Joshua

I was reading a lot, and blogging a little. Then I got to Joshua 7 and wrote some thoughts (on paper-I did not have my computer with me). I tried to go on, and I did read on a bit more, but I was having such an issue with all the killing, I felt I had to set both down for a bit until I could go back to (hopefully) reading with a more open mind. I realize I have not commented about some of the books, I assure you I have read them, and I will get back to them. For now, as a last act of getting past everything I was having an issue with I am going to share what I wrote about Joshua 6-9:15. This has much more of my personal feelings about what is written than I usually would share, so feel free to skip this one if you are not interested in such things, or you do not feel this type of writing belongs here. I am not sure I feel they do either, but as an account of my reading, my blog would be incomplete without it. Enough disclaimer, here it is...

Joshua 6-Jerico-Everyone marches around the city and on the 7th day it falls. Everyone dies except the harlot and her family  that helped them earlier. I was actually beginning to wonder if they would actually them.

Joshua 7- They mess up again! God is really mad this time. Someone took something from the city they destroyed. So, they figure out who it was and stone him and burn all of his belongings. What a brutal way to kill someone. I cannot imagine that this was an easy task for the people. This is a group whose fathers were freed from slavery, and all survived together to create the next generation to find the promised land. They were a big family. They were all working and living for the same goal. To have to kill others would be terrible, in my opinion, but to have to kill one of their own had to be heart-wrenching. At this point I realize God is trying to set up rules and order, but at times He seems to go to such extremes! What happened to eye for eye and all that? Achan answered truthfully to his crime of theft. Is death the only answer? What happened to repenting and offering sacrifice? I know he defied God, but if he must be put to death is stoning really the only or best option? To watch your family, your tribe, turn on you and kill you seems is so terrible I cannot even fathom it. I know, the argument will be that he turned on them by disobeying God. I still don't buy that this was really necessary. God seems to be a bit of a bully-do exactly as I say or die. Even thinking of what they were trying to do and keep as good just does not get me through this one. Why am I so upset about one man? Maybe I am not, maybe it's just all the killing put together. I guess when they are killing others at least you can think of them as the good guys conquering evil and doing their God's work faithfully. This one just seems more difficult.

Joshua 8-More genocide as directed by God. What terrible bloodthirsty people these must be to carry it out. I would be the one God had killed, because I would not do hiss killing. I would be like Moses; stomping my foot and telling him he was not acting decent. And why hang their enemy's leader? If they killed everyone who is left to appreciate their gory display? Honestly, if I were part of this group I would go out to the desert and die rather than travel with them. I would be ashamed to say I was one of them.

Joshua 8:31-They sacrifice peace offerings. HA

Joshua 9:15-"And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation swore unto them" He let them live; what a great guy.

Obviously at this point I need to step away for a bit.