“Joshua’s God”

WED., JUNE 4, 1997, 8:42 AM
OFFICE, PULLIAM

The study of Joshua by your faithful morning group is (in the spirit of next week) pau. The question you have a right to ask is: what is it with this God of Joshua? Since you’re asking about Me, as well as about Yahweh, I’ll respond. You expected something other?

I came to Joshua as the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses. I had chosen Moses to lead My people out of slavery in Egypt (which he did), and to be their leader as they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. During that time I let Joshua mold a golden calf for the people to see as a tangible god. Then I was displeased with that, but I still chose Joshua as the next leader for the Hebrews, having decided against Moses for “reelection”.

As God I was portrayed, in these stories, as one who was not consistent, who allowed certain behaviors, and then punished those who so behaved. Yet I was keeping a promise, that of giving these people of Mine a land “of milk and honey” (an incomplete diet, I admit). To put this promise into action I had to do something about the people who were (presumably) peacefully occupying that land. What I ordered and what I actively participated in was killing – men, women, children, and domestic animals. Some of this was carried out, so the story says.

In some instances the “native” peoples stayed, in some form of servitude, even slavery… and I told My people not to relate to them in any human ways. I was keeping My promise, but it was certainly hard on the various “…ites” folk.

In the early part of your lifetime that geographic area had once more been taken over by the “descendants” of those “…ites”, with the Jews moving up into Europe and beyond. Then came Hitler and what is now called the Holocaust, the execution of millions of Jews, an action that sounds similar (in effect if not in technique) to what the Jews did under Joshua’s and My leadership. With the end of the war and of Adolph (was he serving Me or wasn’t he?) came a sense of shame and guilt for this treatment of the Jews, so they were promised “their land” back… as a homeland. Thus came Israel.

But the Palestinian peoples (descendants of Esau?) had to be removed or at least overpowered. It would have been “poor taste”, certainly, to kill them as Joshua and I did, so they were just “dispossessed”. Yet skirmishes continue… and I am still “in charge”.

Consider this as an analog to the Joshua story: in that story I was almost unabashedly for “My people, the Jews”. Now I am equally favorable to and protective of the whole web of life. I still see you humans as the highest single form of life, but I also see and favor interrelationships among life forms now that it wasn’t essential to teach about several thousand years ago. I both loved the Jews and I chastised and punished them. I love humans today, but I see the damage you folks are inflicting on this web of life, which is, finally, My highest Creation.

I had Joshua lead My people into a comfortable and productive land, achieving this by killing many of the inhabitants. In order to accomplish this “good” there had to be loss of human life. That didn’t seem to bother Me. Now, in order to prevent further imbalance and restore this earth to a better overall balance there must be more loss of life.

Your culture is somewhat like you presume the Canaanies were: opposed to this kind of killing. Your ideal seems to be: no loss of life, at least no “shortening” of life. Did I “use” Timothy (a good name) for My purposes? None of “you Jebuscites” would say so. (Would I?) Must assisted suicide and abortion be made or kept illegal and criminal?