not fully obey God and did do some of these practices.
The orders that God gave were for the Israelites at that time and at that place, they do not apply today.
You should read the full chapters and what has gone on before and after to see the full picture.
2006-09-28 07:53:15 · answer #2 · answered by THOMAS S 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The children of Israel were instructed to take the promised land. Force was required. The reason for destroying all the enemy was so that they could not be left to defile or obstruct the nation's relationship with the true God. However the act was never succesfully carried out.
In the modern new testament context it should be seen as an instruction to us to get the wrong things out of our lives and has nothing to do with destroying people.
Whatever comes between you and God is a sin and has to be destroyed - without mercy.
In this sense, the kingdom of heaven is taken by force.
2006-09-28 05:57:53 · answer #3 · answered by George 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the land of promise that God set aside for his {then} chosen people, the Israelites, was inhabited by many different Caananite nations. By Gods decree they were to wipe them out, which they did through a series of successful military campaigns that clearly had God's backing. Although the Jews have {somewhat ironicaly} been accused of genocide in their early history, it's interesting that archealogical evidence has shown that these nations were unbelievably debased, ritualistic child sacrifice being just one of the many horrors that were commonplace. So this was no slaughter of the innocents; and by the way I'm not Jewish!
2006-09-28 17:49:24 · answer #4 · answered by I tell you whut! 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It just goes to show that it is all a matter of interpretation and selection. Passages like these and similar ones in the Quran are ignored by most rational people but there will always be the those who believe that stuff like this is meant to be taken literally. Ignoring bits of the holy books you do not like seems very bizarre. You should either believe, and so follow the book completely or you don't believe and ignore the whole thing
Yet another reason why religion is irrational and pointless
2006-09-28 05:50:54 · answer #5 · answered by Fluffy 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
surely you can understand the call to genocide. Everybody wants to get rid of something completely different and diametrically opposed to their own way of thinking.
It means exactly what it says. Invade the land and kill everything you find there - people and animals. Then you can live there in peace.
Similar to current views in certain circles. If you kill the opposition then life is peaceful - consider ethnic cleansing, religious intolerance, etc.
Remember that EVERY god(ess) insists on having people killed for worshipping a different god(ess).
2006-09-28 08:04:23 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Of course much of the bible is open to interpretation, and misinterpretation. The essential thing is to know the nature of God rather than study the minutae of the bible.
Going to bible classes will not make anyone a better Christian.
2006-09-28 05:53:18 · answer #7 · answered by Gerard McCarthy 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I agree, read the rest of the chapter, but when you quote, remember to spell lord right. It is spelled LORD, not Lord, which is a completely different word. LORD is used to replace YHWH so that should the Bible be dropped, dirt cannot get on God's name and defile it.
2006-09-28 05:50:52 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Basically God is saying, these people opposed me and now you need to teach them a lesson so that in the future people will understand; "You do not mess with God"
2006-10-01 05:05:53 · answer #9 · answered by Amanda K 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it means God wanted an end to the barbaric practices of some of the tribes that lived in the land, you need to read the rest of the chapters to know what they were doing that was so evil
2006-09-28 06:31:45 · answer #10 · answered by good tree 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
this was for the jews long before Jesus came to the earth. the israelites were Jehovah's chosen people, who were to have the messiah come through their lineage. in order to ensure this happened, as well as ensuring other prophecies were fulfilled, Jehovah God protected his people. when they relied on Him in wars He gave them victory. in order to protect them spiritually they were to remain separate from the pagan nations. the nations they passed through here would have been spiritually harming to them, and were destroyed to protect the jews. it was all done to ensure the messiah lived and died a sacrificial death to enable humans to have a chance of regaining the perfection adam lost.
2006-09-28 11:49:36 · answer #11 · answered by iamalsotim 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋