After Moses addresses the people about being just and merciful and walking with their God, he goes further to address the treatment of the priests who represented the people before the Lord, and the Levites who ministered before God. He talks about the prophet who would be the voice of God for the people. He talks about the Avenger of Blood who would punish anyone guilty of bloodshed. He talks about judges who would make sure that the people are honest.
He tells the Israelites of all the people they have in their midst that will make them just and merciful, then he talks about going to war. Not just going to war to defend themselves, but going to war to wipe out completely the people who live in the land. "However, in the cities of the nations the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you. Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods, and you will sin against the LORD your God." - Deut. 20:16-18 NIV
Completely destroy your enemies. What kind of God is this?
"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver."Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."— C.S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia)
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